Planning our first Camino

[TD Justus]

Hello from Texas. My older sister & I are planning to walk the Frances in late May, early June 2016. Not my preferred time due to crowds, but the best time for family reasons.
I really want to walk one of the less traveled routes, but these things deter me: 1) middle aged & not terribly athletic means shorter daily distances, 2) 1st Camino ( tho I have backpacking experience) 3) advice on forum to stick with Frances 1st time due to extensive support network.
We are quite adventurous, comfortable with primative facilities (lots of camping in our family!) & expect hardship along the Way.
We have only 3 weeks so cannot complete the entire Frances this trip.
Any suggestions?
I'm so excited about our Camino & am very grateful to have found this wonderful community to share with us the wisdom of your experiences.

 

[SYates]

Hi and welcome,

May/June is actually a pretty good time to walk, the real crowds come in July/August. As for 'the entire Francés', there is no such thing other than geographically. As you are coming from farer away it might be an option to consider to simply start closer to Santiago and finish your Camino there. Buen Camino and the hardship is relative on the way, the good things out-weight it by far, SY

 

[Kanga]

The Francés has many things to recommend it @TD Justus and you will have a great time. I still love it. Expect the unexpected and go with the flow!

 

[Felipe]

Unless you are very interested on the certificate or Compostela, I would recommend starting in Roncesvalles and walk as far as you like, at your own pace, without pressure.
The real crowded stages begin in Sarriá (the last 100 km); if you walk this last section, expect a long and continuous queue of walkers and lots (some people say too much) commercial services. You may like this or you may not, opinions vary.

 

[NualaOC]

Hi Ladies,

You'll get lots of different perspectives here, as there are lots of great options to consider!

I agree that the Camino Frances is perfect for a first Camino, especially if you want the option of shorter walking distances. My suggestion is that you begin at Leon (very easily accessible from Madrid). If you arrive in Santiago with days to spare, you can walk to Finisterre or Muxia, and enjoy a less-travelled trail that still has plenty of services. This is a great walk.

The final 100kms from Sarria may be busy, but it's still a fantastic experience and you'll meet lots of interesting people.

Buen Camino to you both!

Nuala

 

[Devon Mike]

Hello and welcome to the forums.

You have a number of choices regarding your Camino.

If you wish to walk the Camino Frances starting in SJPP you can see how far you get, probably around Astorga, where you can begin your journey home. If you wish to finish in Santiago, you could consider taking a bus from Burgos to Leon which should give you the time you need. Another option if you want to reach Santiago would be to start in Burgos and walk all the way to Santiago.

A further option would be to walk the Primitivo which starts from Oviedo, joins the Frances at Melide and then follows the Frances to Santiago. This is reasonably serviced , takes two around weeks and gives you time in Santiago with the options of walking or taking a bus to the coast at Finisterre and/or Muxia.

Whatever you choose you will find lots of help here in the forums.

Buen Camino,

Mike

 

[BrienC]

May/June is actually a pretty good time to walk, the real crowds come in July/August.

Should be a great time on the Camino. Even in July it's not bad. I mean, you hear a lot about the crowds in July/August, and Sarria to Santiago does have far more people, but still, not bad. And, I agree with Kanga, "...go with the flow."

Enjoy!

 

[AlwynWellington]

My older sister & I are planning to walk the Frances in late May, early June 2016 ... the best time for family reasons.
... these things deter me: 1) middle aged & not terribly athletic means shorter daily distances, 2) 1st Camino ( tho I have backpacking experience) 3) advice on forum to stick with Frances 1st time due to extensive support network.
We are quite adventurous, comfortable with primitive facilities (lots of camping in our family!) & expect hardship along the Way.
We have only 3 weeks so cannot complete the entire Frances this trip.
Any suggestions?

Six suggestions so far and all very different. So you will have a task making your way through this maze even before you start on the road. And a seventh version from me.

First: preparation. Get your gear together and road test. There is much helpful advice for you to sort through on this site. Think about weight. If you can, do some one day trips. Then some multi day trips if you can, to help find the time of day you best prefer to walk, clothes washing, packing up each morning, getting into a routine: quite different from camping in one place. And think about weight (oh, I've already said that)

Second: days. With 21 days I presume that is from home back to home. Allowing two days each way for air and ground travel that leaves 17 days walking, less at least one rest day in the middle, say 16 days available. Assuming, for this purpose, 15 km per day that gives about 200 km in total. You can do the maths that suits you.

Third: ending. I strongly suggest you aim to finish you first camino on a high. This might mean Santiago de Compostela on the first occasion, even if you do not seek a certificate. This way you can experience a completion. And come back in future years to start further afield. We are all different: for me an ending at, say, Logrono after about 16 days of short distances would not give me any sense of achievement for the trouble I had gone to for a first attempt. Thoughts of future trips may evaporate as health issues intervene.

Fourth: starting: If you do decide on Santiago as the finish there are a variety of routes based on the Frances to choose from, keeping short daily distances in mind. These include, in no particular order:
a) Fisterra to Santiago (85 km) PLUS Sarria to Santiago (112 km)
b) Ponferrada to Santiago (200 km) (some biggish hills to get over)
c) a few days R & R to celebrate your achievement before starting for home

Some things to think about. Together with all those yet to come.

