Camino de Santiago
Discussion
Has anybody on here done it?
Inspired by the film (The Way) and not religion, I quite fancy having a crack at this. Probs late September this year.
Time won't allow me to do it in a oner (30+ days), but the Saint Jean Pied de Port to Pamplona gives me a five or six day (if I wimp out and split the 26km/1400m(!) elevation into two days) taster.
I'll be going with a mate and will opt for an organised trip as I want my bags transported between stops and it's worth paying a £150 to save me the hassle of organising everything.
So any experiences? Stories? Advice? When's the best time to do it? Which route did you do? Where did you fly to?
Inspired by the film (The Way) and not religion, I quite fancy having a crack at this. Probs late September this year.
Time won't allow me to do it in a oner (30+ days), but the Saint Jean Pied de Port to Pamplona gives me a five or six day (if I wimp out and split the 26km/1400m(!) elevation into two days) taster.
I'll be going with a mate and will opt for an organised trip as I want my bags transported between stops and it's worth paying a £150 to save me the hassle of organising everything.
So any experiences? Stories? Advice? When's the best time to do it? Which route did you do? Where did you fly to?
My wife and I completed the Camino Portugues (Lisbon to Santiago de Compostela ~ 700km) in 2019.
We did it in 28days which is about as quick as we could manage, generally doing approx 30km each day for five days then having breaks over weekends in the bigger cities - Cohimbra, Porto and Valenca/Tui.
The Portuguese route is substantially less busy than the Spanish one which makes a big difference as the Spanish route is so popular it is like being in a queue for a month and can make finding accommodation a challenge - through I have no idea how Covid has impacted on this.
It was an amazing experience. Portugal is a great place, the people were amazing, accommodation extremely easy. The walk isn't hard provided you're comfortable covering big distances with a reasonably heavy pack.
The experience of getting your pilgrim 'passport' stamped along the way and being able to get amazing deals on food/drink as a pilgrim added to the experience.
We did it in 28days which is about as quick as we could manage, generally doing approx 30km each day for five days then having breaks over weekends in the bigger cities - Cohimbra, Porto and Valenca/Tui.
The Portuguese route is substantially less busy than the Spanish one which makes a big difference as the Spanish route is so popular it is like being in a queue for a month and can make finding accommodation a challenge - through I have no idea how Covid has impacted on this.
It was an amazing experience. Portugal is a great place, the people were amazing, accommodation extremely easy. The walk isn't hard provided you're comfortable covering big distances with a reasonably heavy pack.
The experience of getting your pilgrim 'passport' stamped along the way and being able to get amazing deals on food/drink as a pilgrim added to the experience.
I've not done it myself but a friend has and enjoyed it.
I have however done a motorbike trip to Santiago de Compostela so saw many pilgrims en route there, all I would say is that in the final stretches I saw (last 20kms) all the pilgrims seemed to be walking along the side of what we would call very busy 'A' roads in the UK.
I'm sure there are much more scenic bits and Santiago de Compostela itself is a lovely city, but it struck me that the last stretch was very traffic heavy, which must be a bit of a shame if you have walked all of it.
I have however done a motorbike trip to Santiago de Compostela so saw many pilgrims en route there, all I would say is that in the final stretches I saw (last 20kms) all the pilgrims seemed to be walking along the side of what we would call very busy 'A' roads in the UK.
I'm sure there are much more scenic bits and Santiago de Compostela itself is a lovely city, but it struck me that the last stretch was very traffic heavy, which must be a bit of a shame if you have walked all of it.
Zaichik said:
My wife and I completed the Camino Portugues (Lisbon to Santiago de Compostela ~ 700km) in 2019.
We did it in 28days which is about as quick as we could manage, generally doing approx 30km each day for five days then having breaks over weekends in the bigger cities - Cohimbra, Porto and Valenca/Tui.
The Portuguese route is substantially less busy than the Spanish one which makes a big difference as the Spanish route is so popular it is like being in a queue for a month and can make finding accommodation a challenge - through I have no idea how Covid has impacted on this.
It was an amazing experience. Portugal is a great place, the people were amazing, accommodation extremely easy. The walk isn't hard provided you're comfortable covering big distances with a reasonably heavy pack.
The experience of getting your pilgrim 'passport' stamped along the way and being able to get amazing deals on food/drink as a pilgrim added to the experience.
That's really interesting thanks. I must admit this I quite fancy doing this route as well. What time of year did you do it please?We did it in 28days which is about as quick as we could manage, generally doing approx 30km each day for five days then having breaks over weekends in the bigger cities - Cohimbra, Porto and Valenca/Tui.
