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Longer Caminos?

1946caminoman

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Camino Frances 1999, 2008, 2012, 2018
I am just over half way through my second Camino Frances, and it doesn't feel long enough for me, even though I will go on to Finisterre and Muxia.

I have met several people who began at Le Puy, in France, walking about 1500km in total.

I would like to walk even further!

Can someone advise me if there is a longer route that is well waymarked and adequately serviced with albergues/ hostels. And if so, is there a guide book for that route?

Thank you for your help!
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Hi 1946caminoman - you may well have to either 1. Plan a combination of caminos around Spain. or 2. Plan a route that starts in another country - I have met people along the Way who started in Belgiun, Holland, Budapest, Ireland, Scotland, Austira and Germany. You can link most of the European routes to various entry points along Spanish caminos. In Austria, a pilgrim stayed-over with me who had been underway for two years - he had simply continued around the Spanish ways, then went on to Rome and Italy, then entered Austria. At the time, he still wasn't sure if he felt satisfied with the pilgrimage he was making. I don't know where he is now.
Good luck and best wishes.
PS. Out of curiosity, may I ask - Is it the physical challenge you are seeking, or religious/spiritual inspiration, a prolonged need to resolve life issues, or a combination?
Good luck and best wishes
Keith
 
It also depends on what you mean by "adequately serviced". Being able to turn up in just about any town, without any pre-booking, and have a range of cheap pilgrim accommodation options at your fingertips, is very unique to the Camino Frances (and some other caminos/camino sections in Spain and Portugal).

With most other walking routes in Europe, you'll usually need to call ahead to organise pilgrim accommodation (in hostels, gites d'etapes, IF they exist on your chosen route), or else you'll need to use a combination of hotels and B&Bs. I've met a few looooong distance pilgrims who have become very used to sleeping in makeshift shelters or under church porches. If you're looking for something more comfortable, however, it'll definitely take a bit more planning, and a higher budget.
 
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I would like to walk even further!

Can someone advise me if there is a longer route that is well waymarked and adequately serviced with albergues/ hostels. And if so, is there a guide book for that route?

inspiration, a prolonged need to resolve life issues


I know how you feel, I combined three Caminos in Spain, Portugal and Brazil and didn't have a timeline and although the physical constraints took its toll my decision to return was to return to confront the reason I left in the first instance.

Next time I intend too walk with more clarity from home (Derry, NI) to Santiago and back unless of course you reside in Spain in which case why not combine the magnificent 7...St.James; Camino Frances (the French Way), Camino Portugués (the Portuguese Way), Camino del Norte (the Northern Way), Camino Primitivo (the Original Way), Via de la Plata (the Silver Way), Camino Inglés (the English Way) and Camino Finisterre-Muxía.

Why is distance so important, is it a journey or destination you have in mind. Have you considered the journey that takes place without having to walk anywhere. All questions I asked and found my answers on the Way 🤠
 
Hi 1946caminoman - you may well have to either 1. Plan a combination of caminos around Spain. or 2. Plan a route that starts in another country - I have met people along the Way who started in Belgiun, Holland, Budapest, Ireland, Scotland, Austira and Germany. You can link most of the European routes to various entry points along Spanish caminos. In Austria, a pilgrim stayed-over with me who had been underway for two years - he had simply continued around the Spanish ways, then went on to Rome and Italy, then entered Austria. At the time, he still wasn't sure if he felt satisfied with the pilgrimage he was making. I don't know where he is now.
Good luck and best wishes.
PS. Out of curiosity, may I ask - Is it the physical challenge you are seeking, or religious/spiritual inspiration, a prolonged need to resolve life issues, or a combination?
Good luck and best wishes
Keith
It ain't the physical challenge. Not interested in that. I want to walk for a long time and see where that takes my heart and soul
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
It also depends on what you mean by "adequately serviced". Being able to turn up in just about any town, without any pre-booking, and have a range of cheap pilgrim accommodation options at your fingertips, is very unique to the Camino Frances (and some other caminos/camino sections in Spain and Portugal).

