Terri Palmer
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Plan to walk the Camino in Sept. 2017
Would I be able to use a rolling walker on the Camino. I plan on starting at O'Cebreiro. I will only be walking 10-15 miles a day.
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10-15 miles is a significant daily distance for able-bodied people. Is this a distance you can comfortably walk with the walker around home? Further, I agree that there are sections where you would probably have difficulty, especially if you are alone.I will only be walking 10-15 miles a day.
I will be traveling with younger brother.Terri, much will depend on your ability to use the walker in a variety of less than ideal conditions:
It is not clear whether you will be travelling alone. If you are, there is always the prospect than another pilgrim will give you a hand when you need it, but that clearly cannot be guaranteed.
- there are sections of rocky and muddy trail where small, narrow wheels are likely to be more difficult to use than wider tyres on larger diameter wheels.
- I recall several stream crossings being a series of stepping stones rather than a continuous pathway, and others where the bridge is a single plank that goes along the length of the bridge.
- Some parts of the path are steep, both up- and down-hill.
No bte, like @Kanga, I have seen people in wheelchairs doing different parts of the Camino, but they have always had some sort of support. Thus far, I have not seen anyone using a roller walker, so it will be interesting to read how you go and what advice you would have for others on this.
@t2andreo, there are more robust walkers with a tricycle layout and more substantial wheels available for 'cross country' use that appear would be more suitable for the mix of track on the Camino. There will still be difficulties to address, but if @Terri Palmer is walking with her brother, she will have assistance.I suggest that a walker would be problematic especially on uphill and downhill segments. Others have pointed this out. However, I have a father who must use a walker daily, on level surfaces. This appears to be challenging enough, without factoring in carrying a rucksack of any size, affecting balance, and the uneven terrain. The rigidity and rectangular structure of a walking frame are not a wise idea for walking in the woods...
Would I be able to use a rolling walker on the Camino. I plan on starting at O'Cebreiro. I will only be walking 10-15 miles a day.
No doubt there are places where it might be necessary to consider taking alternatives, such as considering the cycle route from time to time. I doubt many cyclists use the stairs at Portomarin! And there will be other places where one might need to find a suitable alternative route. But I think it is overstatement to suggest that it would be rare to find surfaces that would accept a cross country walker. I'm not suggesting that it will be easy, but having seen people walk with prams and others do the camino in wheelchairs, I suspect there might be good practical sources of information around that would help the OP understand how this might be achieved.and LOTS of stairs.... rarely will you find a surface that can accept a rolling cart.
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Plan on paying about one Euro per kilometer. It is not customary in Europe to tip. Instead round up to a near full Euro.
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Thanks, I see that I will have lots of options. I really wanted to start at O'Cebreiro instead of Sarria. Will I have any trouble finding an alternative route, will it be marked? Also will I be able to find places to stay if I do less miles in a day-like in the smaller villages?No doubt there are places where it might be necessary to consider taking alternatives, such as considering the cycle route from time to time. I doubt many cyclists use the stairs at Portomarin! And there will be other places where one might need to find a suitable alternative route. But I think it is overstatement to suggest that it would be rare to find surfaces that would accept a cross country walker. I'm not suggesting that it will be easy, but having seen people walk with prams and others do the camino in wheelchairs, I suspect there might be good practical sources of information around that would help the OP understand how this might be achieved.
The subject of tipping is Spain appears to be a bit of a distraction, as well as appearing in its own threads from time to time. I have just done a search on the words 'tipping taxi drivers spain' and the responses varied from 'Tipping is not a custom in Spain ...' and 'tipping is not considered obligatory ...' through to 'Round tip off to the nearest Euro ...'. Only one source in the first two pages of results suggested tipping 10%, noting at the same time that it was acceptable not to tip at all. None suggested anything above that.Uh oh, I know a lot of European taxi drivers that would strongly disagree with you and be quite offended to get such a low 'tip'! If you are happy with the driving/service 10% tip are customary, if the driver went out of his/her way to help you up to 15% are appropriate.
Buen Camino, SY
I don't have personal experience finding alternatives, but my thinking would be that those who have cycled, walked with a pram or used a wheelchair might be able to give you advice on this.Thanks, I see that I will have lots of options. I really wanted to start at O'Cebreiro instead of Sarria. Will I have any trouble finding an alternative route, will it be marked? Also will I be able to find places to stay if I do less miles in a day-like in the smaller villages?
Likewise. However, I research this each year before I travel, and it is not clear that Europe can be treated as if it were a single, homogeneous entity on the matter of what is acceptable tipping practice in service industries.I do not mind a charitable correction, ever.
Terri, much will depend on your ability to use the walker in a variety of less than ideal conditions:
It is not clear whether you will be travelling alone. If you are, there is always the prospect than another pilgrim will give you a hand when you need it, but that clearly cannot be guaranteed.
- there are sections of rocky and muddy trail where small, narrow wheels are likely to be more difficult to use than wider tyres on larger diameter wheels.
- I recall several stream crossings being a series of stepping stones rather than a continuous pathway, and others where the bridge is a single plank that goes along the length of the bridge.
- Some parts of the path are steep, both up- and down-hill.
Note, like @Kanga, I have seen people in wheelchairs doing different parts of the Camino, but they have always had some sort of support. Thus far, I have not seen anyone using a roller walker, so it will be interesting to read how you go and what advice you would have for others on this.
@Kiwi-family is right (mind you I did think when I first read her post that she might have her teacher hat on ) but on reflection she is on the ball. You have first hand experience that would be invaluable to anyone wanting to walk the camino with mobility issues.
XO
NO absolutely not at all condescending. It was the usual kind post that you do all the time. It was the last sentence that sounded like something a teacher would ask to help a student assess and learn from their experience. So sorry no offence or criticism intended. XOI was wearing my floppy "curious to find out more" hat - I was personally interested, but agree with you @HedaP that it could be information that might benefit others.
(Now I'm dissecting my comment, trying to work out which bit was teachery - was it the formality of the first two sentences? Was it the probing for more? Was it asking questions that might sound like rhetorical ones, even though they weren't? Overthinking, methinks;-) oh yes, and I hope the congrats didn't sound condescending - wasn't meant to be!)
Oh is that how you spell offense?!!@HedaP No apology required! No offense taken!! This will make you smile: when we sit down to watch a movie at least one of my kids will say, “No commenting, no critiquing, no thinking OK mum? We just want to watch”. I can’t help myself;-)