Meeting Up on the Camino

Hope0925 said:

My partner and I are doing our first Camino in May/June 2016. We are both female, mid-fifties, leaving from Ottawa, Canada. I'm retired and have all the time in the world but my partner was only able to get 5 weeks off work which will probably translate to 3-4 weeks on the actual trail. Our plan is for me to begin alone in SJPdP and she will meet me possibly in Leon and we will finish together from there. Doubtless there are many who have done this. My question is this: are there any disadvantages/pitfalls we should be aware of? Is there a better place than Leon in terms of easy access (bus, train, etc.?) Any advice at all would be most welcome. I'm not nervous traveling alone, but my partner is. Many thanks, everyone!

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Hi Hope.
Leon is a good transit place to meet up, Burgos good place before Leon.... after that Astorga-Ponferrada.all good points for bus, and train
I really do not see any reason right now to warrant your partner feeling nervous...or for that matter pitfalls. you will naturally meet and band together with others before you are reunited..

The camino is a metropolis of people from all walks of life.....many people partners,friends and family members link up along the way due to work commitments and a whole list of other reasons....

Enjoy

Hope0925 said:

My partner and I are doing our first Camino in May/June 2016. We are both female, mid-fifties, leaving from Ottawa, Canada. I'm retired and have all the time in the world but my partner was only able to get 5 weeks off work which will probably translate to 3-4 weeks on the actual trail. Our plan is for me to begin alone in SJPdP and she will meet me possibly in Leon and we will finish together from there. Doubtless there are many who have done this. My question is this: are there any disadvantages/pitfalls we should be aware of? Is there a better place than Leon in terms of easy access (bus, train, etc.?) Any advice at all would be most welcome. I'm not nervous traveling alone, but my partner is. Many thanks, everyone!

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Hi, as already stated there are a few places with good acces by bus /train etc.
Wish you both well, Peter.

Everyone walks at a different pace, I was average it took 31 days from sjpdp. I would think she could start in Burgos or Pamploma just as easy. My point is that with 5 weeks it is possible to make it to Santiago but not knowing your schedules I am just throwing it out there. I have not taken any public transport to Leon only to Madrid after my finish @ Finnesterre. The trains do not seem to move as fast as in other European countries but they are reliable, so if she lands in Madrid she could find a connection from one of the train hubs. It is early in your post but I am sure if you let everyone know the departure city to Leone someone will be able to be more specific.
Keith

Different people walk at different speeds-sometimes drastically - so one tearing up the tarmac the other doddling along, different people stop to see different interesting sights, nature, architecture, etc. - one a quick glance the other contemplative introspection, different people starve to death at different times during the day. The trick in walking with friends is not from where to begin or even the time frame but rather flexibility and comprimise, attributes easy enough to achieve at home among things recognized, accepted, and in normal routines, somewhat different in foreign places, unusal circumstances, and far from home. Buen Camino!

I would recommend you meet in Burgos. Leon is just about a two week walk to Santiago. I had about four weeks on my first camino and was afraid that I wouldn't be able to walk very far each day (not in shape). At the last minute I took the train to Leon instead of Burgos. I ended up with three nights in Santiago and a week in Madrid because it was too expensive to change my plane ticket. Another possible option is Sahagun which is about 5-6 days walk after Burgos (3 days before Leon) and it is flat (you reach the hills two days after Leon). I also had an extra day in Leon at the start of my trip (plus I lost a day traveling from the US). You might want to look at Gronze.com or review a guide to plan your approximate stages. Make sure you add a day or two in Santiago at the end of your walk and a day transit to Madrid. You may also want to add an extra day for rest or to walk a shorter leg if needed.

Train and Bus service in Spain is excellent and easy, even for someone that does not speak Spanish. You can catch a bus from the airport terminal and the train station is just a short metro ride or taxi ride.

The only disadvantage (and not really one) is that you will have walked for a few weeks when your partner arrives and you may need to walk shorter stages to accommodate his/her fitness level.
Buen Camino!

