Realistic Length of journey

[cailinnua]

Hi all,

I am wondering if you could help me. I am considering doing el camino in April. I have to arrange Annual Leave from work this week, how long would someone who is quite fit, healthy, in her 30s take to complete walk-from St. Jean to Santiago? I have read different things and need to start booking flights soon!

Go raibh maith agat.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Only you can decide how far you can walk in a day. The normal range is 20-25 km. Many pilgrims are capable of 30 km days (I am not one of them).

Go to this site and plan an itinerary (it takes one to two days to go from SJPdP to Roncesvalles; the stage choices for that segment can be found on this site under Chemin du Puy):

http://www.godesalco.com/plan/frances

When your itinerary is done, you will have an answer customized for yourself.

 

[David]

and do factor in some rest days - you might not need them but it is a sad sight to see pilgrims who have run out of time and are racing/limping to Santiago just to get on an aeroplane :|

 

[lynnejohn]

I'll second that! Read here in the forum about those of us who raced through their first camino only to return with a firm resolve to take it more slowly, and enjoy the people, landscape, food and all experiences the second, third, fourth...... times. Resulting in a more satisfactory experience overall.

You have the opportunity to get it right the first time!

Enjoy - and buen camino!

 

[jpflavin1]

Cailinnua:

There are many factors that contribute to estimating the amount of time to set aside for this trip.

Where are you coming from? If you are flying in from a significantly different time zone you might require a day or two to acclimate.

What is your comfortable walking pace? It is a good idea to start slowly and work your body into it's comfort zone. Twenty kilometers a day equates to approximately 40 days of walking. Twenty-five kilometers a day would be approximately 32 days of walking. In my opinion, most people walk in this range. That said, the Meseta presents opportunity to walk as much as 30km a day.

How interested are you in the history of or historical places along the Camino. Do you like to stop and visit places you have heard or read about.

What happens if you get a minor injury or just hit a wall and decide to take a day of rest?

These are just some of the thoughts that come to my mind as you plan how much time to take off.

That said, all of the above can be compensated for by a bus or cab to make up time.

My suggestion is to ask for six weeks off if possible. That should give you plenty of time to walk comfortably and spend sometime in Santiago with new friends or a trip to Finisterre. If you can not get that much time, consider starting in Pamplona or Logrono?

Ultreya,
Joe

 

[micbook]

It was only on the Camino that I truly realized how important taking a day off was-- physically, mentally, and emotionally. This would probably be my biggest advice in terms of planning. I took a total of exactly 5 weeks (35 days) from beginning to end, including a weekly day of rest. In terms of pace, of course, it has to do with personal physical fitness, but as you may discover, your "mental pace" is as important. Meaning, I could have walked faster, but this was the right way for me to walk, so that I get to enjoy the solitude, the towns along the way, etc. There's just so much to do and see and be along the way. I think physical shape is of more consideration if you have an injury or some condition, but if you're relatively healthy, beyond a certain daily average of mileage, I'd focus on the experience and things you wish to see along the way. I became friends with a fellow pilgrim who planned 35+ km/day because she knew she could. In retrospect, she said she wished she had more time to enjoy and take her time. I'd imagine it would be frustrating to take the time off and make it all happen, and then feel rushed just by being short on a couple of days. (For reference, I'm also in my 30's/healthy/fit.)

Buen Camino!
Michal
--
http://michalrinkevich.wordpress.com/tag/camino-de-santiago/

 

[cailinnua]

Wow! Thanks to everyone for all that advice. It has certainly given me food for thought! It looks like 33 days are what I can manage annual leave wise so hopefully will be able to reap the benefits and the rewards of what I expect will be an amazing experince within that time!

Thanks again. Am most certainly looking forward to this journey...for many reasons.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Buen Camino to you! Many pilgrims take around 30 days - some less. You will build stamina as you walk and some people walk faster and longer as they progress. But remember you can also skip stages and take the bus forward if the unforeseen happens or you wish to linger longer in a particular place.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

John

 

[viajero]

I think if you are very well prepared and have been walking long distances then 28-30 days would be reasonable. It wouldn't leave a lot of leeway for injuries, rest days, etc. If you are able to get the time off, you would probably want to get a few extra days --if you dont need them for walking, you'd probably want to stay in Santiago those days.

