Madrid in 2016

[MichaelNW]

I will be walking the Camino Madrid in either September of 2015 or May of 2016 (depends of my retirement date). I will be 65 and I think it will be a good celebration of that milestone. Any advice or reference to resources would receive sincere appreciation.

 

[KinkyOne]

I will be walking the Camino Madrid in either September of 2015 or May of 2016 (depends of my retirement date). I will be 65 and I think it will be a good celebration of that milestone. Any advice or reference to resources would receive sincere appreciation.

Wow, Michael, I can only congratulate you for deciding on Camino de Madrid. It's one of those less walked Caminos in Spain.
But, of course, welcome to the forum

I walked CdM last year (in combination with CF from Sahagun to Ponferrada and later Camino de Invierno from Ponferrada to SdC) and posted day-by-day diary with photos and gps tracks here: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/finally-my-camino-de-madrid-june-2014.25354/
(starting with post #46 if I remember correctly)

Also there's a section of this forum dedicated solely to CdM: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/camino-de-madrid.45/
where you can find all sorts of Q's & A's.
If you think you need any additional info please don't hesitate to ask. We're not a large number really here that walked this trail, but some very dedicated indeed

Happy planning!

 

[Anniesantiago]

I love love love that route and would suggest May.
It was spectacular!
Wildflowers, beautiful walking... not a lot of pilgrims.
Buen Camino and happy dreaming!

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Michael,

Welcome to the forum.

I think Annie, Kinky and I share the same strong fondness for this route. It's not well traveled, in fact I never saw another pilgrim when I walked in May, but it is extremely well marked and best of all, there is VERY little asphalt. I think it would be a great one to walk while contemplating what's next after the work life is done. There's not too much up and down, except for the one day up to Fonfría before Segovia. I think you´ll love the mix of small towns with castles and old churches and pretty squares! Will you continue on the Camino Francés from Sahagún?

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Phillypilgrim]

The CdeM support group! Missing it.

 

[peregrina2000]

The CdeM support group! Missing it.

We're missing a few, like Roger and jerbear, so maybe if MichaelNW posts on a Camino de Madrid thread, we'll all be back in action! Buen camino, Lauie

p.s. Phillypilgrim, do you have any camino plans in the forseeable future?

 

[Mike Savage]

Welcome Michael! I look forward to hearing of your preparation and you journey.

 

[Phillypilgrim]

Hi Laurie,
I think Camino Ingles and a repeat of Finisterre/Muxia. Short and sweet. No date yet. Thanks for asking, and you?

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi Laurie,
I think Camino Ingles and a repeat of Finisterre/Muxia. Short and sweet. No date yet. Thanks for asking, and you?

I'm headed to the Cami st. Jaume and the Cami Catala to the Aragones, and then the Invierno from Ponferrada. I think I'll be arriving in Santiago in mid-July. Would love to meet up with others arriving on that date. I know we've talked about this before, but I think it would be a great idea to designate a bar in Santiago and a time every day at which forum members and anyone else could gather to meet. Maybe I'll resurrect one of those threads and see if there are suggestions. Especially now that people are walking so many different caminos, it'd be a nice way to bring us all together. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[MichaelNW]

Hi, Michael,

Welcome to the forum.

I think Annie, Kinky and I share the same strong fondness for this route. It's not well traveled, in fact I never saw another pilgrim when I walked in May, but it is extremely well marked and best of all, there is VERY little asphalt. I think it would be a great one to walk while contemplating what's next after the work life is done. There's not too much up and down, except for the one day up to Fonfría before Segovia. I think you´ll love the mix of small towns with castles and old churches and pretty squares! Will you continue on the Camino Francés from Sahagún?

Buen camino, Laurie

Is there a way to walk the Camino de Madrid without finishing-up on the Camino de Frances? I would prefer that if possible.

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Michael,
When you get to Sahagun, there is no alternative to the Frances. But you have two ways to divert a little further ahead. In Leon, you could walk the Salvador (about 4 days) to Oviedo and then on the Primitivo. Or you could stay on the Frances to Ponferrada and from there walk on the Invierno, which joins up with the Sanabres in Laxe and then a few more days into Santiago. There are lots of posts on both of these options. The main difference is that the Salvador/Primitivo alternative will put you in contact with more people. The Primitvo will have more people (but not a huge amount for the dates you are considering). The Invierno will likely be very solitary. Both are beautiful.

Take a look through the sections of the forum on the alternatives and you'll get a lot of people here who can give opinions on either or both alternative. I would be hard pressed to choose, myself, but it's hard to beat the Salvador/Primitivo combination. Buen camino, Laurie