I'd like to walk the Camino. I need Couch to 15 miles a day!

[Awdecca]

I've always wanted to do it.

I'm 58 with a bunion, unfit. I walked 12k on the south West coast path last week and it nearly killed me.

I have no idea where to start!

Do you walk at all? Ideally you want to be able to just wander out for a 15 mile walk and not need to think about it or plan or take any real food with you. The camino is very popular and well supplied, so you won't need to carry much. I'd start off just building time on your feet. Walk for an hour each day and don't worry initially how far you go. The distance will increase as you get fitter. Then add in a two hour walk at the weekends. Best of luck!

Thank you. The simple advice is sometimes the best. I am going to go for a 30 minute walk tomorrow and build up to an hour (due to time constraints not fitness!)

Great job last week. Those 12km are in your legs now. The next 12k will be easier.
Plan how much you can possibly walk in daily life during the week. To/from work? Morning? Evening?
Then get out each weekend for something like your 12k walk building up to around 12 miles then do a few weekends of 10 miles or so both Saturday and Sunday.
That’s plenty fitness to go to the Camino.

My friend is doing the Camino and has been away for just over a month. Think she has about a third left to do. She is absolutely loving it and you can just go at own pace but there are some very steep climbs .

I’ve just finished the whole of the Camino Frances (790km). I was quite fit to start with, but an awful lot of the other pilgrims around me weren’t. It’s great if you prepare but I don’t think most people do. The Camino itself is the training. Pretty much everyone finds the first few days hard, and then you become conditioned and it gets easier.

The distances aren’t huge but the Camino Frances has a LOT of steep ascents and descents. Instead of lots of long distance walking prep (which it’s difficult to find time for) try to do as much walking up and down hills as you can. You’ll be fine

Buen Camino!

Wow! That's amazing 👏 I'm so impressed!

The thing I'm most worried about is my feet. I have Hoka walking boots but even they hurt my feet after 10k or so.

How much of the Camino do you want to walk? Which route? It is a wonderful experience! We loved it so much.

The brilliant thing is you can do as much or as little as you like in a day. I am not massively fit but not overweight, and found around 20-25km per day very doable. You start early, take it slow and stop for lots of coffee/pastel de nata. Also lots of blister plasters & ibroprofen. We did 40km one day which wouldn't advise.

Fitness wise, can you get out for an hours walk every day at lunch and longer walks at the weekend? Perhaps a country walk with a pub lunch stop?

Make sure you take plenty of cash. We were shocked and sometimes in tricky situations where hostels & restaurants didn't accept card. Walked it before covid so maybe different now.

To be honest actually doing the Camino can be the training! When I did it some of the unfit people who took it as easy as possible got further than others who seemed super fit but dropped out due to injury. I particularly remember an Italian guy who lived in the Alps, jumped around like a mountain goat and looked like he could have been an Olympic athlete. He had to stop as he got tendonitis after about a week. I was flabbergasted but he was outlasted by quite a few pensioners! The Camino is full of people of all ages and fitness, you'll naturally progress at the same pace as others of a similar fitness and sort of end up with your own personal walking group.

I walked in boots on ascent/descent days but I also took some walking sandals and found those to be more comfortable a lot of the time. Some people walk it in trainers. You could certainly take another option if worried the boots would rub (as long as not heavy!!). There are some days where you are just walking on fairly flat ground a lot, or along roads, or across plains!

Buen Camino!

I’m also interested in walking one of the routes in the next few years. For those who've done it-what time of year did you start? I’m guessing that the summer is the busiest time and I’m not good in hot weather-when did you start @LettuceSpray?

@BruFord Portuguese route in October was perfect. Warm and sunny in the days, a bit cooler in the early mornings and evenings but ok in shorts/fleece.

Thanks, @upat4am , that would suit me!

@BruFord summer isn’t the busiest time on any of the Camino routes as it’s too hot. May and September are the most popular. I went from mid/late August to end of September. It was still incredibly hot in August and I would avoid it. On the other hand, the later in the year you go the fewer daylight hours there are. Most pilgrims start walking at 7/8 in the morning in order to get most of their hours walked before it gets too hot and before siesta time. In Autumn it’s still dark at that time.

@Awdecca Hoka shoes are very popular on the Camino and are suitable for the terrain. However, if they are hurting you now, before you start the Camino I would recommend doing what I did and seeing a podiatrist who can look at your feet objectively and give you advice. I am so glad I did that as I didn’t really realise how wide my feet were until then. He recommended Altra shoes.

I had been wearing the same walking shoes on long distance walks and they were as comfortable as slippers but still wouldn’t have been right for the Camino. You need to get shoes at least a size bigger than your normal as they will swell much bigger by the end of the day than you have probably experienced before and that combined with long, steep descents puts a lot of pressure on your toes.

One more thing about fitness and preparation for the Camino, as I mentioned before it’s difficult to prepare for the distances but the Camino will do that for you. However I really think it’s worth working in flexibility by doing yoga or some other mobility type classes. You can develop a lot of cardio fitness and muscle in your first couple of weeks of the Camino but to prevent injury you need to be flexible.

One more thing, I found my bank debit card could be used absolutely everywhere just as it can be in the UK. I used very little cash, in fact I came home with a purse full.

I have been wondering about seeing a podiatrist. Thank you for the advice.

And another thing about shoes. Sorry, I am a Camino bore! You must take alternative footwear. Ideally, walking sandals like Teva and then something to wear in the evening like flip flops or crocs. Your feet must have a rest from being in the same shoes all the time, and your toes need it above all. You can wear Teva sandals in any weather (in fact they are better than shoes in heavy rain because your socks don’t get soggy) and though it’s not stylish lots of people wear them with socks if it’s really cold and/or they want to cover their blister plasters.

I love my teva sandals!

If you are near Winchester, you are welcome to come and take my dog for a walk?

I am not but thank you! I actually have my own dog, but he is rather old now and can't cope with long walks.

@Awdecca I love my Teva sandals too!

There was a fabulous thread a little while ago when a mumsnetter walked the Camino and updated in real time. I’d been toying with the idea for when I retire and it really inspired me to go for it.

I love my Teva sandals too, and I find Doc Martens much more comfortable for walking distances than any specialised walking shoes (because I have wide feet).

Whatever shoes you're going to wear, make sure they're well broken in before starting.

As you get closer to the Camino, you can do a few longer walks carrying your bag. There are services you can pay for who will transport your bag to your overnight stop every day but I don't know anyone who's actually used them. It might be an option if you really can't pack lightly/carry your stuff.

Practise walking on different terrains.

As pp have said though, it's certainly accessible and possible to do without much training.

Leave yourself enough time! Including for a rest day when you think you need one.