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Walking from Sarria

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I'm hoping to walk from Sarria to Santiago later in the year with my husband. He's not a keen walker but will happily do the journey with me. My question is, what would the minimum training be. We can train before we leave home but will be travelling in other places prior to starting the Camino so won't really be in tip top condition. We'll have our packs forwarded and stay in booked accommodation so don't have to keep up a strict pace. Can we break the walk up easily into shortish days? I'm concerned there won't be beds available at short notice, such as in Morgade. Thinking of going in May or September. Many thanks for any input
 
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Hi, and welcome to the forum.

You ask what the minimum training would be. As risk of seeming flippant, I would say it is zero. Many people do it with no training. But many others train and still find the day after day walking to be arduous, or they risk injury. You don't mention your ages, or whether you walk regularly, so it is hard to say! I certainly recommend training, and I do it myself - I try to walk 30 or 40 km per week, all year, stepping up to 50 km in the month or 2 before I leave for Spain. I am not superfit, but I am a moderately fit/healthy 70-year-old, and generally plan to walk an average of 20-25 km per day on the camino.

Have you ever (or recently?) walked 15 km or 20 km? My recommendation would be to walk as much as you can between now and your departure, and to test yourself by walking 15 or 20 km, two days in a row at home. That will test your shoes and socks, as well as your body! The week or two before starting the camino is not the time when you should be doing intensive training.

Yes, the walk can be broken up into short days. I can't comment on availability of accommodation because I haven't walked in May. Others will chime in. However, are you saying that you will book in well in advance, or only a day or two before? If you book in advance and then find that you can't reach the planned destination, then you will have to start using taxis. Then you won't qualify for a compostella, if that is important.

Really, you need an idea of how far you and your husband can comfortably walk in a day, before you know where to make your bookings, and how many days to allow.

Have a look at this thread for more discussion about training.
 
Of course it can be done without training.
I have done it without training.
And it hurt! It hurt for 800 kms :rolleyes:

Training a little will help, to stretch the muscles a bit, strengthen the legs and build a bit of stamina.
Training just makes it easier.

If yo are already quite fit and not too overweight, you'll be fine.
Significant extra body fat....... = more pain in joints and feet. Ask me how I know :cool:

May and September are the busiest months.
I would book only 1 or 2 days ahead, as you won't know how far you are capable of walking.
Booking all nights up front i just asking for trouble.
There is no way on earth you will know what your comfortable walking distance is or if you will get injured.

Even after 3 Caminos, I would never do it.

'Stuff' always happens, good and bad.

Be prepared to stay at 'in between' places and that will help with accommodation availability.

For example as you are looking a day or two ahead to book online and your 1st choice is booked our, let's say Morgade, then look at .
Ferreiros
or
A Pena

Always be ready to walk a little less of a little more, and you'll find somewhere.

On that section of the Camino there are loads of places to stay if you look 'in between' the popular stopping places.

Walking and 'enjoying' a Camino is all about 'letting go'.
Don't be too rigid in your plans.
Be prepared for things sometimes to not go the way you would like......

Just relax.......... and let it all happen..........and it will.

Easier said than done I know. !
For me it was easy......... I was totally 'laid back' from Day 1 on Camino #1.

For my wife, after a 150 km and then an 800 km Camino, she has just started to 'get it'. ;)
 
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Many thanks for your replies. I'm 68 and am quite active. My husband is 65 and suffers a bit with sore knees, but not all of the time that's why he's probably coming with me under sufferance! Hopefully he will enjoy the walk. We won't want to book ahead too much, but we're only walking from Sarria and still are concerned that there may not be accommodation. We aren't taking sleeping bags and hope to find comfortable places.
 
Many thanks for your replies. I'm 68 and am quite active. My husband is 65 and suffers a bit with sore knees, but not all of the time that's why he's probably coming with me under sufferance! Hopefully he will enjoy the walk. We won't want to book ahead too much, but we're only walking from Sarria and still are concerned that there may not be accommodation. We aren't taking sleeping bags and hope to find comfortable places.

As I said, book a couple of days ahead, and look in a few different places, you'll find beds.
My wife and I used to make it our 'after dinner' research task, we'd try booking.com and a few other similar sites and book our next day or two.
 
We will be doing the bulk of the CF in May/June (to celebrate retirement - Oh Yeah) but we will be stopping at Saria to exit Spain. We are stopping at Saria because my kids want to complete it with us in September :D

You don't need to overdo the training but you need to do some, even if its only breaking in your shoes and getting to know your back pack better.

