Route Options for 1-2 Week Caminos

[@micheletuesday]

this is the single most helpful video i have ever seen in preparing for the camino frances! you broke things down incredibly well!

[@Zabrina0774]

This was perfect because I have 2 weeks and now I see all of the options. Great videos, wealth of information

[@nicklassayshi]

Thanks for all your videos, they're really helpful 😊 I'm a 24-year-old Danish guy who is planning to do the walk this summer. I just wanna say thank you.

[@bathedinridicule]

nicklassayshi Hey, you're welcome! :)

[@crackersthewonderdog]

Lindsey THANK YOU SOOO MUCH for your wonderful & informative videos about walking the camino. Soooo helpfull as I plan my own upcoming trip to spain.

[@bathedinridicule]

+crackersthewonderdog You're so very welcome!

[@drblakeshealingsole]

Thank you for the great video Lindsey. My wife and I last Sept walked from St Jean to Burgos. This Sept we finish the Camino. Any tips for us starting in Burgos? Rich Blake

[@bathedinridicule]

Hi Rich! Congrats on the second half coming up here. I would say prepare for heat on the meseta, make sure you know how to spot and prevent bed bugs, and when possible take the alternate routes! There are some nasty industrial bits after Leon that you can avoid if you know how. Buen camino.

[@drblakeshealingsole]

Thank you so very much Lindsey. I will make sure I check out the alternate routes for sure. Buen Camino. Rich

[@patsyburnett6693]

Iiipp

[@joannap8182]

Thank you so much Lindsey! this is amazing :)

[@muxia_camino]

Thanks for all your videos, they're really helpful

[@georgegarcia566]

Very helpful! First vid I’ve seen answering this issue. Nice French pronunciation 😀

[@mraortega16]

Ok hi Lindsey, so say i cant do the full Camino and im going to do it in sections (2 weeks at a time) can i just pick up where I left off and use my same Pilgrims Passport? so at the end of the trek at Santiago my Passport will show the full trek in stamps on my passport.

[@bathedinridicule]

Yup!

[@victorramirez2619]

Thanks for thinking on these options! Saludos.

[@markdonovan1540]

Excellent information here to help people make the decisions that suit them best. I agree that the first week or two weeks of the Camino Francés are truly spectacular, but they do have some big hills, particularly the first bit from Saint Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles. If there are beds available at Orisson then that stage can be split a bit. Alternatively, you could start from Roncesvalles. But Saint Jean Pied de Port is a beautiful town that is worth visiting and spending a day there, even if you don't intend to walk over the Pyrenees via Honto and the Napleon Route. There is also an alternative route to Roncesvalles via Valcarlos, which must be used in winter months because the pass over the mountains is closed. If you want a much flatter route, then the part from Burgos to León can be an option for you. It covers the section known as "The Meseta" which is a very similar landscape the whole way, but it also allows a lot of time for contemplation due it's landscape of far horizons, endless wheat fields and low skies. On dark, clear nights/early mornings, the views of the Milky Way are a wonder to behold. At the beginning you could spend a day exploring Burgos and at the end you could spend an extra day exploring León - both of which I would recommend if you've never been there before. I would add that when trying to do 30km days for a week or more, you can never really know how your body will react. A weekend practice walk of 30km each day over 2 days is not the same as doing it for 7 to 14 days, especially when carrying a backpack. Backpack weight can make or break your Camino, as can not having the correct footwear and socks. There are many options, as covered by this video. I live in Madrid and many Spanish that walk the Camino do it 2 weeks or 1 week at a time. Many only do the last 100km from Sarria, because they want to get the Compostela, which used to be an important thing for young people to have on their CV when applying for jobs in Spain. It's not that important anymore, but the tradition for university students to walk the last 100km still exists.

[@francefehr429]

So true, so many options. I know people who walked 2 weeks/year for a few years. Spain or Portugal.. but do you know about all the routes ( camino) in France ? There are 4 major routes. The most popular is Via Podiensis, from Puy-en Velay to St-Jean Pied-de-port. This is the camino I am planning on doing during may/June 2019. I am very excited to go back on the camino. I like your video. Nice of you to share all the information you have as so many people are interested and don't know people who can answer their questions. Thanks.

[@rubydistefano1960]

I am Susan, Thank you Lindy for your very informative videos. I am leaving from San Francisco on the second week of September 2015. Question, Is flying from S.F. to Dublin and then to Bearritz and taking the train to St. Jean Pied de Port the most direct way? Please let me know as soon as you can, to make the proper arrangement Thank you soo much!

[@bathedinridicule]

Ruby Di Stefano Yeah, if that works out for your travel days, then yes, that would be one of the most direct ways to get there.

[@BamaHiker]

Hey Lindsey! Great job on your latest video. This is a good explanation of walking options for the Camino Frances. Our friend "Capitol Hiker," who joined us last year for the hike from Logrono to Leon, is walking the SJPP to Logrono route with his brother (The Poet) in October. Then he's considering finishing with the Leon to SdC in 2015. It's good to see you are still at it. Thanks and Buen Camino!

[@bathedinridicule]

Bama Hiker Thank you!!

[@billleskeep2033]

Lindsey thanks for your helpful videos. Returned from our walk safe and sound. Appreciate your sound advice on all aspects of the walk!

[@bathedinridicule]

William McCoy Glad to hear it William! You're so welcome!

[@blooelmo]

Thanks for the info, I've struggled with the desire to walk the entire cdf and the impossibility of having the time off to do it at one go.

[@bathedinridicule]

Anne Elmo Yeah, it's a tough one.