Kia kaha (be strong)

 

[rector]

Hello from Texas. My older sister & I are planning to walk the Frances in late May, early June 2016. Not my preferred time due to crowds, but the best time for family reasons.
I really want to walk one of the less traveled routes, but these things deter me: 1) middle aged & not terribly athletic means shorter daily distances, 2) 1st Camino ( tho I have backpacking experience) 3) advice on forum to stick with Frances 1st time due to extensive support network.
We are quite adventurous, comfortable with primative facilities (lots of camping in our family!) & expect hardship along the Way.
We have only 3 weeks so cannot complete the entire Frances this trip.
Any suggestions?
I'm so excited about our Camino & am very grateful to have found this wonderful community to share with us the wisdom of your experiences.

Hi TD You are undertaking your camino at a great time, my wife and I have walked it twice at that time. Can I say that the vast majority of the advice you will receive on this site is excellent, with lots of different, but valid opinions. If you are excited now that excitement will only grow as you get closer to your date., but it is a good sign.
You are concerned about your age and fitness, my wife and I are in our sixties and we managed it as have many in their seventies and we have met a man in his eighties walking the Way for the 19th time, so it is ok so long as you respect it.
Where to start, now there is a question.
Trying to put myself in your position I would ask the question, will I come back again and do more? If the answer is yes then I would start in St Jean because, if you don't, you may finish before you started, if you know what I mean, however if this is a one off then start about two weeks back from Santiago and take your time and drink in the experience. do not worry about the numbers, just keep enough funds for a Casa Rural or an hotel. Anyway there are more coffee shops on that section.

 

[TD Justus]

Unless you are very interested on the certificate or Compostela, I would recommend starting in Roncesvalles and walk as far as you like, at your own pace, without pressure.
The real crowded stages begin in Sarriá (the last 100 km); if you walk this last section, expect a long and continuous queue of walkers and lots (some people say too much) commercial services. You may like this or you may not, opinions vary.

I was thinking on doing exactly as you suggested. My sister's friend walked last year and highly recommends we see Santiago so we may bus /train forward at the end. I'm not interested in crowds or commercialism.

 

[TD Justus]

Hello and welcome to the forums.

You have a number of choices regarding your Camino.

If you wish to walk the Camino Frances starting in SJPP you can see how far you get, probably around Astorga, where you can begin your journey home. If you wish to finish in Santiago, you could consider taking a bus from Burgos to Leon which should give you the time you need. Another option if you want to reach Santiago would be to start in Burgos and walk all the way to Santiago.

A further option would be to walk the Primitivo which starts from Oviedo, joins the Frances at Melide and then follows the Frances to Santiago. This is reasonably serviced , takes two around weeks and gives you time in Santiago with the options of walking or taking a bus to the coast at Finisterre and/or Muxia.

Whatever you choose you will find lots of help here in the forums.

Buen Camino,

Mike

I have seriously considered the Primitivo but some info describes significant elevation changes which may be too challenging. Also, we are looking at max daily distances around 16-18k which may not be doable on Primitivo. What do you think?

 

[TD Justus]

Six suggestions so far and all very different. So you will have a task making your way through this maze even before you start on the road. And a seventh version from me.

First: preparation. Get your gear together and road test. There is much helpful advice for you to sort through on this site. Think about weight. If you can, do some one day trips. Then some multi day trips if you can, to help find the time of day you best prefer to walk, clothes washing, packing up each morning, getting into a routine: quite different from camping in one place. And think about weight (oh, I've already said that)

Second: days. With 21 days I presume that is from home back to home. Allowing two days each way for air and ground travel that leaves 17 days walking, less at least one rest day in the middle, say 16 days available. Assuming, for this purpose, 15 km per day that gives about 200 km in total. You can do the maths that suits you.

Third: ending. I strongly suggest you aim to finish you first camino on a high. This might mean Santiago de Compostela on the first occasion, even if you do not seek a certificate. This way you can experience a completion. And come back in future years to start further afield. We are all different: for me an ending at, say, Logrono after about 16 days of short distances would not give me any sense of achievement for the trouble I had gone to for a first attempt. Thoughts of future trips may evaporate as health issues intervene.

Fourth: starting: If you do decide on Santiago as the finish there are a variety of routes based on the Frances to choose from, keeping short daily distances in mind. These include, in no particular order:
a) Fisterra to Santiago (85 km) PLUS Sarria to Santiago (112 km)
b) Ponferrada to Santiago (200 km) (some biggish hills to get over)
c) a few days R & R to celebrate your achievement before starting for home

Some things to think about. Together with all those yet to come.

Kia kaha (be strong)

Solid advice. Thanks for taking time to help us.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I have seriously considered the Primitivo but some info describes significant elevation changes which may be too challenging. Also, we are looking at max daily distances around 16-18k which may not be doable on Primitivo. What do you think?

I walked it this fall in 18 days. In terms of elevations I foind it easier than the Norte and even some of the Frances. 2 difficult uphills: hospitales and arriving into O'Cavado. Neither compare to the Napoleon route or that hill before San Bol.

I did cut one day short, the day over the hospitales route where I walked to the first road crossing and then took a taxi down to Berducedo. This made for a 17 km day rather than closer to 30. The pther option is to take the route via Pola in 2 days. On average my stages were 20km, even had some that were 10 and 15. Take a look at www.forwalk.com, it gives options depending on the number of days you have to walk. If you don't like commercialism this is an excellent route. If you search the Primitivo section of the forum you will find my stages posted a few days ago in response to someone's question.

 

[Devon Mike]

I have seriously considered the Primitivo but some info describes significant elevation changes which may be too challenging. Also, we are looking at max daily distances around 16-18k which may not be doable on Primitivo. What do you think?

Hello again,

With your proposed daily distance of 16-18kms, the Frances would be your best option as there are no parts where you would need to walk more between accommodation locations.

Mike