With most other walking routes in Europe, you'll usually need to call ahead to organise pilgrim accommodation (in hostels, gites d'etapes, IF they exist on your chosen route), or else you'll need to use a combination of hotels and B&Bs. I've met a few looooong distance pilgrims who have become very used to sleeping in makeshift shelters or under church porches. If you're looking for something more comfortable, however, it'll definitely take a bit more planning, and a higher budget.
What I mean by adequately serviced is hostel accommodation every 20-30km. I don't want to carry a tent and cannot afford to stay in hotels except perhaps occasionally.
 
It is not
I know how you feel, I combined three Caminos in Spain, Portugal and Brazil and didn't have a timeline and although the physical constraints took its toll my decision to return was to return to confront the reason I left in the first instance.

Next time I intend too walk with more clarity from home (Derry, NI) to Santiago and back unless of course you reside in Spain in which case why not combine the magnificent 7...St.James; Camino Frances (the French Way), Camino Portugués (the Portuguese Way), Camino del Norte (the Northern Way), Camino Primitivo (the Original Way), Via de la Plata (the Silver Way), Camino Inglés (the English Way) and Camino Finisterre-Muxía.

Why is distance so important, is it a journey or destination you have in mind. Have you considered the journey that takes place without having to walk anywhere. All questions I asked and found my answers on the Way 🤠

It is not distance that is important, but time. I would like to walk for a long time, to get lost in the journey...
 
It is not


It is not distance that is important, but time. I would like to walk for a long time, to get lost in the journey...

I understand and rather than walking a longer distance Camino why not retrace your steps in the opposite direction and view from a different perspective. I walked without a map or destination and was guided by the experiences and people I met and on the Portuguese walked alone, ignored the yellow arrows and followed the signs I created in my own universe. Buen Camino Seeker🙏
 
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I have - so far - walked from Prague nearly to Le Puy, and from Le Puy to SJPP. Daily details in my blog (link in sig block below). Daily expenses ran about EUR45 in France, EUR 60-70 in Germany and Switzerland, and probably EUR 40 in Czech (they're not on the Euro though). Every town in Germany has small hotels (Gasthaus) with restaurant and pub on the ground floor. Czech was challenging but your longer daily distance will help. Swiss lodging takes advance planning to book the less-expensive options rather than being left with expensive tourist hotels as your only option.

Each nation's pilgrim association has a website. Guidebooks are available throughout, and the ways are well-marked (not as frequently as the Camino Frances, however).
For Switzerland and Germany: https://www.conrad-stein-verlag.de/
For Czech Republic: http://www.jakobswege-nach-burgund.de/Prag-Eslarn/
 
It ain't the physical challenge. Not interested in that. I want to walk for a long time and see where that takes my heart and soul
I too know that feeling. One option is to slow down. I was overwhelmed when I reached Santiago after walking the Frances. Overwhelmed, grateful and thankful. But yet I could have continued on. Walking back home is an option - we must return eventually. I walk to the airport most years. For me, my family has been very generous by giving me the time to walk and I am very grateful to my wife and family. One final point - I found the 'short' walk to Finisterre and Muxia provided a different experience and unexpectedly fulfilling.
 
I am just over half way through my second Camino Frances, and it doesn't feel long enough for me, even though I will go on to Finisterre and Muxia.

I have met several people who began at Le Puy, in France, walking about 1500km in total.

I would like to walk even further!

Can someone advise me if there is a longer route that is well waymarked and adequately serviced with albergues/ hostels. And if so, is there a guide book for that route?

Thank you for your help!
We did Le Puy to Santiago last year. Absolutely amazing experience. The Road through France is GR 65 and well-marked. The road through France has a very different feel to the Spanish part. I would be surprised if you didn’t love it 😊
 
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Hi
You can find long caminos in Spain : you could start from Almería to Santiago (about 1200 km) You can get many informations about the stages, the distance, the albergue, etc...
Or from Málaga
Or from Valencia
Have a nice time
 
Here's a map. It is not complete.

europos-jokubas.jpg
 
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It ain't the physical challenge. Not interested in that. I want to walk for a long time and see where that takes my heart and soul
Fantastic. I wish you well, many adventures and tests, and that your heart and soul are blessed along the way. Sounds like you don't need to plan your camino too thoroughly, just trust to your instinct, your inner voice, and go where it takes you or tells you.
A very Buen Camino
Keith
 
It also depends on what you mean by "adequately serviced". Being able to turn up in just about any town, without any pre-booking, and have a range of cheap pilgrim accommodation options at your fingertips, is very unique to the Camino Frances (and some other caminos/camino sections in Spain and Portugal).

