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Original poster

walking the Camino

34 replies

Horological · 30/05/2022 12:19

I am thinking of walking the camino next year. Specifically, the whole of Camino Frances which is supposed to take 33 days. Has anyone done this? Do you have any tips, recommendations or warnings?

OP posts:
Atreus · 18/09/2022 15:49

Sorry…months late seeing your message. But I walked the Camino Frances earlier this year from St Jean to Santiago de Compostela and then onto the ocean at Finisterre and Muxia. It was the most incredible 6 weeks. I honestly can’t recommend doing this enough!

Tips…go solo, take poles, pack light.

mineisacuppa · 13/02/2023 13:18

Atreus. Did you go with a company or did you plan it yourself?

BillyNighysWife · 14/02/2023 13:57

@Atreus I have the same question. Did you plan and book it all yourself or did you use a company?

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dickdarstardlymuttley · 14/02/2023 14:03

Place marking!

tonyhawks23 · 14/02/2023 14:08

It's brilliant you will love it.you don't need a company you just walk it's fab.i didn't use poles.take absolutely only bare minimum as you really need nothing and it's hard to carry.have good walking boots that are already worn in.have fun!

gogohmm · 14/02/2023 15:32

There's so many resources online and along the route. Do get your pilgrim status as it opens up so many benefits. Independent is really easy. We met so many amazing people on just the short section we walked

tonyhawks23 · 14/02/2023 21:41

Yes you get your pilgrim passport then walk and walk. get a little pilgrim guide and your good. Very simple, great food and wine all the way too.

horriblechristmas2022 · 14/02/2023 21:50

I disagreed about the poles they saved my knees going up and down the hills

But there are lots of Facebook groups about the camino

My only advice is enjoy it should you want to go, there is no way you need a travel company to sort it for you although you can get your bags carried on if you want to

Atreus · 25/02/2023 07:35

Apologies, just rechecked the thread...

Re using a company to plan...no, I did it myself. For me, the whole planning, researching places to stay etc was part of the journey and I love that kind of stuff! Happy to share my spreadsheet of stages with anyone if interested. I booked the first few days in advance (St Jean through to Pamplona) and then just booked en-route a couple of days ahead

Re poles...oh my goodness, I think I'd still be coming down some of the hills now, 9 months on, if I didn't have my poles with me. I'd never walked with them before the Camino but they saved my knees on some of the tricky descents and also I'm sure toned up my arms plus there was a kind of hypnotic rhythm of walking with them that I loved.

CoQ10 · 25/10/2023 22:06

Atreus · 25/02/2023 07:35

Apologies, just rechecked the thread...

Re using a company to plan...no, I did it myself. For me, the whole planning, researching places to stay etc was part of the journey and I love that kind of stuff! Happy to share my spreadsheet of stages with anyone if interested. I booked the first few days in advance (St Jean through to Pamplona) and then just booked en-route a couple of days ahead

Re poles...oh my goodness, I think I'd still be coming down some of the hills now, 9 months on, if I didn't have my poles with me. I'd never walked with them before the Camino but they saved my knees on some of the tricky descents and also I'm sure toned up my arms plus there was a kind of hypnotic rhythm of walking with them that I loved.

Hi Atreus
I'm planning two weeks walking in April next year with my two children. I'd really appreciate seeing your spreadsheet if you don't mind sharing it! I do love a good spreadsheet and also love the planning like you said.
We are looking at starting from Leon and walking to SdC. Any advice or recommendations of good hostels welcome.
Thanks.

SomeCatFromJapan · 25/10/2023 22:10

I have questions for those that have done it. Did you sleep in the hostels in the shared rooms or is there more private accommodation available?

Somanycats · 25/10/2023 22:14

I went with my friend and we shared a two person room wherever was cheapest. Hostel or b&b. We paid for our luggage to be transferred which was money well spent.

deltablue · 25/10/2023 22:14

Oooh, Placemarking as this is definitely on my list for next year!

GeorgeSpeaks · 25/10/2023 22:16

I'd love to do this!

CoQ10 · 25/10/2023 22:25

Somanycats · 25/10/2023 22:14

I went with my friend and we shared a two person room wherever was cheapest. Hostel or b&b. We paid for our luggage to be transferred which was money well spent.

