Planning first walk - April 2019

[astronwolf]

My wife and I are giving ourselves a whole month for the pilgrimage. Flying into Madrid sometime during Holy Week, we'd take a train to Oviedo. I very much would like to see the Sudarium of Oviedo on Good Friday. We would celebrate Easter in Oviedo and begin our walk on April 23.

We're both in our late 50's. I have arthritis in one knee. We are either going to take a long time to get to Santiago de Compostela, or we're going to end up with a little extra time for more conventional sightseeing around Galicia. I've read about all the ups and downs of the Primitivo, and how weather can get a little rough in the springtime. We are unconcerned about any of that. The ups and downs are just going to take a little more time. This isn't alpine climbing in the wilderness.

We are daily walking a few miles, and occasionally walk for longer distances as our schedules permit us. By next April we'll be ready with lightly-loaded packs, broken-in boots, and a come-what-may attitude. We'll buy extra stuff at the sporting goods store in Oviedo if we need to.

Very happy to find this forum.
Best regards,
-astronwolf

 

[tomnorth]

Buen Camino! By the way, how many Kilometers are you planning to walk in that month?

 

[astronwolf]

How many kilometers in the whole month? I don't know. I'd say at least a whole Primitivo's worth of kilometers somewhere in there, but not for the whole month. There's the end of Holy Week and Easter in Oviedo. We would love to spend a few days in Lugo. Then at least a couple days in Santiago. A side trip to Finisterre? Walk there? I don't know. The days will add up. We're not counting up the kilometers yet.

 

[Larry Gordon]

My wife and I are giving ourselves a whole month for the pilgrimage. Flying into Madrid sometime during Holy Week, we'd take a train to Oviedo. I very much would like to see the Sudarium of Oviedo on Good Friday. We would celebrate Easter in Oviedo and begin our walk on April 23.

We're both in our late 50's. I have arthritis in one knee. We are either going to take a long time to get to Santiago de Compostela, or we're going to end up with a little extra time for more conventional sightseeing around Galicia. I've read about all the ups and downs of the Primitivo, and how weather can get a little rough in the springtime. We are unconcerned about any of that. The ups and downs are just going to take a little more time. This isn't alpine climbing in the wilderness.

We are daily walking a few miles, and occasionally walk for longer distances as our schedules permit us. By next April we'll be ready with lightly-loaded packs, broken-in boots, and a come-what-may attitude. We'll buy extra stuff at the sporting goods store in Oviedo if we need to.

Very happy to find this forum.
Best regards,
-astronwolf

Enjoy the experience!
Traveling light is the way to go and your plan to acquire items along the way, if you need them, is a prudent move.
Buen Camino
Larry

 

[Stewart K.]

Have fun on your first Camino. 2 things in your note that I would focus on. First, you speak of broken-in boots. Most people prefer trail runners or low-cut hiking shoes rather than hiking boots. Boots get heavy and warm. During your walk, you might see boots sitting by the side of the trail as people abandon them for running shoes. Second, buying more gear after you arrive in Spain is less than optimal. I would use new, untested, gear only as a last resort (e.g., something breaks, something is lost, etc.). There are plenty of great packing lists available on this forum.

 

[JohnMcM]

My wife and I are giving ourselves a whole month for the pilgrimage. Flying into Madrid sometime during Holy Week, we'd take a train to Oviedo. I very much would like to see the Sudarium of Oviedo on Good Friday. We would celebrate Easter in Oviedo and begin our walk on April 23.


Very happy to find this forum.
Best regards,
-astronwolf

If I may, I'll offer this consideration for your plans.

Holy Week can be incredibly busy with accommodation pre-booked.

If you are not planning to stay in non-private accommodations (muni-albergues), you may want to consider booking your privately run accommodations ahead of time.

Buen (bed-finding) Camino

 

[J F Gregory]

Whatever you forget you can find it in Spain.

 

[KinkyOne]

To pre-book accommodation during Semana Santa is very good advice.
Many sports stores might be closed during that time because it is also a holiday/vacation week for Spaniards.
If you decide to go to Fisterra/Muxia I would suggest to walk it.
Haven't done Primitivo yet but I don't think that running shoes would be perfect choice (as suggested) for early spring in those mountains.

Buen Camino!

