There are a few decisions to make if you want to walk your own Camino.
(1) Which route to take?
There are many routes to Santiago de Compostela from different directions, and the route you choose will be determined by the amount of time you have and if you want to do it in one trip, as well as your confidence with walking long distances.
Most Camino books and films are about the Frances route that starts in St Jean Pied-a-Port, France, and crosses over into northern Spain, then heads west. I originally wanted to do this route, but it takes 5-6 weeks and I couldn’t take that much time off work.
I decided on the Portuguese Coastal route as it could be completed end to end in two weeks, at around 300 kilometers in total. It’s also one of the quieter routes, as the Frances can have several thousand pilgrims traveling per day in high season, especially in a Holy Year. I also liked the idea of walking along the coast, and I love Portugal as well as Spain.
Make sure you schedule rest days. I walked 14 days back to back with no rest day and regretted it. There were a couple of shorter days walking but I still had to lace up my shoes, put on my pack and walk for hours every day.
(2) Independent travel vs. using a company to organize accommodation
[Read more…] about Walking The Camino: Decisions To Make, Packing, What To Take And Leave Behind
