post Camino walk...any advice?

[AshtabulaJed]

Greetings to all.
I posted a few days ago stating that I will begin my first Camino in St. Jean-pied-de-Port on 29 August and that I will take it slow and steady to Santiago de Compostela. Assuming that it will take me, walking at my own pace, no longer than six weeks, that will leave me approximately two weeks before I need to be in Madrid on October 24 to fly to London to meet up with friends. Any advice on which route to take once I have reached Santiago de Compostela? I could certainly continue on to Fisterre or Muxia, but am wondering if trying to walk the Portuguese route would be more worth my time. Again, this will be mid October. Any advice? Thanks in advance. Jed

 

[jungleboy]

I would just play it by ear at this stage. There are a lot of variables here, including whether or not you even want to walk more, whether you stay healthy, exactly how long you have left depending on your pace on the Francés, etc. My advice would be to focus on your first pilgrimage for now and then see how you feel and/or what inspires you after that.

 

[naplesdon]

Walk if you must, but a vacay to Porto, Lisbon or A Coruna by bus would be my advice and to your feet after doing 800km.

 

[K_Lynn]

I had planned to walk to Finisterre and Muxia after my Camino from SJPdP, and then decided a couple of days piror to SdC that I needed to stop walking in Sanitago. I took the bus and spend a couple of nights each in Muxia and Finisterre. I got sunstroke in Finisterre and spent most of my time napping in my hotel room which was such a luxury. Then I flew to Bilbao for a few days and then to Toledo, Madrid, Seville, Cordoba, Granada and Barcelona. lol

My point is, you may find that you do not want to walk for another 2 weeks, that you might want to relax a bit, see a few things, tour museums, go to a beach, or spend a few days wandering from cafe to cafe to cafe.

I would definitely map out the logistics of doing the Portuguese route, which path you might take, what your stages would be etc. And also look at the idea of a holiday. And then wait until you are near Santiago to see how you and your body feels about it all.

Buen Camino!

 

[naplesdon]

Hey Nick,
Bom Dia, you beat me to the advice columns once again. I hope you are enjoying life in Rome, as much as I am hating life back in Florida?

 

[Grousedoctor]

Hey Jed, First, I would certainly encourage you to walk on from SdC to Finisterre and Muxia. Reaching the “end of the world” will be a second great culmination to your CF (the first being your arrival in Santiago). Second, if you still have the legs and enthusiasm for more walking, I’d head to either Tui or Vigo to walk the Spanish portion of the CP and include the Variante Espiritual. Third, if you still have a few days before flying to London and if you don’t know Madrid, go there early. In addition to all that you can do in the capital there are some wonderful day trips by train just an hour or so away. Buen Camino!

 

[J Willhaus]

It's hard not to plan it all out into some kind of package. It is fine to have a plan, but don't lock yourself in with prepaid flights and reservations if at all possible. Your plans will likely morph and change as you go along.

Maybe you'll hate it and head for a beach vacation in the first few days. Maybe you'll love it and want to do other routes at the end. Maybe you'll get sick or injured and need to lay up a bit or even go home. If you can, take each day as a gift to unwrap and experience. There will be time when you finish (no matter where that is) to think about another Camino or not.

 

[domigee]

I always planned for a longer walk -just in case- and ended up a few times with a week to ‘play with’ after arriving in SdC. Once I walked to Fisterra and Muxia, another time I did the Camino Ingles, another time the Camino portugues from Tui. And another time, changed my ticket and went home early as I had been bitten by bedbugs!
Play it by ear. See what happens and how you feel.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Then I flew to Bilbao for a few days and then to Toledo, Madrid, Seville, Cordoba, Granada and Barcelona. lol

I personally wouldn't choose to walk another Camino after completing the 800k of the Frances, but your vacation itinerary sounds more exhausting than walking another Camino!

 

[J Willhaus]

My husband has volunteered at Pueblo Ingles as an English speaker on the spur of the moment (stopped at Ponferada on one Camino to do this). We've also gone to Spanish school a few times. There is a nice one in Santiago called Ira Flavia. He's also gone to one in Madrid.

 

[David Tallan]

Greetings to all.
I posted a few days ago stating that I will begin my first Camino in St. Jean-pied-de-Port on 29 August and that I will take it slow and steady to Santiago de Compostela. Assuming that it will take me, walking at my own pace, no longer than six weeks, that will leave me approximately two weeks before I need to be in Madrid on October 24 to fly to London to meet up with friends. Any advice on which route to take once I have reached Santiago de Compostela? I could certainly continue on to Fisterre or Muxia, but am wondering if trying to walk the Portuguese route would be more worth my time. Again, this will be mid October. Any advice? Thanks in advance. Jed

It will depend on how you are feeling and how much of the time you want to spend walking.

The Portuguese from Porto is a lovely route which I walked in October a few years ago and can be comfortably done in two weeks. Alternatively, you could continue on to Finisterre and Muxía in 4-6 days and then, if you want, do the Inglés. If you are feeling strong after your Camino Francés, you could also tackle the Primitivo, although personally I would save it until you have an extra week so you can combine it with the San Salvador.

Or maybe you will want to spend the couple of weeks before your flight from Madrid seeing some other parts of Spain. There is more than enough in and around Madrid to fill a couple of weeks of sightseeing (Toledo, Segovia, Ávila, Cuenca, El Escorial, etc.).

 

[AshtabulaJed]

Thanks to all of you for your advice. I do want to spend a few days in and around Madrid. Getting to the Prado has been a dream since taking a Spanish Art course in my University days back in 1987. But I still have a week or two to fill. I will play it by ear--or by the condition of my feet and legs.
peace, Jed

 

[trecile]

It's a good idea to gather ideas now, then decide what you want to do when you reach Santiago.

 

[K_Lynn]

I personally wouldn't choose to walk another Camino after completing the 800k of the Frances, but your vacation itinerary sounds more exhausting than walking another Camino!

It does sound exhausting, lol but I had 5 weeks for my touristing so nothing was too rushed. It was nice getting to see other parts of Spain and I spent a lot of time sitting in cafes with a glass of wine watching people go about their day.