Introduction

[Steve S]

Hi, my name's Steve, and I plan to walk the camino from Leon to Santiago (we think) with my 16-year-old son during July. We look forward to any input or insight we can gain from this forum.

 

[jbgreer]

Hi, my name's Steve, and I plan to walk the camino from Leon to Santiago (we think) with my 16-year-old son during July. We look forward to any input or insight we can gain from this forum.

Greetings, Steve. My wife and I intended to walk from Leon to Santiago in May of 2004; injury and sickness prompted us to cut out part of the route (Astorga to Sarria). That said, I'd be delighted to answer any questions I can.

Thoughts:
- Are you saving some time for Leon or intending to walk right away? I think Leon is a good city in which to acclimate, though it is a bit larger than most cities you will encounter on the road.
Pros:
You can easily stock on any last minute supplies.
Beautiful cathedral and other city features.
Cons:
Perhaps a little crowded?

- Have you planned your stages, yet?
It all depends, of course, upon what you intend. My wife and I found our first day's walk to be good. The second day was a bit harder, but we pushed on to Astorga when we shouldn't have (illness, injury) and the afternoon was quite hot.

- Speaking of which, the weather will be fairly warm, I should think. Be careful, carry plenty of water, and refresh yourselves often.

Finally, I think you've come to the right place. I've been lurking around the forums for a while before joining, and the crowd here is quite knowledgeable and helpful, at least in my experience.

Buon camino,
Jim G

 

[Steve S]

Jim, thank you for your response. We do plan to spend a day in Leon; I've been there before and it's a lovely city.

I am interested to learn which stages you and your wife planned, and how you transported yourself to Sarria after the injury. By bus? This information could come in handy for us should we find ourselves in a similar situation. Also, any packing or other planning advice?

Thanks,

Steve

 

[chrissy]

Best not to plan ahead too much

I walked in 2004 from Astorga to Santiago. As it was a very sudden decision to go and I wanted to make sure I had the pilgrim pass I stopped by in Leon. There I got a very good leaflet with the hight profile and the list of towns and villages and their supply of shops, cafes and hostels. There are several places to stay so you may do as much or as little as you like. I would not plan or book places ahead. It is good to have a target to aim for but you should also be flexible and listen to your body. I used the leaflet to see what is ahead the next, the possible next hostel to stay overnight and when and where to have my breakfast ... I think Leon to Astorga is about 14 walking days, but give or take one or two days. After OCebreiro the route is becoming buisy and it is best to take a mattress to sleep on the floor of a sports hall if necessary. If you are not so much on a budget, there are small hotels on the way, too. Naturally, in 2004 the number of people walking was very high.