Hope0925 said:

My partner and I are doing our first Camino in May/June 2016. We are both female, mid-fifties, leaving from Ottawa, Canada. I'm retired and have all the time in the world but my partner was only able to get 5 weeks off work which will probably translate to 3-4 weeks on the actual trail. Our plan is for me to begin alone in SJPdP and she will meet me possibly in Leon and we will finish together from there. Doubtless there are many who have done this. My question is this: are there any disadvantages/pitfalls we should be aware of? Is there a better place than Leon in terms of easy access (bus, train, etc.?) Any advice at all would be most welcome. I'm not nervous traveling alone, but my partner is. Many thanks, everyone!

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Your plans sound very exciting, @Hope0925 - and very similar to what mine were. You've already received lots of very helpful suggestions so I will just add: One companion and I left Roncesvalles on April 7 and in Burgos, on April 19, we met the third of our trio, who had flown into Madrid and taken the bus to Burgos. We all got to Santiago on May 15. I think we averaged 20 k. per day. Buen Camino.

The train from Madrid to Leon stops in Sahagun, so it would be an easy place to rendevous. Fromista is also possible but a little harder and requiring a change of trains. A friend met me in Fromista this March; Santiago took 3 weeks to get to from there. Burgos is only (about) 2 days walk further east, though, and is a great place to start! With 5 weeks off your partner should have plenty of time and travel from Madrid is very easy.
Agree with LauraK about not starting in Leon--that's only a 2 week walk.

One thing to be aware of that has nothing to do with logistics is that it's a bit of an adjustment to go from walking solo to being a twosome...for both halves of the twosome! You by then will have your own routine and rhythm and camino family. And your partner will be coming off work and travel and will be likely be moving at a different pace internally--and will be diving into the deep end in mid camino. You will have had time to adjust physically and mentally--they won't. So don't be surprised if it gets a bit bumpy, but also don't worry. Things work out pretty quickly if you communicate and are open to each others' process. Differing walking pace is one of the biggest challenges and there are various ways of dealing with that. So if you do walk at different paces it's very helpful to talk it out ahead of time and have a possible agreement of how to work with the disparity (e.g. walking at your own paces and having meet-up places, etc.).

Hi @Hope0925, you have the 'bones' of a good plan and others have posted great suggestions and observations.

Just one more comment to add to the mix - the 'where to meet up' part of the plan can be put in place at very short notice, particularly if your partner flies into Madrid. I know it may sound daunting when you're making plans from afar, but you could decide this aspect about a week before your partner's departure date. By that stage you will be able to make a more realistic assessment of where you will be and there will still be ample time to sort out bus or train arrangements.

I hope that the Camino is a very special experience for both of you.

No one has mentioned that if she starts in Leon there are 2 other possibilities as well stay an extra night in Leon & take a bus to Ovidio & walk the primito to Santiago then on to Finnesterre or stay with Leon to Santiago then on to Muxia then to Finnesterre. 4 + days from Santiago, depending on how much you love the ocean. In any case have a great time!
Buen Camino!

NualaOC said:

you could decide this aspect about a week before your partner's departure date. By that stage you will be able to make a more realistic assessment of where you will be and there will still be ample time to sort out bus or train arrangements.

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@NualaOC has a good point. No need to micro-plan...with too fixed a meeting point one of the challenges that faces the person on the road is having to adjust the journey to fit that per-determined meeting point, rather than just being able to go with the flow. More flexibility would definitely be a bonus--although you say your partner is nervous traveling alone, so this might not be possible. Just a thought.
There are so many options. I'd say first boil it down by looking at maps and wandering around here on the Forum to explore different possibilities (connecting to the Primativo or Invierno, for example). Once you've done that and see what appeals, you can connect back here with people who've done a specific route you might be thinking about...and you'll get a better sense of what's possible
Buen Camino to you both, whatever you choose! It's an exciting time...the planning.