With most other walking routes in Europe, you'll usually need to call ahead to organise pilgrim accommodation (in hostels, gites d'etapes, IF they exist on your chosen route), or else you'll need to use a combination of hotels and B&Bs. I've met a few looooong distance pilgrims who have become very used to sleeping in makeshift shelters or under church porches. If you're looking for something more comfortable, however, it'll definitely take a bit more planning, and a higher budget.

Have you considered a different trek altogether such as the Alpe-Adria Trail which goes from the Austrian Alps, through Solvenia and ends on the Adriatic Ocean in Croatia. The distance is about the same as the Camino Francis but far more dramatic. It has an adequate infrastructure to support differing lodging and food options. This is just one of many examples of treks out there available to adventurers.
 
I first got aware of the Camino Frances in 2011, the year after last Año Santo, and my first foreign pilgrim's walk took pace two years later (Le Puy tol Pamplona, andt then Pamplona to SdC two years later) - my first walk at all was in Norway, and so were many of the others (I have done pilgrim walks every year since 2007). Several years ago I started planning my next visit to SdC in 2021, and I plan to be a bicigrino, starting from Frederikshavn, Denmark, and follow the Camino del Norte (bicyclely adapted) in Spain. This will be about 3600 km, and I will probably spend 2 - 3 months getting there.
 
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There are heaps of long distance trails to think about. All offer unique and varied challenges.

1. Via Francigena (Canterbury - Rome) roughly 2000km. I have done that walk and its extension Via Francigena nel Sud (about 500km) to Bari.

2. Israel International Trail (INT) from north to south in Israel. I have planned to walk a part of it, but not done yet. Very challenging if you cross the Negev Desert. Lots of spiritual connections if that is your interest. There is a user forum, but it is not as good/helpful as Ivar's forum. Jakob Saar's guidebook is the best available.

3. 88 Temple Pilgrimage around Shikoku, Japan. There is a thread in this forum you can probably find. This walk offers special insights into many aspects of Japanese culture. It's one good way of breaking out of the European experience.

4. Via Egnatia from Durres (Albania) to Istanbul. I also planned this a couple of year ago, but was not able to do it. There is a good website.

I can give more specifics on any of these walks if you want.

The Sultan's Way https://www.sultanstrail.net/route/?lang=en is another idea. I have done no research on it.

Then there are many secular long distance walks that you can find on many websites eg:


Hope that is useful.

Bob M
 
It is not


It is not distance that is important, but time. I would like to walk for a long time, to get lost in the journey...

Exactly. I have experienced a few times another pilgrim asking me what date I started and then saying something like, "Oh, well, then you are really taking your time." (possibly a veiled judgment that I'm a slow walker or not walking "far enough" each day). My response is "Yes, my goal is to see how long I can make it take to get to Santiago."
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
I first got aware of the Camino Frances in 2011, the year after last Año Santo, and my first foreign pilgrim's walk took pace two years later (Le Puy tol Pamplona, andt then Pamplona to SdC two years later) - my first walk at all was in Norway, and so were many of the others (I have done pilgrim walks every year since 2007). Several years ago I started planning my next visit to SdC in 2021, and I plan to be a bicigrino, starting from Frederikshavn, Denmark, and follow the Camino del Norte (bicyclely adapted) in Spain. This will be about 3600 km, and I will probably spend 2 - 3 months getting there.
I first got aware of the Camino Frances in 2011, the year after last Año Santo, and my first foreign pilgrim's walk took pace two years later (Le Puy tol Pamplona, andt then Pamplona to SdC two years later) - my first walk at all was in Norway, and so were many of the others (I have done pilgrim walks every year since 2007). Several years ago I started planning my next visit to SdC in 2021, and I plan to be a bicigrino, starting from Frederikshavn, Denmark, and follow the Camino del Norte (bicyclely adapted) in Spain. This will be about 3600 km, and I will probably spend 2 - 3 months getting there.
Good luck inmari, I am thinking about becoming a bicigrino, but I am not sure if you get enough of the camino experience by cycling, it would certainly make the journey easier,
What do you think?
Bill
 
So, I'm thinking of where to walk for my seventh stroll, and would be happy to hear your various thoughts. I don't mind meeting folks along the way, though I'm not in the mood for a mob scene either a la the Frances. Ditto, I've walked a few where I've met almost no one (think Lisboa-Porto), and I think that's a bit too extreme in the other direction. As usual, I plan on starting around mid-September (hopefully the heat wave will be over and done with by then). If I leave from Geneva to Le Puy, would I need to camp? I can if necessary, but prefer to stay in gites/albergues if possible.