Re the luggage - how did you find a company to transport it for you?

Also how did you find and book the private rooms? I've got the Wise Pilgim app which is brilliant!

SomeCatFromJapan · 25/10/2023 23:19

@Somanycats Could you always find a private two person room? Did you book them in advance?

Sorry for all the questions, I'd love to do it but I thought hostels and group accommodation were the only options which put me off.

itwasdifferentinthe90s · 29/10/2023 03:54

@SomeCatFromJapan and @CoQ10

I used booking.com to book cheap hotels when I didn't want to stay in hostels
Plus they will organise the transfer of luggage for you

WeeDove · 29/10/2023 04:02

Which bits did you need the poles for. The faff of carrying poles would be a pain. If they weren't needed after a certain point, you could leave them behind.

I was just quoted 8k (euro) by santiago way for el camino frances, starting in st jean de port - santiago de compestela. One of my fears would be not finding a place to stay when you're exhausted but if i just accept that I might need to pay more than average some nights, then it would still be a lot less ruinous than the 8k they quoted me. that works out at 200 euro per night!

I'm thinking of finishing it this time next year roughly. I have been watching some people on youtube. Sarah Williams I think her channel is just her name, she just finished it the other day! She's been quite relatable! She clearly fit and healthy and a bit (15 years? ) younger than I am though as I'm 53

itwasdifferentinthe90s · 29/10/2023 04:32

Well I did mine when I was 39 with not that much training and being quite overweight
There were plenty of people older than me who were on the trail , I just used booking.com with to book a couple of days ahead when I was walking, I wouldn't use a company it's easy to do it yourself my hotels were no more than 50 a night , probably a lot less and the hostels were also on booking.com where I booked a private room

I used my sticks throughout and left them in Santiago

Part of the magic of the camino is not being too planned I feel , I meet another women on about the fourth day so I matched my schedule to hers, we are meeting up again this year
The hostel at Ronsevalles , on the first day I would book well in advance , or the hotel if you don't want to go for dormitories as there is limited options but the rest I booked as I went

I had the best time , made life long friends and got a bit fitter

GeorgeSpeaks · 29/10/2023 16:51

Would it be suitable for kids? How much walking is there?

GeorgeTheFirst · 29/10/2023 17:05

500 miles 😂

catsnore · 29/10/2023 17:36

I did it a while ago but we never booked any accommodation except the first two-three nights. After that we trusted to fate! You can just turn up at the hostels and get a bunk easily - with perhaps the exception of August when it's very busy. We found it was best to be there when they opened after siesta. It was very cheap per night but obviously you had to share with others, which is weird to start with and then just becomes fine as you get to know more people. Some hostels have two person or more private rooms. There is usually a cheap hotel along the way if you want a night on your own. Some people camp or sleep wild.

I did meet a family who were walking with their kids but I'm not sure I could stand it 😂. I went with a friend but would have no hesitation at doing it alone - loads of solo travellers. You don't need a company to take you - although it does mean you don't necessarily have to carry your bag 😂. I prefer to be able to decide on when I want to start and stop so wouldn't want to be tied to a schedule set by a company. Some companies skip the boring bits but this kind of misses the point of doing it.

Buen Camino 😊

WeeDove · 29/10/2023 20:12

Did you ever have difficulty getting a room? If I walked it early September to mid October then it would be busy but not height of season I think?

itsmyp4rty · 29/10/2023 20:17

Don't need to use a private company to transport bags, you can always use Correos the Spanish postal service. We used them when we walked the last 100 km and it worked brilliantly.
https://www.elcaminoconcorreos.com/es/transporte-mochilas

itsmyp4rty · 29/10/2023 20:23

GeorgeSpeaks · 29/10/2023 16:51

Would it be suitable for kids? How much walking is there?

If you want to do it with kids then just do the last 100km over a week or so. You can still get the Camino Passport (Credential) and collect the stamps and get the certificate from Santiago.
We started in Sarria, then Portomarin, Palas de Rei, Arzue and then you end in Santiago. We did it when ds was 14 or 15 so did longer stretches of 20 to 25km a day.

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