The Portuguese route is substantially less busy than the Spanish one which makes a big difference as the Spanish route is so popular it is like being in a queue for a month and can make finding accommodation a challenge - through I have no idea how Covid has impacted on this.
It was an amazing experience. Portugal is a great place, the people were amazing, accommodation extremely easy. The walk isn't hard provided you're comfortable covering big distances with a reasonably heavy pack.
The experience of getting your pilgrim 'passport' stamped along the way and being able to get amazing deals on food/drink as a pilgrim added to the experience.
I've not done it (yet) but really want to one day.
I've got a great book about one person's experience of it
https://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Camino-Pilgrimage-Mich...
I've got a great book about one person's experience of it
https://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Camino-Pilgrimage-Mich...
ben5575 said:
That's really interesting thanks. I must admit this I quite fancy doing this route as well. What time of year did you do it please?
We did it in October. Expected it to be cooler but for most of the walk was in shorts and t shirt. Obviously cooler further North but never uncomfortable. It did get wet on a few occasions but in balance was mainly sunshine.
If less crowds is important then the Portugues is quieter though time of year makes a difference. It also became busier further North as most people don’t walk the whole thing!
willetttiger said:
Search worldtowning on YouTube they did it as a family of four it was fascinating
That was a great help. Enjoyed watching that - if only my kids behaved like that 
Well I'm booked in late September
Flying to Biarritz (which I love), train the following day (2.5hrs) to Saint Jean Pied de Port then the 6 night version of the walk to Pamplona. Those youtube videos persuaded me that splitting the big climb into two days like they did was probably a good idea!
Training it from Pamplona to Madrid (3hrs) for a couple of nights then flying back. 8 nights in total.
I've bored you with the itinerary only because I've spent many hours refining it to look that simple, as it's an awkward place to get to and from.
Flights there and back from Stansted (excl luggage) £50 via Ryanair
Booked accommodation (and bag carrying!) via https://santiagoways.com/en/ who have been excellent and efficient. £480 each for the 6 nights of the walk.
So all in all a cheap week away so there really was no excuses not to do it!
Returned Wednesday night and thought I'd give a quick update for anybody who might be interested in having a go themselves.
TLDR: It is incredible. Just do it.
People from all over the world, stopping what they are doing, leaving everything behind and simply walking. There is an incredible freedom in simply having to walk; there is food/water in the next town/village along with beds in an auberge when you need to stop. And that's it.
Everybody there is doing it for themselves yet is 100% there for everybody else. It is a community, a shared event, one that's been going for 1000+ years.
In a weird way I suppose it's a bit like training for months to do the London marathon on your own, then turning up to find 50,000 other likeminded people all nervous and excited about taking part in it.
And you meet so many people with so many stories.
I would say the split is 20% religious, 80% non religious (like me), so don't let any perceived religious angle put you off.
TLDR: It is incredible. Just do it.
People from all over the world, stopping what they are doing, leaving everything behind and simply walking. There is an incredible freedom in simply having to walk; there is food/water in the next town/village along with beds in an auberge when you need to stop. And that's it.
Everybody there is doing it for themselves yet is 100% there for everybody else. It is a community, a shared event, one that's been going for 1000+ years.
In a weird way I suppose it's a bit like training for months to do the London marathon on your own, then turning up to find 50,000 other likeminded people all nervous and excited about taking part in it.
And you meet so many people with so many stories.
I would say the split is 20% religious, 80% non religious (like me), so don't let any perceived religious angle put you off.
I spent 6 months bagging Wainwrights in preparation and decided to do the big Day 1 - St Jean to Roncesvalles.
Billed as 24km and 1450m climb, the reality is 16 miles, 2,200m climb and 1,200m decent in 7.5hrs (according to my gps). And it is stunningly beautiful.
I'm glad I didn't take the option of splitting this in to two days as I had originally planned. This two day option has you stopping in Orison after around 7km and 650m climb which is just about when you're getting warmed up(!)
Subsequent days are either downhill or flat so whilst taxing due to distance, the scenery more than makes up for it.
Top Tip: https://www.expressbourricot.com/ offer a minibus transfer everyday at 2pm from Biarritz airport to the start at St Jean. Ended up costing €19 and taking 50mins rather than 3hrs of faffing with public transport.
As I say, an amazing experience which was bookended by one night in Biarritz and 2 nights in Madrid.