Primitivo/Stevenson/Salvador - all shorter than the 5-6 weeks I'll have, so, although I would love to hear your thoughts on those, I am also interested in hearing about longer walks (how's the Vezelay?). Also, I am not averse to doing a repeat walk as well, since most all have been great. While I don't want a mob scene, I've been on some long haul solo walks too (think Lisboa to Porto for one), so I'm not eager for the opposite (completely solitary) either.

(I've done the Frances, Lisboa-Muxia, Norte, VdlP, Le Puy to Jaca via Somport, and Arles to Puente La Reina to date).

Thoughts?
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
If I leave from Geneva to Le Puy, would I need to camp? I can if necessary, but prefer to stay in gites/albergues if possible.
Although there is camping available, there is lodging available along the entire Geneva route. Get the yellow Amis guide here: http://chemins.amis-st-jacques.org/?page_id=6

Just a note that many camping-grounds have small cabins, tents, or caravans (already set up) on offer at very reasonable prices, so you can stay there without having to carry camping gear with you.
 
Good luck inmari, I am thinking about becoming a bicigrino, but I am not sure if you get enough of the camino experience by cycling, it would certainly make the journey easier,
What do you think?
Bill
I think that walking the whole distance will be a bit too much for me, we talk about 3600 km, and finding places to stay might be a problem in e.g. Belgium, where I cannot see any camino routes when I search for it. I am aware that it will be a very lonesome journey, especially as I have planned parts of it outside the traditional camino routes by choosing roads that are not so hilly as parts of the Camino del Norte by using bikemap.net. Using my bike will also make room for bringing a tent, which may be good in case the only option is a camp site.
 
I think that walking the whole distance will be a bit too much for me, we talk about 3600 km, and finding places to stay might be a problem in e.g. Belgium, where I cannot see any camino routes when I search for it. I am aware that it will be a very lonesome journey, especially as I have planned parts of it outside the traditional camino routes by choosing roads that are not so hilly as parts of the Camino del Norte by using bikemap.net. Using my bike will also make room for bringing a tent, which may be good in case the only option is a camp site.


Belgian Camino routes:

https://www.santiago.nl/wegnaarbuiten-belgie

full screen map:

https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/nl/map/pelgrimspaden-belgie_301451#7/50.513/4.213

1564910629195.png
 
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€83,-
A handy premise is to start at your point where you live and go towards Rome/ Santiago/ Jerusalem. In that way the perspective the original pilgrims had. They walked as a penance as holy men, or as emissaries.

The OP does not mention where home is, in my case I would have to walk 3300kms plus to get to SdC from Denmark...
A project worth some thought, and it has a single purpose on the outset.

http://www.jakobswege-europa.de/wege/index.htm ,
will show you distances in the greater part of Europe. The homepage in alas in German but this map is interactive, so you can scan all towns in distane as to Santiago in this case.. an effective map..

http://www.deutsche-jakobswege.de/wege-uebersicht.html same map but concentrated on Germany alone.

I regularily meet pilgrims who have done the Camiono from their front door....
And then they will take a plane or a train home, the original pilgrim would have had to walk all ther way home again....

Happy planning !!
 
Good luck inmari, I am thinking about becoming a bicigrino, but I am not sure if you get enough of the camino experience by cycling, it would certainly make the journey easier,
What do you think?
Bill
Getting the camino experience by cycling is two part.
First you have to sit down and ask what is the camino experience you are after, the time alone for deep thought, the churches, the meeting new people, something else or all of them together?
Second you have to take the time to have that experience.

I am a slow cycling pilgrim at about 50km a day but I stop for the churches, to sit in silence, to chat with people, as such I have found the my pilgrimages by bike to be better than walking as I find/have the energy to stop for every church and spend time lost in thoughts.
 
