Introduction

[kayinaylesbury]

Hi - I'm a 62 year old female, hoping to do the Camino in September. I'm fairly fit, walking most Sundays anything from 7 - 14 miles, go to the gym three times a week and do a couple of Pilates classes. I'm a very bad sleeper so am thinking about hotels and also having my bag transferred each day. I have done a couple of long distance paths, the Cotswold Way and Offa's Dyke but really enjoyed having a base and going out for days with just a day bag. Any suggestions please and also I do not know any Spanish, will this be a problem? Also should I start and look at booking a flight from the UK now?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Your good level of physical fitness will serve you well. The new experience will be the way the daily grind slowly wears you down. Walking a half-marathon a day for a month means there will be a kind of repetitive stress that you have not experienced before. You can do it, particularly if you know what is coming and use techniques to adjust. Take breaks. Drink water. Take a rest day when you finally are exhausted. Be sure to tend to your feet. Walking for eight hours is not like walking for three hours, particularly when you add a twenty-pound pack to the impact of each step.

Keep training. Walk with your pack so you know how it will affect your balance, stride, and waist muscles. Get your walking footwear broken in. Wearing it around the house is good, but it is not the same as walking for hours. Long walks will show you pressure spots that will not be revealed around the house or down the street.

Have fun, and be confident. It is not easy, but it is possible and quite satisfying.

Buen camino.

 

[Tia Valeria]

Hola Kay and welcome.
I am 63, walked some of the Camino Primitivo in 2010, and the Camino Inglés last year. Planning to complete the Primitivo this year. Falcon's walking advice is good. I actually manage better walking about 10 miles (15kms) a day with the occasional 20kms when needed for accomodation reasons. You will soon find your own pace and distance.
Pack wise you will see many posts suggestiong that you only carry 10% of your body weight, which gives me 6 to 6.5kg allowance. It is achievable if you pack really light and depending on whether you take a light sleeping bag or a good liner in September. You could practise by starting to carry a lightly loaded pack so you can build up the weight.
Have fun with your planning and training and Buen Camino
Tia Valeria

 

[cote.lesta]

Hi Kay: Your are doing the right things to get yourself fit for the walk. I got a pair of walking poles and found to be the best investment of the whole trip as they help with weight bearin and posture, advise given so far is spot on, invest some time to look at posts from other peregrinos, you will find answrs to al your questions, in regards to flights, it depends where you start your camino from and if you are using a budget airline. I have purchased mine for June as I be flying with Ryanair and dont want to leave it to chance.
Buen Camino. 8)

 

[jennifer2012]

Kay, I am going to walk the Camino Frances starting Aug 31, 2012. You sound like you are in way better shape than I am at 56. I am starting to train and learn Spanish so hopefully I will be ready by then. I live in Vancouver, Washington and I have been contacting anyone who says they are going in September to see if we can make a digital connection so we will have friends on the path when we start. Let me know if you have a firm start date. Jenny

 

[Cvtminch]

I'm a little confused....how can bags be transferred each day?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Taxi and van service is available at virtually all stopping points. The operators pool bags, and transport them in the morning to your next destination for 3 to 5 Euro per stage. Other topics will show you links to several services. Phone the service to let them know you have a bag to be transported. You leave your bag at the accommodation of origin with an envelope with the fee, the service picks up the bag and delivers it to your destination accommodation, which usually cannot be a municipal/parochial albergue. It is generally reliable and safe, but like airlines, occasionally a pack goes astray!

 

[Cvtminch]

Thanks falcon269 for explaining that! Very helpful to know....

 

[katehawk]

Hi,
I am going to be starting from SJPDP on Sept 2. My son just told me he will be joining me for the first week-- across the Pyrenees to...who knows where. I am thrilled. Though I have been following the forum since April, when I bought my ticket, this is my first post. It is good to know that there are others in my age-range who will be starting out at about the same time. I am still lining up my equipment-- a daunting task-- I hate carrying a pack, but love to walk. The help and encouragement I have received from my daily forum dose is immeasurable. Thank you all for your insights and wisdom. I would like to name each of you, but wouldn't know where to begin or end. Jennifer and Kay, perhaps we will meet on the trail.

Katherine