- Time of past OR future Camino
- Ponferrada to Santiago (2019)
Seville to Zafra (2020)
Porto to Santiago (2020)
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There is no such thing as cheating (unless one brags about how far and fast one has walked...and even then you have really only cheated yourself). Pilgrims hopping rides on farmers' carts is as old as pilgrimage itself. And the clincher for me, especially as I too, am a septuagenarian about to set off on the de Lana in a few weeks is that I will need the use of my knees, hips, feet etc for as many years that are left to me so why thrash them. What would have been a skip and a hop five years ago is not necessarily so today, as I have discovered. You made a wise move, especially early on such a long Way. Buen Camino sez I.Greetings from the VdlP. Of course it’s entirely up to each individual but I strongly recommend taking a taxi to skip the first 16.5 Kms from Castilblanco. Ok I am a 73 yrs old woman but I am certain if I had walked that road I would not have made it as far as this bar in Almaden! The road is quite busy and today is glorious weather so feels hot. I loved the walk through the park Berrocal but the ascent at the end was tough. Those of you have done this (plus road) can call me a wimp but that’s fine.
YupThe only thing that I would consider cheating is if someone lies about how they got somewhere. For example, especially in the last 100kms if someone says they walked the whole thing but took a taxi several times. To each their own camino, and I don't care if you go horseback up the mountains, transport your bag every day, or even skip the meseta (on the frances)....the only thing I wouldn't like is if someone said they did something they didnt.
Those of you have done this (plus road) can call me a wimp but that’s fine.
The only thing that I would consider cheating is if someone lies about how they got somewhere.
How I admire you!Regardless of what anybody might think about this, I must confess I personally LOVE this 13.5 km stretch on tarmac, I have walked it 4 times, and will be looking forward to walking it again. It is not physically very demanding, and leaving Castilblanco at night and see every nuance and every color in the sunrise, listen to so many different birds, often the first cuckoos in the season... to me it is a beautiful part of the Camino. This said, the road is usually quiet, and I am not 73 year old and I do not fear the final slope at the end of the day so much, I just take it easy.
All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable walk for me!
Greetings from the VdlP. Of course it’s entirely up to each individual but I strongly recommend taking a taxi to skip the first 16.5 Kms from Castilblanco. Ok I am a 73 yrs old woman but I am certain if I had walked that road I would not have made it as far as this bar in Almaden! The road is quite busy and today is glorious weather so feels hot. I loved the walk through the park Berrocal but the ascent at the end was tough. Those of you have done this (plus road) can call me a wimp but that’s fine.
It hangs in every bar in town, and the bar staff is always very happy to call one for you!Trishb - I'm 75 and serring out on the vdlp in two weeks - what's the taxi number, please? Peter
Thanks - I was signalling my support to trishb. Last year on the portugues/variante I met an American woman who was doing the whole thing by taxi/boat, but she was an amusing raconteur & in the evenings able to tell me about and share her pictures of the churches and sites which I'd not had time to visit - I was grateful for her pilgrimage. To each his or her own.It hangs in every bar in town, and the bar staff is always very happy to call one for you!
BC SY
I intend to walk the VDLP next year when I will be 67. My days of 30K days are behind me although I did walk one 30k last winter but that was in perfect conditions and at the end of my Camino. When I checked out Gronze I immediately thought I would take a taxi to the gates of the park and walk from there. There are some really long stretches on the VDLP and if I cant break them into two days I will be taking a taxi or a bus to make a day more manageable. There is no way I am going to risk my life to say I didn't "cheat". You did the right thing for sure.Greetings from the VdlP. Of course it’s entirely up to each individual but I strongly recommend taking a taxi to skip the first 16.5 Kms from Castilblanco. Ok I am a 73 yrs old woman but I am certain if I had walked that road I would not have made it as far as this bar in Almaden! The road is quite busy and today is glorious weather so feels hot. I loved the walk through the park Berrocal but the ascent at the end was tough. Those of you have done this (plus road) can call me a wimp but that’s fine.
Those of you have done this (plus road) can call me a wimp but that’s fine.
yes and I have heard that they prefer single passenger journeys nowadays??It hangs in every bar in town, and the bar staff is always very happy to call one for you!
BC SY
I really believe that there is no right way or wrong way to do the camino. Any way you do it will give you a different experience. My suggestion is to do what is right for you.Greetings from the VdlP. Of course it’s entirely up to each individual but I strongly recommend taking a taxi to skip the first 16.5 Kms from Castilblanco. Ok I am a 73 yrs old woman but I am certain if I had walked that road I would not have made it as far as this bar in Almaden! The road is quite busy and today is glorious weather so feels hot. I loved the walk through the park Berrocal but the ascent at the end was tough. Those of you have done this (plus road) can call me a wimp but that’s fine.
