My wife and I are in early planning stages to do this next year- May of 2026. Not sure which route or how many days. Anyone out there go on this walking pilgrimage? We are 59 (her) and 67 (me) and no health issues. Not sure if we should pre-arrange where to stay and make reservations or ‘wing it’ for more flexibility. Either way, I am psyched!
OT: Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James)
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Are you intending to hike the entire 500 miles or so? There are a bunch of different routes you can do, but that is the most popular and usually what people mean when they say they're taking the pilgrimage. I think it's called the "Camino Frances" and starts somewhere in Bordeaux.
My buddy did this years ago and I met him for a couple days on the way, so my advice would be pretty general.
I would book your accommodations ahead of time if you want to have a private room for you and the Mrs. There are plenty of hostels or auberge's or whatever they're called on the route if you don't care about privacy.
May isn't going to be the busiest season like the summer, which would be to your advantage if you're trying to avoid having to book ahead. You can also just talk to folks while you're walking and book the morning of before you start hiking. I'd recommend for REALLY long hiking days to have accommodation booked for peace of mind too.
My buddy did this years ago and I met him for a couple days on the way, so my advice would be pretty general.
I would book your accommodations ahead of time if you want to have a private room for you and the Mrs. There are plenty of hostels or auberge's or whatever they're called on the route if you don't care about privacy.
May isn't going to be the busiest season like the summer, which would be to your advantage if you're trying to avoid having to book ahead. You can also just talk to folks while you're walking and book the morning of before you start hiking. I'd recommend for REALLY long hiking days to have accommodation booked for peace of mind too.
The trip-planning companies available do charge for their services, but pre-booking accommodations would reduce anxiety & language issues, you choose how upscale you want to stay, if they offer breakfast or not, and they move luggage from place to place. Or, so I understand. I’m nervous about having a set schedule- what happens if someone catches a cold or gets sick and needs to rest a couple of days somewhere? Or maybe a town along the way is so nice you just want to explore for longer? With a fixed schedule, it sounds like you would be screwed. I like the scheduling one day at a time idea, and there are apps that tell you what accommodations are there in next area you’ll visit, but moving luggage around is very appealing- else, you are lugging everything you will wear & other supplies for weeks and weeks on your back. Could we pack light enough and get by with minimal changes of clothes for a month or more & just take everything with us each day? I don’t know
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Niceee! I have a cousin that told me a few days ago that she will be walking a very short segment of el camino this year due to time constraints - just 90km in about 4 days to Santiago de Compostela. The main route from the French border will probably take over a month to complete.
During my childhood I often visited Azua de Compostela (in the Dominican Republic) which my father back then told me was named by Galician settlers after Santiago de Compostela and told me about el camino. Ever since It's been a dream of mine to some day do the entire walk.
I hope someday I have the time, health and resources to walk it.
Wishing you the best of luck!
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There are places that will transfer your luggage on the Camino. Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of doing a pilgrimage though?
storrsroars
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A contestant on last night's Jeopardy said she did it and really screwed up her ankles.
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And I opened this thread hoping to hear an interest in a recruit named Camino de Santiago.
I don’t know, I think it’s up to each person. People do it for many reasons: religious devotion, or to meet new people and see new places, maybe as a tribute in memory of someone who died, or just for exercise & maybe unplugging for a while. My goal would be all of the above- and I don’t want to be miserable or only have the same sweaty clothes whenever we went to dinner somewhere. Have you done this before maybe? What route did you do?
this is the most boneyard answer I've read in a very long time.
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I haven't done it. I have done extending backpacking trips a number of times. I've also traveled the world out of a carry-on backpack for months at a time. I guess I just don't see the issue. Wash your socks, t-shirts, and underwear every 4 or 5 days. What else is there to worry about?
Never done anything like this, but an idea from some of my ski trips. What about picking a few select places where y have things booked. So you know I need to be in x place on y date. But then leave the intermediate days flexible. You could also arrive with your clothes then ship a change of clothes to your designated stopping places. Then ship the used stuff to your final place. A little more $$ but might provide the best of both worlds
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We used Camino Ways. Did a great job- we had them transfer our carry on bag each day to the next stop for the night. Also can be helpful getting places to stay in more remote areas. (Highly recommend that service- then you only have to carry what you need for that day).
Planning the distance you feel you can walk is obviously very important- my comfortable limit was 12-13 miles. So we had to plan around me for last 9 days as my wife has no problem with 20 miles.
My wife did the whole thing (32 days) I joined her for 9 days for the last leg. She had just left corporate America and needed the time.
You do meet all kinds of people- everyone is very friendly and helpful.
The Samos alternate route is beautiful and worth the extra 3-4 miles. It was a great experience. Bien Camino.
Planning the distance you feel you can walk is obviously very important- my comfortable limit was 12-13 miles. So we had to plan around me for last 9 days as my wife has no problem with 20 miles.
My wife did the whole thing (32 days) I joined her for 9 days for the last leg. She had just left corporate America and needed the time.
You do meet all kinds of people- everyone is very friendly and helpful.
The Samos alternate route is beautiful and worth the extra 3-4 miles. It was a great experience. Bien Camino.
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Edward Sargent
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My sister in law and husband did it last year. They pre-arranged lodging and back up transportation as she has a bum hip. By pre-arranging you can lay out exactly where to stay eat and how much walking you want to do. Enjoy
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I can not say I have done it but I do know one of my Fraternity brothers from UCONN runs a tour group out there. Worth reaching out (4.9 star rating on Google) if you are looking for options! The Story of Fresco Tours
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From the comments, this sounds like the equivalent of climbing Mt. Everest for regular folks.
I did the last 100+miles of the Frances route a few years ago. We had reservations at albergues each night. I think you could probably figure it out without reservations if you needed to, depending on what time of year you go. If you're looking for a particularly religious experience, there are a number of monasteries that you can stay at.
We started in Ponferrada. I would avoid starting in Sarria, which is a bit further down the line and a common starting point for folks just doing a few days. From Sarria on, it's much more crowded, and more of a party atmosphere, also less visually stunning. Don't miss staying in o cebreiro, it's a gorgeous little mountain top village you hit when you cross over into galicia.
Feel free to PM me with any questions you might have. I'm not an expert, as I haven't done the entire route, but can maybe give some helpful advice.
We started in Ponferrada. I would avoid starting in Sarria, which is a bit further down the line and a common starting point for folks just doing a few days. From Sarria on, it's much more crowded, and more of a party atmosphere, also less visually stunning. Don't miss staying in o cebreiro, it's a gorgeous little mountain top village you hit when you cross over into galicia.
Feel free to PM me with any questions you might have. I'm not an expert, as I haven't done the entire route, but can maybe give some helpful advice.