Is the VdlP only 989km long?

[Deborah Williams]

I proudly finished my first Camino from Seville to S-C yesterday, queued up at the office to get my Compostella and chose to pay an extra EUR 3, for the 'destination' certificate which states where you start and how many kilometres you walked. Somewhat agog, feeling denied, and contrary to the guide books and signposts, ( not to mention the extra kms on the carreterra due to construction), the number of kilometres the certificate states is 989. I would be very interested to know where this figure comes from, and why we of the VdlP, could not at least get an 'even' 1000 kms accredited. Passifying needed please!

 

[Perejil]

Ferrari Fiorano is 5999 cc, just 1cc shy of 6000.

 

[Houlet]

According to my Camino Frances Certificate of Distance , SJPdP - SdC is 775 km.

There are so many alternative routes that I have no idea which they have taken, and what distance I actually walked.

For me the purpose of the certificate is to record my starting and finishing points rather than an accurate measure of distance.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

As I predicted, the new certificate will focus on bragging rights! To me, that is not a good twist. It supplements the attitude that one person's camino was more authentic than someone else's. Or who walked longest and fastest. There is something disquieting to me about make the camino a competitive contest. I am waiting for the unicyclist who does it backwards.

 

[oursonpolaire]

I have often thought that, in Spain, the kilometre was a subjective measurement, not an objective measurement.

 

[Houlet]

I have often thought that, in Spain, the kilometre was a subjective measurement, not an objective measurement.

I agree, the distance signs in villages rarely tie up with what literature or web sites claim.

 

[Deborah Williams]

As I predicted, the new certificate will focus on bragging rights! To me, that is not a good twist. It supplements the attitude that one person's camino was more authentic than someone else's. Or who walked longest and fastest. There is something disquieting to me about make the camino a competitive contest. I am waiting for the unicyclist who does it backwards.

Struggling to understand how having a certificate with ones name, start place, Camino name, date, and the number of kms on it makes it into anything competitive, especially given that Rule 1 is you walk your own Camino, but do agree that if the distance is apparently so subjective, then maybe it is better left off.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

if the distance is apparently so subjective, then maybe it is better left off.

That would be the compostela!

 

[Stripey Socks]

Deborah you should be proud of what you have achieved even if it is not an official round 1000!

And, in my case planning to walk in September, it is probably better if I lull myself into thinking it is a bit shorter!

In your heart you know you have walked every step! That is amazing in itself...

 

[alansykes]

Deborah you should be proud of what you have achieved even if it is not an official round 1000!

And, in my case planning to walk in September, it is probably better if I lull myself into thinking it is a bit shorter!

This is a picture of the granite waymarker on a very dull roundabout in the suburbs of Seville which tells you that you have exactly 1000km to go. It certainly made me pause for thought.

 

[Al the optimist]

When I look at my Compostelas they remind me of each of the inner journeys they represent. When I look at my Credentials I am reminded of the physical journeys. Next time I go to the Pilgrim's office I will ask for a certificate of distance and pay my 3 euros. It is not that I care about it or how many kilometres it says. Nor will hold it in anything like the reverence I hold my Compostelas, but it will be an unobtrusive way to help support the excellent work done on our behalf.

 

[Houlet]

Because I walked for charity copies of the Certificate of distance were useful to feedback to those who had donated.

Although it is in Spanish the details are clearer than a compostella in Latin.

 

[Deborah Williams]

Deborah you should be proud of what you have achieved even if it is not an official round 1000!

And, in my case planning to walk in September, it is probably better if I lull myself into thinking it is a bit shorter!

In your heart you know you have walked every step! That is amazing in itself...

Stripey, thanks and I am proud (at Finisterra at the moment enjoying the sunshine and the satisfaction). Good luck for September. FYI the best guide books for VdlP are the German Outlook series, so find a German buddy if you can. It is a fantastic walk - all 1000 plus kms! Buen Camino!

 

[jirit]

The VdlP or camino, any camino for that matter, is as long as you want it to be.

We may focus on the physical distance at times but it is spiritual distance that matters more.

Therefore for some, the journey has only just begun.

 

[teda]

this discussion is a little bit strange for me... I agree with Jirit, that matters more the spiritual distance, spiritual experience...
Let Camino not become the competition...

 

[nathanael]

I proudly finished my first Camino from Seville to S-C yesterday, queued up at the office to get my Compostella and chose to pay an extra EUR 3, for the 'destination' certificate which states where you start and how many kilometres you walked. Somewhat agog, feeling denied, and contrary to the guide books and signposts, ( not to mention the extra kms on the carreterra due to construction), the number of kilometres the certificate states is 989. I would be very interested to know where this figure comes from, and why we of the VdlP, could not at least get an 'even' 1000 kms accredited. Passifying needed please!

please explain this new procedure in certificates. I am not aware of my last Camino was 2012 and there was no prob;em about kilo only the required stamps.