Getting the camino experience by cycling is two part.
First you have to sit down and ask what is the camino experience you are after, the time alone for deep thought, the churches, the meeting new people, something else or all of them together?
Second you have to take the time to have that experience.

I am a slow cycling pilgrim at about 50km a day but I stop for the churches, to sit in silence, to chat with people, as such I have found the my pilgrimages by bike to be better than walking as I find/have the energy to stop for every church and spend time lost in thoughts.
Hi Debra, you are quite right, the only part missing would be meeting the same pilgrims on the way, at coffee/lunch/ or at night, or having a "pilgrim" family, or having long conversations, with new friends while walking along,
Did you cycle along with other pilgrims ? Although it is quite a bit harder to chat while cycling , compared to walking ,
Bill
PS , my next camino is this September walking a big chunk of the Portuguese from Lisboa, No bicycle to worry about, I bought a smaller rucksack, still debating taking waterproof trousers and a sleeping bag.
I have a new job, and have yet to let them know I have booked my flights!.
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
Hi Debra, you are quite right, the only part missing would be meeting the same pilgrims on the way, at coffee/lunch/ or at night, or having a "pilgrim" family, or having long conversations, with new friends while walking along,
Did you cycle along with other pilgrims ? Although it is quite a bit harder to chat while cycling , compared to walking ,
Bill
PS , my next camino is this September walking a big chunk of the Portuguese from Lisboa, No bicycle to worry about, I bought a smaller rucksack, still debating taking waterproof trousers and a sleeping bag.
I have a new job, and have yet to let them know I have booked my flights!.

As for me I go on pilgrimage alone. Even when walking I never fell in a “pilgrim family”.

Most of my conversation are with locals in a single town or other pilgrims at a hostel. I have walked with other pilgrims and talked for an hour before getting back on to ride. For me, pilgrimage is not about the “pilgrim family” however I would ask other cyclists about the pilgrim family and if they build there own family on route. Someone that walks 35+km or less than 10km is going to also lack the family group due to being out of step with other pilgrims.

You have defined your pilgrimage to be about the people you walk and have picked a route that give you people and I hope the experience you seek.

I think we as pilgrims should ask what is the difference between pilgrimage and long distance walking or bike touring, in order to make sure we get what we are looking for. Maybe if we are after a religious or spiritual component to a poker match we should take the time to prepare for what we will do in order to find that.
 
On my pilgrimage of Florence to Rome because of my winter timing I saw no other pilgrims but I spent time in pray, visited churches alone and in silence, and talked to people I meet on the way. I saw Jacksy, the pet rabbit, at my hotel try to cook himself by jumping in the fire place and shared laughter with his owner.

But to debate as to the difference of pilgrimage and tourism should be its own topic with hopefully more voices.
 
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Can someone advise me if there is a longer route that is well waymarked and adequately serviced with albergues/ hostels. And if so, is there a guide book for that route?
If I understand you right, instead of walking a longer Camino in the future, you'd like to extend your current Camino?

If so, there are a couple of options:
  • Continue the Frances to Santiago and then walk the Camino Portugues. Either by bus/train to Porto or Lisbon, or walk it in the opposite direction (from Santiago to Porto). Lisbon - Santiago: about 660 km. (depending on the variant: the coastal or the interior route). If you take the coastal route, you can extend this one by following the Camino Espiritual at Pontevedra, which rejoins the Camino Portugues at Padron (adding an extra 30 km. to the total distance).
  • In Léon, instead of continuing on the Frances, walk the San Salvador (Léon to Oviedo). In Oviedo: follow the Primitivo, which rejoins the Frances at Melide. Adding an extra 120 km. Or:
  • In Oviedo: follow the Primitivo in the opposite direction to Villaviciosa and from there, continue on the Camino del Norte, which joins the Frances at Arzúa. Adding an extra 200 km.
On all of the above routes you'll find albergues and hostels, without having to rely on staying in hotels.
Guidebooks are available for the Primitivo, Del Norte, Portuguese (also on this website). I'm not sure about all the guidebooks of the Camino Portugues, but the one from Wise Pilgrim also contains the Camino Espiritual (treating it as a variant of the Camino Portugues).

For the San Salvador there's a free downloadable guidebook:

To give you an impression of how these Caminos run:
1565158917990.png
 
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