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Maybe the silence speaks volumes!A lot of people are on this forum, and I keep holding my breath waiting for someone to weigh in
Hi, Will,
I'm not a parent, nor have I walked any of the southern Caminos.
But I'm thinking of my experiences of walking in March - basically late winter. Sometimes the weather was glorious, but when it wasn't it really wasn't. It can be cold, windy as heck, with rain/sleet/snow. And this is across the Camino Frances, not only in Galicia. November, being early winter is likely similar.
It's one thing for you both to walk as consenting adults and put up with that. But with a young baby? This could be hard you as parents, and hard on the baby, too.
Imagine having to stop and change a diaper when it's looking like this:
View media item 2557View media item 5144
No matter where you go, you'll need warm clothes and raingear for yourselves, and protection for the baby - so that's a bit of weight to consider in addition to carrying the baby.
Weather aside, unless your baby is sleeping through the night, your fellow pilgrims will likely not be so thrilled about being awakened at odd hours. So as a kindness to others, you'd need to find private accommodation. On the more traveled routes this is no trouble, but of course more expensive.
So if I were in your shoes, I'd be waiting until the baby's a bit older, and until it's possible to walk when the weather is more temperate. I do understand the wanting to walk, and so can imagine this is not the feedback you want to hear. But the Camino isn't going anyplace. It will wait. Honest.
Buen Camino whenever you end up going!
Hey I wouldn't do the Mozarabe in oct especially with a baby . We did it June/July last year and wrong time( hot as) plus there are long distances in between stops and some parts over mountains tricky to climb . Lots of rocks underfoot . You do need some Spanish . We came across one other couple and in fact relied heavily on Laurie instructions re route as not well markedMy wife and I want to take our baby (he'll be 4 months old by then) along a Camino for ~2 weeks starting in mid-November.
Initially, we were going to walk the Camino Portugues, but I have concerns about the amount of road walking between Lisbon-Porto, and potentially cold wet weather between Porto-Santiago.
We will already be in Valencia to begin our vacation, so now I'm thinking of perhaps a route in southern Spain? I'm looking at the Levante Road, or perhaps the Southeast Road? Or maybe even the Mozarabe Road.
We are a fit couple in our 30's and we speak relatively little Spanish, but are up for the challenge!
Any advice people have would be appreciated.
Hi!
When my firstborn was two months old I was asked to take on a job at a local school - I accepted on the condition I could take my baby along. She was in a predictable routine, it was a breeze and good for both of us.
Fast forward 14 years when firstborn has seven more siblings, the youngest of whom is two. We take them all for a trip which lasts fifteen months.
I am all for adventuring with kids.
I'm guessing your baby is like my first one. Not like my fifth one. He screamed and vomited all day long for months. We hardly ventured out with him.
I could have walked a camino with my firstborn (in fact I was back at university when she was six days old and sitting exams with her in tow at six weeks) - so if your wife/partner is feeling great and your baby is settled, I would not discourage you. If baby were not born yet and you had no idea how you'd all be, I would suggest NOT making camino plans - there are too many variables and you might feel pressured by your expectations.
But if you've decided to go, there are some things to consider. Baby won't be moving so will get cold - you'll need good protective gear. If you practice "Elimination Communication" the diaper change issue resolves itself - although baby still might need to perform when it's raining'muddy/cold.
Get private rooms - and I say that as someone who has taken her kids on three Caminos and used municipal and parochial albergues almost exclusively.
Perhaps go with the understanding that if it's pouring with rain you'll stay put for a day or take a bus (I'm thinking of the seven consecutive days of rain we had on the Via de la Plata - it can be miserable) - just enjoy being together.
Your wife/partner needs to eat well. You shouldn't do what seemed to be the typical camino thing of walking 6-10km before stopping for a coffee, then walking some more and stopping for a coke. With some thinking ahead you can always have a nutritious breakfast before you head off each day, and have fruit and nuts and cheese in your pack to snack on during the day.
Now I'm starting to sound bossy! Sorry about that. I share these thoughts in the hope that it will help you have a successful adventure.
If, after reading this thread, you decide not to walk yet, keep dreaming about doing it some day. If it's with a toddler there will be a few other issues to consider, but by the time they are six or so, you would have my unreserved enthusiasm for taking them along!
