Planning first Camino

[Ionam]

HI All, Im new to the forum but have been feeling called to walk the Camino for around a year, maybe more. I have a 9-5 job and limited annual leave, which I think means I will need to break the journey into sections. Im also trying to decide whether to persuade my family to join me or not for all or part of the journey. I have 2 kids aged 9 and 12 so my annual leave tends to be taken around their school holidays. Id love to hear others experience of walking with their family and how people have navigated the challenge of holding down a full time job. Did you walk in stages or did you take a long break to complete it? Have you any advice for me? Thanks in advance,
Iona

 

[naplesdon]

Where are you from, i.e. the US, GB or Oz? What time of year is the school holiday you are referring to? Given this information maybe one of us can help you.

 

[Paul McAmino]

Hello and welcome to the Forum.

In the US, I was lucky enough to have jobs that allowed me to “stack” annual leave so I could walk in three-week sections, first to Burgos from SJPP, then again a few years later from Burgos to León. Both times I returned to Madrid, and loved being free in that wonderful city for a few days before returning home.
I’ve since relinquished the world of work, and have been able to complete that first pilgrimage and more.
So, yes, it can be done as far as time is concerned.
As for the little ones, have you done any long walking with them? My children were grown by the time I felt I could go, and I’d love to walk with them, but they have busy lives.
If you can swing it, pack the kids and go. You’ll never have the same chance, as they grow up fast.
I hope you can do it. Buen Camino to all of you!

All the best,
Paul

 

[domigee]

HI All, Im new to the forum but have been feeling called to walk the Camino for around a year, maybe more. I have a 9-5 job and limited annual leave, which I think means I will need to break the journey into sections. Im also trying to decide whether to persuade my family to join me or not for all or part of the journey. I have 2 kids aged 9 and 12 so my annual leave tends to be taken around their school holidays. Id love to hear others experience of walking with their family and how people have navigated the challenge of holding down a full time job. Did you walk in stages or did you take a long break to complete it? Have you any advice for me? Thanks in advance,
Iona

Hi ionam and welcome! There are people on the forum walking with their children, very successfully (I am thinking @Kiwi-family, for instance ).
I still held a full-time job when walking my first Camino but of course being a teacher, I had the luxury of a long Summer holiday. Didn’t help much with the training though!
I met a LOT of people walking the Camino in stages (2 weeks) and coming back a year later to do another stretch.
I walked one Camino (the CF) with an 11 year old and it was fan-tas-tic but... it isn’t for every child.... Are they used to walking and do you think they will enjoy it?
In short, I would make sure you all enjoy walking as a family before making any plans.
Hope you have more helpful answers than mine!

 

[Cbok82]

I have just come back from my first Camino. I walked Sarria to Santiago with a friend. I have a 10 year old boy and 6 year old girl who stayed at home with my husband. There were more children on this route than I expected. Including a family walking with a baby and older sister. When I returned I asked my two kids if they would want to do it, 10 year old boy said maybe, 6 year old girl said absolutely!!! Again it depends on your time frame and which route you want to walk. I wouldn't take my children the whole way from St Jean. But that's my personal preference. But my final advice is if they are up for it then why not? But it's always going to be a little harder with kids. But who knows maybe more rewarding??

 

[Anamya]

I usually have no more than 2 weeks of leave each time, and I live in Australia (which makes me spend 2-3 days just trying to get to Europe and back). No kids, though.

I tend to choose routes or stages that fit into that schedule. Last year I chose the Portuguese Route (Porto-Santiago), which we completed in 11 days. So we had also time to enjoy Porto and Santiago, plus travel there and back. It was lovely!

We saw at least one family a day with kids, though. That trail is not complicated and has only one day of steeper uphills.

 

[Ionam]

Hi again - some supplementary info; I’m based in the uk so our school holidays include
> end of Oct for 1 week,
> 2 week’s over Christmas and New Year,
> Feb half term around the middle of the month,
> Easter 2 weeks,
> half term end of May, and
> Summer 6 week’s from middle of July to end August.
I have around 25 days annual leave per year plus bank holidays. Hope that’s helpful!

 

[Ionam]

Hello and welcome to the Forum.

