Walking with young children?

[jacobsweg]

Hi. Have been this week to a wonderful German Presentation of the Camino or Jacobsweg. It bought back many happy memories of our three pilgrimages from Arles, Oviedo and Porto and makes me want to go back again. However this time is different as we now have a six year old and a 14 month old. This year will be the only time that we will have time to consider making the pilgrimage again as we wil have 6 or 7 weeks off during the summer months. I am only considering this as during the presentation there was a slide of a woman who had walked all the way from Switzerland with her two young children. One seemed to be walking while the other was being pushed in a three wheeler pushchair ladened with luggage etc, Our intial thoughts would be to do something similar and maybe get another chair for our 6 year old. We would be keen to perhaps not do the Camino Frances but are considering the Northern Route, however we would of course have to stick to the road which itself of course presents many dangers. Does anyone know of a route that would be more suitable than others, for example one with more off road but surfaced cycle tracks?
Obviously the safety of our children comes first so if its not suitable we won't consider doing it but thought I would at least seek advice from other pilgrims first!

Many thanks

Dale.

 

[sillydoll]

There are a number of posts on this forum - some entitled Travelling with Baby and some Walking with Children. One member walked with his 8 month old baby and reported back (I just can't find the link to it.)

10,597 children between 9 and 15 got the Compostela in 2004. For a Compostela the children have to be at least 9 years old and must have done the first holy communion but if they have not done it they will be given another kind of certificate.

After a weeks training and a fitness test during the Easter holiday in April 2005, 8 year old Camille started her pilgrimage to Compostela by walking the 65km from Puy en Velay to Saint Roch. It took 5 days. She then walked nearly 750km from Pamplona to Santiago, but without the dog, in September – October 2005.

http://terragalice.blog4ever.com/blog/l ... 67723.html

El Camino de Santiago. La Ruta Xacobea Paso a Paso". (The Way of
Sanitago, the Xacobean Route, Step by Step);

a French documentary that focuses on the pilgrims' experiences, reasons for walking and spiritual changes. It shows some ingenious ways created by pilgrims with children, such as carts fashioned with mountain bicycle wheels. Only available only in French and Spanish. No: 8 435112 601999 - distributed by DVD Spain:
http://www.dvdspain.net

There was quite a long thread on walking with children on the Santiagobis Forum earlier this year.

The picture shows a cyclist with his baby in a little carriage attached to his bike.

 

[jacobsweg]

Thanks for all the info. Yes I did think that others would have asked the same thing - trouble is when you type in 'children' in the search engine it comes up with 100s of threads. I will have a closer look.

Many thanks

Dale