 

[Kanga]

please explain this new procedure in certificates. I am not aware of my last Camino was 2012 and there was no prob;em about kilo only the required stamps.

Well, we now have to walk over 1,000 kilometres......Joking! Joking!

It's just an extra certificate you can get that states the distance you have walked. I understand it does not replace the Compostela, it is an additional optional distance certificate.

 

[el ciervo amarillo]

I have often thought that, in Spain, the kilometre was a subjective measurement, not an objective measurement.

I also agree; those wonderful signs which promise a bar "only a hundred meters off the route" some of them deserve a separate compostela!

 

[zolarose]

I doubt that I'd pay €3 for it. My credencial is evidence enough. I'll use the €3 on some tapas!

 

[oursonpolaire]

In support of my previous post on subjectivity and objectivity of the kilometre, I quite clearly recall that some of them were very long indeed, but others were so brief as to be barely noticeable. Indeed, I recall one stretch on the meseta where I recall starting from one ridge and then, the next thing I noticed, I was about 3km further, without any recollection of the walk in between. Rather than trouble the Pilgrims' Office with a suggestion that they subtract such mysteriously-disappearing passages, I will accept their estimate.

 

[mmm042]

Deborah, you most certainly did walk 1,000 km and probably more -- add to that 989 km all of the extra distances one walks when getting lost, detouring a few blocks to find a cafe or see an interesting sight, getting to/from your lodging for the night, etc.

Melanie

 

[Cejanus]

Congratulations Deborah. Yep you walked a long, long , long way. AND you saw this really special part of Spain. Put up your certificates in a place for all to see. What an achievement!

 

[ksam]

I have often thought that, in Spain, the kilometre was a subjective measurement, not an objective measurement.

Yup! Like those last 5k into Estella! That was in no way 5k...and everyone that hot day agreed!

 

[AlanB]

The vdlp is more than 1000km and if you pay for service (the distance certificate is a paid for service) you should have the distance recorded correctly. Truth is bloke in the office asked my how far I thought it was as he said he also didn't believe the figure on the official computer. He happily added that figure. For those who don't agree with certificate of distance the answer's simple. Don't ask for one.

 

[Harington]

I proudly finished my first Camino from Seville to S-C yesterday, queued up at the office to get my Compostella and chose to pay an extra EUR 3, for the 'destination' certificate which states where you start and how many kilometres you walked. Somewhat agog, feeling denied, and contrary to the guide books and signposts, ( not to mention the extra kms on the carreterra due to construction), the number of kilometres the certificate states is 989. I would be very interested to know where this figure comes from, and why we of the VdlP, could not at least get an 'even' 1000 kms accredited. Passifying needed please!

If you've just walked the VdlP you'll have done far more than 1000km, thanks to the numerous diversions round road and rail construction. That's what I told myself, anyway!

 

[peregrina2000]

The vdlp is more than 1000km and if you pay for service (the distance certificate is a paid for service) you should have the distance recorded correctly. Truth is bloke in the office asked my how far I thought it was as he said he also didn't believe the figure on the official computer. He happily added that figure. For those who don't agree with certificate of distance the answer's simple. Don't ask for one.

As has been discussed on other threads, the problem with recording the distance "correctly" is that there is no unanimous agreement on the distance. This is not a problem having to do with the staff, it's a problem having to do with the fact that unless you walk with a gps, it is impossible to know exactly how many kms you walked. With detours, bikes vs. walkers, variants (Sanabres vs. Astorga via Benavente), it's clear that there simply cannot be any perfect number. I know that the staff is happy to accommodate your number, so if you order one of these certificates and if you are going to object if they put in 989 km, tell them that up front and they will put in any reasonable number you specify.

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[terryenroute]

This is what I received for the vdlp and sanabres route (1006km). I wonder what the difference is if you go thru Astorga and then the Frances.

 

[Albertagirl]

This is what I received for the vdlp and sanabres route (1006km). I wonder what the difference is if you go thru Astorga and then the Frances.

@terryvinet
My distance certificate for the VdlP also states that I walked 1,006 km, but another pilgrim who got the certificate for the VdlP the same morning that I did, apparently walked 1,007 km.

 

[Houlet]

Mine from 2016 says 1007 km but for me it's not important, given the amount of times I got lost in every city I probably walked 1200 km

 

[domigee]

I never even thought of getting a ‘distance certificate’ but I’m pretty sure I walk longer distances than most the way I get lost

 

[Greg Ludford]

Ours from 2018 say 1007km so it appears that the Iberian Peninsula is neither shrinking nor expanding at this time. Mind you, I reckon a few of the long road sections on this way (eg north of Salamanca) deserve a few penalty kilometers just for perserverance.
Also, it is well known that the last kilometre into any small town that promises a cafe and bar is really 1.5 to 2km, depending on the temperature.