I will be back to complete the whole thing just as soon as I can find 30 days to take off from work!
Billed as 24km and 1450m climb, the reality is 16 miles, 2,200m climb and 1,200m decent in 7.5hrs (according to my gps). And it is stunningly beautiful.
I'm glad I didn't take the option of splitting this in to two days as I had originally planned. This two day option has you stopping in Orison after around 7km and 650m climb which is just about when you're getting warmed up(!)
Subsequent days are either downhill or flat so whilst taxing due to distance, the scenery more than makes up for it.
Top Tip: https://www.expressbourricot.com/ offer a minibus transfer everyday at 2pm from Biarritz airport to the start at St Jean. Ended up costing €19 and taking 50mins rather than 3hrs of faffing with public transport.
As I say, an amazing experience which was bookended by one night in Biarritz and 2 nights in Madrid.
I will be back to complete the whole thing just as soon as I can find 30 days to take off from work!
I went as a couple, but a lot of people (maybe 50:50) do it on their own.
When I set out it was about the physical challenge (like you I enjoy hiking) as well as the opportunity to meet people from all over the world.
What surprised me was the camaraderie, selflessness, openness and just the lack of pretence/BS of the people I met along the way (excuse the pun).
The nature of the walk means that you might spend say half an hour chatting to somebody about themselves, then walk on then speak to somebody else.
As you spend more time walking (over the day/days), you start recounting stories you've heard from others to new strangers, only to find out they've heard the same stories. It's at that point, usually at a table on a street over a sandwich or a well deserved beer at the end of the day, that the mad Irish sisters who's story you were telling, arrive to much cheer and all of a sudden there's 20 of you having a laugh.
Add that to the shared experience of the walk itself, wrap it up in a 1000 year history and the sense that you're part of something much bigger than yourself and you can have a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
When I set out it was about the physical challenge (like you I enjoy hiking) as well as the opportunity to meet people from all over the world.
What surprised me was the camaraderie, selflessness, openness and just the lack of pretence/BS of the people I met along the way (excuse the pun).
The nature of the walk means that you might spend say half an hour chatting to somebody about themselves, then walk on then speak to somebody else.
As you spend more time walking (over the day/days), you start recounting stories you've heard from others to new strangers, only to find out they've heard the same stories. It's at that point, usually at a table on a street over a sandwich or a well deserved beer at the end of the day, that the mad Irish sisters who's story you were telling, arrive to much cheer and all of a sudden there's 20 of you having a laugh.
Add that to the shared experience of the walk itself, wrap it up in a 1000 year history and the sense that you're part of something much bigger than yourself and you can have a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
You can probably tell from my gushing that I felt something
For me it was about the very simple pleasure of connecting with people. And by that I mean actual people, devoid of all of the associated BS.
By definition everybody doing the walk has left everything they own, everyone they know, their lives behind. It is just them, a backpack and 500 miles ahead of them. So they're just people, revelling in the fact that for the first time in their lives they can actually just be
I found sharing that experience with them up lifting. Whether that is spiritual I don't know; perhaps more human.
But it's not all deep and meaningful. Yes there are people who had suffered loss, illness, divorce, war etc, but not everybody. And those that had, whilst quick to open up to total strangers, did so with grace and humour so it is always fascinating rather than depressing or macabre.
For me it was about the very simple pleasure of connecting with people. And by that I mean actual people, devoid of all of the associated BS.
By definition everybody doing the walk has left everything they own, everyone they know, their lives behind. It is just them, a backpack and 500 miles ahead of them. So they're just people, revelling in the fact that for the first time in their lives they can actually just be
I found sharing that experience with them up lifting. Whether that is spiritual I don't know; perhaps more human.
But it's not all deep and meaningful. Yes there are people who had suffered loss, illness, divorce, war etc, but not everybody. And those that had, whilst quick to open up to total strangers, did so with grace and humour so it is always fascinating rather than depressing or macabre.
My cousin did the last 100km, apparently thats the minimum distance that you have to do to get a completion certificate. But like someone said its a lot of walking by roads and towns that end of the trip, not great scenery like you get at the start.
I really want to do it and having done a lot of walking in the past I have most of the kit. There are tons of videos on YouTube about people on the route or just packing lists of what to take.
This is a good one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvElrX--hN4&li...
I really want to do it and having done a lot of walking in the past I have most of the kit. There are tons of videos on YouTube about people on the route or just packing lists of what to take.
This is a good one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvElrX--hN4&li...
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