Time Limits on Credencial

[nickymd1]

Ok, so the Camino might actually have made me crack my nut. Today I sat at my desk and, 8 months after arriving in Finisterre after my CdN, I've decided to walk from my front door.
There is one problem: I can't just take 4 months off to walk Berlin-Leipzig-Paris-St Jean/Bayonne-Santiago(-Muxia), I will have to do it in stages. But I want to have a Compostela that says I walked from Berlin if I can. So the question is this: Is there a time limit or a rule of some kind that says I can't use the same credencial/credenciales over multiple short and long periods of walking over the course of say 3 years? I was thinking I would get a stamp at the end and beginning of each 'leg' at the same place (with the date, obviously) to prove my distances.

Anyone have any experiences with doing something similar?

 

[Bradypus]

Short answer is that there is no problem using the same credencial for a series of shorter stages over a number of years. Many people have done that. If you have it stamped and dated where you finish and then have it stamped and dated there again when you return the credencial will show how you made the journey.

About the Compostela: it does not mention where you started or the distance you have walked. If you qualify for a Compostela you can request an additional distance certificate which does give both of these.

 

[trecile]

The Compostela doesn't state how far you walked. However, you can purchase a distance certificate at the Pilgrim's Office when you get your Compostela.

 

[IngridF]

Also make sure you bring all the credentials with you as proof that you have walked all the way. The distance certificate is very nice and a great momento.

 

[bmcbride]

I met several people who were walking the Camino in stages over several years, mostly because of time limitations of their annual holidays from work. They did as you said; starting again from the place that they had finished at the previous year.

 

[jl]

The other thing to comsider is to use one credencial and cut pages to size to staple inside . I have done this a number of times for longer caminos. Some credencials are bigger than others too, allowing for more stamps. I used a Jakobsweg credencial when walking from Leipzig (in addition to my Australian one) but stopped because its surface was too shiny to absorb the ink, and consequently the stamps just smudged.

I am currently on a different pilgrimage route in Germany and enjoying crossing the numerous Jakobsweg as I head South. Also enjoying the little surprises, like today when I came across a St Jakobus in a tiny liile chapel.

Enjoy your planning, and your Camino. Janet

PS the Chemin Estelle is a great way to get from Compiegne into Paris

 

[Mournes]

There is no time limit.You can take as long as you want.To qualify for the compostela ,for those on foot ,you must walk the last 100 kms.It does not matter how many kms you have walked before this,it is only the last 100 kms in to Santiago that count and for those 100 kms you must have 2 stamps per day..