• Get your Camino Frances Guidebook here.
  • For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)
  • ⚠️ Emergency contact in Spain - Dial 112 and AlertCops app. More on this here.

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Planning my fourth attempt at the Frances

Mckarash

A Coddiwomple expert
Time of past OR future Camino
St Jean - Belorado July 2016
St Jean - Sahagun April 14th- 29th 2017
St Jean - Lagrono July 2017
I've walked the first half of the Frances 3 times but always had to cut it short due to work commitments. Then last October i was told i would be laid off from work at the end of 2018. I sold all my stuff, became a minimalist and have spent a year in the gym gaining muscle and losing 15 kilos of stubborn fat. The plan now is to walk the entire Frances starting Easter 2019 and then The Camino del Norte straight after. But thankfully as i will be unemployed i can take as long as i please and enjoy every step. I can't wait!!
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Join the Camino Cleanup in May from Ponferrada to Sarria. Registration closes Mar 22.
Buen Caminos !
 
I've walked the first half of the Frances 3 times but always had to cut it short due to work commitments. Then last October i was told i would be laid off from work at the end of 2018. I sold all my stuff, became a minimalist and have spent a year in the gym gaining muscle and losing 15 kilos of stubborn fat. The plan now is to walk the entire Frances starting Easter 2019 and then The Camino del Norte straight after. But thankfully as i will be unemployed i can take as long as i please and enjoy every step. I can't wait!!
Well done and enjoy your Caminos! :)
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
Buen Camino... I will be back around the same time but havent chosen a route yet. I was in Pamplona Good Friday Valcarlos/Roncesvalles this past Easter Sunday. I recommend you make reservations if staying in Valcarlos, Everything in Valcarlos was full including the albergue and everyone went to the festival...sign on the door read “Full , closed until 4pm” ... no choice but to continue to Roncesvalles. Most likely The Napoleon will be closed however Orisson maybe open and they sometimes provide transport over to Valcarlos the next day but will still need reservations. Also carry some snacks in your pack as most supermarkets were closed on the holiday. But no worries you will enjoy the Easter festivals.
 
Bad news about being laid off, but I envy what you are about t do. I have also walked Camino Frances i two parts, and the Portuguese Camino. I am going to walk the Frances up to Burgos starting on the 1st September. Again, I am restricted with time as I have to be back at work . One year I will do the whole Camino Frances from start to finish. Happy planning :)
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
I've walked the first half of the Frances 3 times but always had to cut it short due to work commitments. Then last October i was told i would be laid off from work at the end of 2018. I sold all my stuff, became a minimalist and have spent a year in the gym gaining muscle and losing 15 kilos of stubborn fat. The plan now is to walk the entire Frances starting Easter 2019 and then The Camino del Norte straight after. But thankfully as i will be unemployed i can take as long as i please and enjoy every step. I can't wait!!
74
 
I think you will find it amazing! Just did this route May-June 2018. Something wonderful about doing it beginning to end. I found most people could not do the entire route for these reasons:
-did not train
-thus did not test their kit (boots, socks, etc.)
-did not have time to complete it (fitness level in no way equated to # of days they had to do it)
Many people I started with were forced for these reasons to take the bus and cut out 10-13 stages to fit it into their available time. Nothing wrong with that, but I felt bad for what they missed! I saw a graffiti on the way that said " The freedom to continue". I was blessed with the time that granted me the freedom to continue. It makes all the difference! Buen Camino!
 
Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
I've walked the first half of the Frances 3 times but always had to cut it short due to work commitments. Then last October i was told i would be laid off from work at the end of 2018. I sold all my stuff, became a minimalist and have spent a year in the gym gaining muscle and losing 15 kilos of stubborn fat. The plan now is to walk the entire Frances starting Easter 2019 and then The Camino del Norte straight after. But thankfully as i will be unemployed i can take as long as i please and enjoy every step. I can't wait!!
Congrats. On all counts. Even losing your job. It is not the end of the world, and your plan shows that you you are using it to your own ends. Carpe Diem, a latín phrase meaning seize the day, comes to mind here. I wish you great life and energy for the rest of your ‘fernweh’, for the rest of your Lebensreise...your life’s journey.
 
Francés then Norte? Sounds wonderful to me. As a coddiwomple expert you should have no problem!

Buen Camino!
 
Being laid off is hard....but having the freedom to go at your own pace....a blessing.
I walked from SJDP to Santiago in 2016. I took my time....look around you...enjoy the sunrise ( always behind you, so you’ll need to stop to take it in )...talk to those you meet...share blessings and struggles....allow yourself to be encouraged and encourage others. Don’t fall into the race to get in early. Laugh and smile at challenges....sing through them if you need to. Just enjoy every step...
Buen Camino 👣❤️
 
Join the Camino Cleanup in May from Ponferrada to Sarria. Registration closes Mar 22.
Hi McKarash,

As others have expressed, the combination of congratulations and commiserations on being laid off. Hopefully that redundancy payment is going to afford you a few private albergues or even the odd private room along the way as well! (I have a world map with my round-the-world trip sketched in the bottom of a drawer at work if I ever get the "good fortune" to get laid off myself)

It sounds like a great plan, please keep us updated on your progress. Are you walking into Santiago and then the Norte in reverse, or travelling back to the "start" of the Norte and walking into Santiago again?

Best of luck.
 
You have so much to look forward to, you will find another job later. Ultreia!
 
I'll get the train back to the 'start' and crack straight on if my legs allow it.
 
Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
I hope you won’t get unlucky and get a new job before then. 😉

Seriously, Buen Camino(s), I envy you and I hope we’ll get to read how it goes.
 
The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
I hope you won’t get unlucky and get a new job before then. 😉

Seriously, Buen Camino(s), I envy you and I hope we’ll get to read how it goes.
I'm not looking for one! Just been offered an olive picking job in Italy in October though which slots in perfectly...not walking to Italy, I'll fly :)
 
Join the Camino Cleanup in May from Ponferrada to Sarria. Registration closes Mar 22.
I love your plan....but will you need a 90 day Schengen visa? Will that give you enough time when you include the necessary rest days??
 
You have the time to stop and see each wonder along the Way. Go slow, look long.
 

Most read last week in this forum

Hi Caminantes, My wife and I are leaving for Madrid from Brisbane - AU on May 4th to walk the Frances. We are flying with Qatar. I am a bit worried that if I check in my backpacks, they have a...
Hi all, Im walking my first Camino in April (CF) and was wondering if it would be likely for me to encounter leeches? I know for most people leeches are not a big deal but they are in plague...
In past years, when we walked from Samos to Sarria, there was simply a yellow arrow that went off to the right of the highway, up a hill, past a pig farm then a sharp left turn at a small church...
Are you also interested to know the reasons why other fellow pilgrims choose to walk El Camino? Please participate in the poll!
Several local websites have reported a small earthquake this afternoon with an epicentre in the Sarria area. Apparently felt quite strongly locally but with little likelihood of property damage...
Hello!! I am a retired Spanish gentleman living in Madrid. My name is Jose and I would like to do the Camino de Santiago again!!! But this time I would like to walk and improve my English Level...

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top