Good for you! The path is there and does not judge how we use it. I followed the Camino at 82, and 84 and used the local buses several times. If your goal on the Camino is in any way broader than simply counting off miles on “the” path, a time or two on a local bus offers a glimpse of everyday life of the people who live along that path. Asking pardon from those to whom this seem like heresy.Greetings from the VdlP. Of course it’s entirely up to each individual but I strongly recommend taking a taxi to skip the first 16.5 Kms from Castilblanco. Ok I am a 73 yrs old woman but I am certain if I had walked that road I would not have made it as far as this bar in Almaden! The road is quite busy and today is glorious weather so feels hot. I loved the walk through the park Berrocal but the ascent at the end was tough. Those of you have done this (plus road) can call me a wimp but that’s fine.
Sorry I don’t know, the proprietor of the hotel called her. She does it all the time and I am guessing there are quite a few more. BTW the park itself is glorious Buen CaminoTrishb - I'm 75 and serring out on the vdlp in two weeks - what's the taxi number, please? Peter
Greetings from the VdlP. Of course it’s entirely up to each individual but I strongly recommend taking a taxi to skip the first 16.5 Kms from Castilblanco. Ok I am a 73 yrs old woman but I am certain if I had walked that road I would not have made it as far as this bar in Almaden! The road is quite busy and today is glorious weather so feels hot. I loved the walk through the park Berrocal but the ascent at the end was tough. Those of you have done this (plus road) can call me a wimp but that’s fine.
I agree with other post writers: pilgrims from times past took all sorts of rides to lessen their pain. What was important for them was to get to Santiago safely and touch the relics of the saint.Greetings from the VdlP. Of course it’s entirely up to each individual but I strongly recommend taking a taxi to skip the first 16.5 Kms from Castilblanco. Ok I am a 73 yrs old woman but I am certain if I had walked that road I would not have made it as far as this bar in Almaden! The road is quite busy and today is glorious weather so feels hot. I loved the walk through the park Berrocal but the ascent at the end was tough. Those of you have done this (plus road) can call me a wimp but that’s fine.
My own rule for myself is that I walk all the way from my starting point to my destination. If I skipped a section by taxi I would definitely feel like a cheat. But that would be because I had gone against my own intentions and not because I had broken someone else's "rules".The only rule I have for myself when I walk the Camino is to never walk back, only go forward even if it means I spend the night in the woods. Fortunately I haven't yet had to test that rule, lol.
I agree, it is one of the nicest road stretches especially first thing in summer.Regardless of what anybody might think about this, I must confess I personally LOVE this 13.5 km stretch on tarmac, I have walked it 4 times, and will be looking forward to walking it again. It is not physically very demanding, and leaving Castilblanco at night and see every nuance and every color in the sunrise, listen to so many different birds, often the first cuckoos in the season... to me it is a beautiful part of the Camino. This said, the road is usually quiet, and I am not 73 year old and I do not fear the final slope at the end of the day so much, I just take it easy.
All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable walk for me!
Looking for pilgrims now to split the cost with me when I go!!!!i did the same thing with 2 other pilgrims a few days ago. walking 16km on the road with minimal shoulder and thick morning fog did not sound fun to me. we carried on to el real de la jara that day after a great shop for churros from the stand in almaden.
btw, it was 25euro for the 16km/15minute trip, and can take up to 4 people.
That is your issue and why you look at it as cheating is also for you to decide. I do not know your age or your physical condition. I had walked 4 caminos without cheating. This last camino I had to cheat to take a bus because the weather conditions were so bad and dangerous that the albergue owner was standing at the front door to tell us all before we thought of leaving. The police had announced that if anyone attempts to walk and gets into trouble going up the hill to Cruz de Ferro they would not attempt a rescue because of the conditions. Was that cheating. I could have stayed and waited but then I would have arrived in Santiago much later and lost a few days with my daughter who lives in England. By this time I know how to walk and I know that a 30k day plus a very steep hill at the end may put me in jeopardy. It is all things we all have to consider. If I was 55 instead of 67 when I will walk I would probably feel differently. Please do not worry or think that you cheated. At that moment it was the right thing to do. I have a wonderful friend who is a deeply religious Buddhist. When I was trying to reflect on past mistakes and trying to improve on myself and my relationships after my divorce she would call me every day. She would say what did you do for yourself today. On one particular day I did absolutely nothing, didn't even think about it and was kind of a jerk to people. I told her very frustrated that I did nothing today. I started to say more and she cut me off and said, you did nothing, that's perfect. Do not beat yourself up over nothing because nothing is all you could do today and that is perfect. Maybe tomorrow will be different and maybe not. Don't beat yourself up or even worry about cheating and the bus, the bus was all you could do that day. Buen CaminoBecause you asked . . .
