Santiago Easter 2010

[Jeremy]

Hi folks,
I'm planning on doing the Camino in March and I anticipate reaching Santiago around Easter. I think this year is a holy year, will the albergues and accommodation be chockablock full or should it be OK at this time of year despite it being Easter and a holy year?

Thanks in advance

Jeremy

[Frankie G]

Jeremy,
I'm planning on doing the Camino during the Same period...my first time and only read about summer traverse, not much on Winter or Spring. Such as, what to pack, what clothes are recommended, will the albergues be open? if you have some in-site for this Florida city boy, please pass it along. Im giving myself the month of February to prepare...but i keep getting mixed signals on boots, socks, and etc.
Safe travels!
Frankie

[Jeremy]

Hi Frankie,

I've done the camino twice now in March but have always missed Easter!
A lot of the albergues are open at this time of year so I wouldn't worry about this. There is a good packing list on these forums What equipment should you use and take.
There's so much mixed opinion with shoes so what I've done is just find what is comfortable for me. Try and get shoes/boots from a reputable maker and if it's your first time hiking definitely make sure you do a lot of walking to build up your feet and leg muscles. I stupidly assumed, the first time I did it, because I do a lot of exercise I would be fine and I really suffered with tendons and blisters. Last year I was more prepared and really enjoyed it. Hiking is in a league of its own.
With socks, there are hiking socks you can buy that wick away sweat and may help with blisters, you can get these in a good camping/outdoor shop. Try and keep you pack as light as possible, really just take the essentials. Hope that helps!

[logrono pilgrim]

Well, Semana Santa (holy week) starts on sunday March 28th. it's also a jacobeean year, so there will be many Spanish pilgrims walking at that time. But march is the best time to walk on the french route. as for shoes and socks, my own take is that quick drying is the most important factor, other than comfort. In 2008, I walked over ocebrero in what almost a blizzard. I was warm and dry in my waterproofs, and it was only my feet that got wet.

[Castellana]

I plan on walking with my sister from Ponferrada to Santiago, arriving in Santiago on Easter Sunday....We anticipate finding albergues with accommodation (remember to check that they have heat, some do not offer this), but are a bit anxious because it is a Xacobeo year. Also understand that the weather will be still rather cold and we may encounter snow, so we will have to adjust our gear accordingly...

[Sil]

I have a post on my blog for walking in Spring.

Amawalker: WALKING THE CAMINO IN SPRING

[Ros]

I planning on walking the Camino Frances for the first time in spring with my 13 yr son. Time is not a problem but I am going around in circles trying to decide when to start (any time from Mar 24 to June - should I avoid easter ?? ) and where to start from.

I am a 51 yr woman & am not fit (and am not likely to be much fitter by then) so really don't want the first few days to be too hard or long. We have the time to do the entire route from SJPP but not sure how my son will find the experience so am ok to start further along. I haven't looked too hard yet but am wondering if the 1st day has to be from SJPP to Roncesvalles or is there somewhere in between to stay ?

Has anyone walked the Camino with a child ? If so how did they find it and did it get to a point where they had had enough walking ?

Any suggestions or feedback would be really welcome. Thanks.

[Sil]

Ros, how wonderful that you can walk a camino with your son!
I can see that you have a conundrum - start too early and you could encounter snow and rain - start later and you'll have bigger crowds. Last year March was a lovely month but winter came back in April with a vengance. This will have to be a pot-luck choice! Choose what suits you best. I would walk in May and June.

There are two routes from St Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles. The original route, which passes through the valley of Charelmagne - Val Carlos - and is now a tarred road, and a GR-hiking trail called the Route Napoleon. Both routes are fairly arduous but the Route Napoleon is the tougher one of the two.