In the US, I was lucky enough to have jobs that allowed me to “stack” annual leave so I could walk in three-week sections, first to Burgos from SJPP, then again a few years later from Burgos to León. Both times I returned to Madrid, and loved being free in that wonderful city for a few days before returning home.
I’ve since relinquished the world of work, and have been able to complete that first pilgrimage and more.
So, yes, it can be done as far as time is concerned.
As for the little ones, have you done any long walking with them? My children were grown by the time I felt I could go, and I’d love to walk with them, but they have busy lives.
If you can swing it, pack the kids and go. You’ll never have the same chance, as they grow up fast.
I hope you can do it. Buen Camino to all of you!

All the best,
Paul

Thanks for you reply - we do walk as a family but probably not far enough to build stamina or fitness for the Camino. I think they could cope and at present they seem quite enthusiastic!

 

[Ionam]

... I wondered if the kids & Dad could travel between bases and meet me at the end of each day (that is if they didn’t want to walk with me). Has anyone tried doing this with family members?

 

[Cbok82]

Do you have a route in mind that you want to walk? Having only walked the Frances from Sarria once, I'm probably not qualified to answer your questions. But as a mum of kids of similar age and having done HUGE amounts of research, my advice would be if you want to take the family the Frances is best, purely for infrastructure. Lots of places to stay, lots of places to stop off and rest if the kids are walking. There are taxi numbers dotted along the route if the kids get tired. But my guess is they'd surprise you. Any kids I came across seemed so happy, and proud of their walking sticks check out world towning on YouTube. An American family who walked from SJPD with a 10 and 13 year old.

 

[Paul McAmino]

... I wondered if the kids & Dad could travel between bases and meet me at the end of each day (that is if they didn’t want to walk with me). Has anyone tried doing this with family members?

That sounds like an excellent plan.

 

[AlwynWellington]

... I wondered if the kids & Dad could travel between bases and meet me at the end of each day (that is if they didn’t want to walk with me).

@Ionam , I understand, from from my UK based family, this is a common practice in the UK. You all drive to the start point where the walkers begin their thing. The driver (plus non-walkers today) drives on to the expected stopping point for a siesta and, if necessary, return back some of the way to pick up stragglers. Unlike being in the UK, though, you wont need to pre-book accomodation - the driver just does what nearly all camino walkers do, sort it out when the albergue open in the aftenoon. Another advantage of this approach is: walkers will only need to carry a small pack with water, wet weather gear and, maybe, some light lunch.

 

[AlwynWellington]

@Ionam , in addition to @Cbok82 suggestion to walk from Saint-Jean to Santiago I would suggest you also consider beginning at Le Puy-en-Velay in south central France (about 2 hours by train west of Lyon). The journey to Moissac has almost as many gite d'etape (what back packer hostels are called in France) for the distance as the Frances and walkers.

 

[AlwynWellington]

@Ionam , forgot to add that in France many people were using school holidays or annual leave and walking for one or two week. Next year they would come back to last years stopping point and continue.

 

[AlwynWellington]

@Ionam , me again.

You don't mention your current fitness and stamina level.

I knew from my 100 km (60 mile) dash in 2010, my fitness acquired from tramping around the hills in my home region in my youth had not lasted during the (many) intervening years.

So, starting in 2012, i began to slowly work up to a regime of:
1) either 30 km (20 mile) to 40 km (25 mile) training trips
2) or 15 km (10 mile) before stopping from breakfast
3) or an elevation gain of 600 metres (2000 feet) before stopping for breakfast.
For 1) or 2) I would also attempt to attain a rate of march of between 5.5 and 6 km per hour through the trip not counting loo or food breaks.
These were training walks and not sightseeing so casual stops did not intrude.

My training maybe should have included ascending and descending stairs. Although you don't often encounter them, they do use muscles in the upper leg that otherwise are not exercised and can get very sore and tired quickly.

The purpose of working up to these levels was to train both mind and body for the day after day grind, settle my gear down, and even help with gear selection / de-selection as well as get fitness and stamina for the journey as a whole.

I wish you, and your family, well in this great adventure you contemplate.

Kia kaha (take care, be strong, get going)

 

[Ionam]

Thank you for your excellent and encouraging advice!
Iona

 

[Ionam]

@Ionam , in addition to @Cbok82 suggestion to walk from Saint-Jean to Santiago I would suggest you also consider beginning at Le Puy-en-Velay in south central France (about 2 hours by train west of Lyon). The journey to Moissac has almost as many gite d'etape (what back packer hostels are called in France) for the distance as the Frances and walkers.

We camped in the Cevennes National Park - not far from Puy this summer. The kids loved it and we spent a lot of time walking up the river paths and finding lovely places to stop off for a dip.