Let us know how you go.
Now I'm curious: why would you recommend that they get private rooms if you never have?
Because I walked with children who could be guaranteed to sleep all night, not with a baby that might wake and disturb others.
Of course that is potentially no worse than snorers or 4am bag rustlers - but considering others will win you more friends, especially when you are doing something that they might disapprove of (like dragging a baby along!)
Gotcha. Hey, I love babies---but during the winter on Camino, yikes. I am a new grandparent, and I've had sleepless nights caring for our little man. Babies have baby issues!
In your shoes, I'd book the first few nights, and go from there, taking into consideration the number of pilgrims, and local people there can tell you about conditions ahead. There's a list floating around here (maybe as a resource?) of open albergues for the Frances in the Winter, but I don't know about the Portugues. It'd be worth looking, and if you can't find anything, then just post another thread to see if anyone knows.Do we need to pre-book anything? Given the potential complications of weather and..well....little Callum...we would prefer to go day-by-day.
Wow....I didn't expect quite this many responses!
For those with positive responses, thank you so much! For those with less positive notes, I fully understand your concerns, but my wife and I are both excited about this adventure, we are experienced trekkers, and we are aware of the science surrounding heat transfer and body temperature
We have settled on the Porto-->Santiago Camino, the ~12-day length is ideal, and it seems quite well established, thus more options for accommodation, and places to stop along the way. I am well-aware of the potentially awful weather, but as Canadian trekkers we have learn't that you can't let the "possibility" of foul weather stop you. We can navigate the climate.
I've looked through a couple of threads about that route, but any tips about that route would be great!
The big question I still have is:
Do we need to pre-book anything? Given the potential complications of weather and..well....little Callum...we would prefer to go day-by-day. Perhaps stay an extra day in a town to rest up/avoid bad weather. We will likely need private rooms at many places, will there be enough availability to simply arrive in a town unannounced?
I love this forum, so nice to hear all the 'Buen Camino's'!
@Will Burt , glad you picked up your messages… I was hoping we hadn't scared you off the forum. It is very unusual for this group of seasoned walkers to recommend delaying or not walking as we usually encourage everyone to go at their own pace and within their own capabilities. Good to see you took our comments with the positive concern intended. I hope it works out well for you all, you shouldn't be that isolated if you need to seek assistance or a warm place to pull into for the night. I hope you get to take your boy on many more trips, perhaps ones he will be old enough to remember, as despite some of the trail horror stories we did build a lot of good memories and I still walk with my dear old dad, now in his late 80s.
Whether walking with a baby or alone, I think it is wise to be aware of the pros and cons of the camino. It is not everyone's cup of tea! In your case, we all wanted to be sure that you understood the real difficulties that might arise.I really needed it after a few down days where I regretted this forum altogether.
I assure you that the people who responded (several of whom I've met personally) have only positive concern and interest in your adventure, but we had to be sure you were not planning on the basis of an overly romanticised view of the Camino (and babiesGood to see you took our comments with the positive concern intended.
I did not quite understand this comment, so I looked at all the comments of Members that I have on my "Ignore" list. Now I understand it! Your problem is that you have not been a Forum Member long enough to know how to use "Ignore." It allows you to block the comments that you are pretty sure will be negative (I am on a lot of Ignore lists, I suspect!!). Negative, of course, does not mean factual information that will help you plan your trip. To me, it is more about "you are not doing what I would do." Big difference, at least in my mind.I really needed it after a few down days where I regretted this forum altogether.
Will Burt, I am so glad to see that you are following through on your plans. You referred to some posts that have cheered you up and on. You will know, as did the couple in the Beyourpotential trip, if you have to pull the plug. Wishing you all the best. Buen Camino!@hel&scott thank you so much for this response. I really needed it after a few down days where I regretted this forum altogether. I actually really liked your initial post about your harrowing tales. Although those moments are not fun to live through in the moment, they are great to look back on and they make ALL the difference in the development of both your kids, yourself, and your relationship with your partner! Hooray for adventures!
Also, we've started watching the BeYourPotential vlog, its fantastic, so thanks @nycwalking and @kirkie for suggesting that.
We're feeling really good about this now, and will book the flights this week to confirm it all!
Buen Camino!
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