As with @Robo we only book 2 days ahead at a time to give us flexibility - Its a personal choice.

Soooo......I will be very interested to read your posts later in the year on how you got on from Saria and the choices that you made. 👣🚶‍♀️:cool:
 
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I'm hoping to walk from Sarria to Santiago later in the year with my husband. He's not a keen walker but will happily do the journey with me. My question is, what would the minimum training be. We can train before we leave home but will be travelling in other places prior to starting the Camino so won't really be in tip top condition. We'll have our packs forwarded and stay in booked accommodation so don't have to keep up a strict pace. Can we break the walk up easily into shortish days? I'm concerned there won't be beds available at short notice, such as in Morgade. Thinking of going in May or September. Many thanks for any input
No, pre-Camino training is not necessary. My son is a long distance hiker who coached me before my Camino. His good advice was to keep my initial days on the Camino in terms of distance and time and then to slowly increase each bit by bit until I felt ready for greater distances. Other useful advice is to keep pack weight as light as possible, possibly use a bag transfer service, and book albergues two or three nights ahead. I didn’t train in advance (I’m 75) but had a good Camino without trouble or injuries. Each day will require some logistical planning but will pay off as you walk the Way.
 
My wife and I completed this section last year in September - I have reasonably severe osteoarthritis and use knee supports and poles (if you haven't used poles before suggest you get some and practise with them). We read the excellent guide books and based our walk on half the 'traditional' stages each day. This meant we set off a bit later that most, enjoyed our stops and missed the crowds that started out that much earlier. On a couple of days we booked 2 nights in accommodation then used taxis (very reasonably priced) to return us to base at end of the day and back out the following day. On both occasions we walked further than we might have on Day 1 to enable us to take in diversions on Day 2. It was a wonderful experience and the most time my wife and I have spent in each other's company in 50 years. Enjoy!
 
My only advice would be to allow more time than you think you'll need, because there may be times when you like a town and so will want to start late, have a long breakfast, walk a short distance then have a relaxing lunch in the sunshine and then stop for the day. This is tricky if you have a short time.

You'll enjoy the whole thing far more if you are relaxed about it. For instance while most people will walk from Sarria in one week away from work, if you are retired you might want to allow two weeks so you can have one or more days off during the walk then two or three days in Santiago.

Also take a look at Booking.com where you can rent flats by the night, we rented some lovely places near Santiago and you have your own space to lounge around in during the day if you want to. We also rented a flat in Santiago itself for three nights when we arrived.

If you have time in Santiago you can do a one day trip on a coach to Finisterre, and maybe spend a day wandering the ancient stone lined medieval streets of Santiago. There is a market where you buy the food at other stalls and they cook it for you to eat while sitting in the market streets. I love the place.

EDIT - I see you're from Oz so guess you will have other things on your agenda while here in Europe, and you won't be flying all that way simply to walk for one week. So yes, taking your time to enjoy the walk would be sensible, there's loads of advice on this forum. Good luck.
 
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Sorry, but may I disagree with some of the previous posts. I believe in the old adage - fail to prepare, prepare to fail. You need to ensure your body is used to walking a lot and to suddenly impose things on your body that it is not used to can lead to problems and there will potentially not be the time to fully recover. Likewise you should find a good pair of shoes that you have worn in. Ditto socks that you know work for you. You should also get to know your feet and if there are any particular parts that rub. I feel this also particularly applies to the more mature of us! (I was 67 when I first did Sarria to Santiago).

As someone else has said, you should start to build up your walks and shortly before you leave you should aim to be able to do two long walks on consecutive days. Before I did my first Camino I was advised to also try and train at 5km+/hour as that will put you in good stead for the Camino which you will do at a lower pace.

I would also recommend finding places to stay actually along the Camino. On my first Camino I used some rural hotels who came and collected and returned me to the Camino but on my second one it was so much better staying on the Camino itself.

You can always reassure your husband that there are plenty of refreshment places along the way and with all that walking gives you a good excuse to indulge! My weakness was egg and chips! There are lots of choices of food. Tell him also that it will be an experience he will carry with him for the rest of his life.

I did my two Caminos in September when statistically it is hot and dry but understand it can be wetter earlier in the year. On this forum you may find some people who don't particularly like the Sarria to Santiago part of the Frances but those of us with limited time the so-called disadvantages are definitely outweighed by the advantages. I thoroughly enjoyed doing it.
Buen Camino.
 
