I recently came across a YouTuber posting about her 35-day Camino de Santiago trek and I am quite intrigued. Has anyone here done it? Any tips would be appreciated, such as:
Best time of the year to go
Good/best routes (in terms of level of challenge (terrain), optimal distance for a middle-aged man who is relatively healthy and active but not a hiker, nice scenery and towns, good accommodations (less about price/amenities and more about cultural/historical value), etc)
Whether to self-organize trip (if so, good websites to consult) or go through a tour company (any recommendations?)
Whether to journey alone or in a group (pros/cons)
Recommended footwear and other clothing items
Other essential things to bring (and what not to bring)
How to prepare/train before journey and how to avoid injury during journey
Anything else you care to share (including pictures!)
I did a portion of the Camino Frances in 2005 with my daughter. We didn’t have time to do the entire route, but did slightly more than we needed to qualify for a Compostella (100-150 km?). Unless you are in good physical shape or under 40, you should train. We generally walked 10-12 miles per day. It’s mostly flat terrain and marked well. I don’t think we were ever confused. We went in June, and while it was hot, it wasn’t too hot to walk.
We did not stay at the Albergues/refugios (communal shelters along the way); instead, we would look for private homes that offered pilgrims private rooms. My daughter spoke Spanish fairly well (she had spent her junior year in Madrid), which was helpful finding lodging. I wouldn’t go alone, but I prefer company. When we went we only met one group of Americans. Most of the walkers we met were German. I think the Camino has become more popular with Americans since the Martin Sheen movie.
In terms of equipment–basic hiking shoes (2 pairs) and a good back pack. You don’t need to bring food other than snacks and water, which you can get in the towns along the way that cater to pilgrims. You can also get meals in lots of these places, and there are often daily pilgrim specials, which aren’t expensive.
If you don’t want to deal with all the logistics, there are outfitters who lead people on the Camino and have everything setup for the walkers. A friend of mine did this and loved it. She didn’t have to do anything except get up and walk. The outfitters took care of everything.
Getting around in Spain is easy–good rail and bus system. IIRC we took a bus from Madrid to our starting point. We treated ourselves on the last night and stayed in the parador in Santiago. It was very nice.
There are many, many, Camino Frances resources online, including forums where you can get tons of up-to-date information. One that I liked was American Pilgrims on the Camino.
I went before I had an iPhone so I don’t have digital photos of our trip. I did take a photo just now of our shells (we got these along with our Compostella).
I haven’t done the Camino, but my brother has done several walks with https://www.hillwalktours.com/search?_sfm_country=Camino (and I’ve done their Hadrian’s Wall Walk). It was extremely well organized and saved me hours of time not having to organize lodgings and other logistics. They give you detailed descriptions of the trails, other things to see along the way, recommended restaurants etc. At our age, just carrying a daypack was plenty. If you aren’t used to it walking 10-12 miles is a lot. We walked a lot for several months ahead of time and we still walked MUCH slower than the suggested times - mostly because we took pictures, but also because on any up or downhill we slowed down being careful.
Thanks for sharing your experience, @Bromfield2. The American Pilgrims on the Camino website looks quite informative.
I like the idea of doing a month-long trek but not sure how I would really feel walking for so many days. Trying to interest LostWife and our D22 in going but they don’t seem overly excited by it (yet).