Yes, it is cheating. I skipped a road section by catching a bus on the Via Aurelia. I consider that year's camino as incomplete.
I got an idea out of this conversation. I can make a pilgrimage with no walking just taxi. Expensive but I do not have to think about socks,shoes,blisters,aching knees, sweating and many more things. Wow
Ps Does anyone know the cost for taxi from Sevilla to Santiago Ds
If that is your choice then why not? By the nature of this forum we tend to get fixated on the notion that "pilgrimage" can only mean travel on foot (or by bike or by horse). That idea is something that is fairly recent and mostly specific to Santiago. In most other pilgrim destinations around the world people arrive by bus, train, plane, boat and perhaps even taxi and still regard themselves as pilgrims.I got an idea out of this conversation. I can make a pilgrimage with no walking just taxi. Expensive but I do not have to think about socks,shoes,blisters,aching knees, sweating and many more things. Wow
Ps Does anyone know the cost for taxi from Sevilla to Santiago Ds
I just had a look at the figures. As of a few seconds ago there were 87,577 members of the forum and 1,200+ of those were actually logged in. Given those sort of numbers how likely is it that anything I say or do will please all of the people all of the time?I think the difficulty lies in using the same word, Camino, to mean different things. Yes, everyone walks their own camino, but it can get frustrating when an integral part of one person's definition is absent from another's.
TBecause you asked . . .
Yes, it is cheating. I skipped a road section by catching a bus on the Via Aurelia. I consider that year's camino as incomplete.
Of course it is not cheating. Changing your plans as you go along is just part of hiking. There is nothing to say you have to walk every inch of the Camino. What about the 15% of pilgrims who complete the camino by bicycle. I suppose they are all cheating as well?Because you asked . . .
Yes, it is cheating. I skipped a road section by catching a bus on the Via Aurelia. I consider that year's camino as incomplete.
I did the same on a (very) rainy day. Very glad I did.Greetings from the VdlP. Of course it’s entirely up to each individual but I strongly recommend taking a taxi to skip the first 16.5 Kms from Castilblanco. Ok I am a 73 yrs old woman but I am certain if I had walked that road I would not have made it as far as this bar in Almaden! The road is quite busy and today is glorious weather so feels hot. I loved the walk through the park Berrocal but the ascent at the end was tough. Those of you have done this (plus road) can call me a wimp but that’s fine.
In '84 I was accused of cheating before I'd even started by the woman who ran the pilgrim office, in SJPDP because I hadn't arrived there on foot from my home, and she denied me a credential. So by her rules almost everyone today are cheats.On the caminos I have travelled, I have not taken any transport to shorten the journey.
That wasn't one of the reasons she gave for refusing me one. But her list was quite long enough anywayIn '84 I was accused of cheating before I'd even started by the woman who ran the pilgrim office, in SJPDP because I hadn't arrived there on foot from my home, and she denied me a credential. So by her rules almost everyone today are cheats.
Hi Paddy.Hi , im considering starting Via de al Plata early April and enquiring if any other pilgrims are planning to go at that time , Have completed 2 Frances , 2 Portugese and Salamanca to Santiago . while i enjoy my own company a little frienship and help along the way when needed is a great consolation , Paddy from Dublin Ireland
If the credencial has been stamped by the pilgrim office at the end of your CP walk it is officially "closed" and cannot be used for a further Camino. If you do not visit the pilgrim office until after you have walked both Caminos that should not be an issue.Speaking of rules, can I 'reuse' a credential if there is still space in it? I am starting the CP next month and it looks like I will have some spare time on completion, so I'm thinking of heading up to Ferrol to walk the Camino Ingles as well so rather than start a new credential I'm wondering if I can use the old one.
Hi LindsaySpeaking of rules, can I 'reuse' a credential if there is still space in it? I am starting the CP next month and it looks like I will have some spare time on completion, so I'm thinking of heading up to Ferrol to walk the Camino Ingles as well so rather than start a new credential I'm wondering if I can use the old one.
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