Sarria to Santiago? My condolences


With all due respect but this is your personal view.

Yes, the Sarria to Santiago de Compostela section might be crowded but please let us not discourage new members who start on their first pilgrimage. We all were at this point somewhere in the past.

@julieb26 ; Happy preparations! I do believe that for a first pilgrimage the Francès is a good option. Maybe you will catch the Camino bug and will try out other routes later on.
 
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Many thanks for your replies. I'm 68 and am quite active. My husband is 65 and suffers a bit with sore knees, but not all of the time that's why he's probably coming with me under sufferance! Hopefully he will enjoy the walk. We won't want to book ahead too much, but we're only walking from Sarria and still are concerned that there may not be accommodation. We aren't taking sleeping bags and hope to find comfortable places.
Last year I walked from Ponferrada and had it all booked in advance. We walked in late March and stayed in very comfortable places and always ate great food. The previous year I walked the Camino Ingles without booking in advance and that worked well. When you get to, or near to, your day’s destination just look on booking.com. I hope you both have a great time. Good luck..
 
@julieb26 - Here are two training programs from the AussieWalks two day walking festival site. One is to prepare for walking the 10 km distance two days in a row. The other for the 20/30 km distances. Both programs are eight weeks long, including the week of the festival. There is an awful lot you can do to prepare yourself well even in that short a time. If your husband isn't regularly walking 10 km, perhaps start on an accelerated version of 10 km program, in which case, there will be up to 16 weeks of preparation.

To answer your question literally, there is no 'minimum training'. People do this walk with very little preparation. I suggest those that make this statement here are the lucky ones who have survived that approach. I don't often see people here telling you that it didn't work, which is a pity. I do see such people in my local Friends of the Camino group, and it is disheartening for them to return having injured themselves or worn themselves out after a few days when the toll has become too much for them.

Further, if you do take the booking approach you have outlined, if one of you do hit the wall (or bonk, as some of our US members might say) before you reach your booked accommodation, you will have to consider your approach to making that final distance. Getting a taxi is the most obvious way, and returning to your pick up point the following day. This increases the distance you then have to achieve the following day, aggravating any issues you might have had that stopped you in the first place.
 
@julieb26 - Hereare two training programs from the AussieWalks two day walking festival site. One is to prepare for walking the 10 km distance two days in a row. The other for the 20/30 km distances. Both programs are eight weeks long, including the week of the festival. There is an awful lot you can do to prepare yourself well even in that short a time. If your husband isn't regularly walking 10 km, perhaps start on an accelerated version of 10 km program, in which case, there will be up to 16 weeks of preparation.

To answer your question literally, there is no 'minimum training'. People do this walk with very little preparation. I suggest those that make this statement here are the lucky ones who have survived that approach. I don't often see people here telling you that it didn't work, which is a pity. I do see such people in my local Friends of the Camino group, and it is disheartening for them to return having injured themselves or worn themselves out after a few days when the toll has become too much for them.

Further, if you do take the booking approach you have outlined, if one of you do hit the wall (or bonk, as some of our US members might say) before you reach your booked accommodation, you will have to consider your approach to making that final distance. Getting a taxi is the most obvious way, and returning to your pick up point the following day. This increases the distance you then have to achieve the following day, aggravating any issues you might have had that stopped you in the first place.
Thanks for posting this again @dougfitz ! Very good training programme.😎

As an aside, you don’t really see on the camino those who fail to make it. I was walking once with a Spanish guy who went back home for a day or so (around Pamplona) and then came back. He couldn’t believe how many people he’d seen on public transport heading to hospital. Mostly young people, he noticed but all with injuries that prevented them from going on....
 
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"My question is, what would the minimum training be."

I see a number of different responses to this question. Some say that it is possible to walk without any training. Others, like peterbell above, disagree, and suggest a training regimen. I think it depends on what was really being asked. Is the question "What is the minimum possible training?" or "What is the minimum advisable training?"

If the former, I think the answer is clearly zero training. On the one hand, it is impossible to do less. On the other hand, many people (myself included) have come to the Camino from sedentary occupations, started walking with no training, and completed it. It is clearly very possible. Also, in many cases, very painful. I would venture to say not advisable. But, having done it myself, I cannot deny that it is possible.