[@selamoonshine]

Hi is there a vídeo that explain a little bit more about albergues? That"s my main worry, can people reserve? or is just depends on when you arrive, how do you know how much it takes to arrive from one albergue to another, or shouldn't be worry about that? i suppose gps works in the Camino, it's google maps working there ? or you need wifi? I suppose there is not wifi during the "Camino" By the way thanks for all the information.

[@bathedinridicule]

You can make reservations for private albergues, but not for municipal. You'll usually know the amount of kilometers between towns. Most people average about 4-5km per hour walking.

[@ginagardner3097]

Hi Lindsey. First off, I want to commend you on your videos. You are informative, thorough and realistic, and for someone who is somewhat blindly navigating through an understanding of the Camino, your videos all touch upon things that I am wondering about. So thank God for you! Anyways, my older sister and I (she is 29 and I am 26), both teachers in the US, are insanely intrigued about the Camino. We plan to do the walk at some point between the months of June-August. However, as you mention in this video, taking an entire 5 weeks to complete the entirety of the Camino may not be an option, we are really only looking to do 3 weeks total, including travel time, etc. Walking two weeks would probably make the most sense for us. I am watching your video to see what makes the most sense for that, and getting some great tips! My other questions are about the physical aspect of the Camino. This may sound silly, but I'd imagine there is a certain level of training that must accompany a plan to do the walk. Do you have any advice? We are both in good health and exercise regularly...We are by no means 'hikers', though we have hiked before. Basically, I am just wondering about the level of physical health that doing a two week walk would require. Any advice would be wonderful, thank you again!

[@bathedinridicule]

gina greco Hi Gina! Haha thanks for the kind comments! So glad you've found my vids helpful. As far as physical training for the Camino, I would say that if you're both in good health and exercise regularly, and are already in pretty good shape, a two week walk shouldn't pose a problem physically for you. I would still recommend getting out and talking some longer walks before you go, wearing the shoes you plan to wear and carrying a loaded pack. Perhaps you can substitute in some long walks for the exercise you typically do. When it comes down to it, though, how your body reacts to the constant walking can be a bit unpredictable. I witnessed very out of shape people do just fine, and conversely, saw very fit people (Olympic athletes, even!) suffer from tendonitis and shin splints. So there's no guarantee that any amount of training can prevent all injury, but most people make it through just fine, with blisters being their only complaint! Let me know if you have any more questions! :) Lindsey

[@ginagardner3097]

Lindsey C Thank you Lindsey. We are in the process of planning for July! Butterflies just thinking about it! Thanks for all of your help, you rock!

[@domenicoquarta9860]

why did you choose the Camino Francés to walk for the second time? I have done the Camino Frances + CaminoFinisterre I think to go back for a shorter one

[@bathedinridicule]

Hi Domenico! I chose to walk it again because I was walking by myself that time and wanted the chance to meet lots of new people. If I were to go back again, I would pick a different route next time, or walk at a less busy time of year. The last 100 km at the busy end of May drove me nuts!

[@domenicoquarta9860]

Lindsey Cowie I walked alone, but sticked to long to other people (almost 2 weeks, than I got rid); I would do another route but not sure which one... A pilgrim told me if u liked the french you will not like the Portugues one... But the Camino del Norte / Primitivo / Ingles+Finisterre would be still an option... I remember the last 100 km were horrible as well (begin of June) September & begin of Autumn must be a good period as well

[@regatta1990]

I walked along the Camino in France from le puy en velay through to Figeac. It was truly amazing. Even though I did it during the busy summer time, you were likely to only bump into around 10-15 walkers each day if you were lucky (some days I walked for 10 hours and met 2 or 3). If you are looking for a lot of space and solitude to think, I would highly recommend it, not to mention that the Gites (hostel) were amazing and always had great food. Truly a beautiful route but be prepared, if you cant speak any French it could be problematic, a lot of the little villages won't speak any English at all. Hopefully this helps someone :P

[@domenicoquarta9860]

regatta1990 how long did you walk? where did you stop? I talked with a pilgrim it must be completly different than walking on the Camino Francés in Spain

[@bathedinridicule]

regatta1990 I might do that next. I'd love to get to use my French, and to still meet lots of people but not too many that you're lost in a crowd! Cheers mate, thanks for watching as always. :)

[@AnnaS-wq6xp]

Hi Lindsey. Thank you so much for all the wonderful videos. This is so helpful. I was hoping to pick your brain about this video. I don't have 5 weeks to walk the Camino, and can probably get 3 weeks. I was thinking about walking from St Jean Pied to Burgos to start with. Sounds like the views are wonderful. Then hoping to skip the middle and pick up from either Leon, astorga or Ponferrada. Was hoping that I could take a bus from Burgos to one of these towns. Do you have any suggestions?Or does any of the Camino lovers have any sugestions? have anyone walked to Fisterra? Is it possible to take a bus from Santiago to Fisterra? Thank you in advance. Have a wonderful day. :) Anna

[@bathedinridicule]

Hi Anna--I'll admit I'm answering this without doing the research about specific distances and whatnot (it's been a while) but if my memory serves, it's about 12 days from SJPP-Burgos, and about another two weeks from Leon to Santiago. So my initial thought is to try and bus to Ponferrada and walk from there, but I'd look into the distances more. Alternatively, you could bus from Burgos to Sarria and walk to Finisterre. Otherwise, you can take a daytrip from Santiago out to Finisterre and back. Hope that helps! Buen camino.

[@AnnaS-wq6xp]

Thanks Lindsey for your feedback.

[@Brendalo1]

Between Finisterre and Muxia . ...wow!!!

[@rothschildianum]

To the point lady! Skip the first 5 min.

[@fuquaysteve271]

Discounting spiritual needs ...sorry bye.