Which route has fewest cobblestones

jimrobert · Oct 28, 2023

Hello, I am trying to determine which route(s) is best for me. I have the stamina for the distance, but do to a disability I struggle with cobblestones and am looking for the route with the fewest cobblestones for a 100km trek ending in Santiago de Compostela. That being said, I would prefer to limit walking on roads. thank you for your replies.

alexwalker · Oct 28, 2023

jimrobert said:
Hello, I am trying to determine which route(s) is best for me. I have the stamina for the distance, but do to a disability I struggle with cobblestones and am looking for the route with the fewest cobblestones for a 100km trek ending in Santiago de Compostela. That being said, I would prefer to limit walking on roads. thank you for your replies.

Then don't choose the Camino Portugues in Portugal. Lots of them there until the Spanish border.

Tincatinker · Oct 28, 2023

I don't recall much by way of cobbles on the Frances in from Sarria or on the Camino Ingles.

In my mind cobblestones are more associated with the Portuguese Caminhos

alexwalker · Oct 28, 2023

Camino Portuguese... I found it very hard at times... Will not repeat. I was 65 when I did it.

Vacajoe · Oct 28, 2023

Also, avoid any variants to walk on a “Roman road” as those have degraded over the past thousand years leaving just the larger rocks, so it’s like walking a cobblestone path.

trecile · Oct 28, 2023

Tincatinker said:
In my mind cobblestones are more associated with the Portuguese Caminhos

And really only in Portugal itself. I was so relieved to cross over the bridge into Spain and say goodbye to (most of) the cobblestones.

@jimrobert - I don't think that cobblestones are a problem on any routes on the final 100 km into Santiago.

J Willhaus · Oct 28, 2023

Sarria to Santiago has mostly paths

Susan B Johnson · Oct 28, 2023

alexwalker said:
Then don't choose the Camino Portugues in Portugal. Lots of them there until the Spanish border.

So true! I had done 2 previous Caminos with ZERO foot problems. My third was Camino Portuguese. Due to the cobblestones, I lost 2 my 2 big toenails. They bruised from hitting so much stone and pavement. A fellow pilgrim lost 6 toenails!

lovelyshell · Oct 29, 2023

alexwalker said:
Then don't choose the Camino Portugues in Portugal. Lots of them there until the Spanish border.

But the cobblestones are only in Portugal really. If he’s only looking to do 100km he should be fine with no cobblestones starting in Tui.

Hans-Georg Goebel · Oct 29, 2023

jimrobert said:
Hello, I am trying to determine which route(s) is best for me. I have the stamina for the distance, but do to a disability I struggle with cobblestones and am looking for the route with the fewest cobblestones for a 100km trek ending in Santiago de Compostela. That being said, I would prefer to limit walking on roads. thank you for your replies.

I made all the "big ones" and in my oppinion is the Camino de Madrid (until Sahagun) the best way, very few cobblestone and asphalt, but this way didnot ends in SdC

Keyser · Oct 29, 2023

jimrobert said:
Hello, I am trying to determine which route(s) is best for me. I have the stamina for the distance, but do to a disability I struggle with cobblestones and am looking for the route with the fewest cobblestones for a 100km trek ending in Santiago de Compostela. That being said, I would prefer to limit walking on roads. thank you for your replies.

I hate to be a bit analy retentive but stone surfacing in Portugal are “setts” not cobblestones, which are naturally shaped stones, and much more rounded and would be even harder to walk on.

Tincatinker · Oct 29, 2023

Keyser said:
I hate to be a bit analy retentive but stone surfacing in Portugal are “setts” not cobblestones, which are naturally shaped stones, and much more rounded and would be even harder to walk on.

Ah, precision. That’s what this forum so frequently lacks

Anyone any idea what the polite term for those slippery as the descent into hell, ankle turning b*ggers is in Portuguese?

alhartman · Oct 29, 2023

'Cobbles' on the Portuguese ended my 2017 Camino with trashed Achilles in both legs. It was to be for my 75th birthday. I was in reasonably good condition, but no amount of taping, insole changes, lacing changes, wearing of ankle braces could make it work. I started in Lisbon, walked a few days in the heat (also a condition I do not do well in), then alternated bus and walking to Porto for the final restart. Made to Pedra Furada before overcoming my excess tenacity and male ego. Took a cab to the nearest rail, rail to Lisbon, rescheduled my flites and went home to heal (took 6 months before I could comfortably do above 10k).
BTW I got some reimbursement from my travel insurance--would have gotten more if I had seen and been diagnosed by the Hotel doctor in Parque das Nacoes.

Glad to know they are setts so I quit badmouthing cobbles.

Camino Chrissy · Oct 30, 2023

I agree with @Keyser. I recall no cobblestones to walk on in Portugal, but had many varieties of setts. They normally do not bother my feet, except in Lisbon on a rainy day when they seriously became like a sheet of ice. I had to walk very slowly and lift each foot carefully.

David Tallan · Oct 31, 2023

Hans-Georg Goebel said:
I made all the "big ones" and in my oppinion is the Camino de Madrid (until Sahagun) the best way, very few cobblestone and asphalt, but this way didnot ends in SdC

It can if you walk continue to walk from Sahagun to Santiago. Their are a number of route choices that can get you there.

ElCee · Oct 31, 2023

I’ve only walked the Portuguese Caminos and I didn’t find the setts worse than any other paved surface. But it sounds like there are more paved surfaces on the CPs?

howardd5 · Nov 10, 2023

jimrobert said:
Hello, I am trying to determine which route(s) is best for me. I have the stamina for the distance, but do to a disability I struggle with cobblestones and am looking for the route with the fewest cobblestones for a 100km trek ending in Santiago de Compostela. That being said, I would prefer to limit walking on roads. thank you for your replies.

The Aragonnes has a lot of rocky trails

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Which route has fewest cobblestones

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