If the latter, it becomes very much a judgment call, depending on your time available, current level of fitness, where you are, etc. In general, the more you train beforehand, the less painful your Camino experience is likely to be. I say "in general" because you don't want to overstrain and injure your body before the Camino starts, although if you are looking to do the minimum, that may not be likely.

You say "We can train before we leave home but will be travelling in other places prior to starting the Camino so won't really be in tip top condition." I wouldn't worry too much about this. The positive effects of training will last for a while. There was at least a year (maybe a year and a half) after I finished my Camino Frances and before I started training for my Camino Portugues. (I learned after my painful Camino Frances and trained for my next Camino.) I still very much noticed my improved conditioning from my previous Camino, even after all of that time.

As I mentioned, I did some training for my most recent Camino.. What worked for me was walks of 12 to 20 km, of gradually increasing frequency, until they were once or twice a week. After the first few, I started doing them with a fully loaded backpack. When I could comfortably walk 20 km with backpack three days in a row (a long weekend), I figured I had trained enough.

That's what worked for me. I would advise something similar to others. But I wouldn't advise it as a minimum. To me, setting a minimum like that is similar to saying "if you can't do this much training, don't do a Camino; you haven't met the minimum." I would never say something like that. Always better to do the Camino, if you feel called to it.

One last comment, added after some thought. The less training you do, the more important it is to allow yourself plenty of time in case you need to take some rest or healing days.
 
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When I could comfortably walk 20 km with backpack three days in a row
That's very true. It's the several days in a row effect that can be the surprise. @julieb26 if you aren't pushed for time, I'd allow yourselves plenty of leeway, worst that can happen is you end up making a few nice excursions afterwards.

I highly recommend the booking.com app by the way. Quite a lot of places allow free cancellations or changes if you start to get behind or ahead of your schedule.
 
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It's a personal decision of course, but I much prefer walking well before or after peak season. If you shoot for late March-early April or sometime in October (my personal choice) you will have less competition for accommodations. And whenever you or your husband start fretting about making a particular day's distance just remember that there is always a taxi or bus to whisk you off to the next town at minimal cost.
 
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@julieb26
You have received lots of good advice from experienced pilgrims. I can offer a few suggestions from my own experience. I did not train before my first camino, but as an experienced mountain hiker I did what I could to prepare for my walk. To summarize: a light pack and short days to start made it doable for me. You are planning to send your packs by delivery service, so this should solve the heavy pack problem, but prevent you from having much flexibility in your schedule. You may not be aware of Ivar's storage service in Santiago. You could send your luggage ahead and walk with only what you need from Sarria to Santiago. In either May or September (your suggested dates) and with no bedding to carry, you should be able to travel light and make last minute bookings or just try stopping wherever you wish.
About Morgade, I stayed there once and did not get a private room, because I did not have an advance reservation. The dormitory was very comfortable, with single beds only.
You are doing your best to prepare for your walk. This is wise of you, but you may have to accept that you cannot be totally in control on camino and that is often the most interesting aspect of the walk. If you are on pilgrimage, you will benefit by being open to what comes to you. Buen Camino.
 
I agree with the fact you will train while on the camino- it is impossible not to. Unless you have an injury, you will be able to walk longer distances at the end than when you start. But I disagree with the sentiment that you should not also train BEFORE you leave. Otherwise, you risk injury. Regardless of fitness level, walking these distances day after day with extra weight is a shock to the system. Along the camino, I have met many athletes (including marathoners and elite ultra marathoners) who voiced how humbled they were by the camino. I was also humbled but, not being an elite athlete, that statement has far less impact coming from me :) I think how much training depends on a few things:

1. Baseline level of physical fitness- if you walk/run/exercise a few times a week or have done distance walking in the past, you will acclimate much faster than someone who does zero exercise
2. Do you plan on carrying your backpacks or transferring luggage?
3. How much time are you giving yourself? Will you walk until you are tired (be it 5 or 15 miles?) or are you wanting to stick to Brierly-ish stages?

If you will not be carrying your luggage and walk until you feel like stopping, then training is not required outside of walking a few miles a few times a week. But include hills if you can.