 

[J F Gregory]

To pre-book accommodation during Semana Santa is very good advice.
Many sports stores might be closed during that time because it is also a holiday/vacation week for Spaniards.
If you decide to go to Fisterra/Muxia I would suggest to walk it.
Haven't done Primitivo yet but I don't think that running shoes would be perfect choice (as suggested) for early spring in those mountains.

Buen Camino!

Spring is really wet and cold, rain, hail and snow unless it is a dry year , but the weather is unpredictable. We had I particularly warm sunny day and when we woke up at the Albergue to start there was 4 inches of snow and it snowed all day. Jus'sayin.

 

[astronwolf]

Spring is really wet and cold, rain, hail and snow unless it is a dry year , but the weather is unpredictable. We had I particularly warm sunny day and when we woke up at the Albergue to start there was 4 inches of snow and it snowed all day. Jus'sayin.

Your description sounds like the weather where I live. I noticed that you traveled along the Primitivo March-April. My plan is to start on last week of April. It could still be cold and wet, but the incidence of snow is less likely. If it snows in May, well ... I can't do anything about that.

 

[KinkyOne]

Spring is really wet and cold, rain, hail and snow unless it is a dry year , but the weather is unpredictable. We had I particularly warm sunny day and when we woke up at the Albergue to start there was 4 inches of snow and it snowed all day. Jus'sayin.

Hi,

I don't see the reason for your respond to my post. What do you want to tell me? Maybe you picked the wrong post to reply?

 

[astronwolf]

Hi,

I don't see the reason for your respond to my post. What do you want to tell me? Maybe you picked the wrong post to reply?

Read posts #10 and #11 again... the quotes say, "J F Gregory said: ......." You are KinkyOne, not J F Gregory.

But I must say that I will pay heed to both your and JohnMcM's advice to be aware and be ready for a busy Semana Santa in Oviedo.

 

[KinkyOne]

Read posts #10 and #11 again... the quotes say, "J F Gregory said: ......." You are KinkyOne, not J F Gregory.

But I must say that I will pay heed to both your and JohnMcM's advice to be aware and be ready for a busy Semana Santa in Oviedo.

It's not about post no.10 or 11 at all (10 was your post, answer to no.9). It's about no.9 by @J F Gregory which I don't understand why he wrote it with my quotation of my post no.8.

I just can't see the connection between my quote and his answer to that quote

 

[astronwolf]

Maybe the appearance of an apparent connection is an illusion. You are OK KinkyOne.

 

[Kanga]

Some people are using mobile phones to post, and it is harder to see the sequence. Don't worry about it please. It is surely not important.

 

[Former member 64845]

My wife and I are giving ourselves a whole month for the pilgrimage. Flying into Madrid sometime during Holy Week, we'd take a train to Oviedo. I very much would like to see the Sudarium of Oviedo on Good Friday. We would celebrate Easter in Oviedo and begin our walk on April 23.

We're both in our late 50's. I have arthritis in one knee. We are either going to take a long time to get to Santiago de Compostela, or we're going to end up with a little extra time for more conventional sightseeing around Galicia. I've read about all the ups and downs of the Primitivo, and how weather can get a little rough in the springtime. We are unconcerned about any of that. The ups and downs are just going to take a little more time. This isn't alpine climbing in the wilderness.

We are daily walking a few miles, and occasionally walk for longer distances as our schedules permit us. By next April we'll be ready with lightly-loaded packs, broken-in boots, and a come-what-may attitude. We'll buy extra stuff at the sporting goods store in Oviedo if we need to.

Very happy to find this forum.
Best regards,
-astronwolf

I walked the Camino Primitivo in 2015 at the age of 58. There are some hills to climb, but my experience is that downhill can be harder for your knees and legs. Use walking poles both to push you uphill and to help you to break downhill, use semi high, light boots like Salomon Ultra 3 GTX and a knee support for your bad knee. Do not rush, enjoy the beautiful nature. Buen Camino. Terje from Norway.

 

[Former member 64845]

I walked the Camino Primitivo in 2015 at the age of 58. There are some hills to climb, but my experience is that downhill can be harder for your knees and legs. Use walking poles both to push you uphill and to help you to break downhill, use semi high, light boots like Salomon Ultra 3 GTX and a knee support for your bad knee. Do not rush, enjoy the beautiful nature. Buen Camino. Terje from Norway.