 

[cailinnua]

Thanks so much to everyone for their advice. I am truly blown away by the warmth and willingness of everyone to help others that is shown on this site. I think it bodes well for the future in that these are the people who have travelled/will travel the way and I will have the pleasure to meet some of them!

Gracias a todos...go raibh míle maith agaibh.

 

[Cowpie]

Make it Comfortable

I plan to do the hike April of 2013. I plan to hike 30 km (18.6 m/d). I experienced a 1,513 KM (934 mile) hike last summer along the Pacific Crest Trial and covered an average of 48.6 km per day (30 miles). Never again! Each day was painful and way to long. Don't push yourself through it. I'm also healthy...much older, but now much wiser. Make it comfortable.

 

[mralisn]

Thanks so much to everyone for their advice. I am truly blown away by the warmth and willingness of everyone to help others that is shown on this site. I think it bodes well for the future in that these are the people who have travelled/will travel the way and I will have the pleasure to meet some of them!

Gracias a todos...go raibh míle maith agaibh.

All of the above is awesome! You will have such an amazing experience! I think these days are perfect. Your body will tell you when to rest and when to go. Excited for you!

Keep a smile,
Simeon

 

[jastrace]

Re: Make it Comfortable

I plan to do the hike April of 2013. I plan to hike 30 km (18.6 m/d). I experienced a 1,513 KM (934 mile) hike last summer along the Pacific Crest Trial and covered an average of 48.6 km per day (30 miles). Never again! Each day was painful and way to long. Don't push yourself through it. I'm also healthy...much older, but now much wiser. Make it comfortable.

Agreed. We're planning our next Camino in 2013 trip at the moment. This time we will definitely book accommodation ahead, reduce our kilometres, learn more Spanish and get bag transfers. Why make it more difficult than it needs to be? How does unnecessary suffering make the experience more worthy?

 

[cailinnua]

Thanks to everyone for their posts and advice. I cannot wait for my upcoming journey in April. A month of walking, reflecting, thinking, mind wandernig, one foot in front of the other...Bliss!!

Go raibh maith agaibh go léir arís and buen camino a todos.

Slán

 

[JMiller]

Ill be in my late 40's (48) when I begin my Camino in Summer of '14. I am setting aside a full six weeks to allow for rest days (Sunday of each week) and be able to take a little slower pace as my age would dictate... I'll have trained well in advance and should be relatively 'hardened' for the journey...

A reasonable pace? I have summers off, so Im not going to be under time-pressure and do not want to "rush" my first Camino, so six weeks is a starting point -- input, please...

 

[fe00312]

I am in the same boat as you -- Limited in how long I can get away from work (negotiated 5 weeks) but not wanting to rush things. I've done a lot of research (much of it on this forum) on average pace, what to see along the way, where to stop over, how often to rest, etc. and have made a plan (purely provisional and probably out the window from the first day, but just to give me some peace of mind that what I'm contemplating isn't completely out there...) to start in St. Jean on April 1st, walk an average of 24-25 km per day (some days less, as little as 15, others more, as much as 30), taking a full day off in Leon, one other day somewhere else, and arriving in Santiago on May 3rd. From what I've found, that is reasonable for someone in fairly good shape. I have a flight out of there that weekend so hopefully 34 days will be enough. If you're out on the road in April, perhaps our paths will cross

John

 

[vikter75]

There are two ways to do it, hiking or biking. My buddies and I did it in 7 days on our mountain bikes. I felt that we missed a lot. We were always on the road and only stopped to eat and sleep. Through my experience Spain is not very bike friendly. I plan to do the journey again by hiking it, this time I am going to stop and smell the roses. I still managed to meet some of the most wonderful people from across the world on this incredible journey. "Buen camino"

 

[Anniesantiago]

I've done it several times and I like to give myself 6 weeks.