But if you are aiming to keep with Brierly stage distances and plan on carrying your packs, I absolutely recommend training or you risk injury. Unless you live in hilly areas and have all the time in the world, it is impossible to train as if you are actually on the camino. But I think it is important to get to the point where you can at least walk with your pack weight 8-10 miles a couple of days in a row while still being functional after your walk,
 
I'm hoping to walk from Sarria to Santiago later in the year with my husband. He's not a keen walker but will happily do the journey with me. My question is, what would the minimum training be. We can train before we leave home but will be travelling in other places prior to starting the Camino so won't really be in tip top condition. We'll have our packs forwarded and stay in booked accommodation so don't have to keep up a strict pace. Can we break the walk up easily into shortish days? I'm concerned there won't be beds available at short notice, such as in Morgade. Thinking of going in May or September. Many thanks for any input
Brierley's book will tell you where all accommodations are and you can plan accordingly.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Hello

I completed the stage from Sarria to Santiago last June. It was the first stage of my Camino, as I am planning on completing the entire distance in instalments.

My training was fairly limited and definitely helped me to break in the shoes I had bought a few months before. I had recently turned 57 and not exactly in trim condition, though I would (and still do) play football for an hour a week.

I spent six days to complete my journey, with the stages ranges in length from 14.1 km to 25.4 km. I don’t care too much for hostels, so I stayed in budget hotels, and I would recommend the following schedule:

DAY ONE - SARRIA TO PORTOMARIN [22 km] - This was my first day on the Camino and I have to admit it was easier than expected, though I think that any fatigue was probably overtaken by adrenalin. By the way, I wouldn’t bother staying in Morgade, though the albergue there is worth stopping at for breakfast. Unless the weather is bad, make sure to follow the ‘difficult’ route down a rocky track as you approach Portomarin. If approached with care, it’s a good experience. Also, don’t forget to get a photo of yourself at the ‘100 km to Santiago’ marker. Portomarin is a really nice town (in retrospect, probably my favourite stop), and my hotel (Porto Santiago, Diputación 8, 27170 Portomarin €25) was pretty good.

DAY TWO – PORTOMARIN TO PALAS DE REI [24.6 km] – This was the most difficult stage for me, as it was a steady uphill climb that seemed to be never-ending, though having since walked from Logroño to Burgos, it was relatively mild compared to some of those stages). The first stopping point is a truck stop at Gonzar, make sure to call in, as it does a pretty mean breakfast. Otherwise, the highlight of this gruelling realisation of how tough the Camino can be was the Christian mission at Ligonde, where you can get free beverages and also plot your hometown on their map of the world.

Palas De Rei was a nice enough town and I stayed at Pension Plaza, Avenida Compostela 21, 27200 Palas de Rei €25.

DAY THREE - PALAS DE REI TO MELIDE [15.4 km] – A welcome, short stage was a relief after two stages exceeding 20 kilometres. If you eat fish, Melide is famous for its pulpe (octopus) restaurants. I stayed at O Todo do Lobo, Rua Luis Seoane 8, 15800 Melide €26.

DAY FOUR - MELIDE TO ARZUA [13.2 km] – Another short stretch, though quite an enjoyable stroll. Arzua is a decent stopover, with the hotel I stayed at (A Fonda do Norte Camiño do Norte 53, 1º, 15810 Arzúa) the best en route to Santiago though, at €40, also the most expensive. It was a slight walk from the town centre but worth the walk.

DAY FIVE – ARZUA TO O PEDROUZO [19.4 km] – Back to a relatively long stage, but good to get back into a bit of meaningful walking. O Pedrouzo was livelier than other stage finishes, perhaps because, for many pilgrims, it would be the last night out on the Camino before Santiago. I stayed at Pension Javier Pedrouzo, Avenida de Santiago, 7 1ºA, O Pedrouzo, 15821 +34 608 84 14 13 (€24)

DAY SIX – O PEDROUZO TO SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA [21.1 km] – Last day and time to spend a leisurely few hours getting to Santiago. I wasn’t rushing to make the midday mass in Santiago, as I was staying in the city for a few days, so was able to go the next day. The camp site café (you can’t really miss it) is worth a stop and has the cheapest T-shirts you’ll find (nine months on, still going strong!). Take a look at Monte De Gozo, but I’m glad I didn’t arrange to stay there overnight, as albergue looks like an army barracks. I broke my journey a few times and took a long time to get to Santiago, as I wanted to make the most of the last day on the Camino.

If you have time to take an excursion to Finisterre, I phoned a number on a flyer [see photo below] I got near the cathedral (+34 644 226 227) and paid €29 for a pretty good day out.

Hope this advice is useful and if you want to see more of my Camino tales, feel free to take a look at my blog by clicking on this link, https://stevetaylorscamino.home.blog/

BUEN CAMINO

Steve
 

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