You can stay over at an albergue in Val Carlos on the road route
http://www.turismo.navarra.es/eng/organice-viaje/recurso.aspx?o=4465

or at the Albergue Orisson on the hiking route. (you must book this ahead)
http://www.refuge-orisson.com/ email: refuge.orisson@wanadoo.fr

El Camino de Santiago: Rites of Passage. Trafford Publishing. ISBN-13: 978-1412056380. Chimenti, Wayne (2006) is about the Chimenti family's travels on a 500-mile walking pilgrimage. It started as Nahja, their 12-year old daughter's "rite of passage". It turned out to be a test for everyone.

A 12yr old girl's blog:
http://terragalice.blog4ever.com/blog/lirarticle-45469-167723.html

You can plan your stages from Roncesvalles using this website:
www.godesalco.com/plan

Good luck!

Sil

[Ros]

Sil, Thanks for the help. There is just so much information out there on the web that it is great to have this type of guidance. I had not seen the Planner and it looks really useful.

My original plan had been to walk in May (I arrive London mid Mar for 6 mths) but hadn't realised it was a holy yr so thought I would bring it forward only to realise that I would have to deal with the weather and Easter ! I guess that if I plan the trip (& commit to dates which I have been hoping to avoid) I can book at small hotels along the way and this may lessen the impact of the crowds.

I have a lot to research ! Thanks again. Ros

[kkcamino]

I crossed from St Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles via the Napoleon Route on March 17, 2009.

I had the most wonderful fortune of spending part of Easter week in Leon, including one night in the albergue run by the Benedictine nuns. One of the 16 Easter brotherhoods of Leon use the convent grounds as a staging area for their Easter processions. Over ten days at Easter, these brotherhoods organize 30 or so processions where the members, dressed in their characteristic robes, parade through the streets carrying religious statues to the sounds of drums and music. I did some reading once I returned home, and these processions date back to the 16th century, and it is so easy to visualize how it must have looked back then, with the swaying of the dozens of men in perfect synchronization as they carry these huge heavy pasos through the streets, accompanying by the haunting sounds of the drums. Seeing hundreds, if not thousands of these men, each brotherhood dressed in different coloured robes, with their very distinctive head coverings, can evoke some very emotional responses.

I know that Easter week in Spain has some spectacular fiestas. I am not sure if they have similar processions in the other cities on the camino route, but I would highly recommend timing your walk so that you spend at least one day in Leon during Easter week.

[kkcamino]

Here are some thoughts about gear selection for walking the Camino in the spring.

Two items I found invaluable were my light foam ear plugs, and my roll of duct tape.

There are some amazing snorers out there, and my ear plugs helped block out some of the noise.

Every morning I would take out my duct tape and tape my heels. Then I would give the bottom of my feet and my toes a good vaseline rub and put on my light wicking inner socks under my heavier pair of wool blend hiking socks. I wasn?t completely blister free, but I?m sure it made a difference.

I had a choice between my well worn leather hiking boots, and my broken in, but newer merrel hiking shoes. I chose the leather hiking boots, and was I ever glad I did. I walked through snow, during falling snow, and in rain, and my boots kept my feet dry. I walked even more days when the sun was shining, but during March and April, there was a lot of mud, and of course, a lot of mud and manure that last week walking through some of the Galician villages! Perhaps later in the spring and in the summer it is a lot drier, but I would wear my boots again if I was walking in the early spring.

I was intrigued by some pilgrims wearing some very light gaiters over their boots. I think they would be a good idea in any season, to keep rain and snow out of the boots, but even more importantly, to keep those pesky little pebbles from being kicked into the boots on the meseta and on some of the gravel paths.

I wore a goretex jacket and goretex pants, and had a rain cover over my back pack. I would choose those any day over one of those portable sauna ponchos. Also, I never understood why those people who wrapped all their personal items in plastic bags had to rewrap every item when they packed in the morning ? and why did those same people always seem to be the first ones awake! Many cold mornings I started with my goretex pants over my shorts, then took them off when it warmed up. Same with the jacket, so I didn?t have to carry an extra jacket or a heavier long pair of pants.

I started out with a three season sleeping bag, since I had heard that some of the albergues were unheated. Some were unheated, but they all had extra blankets. I eventually discarded my sleeping bag, and bought a nice light sleeping sack that compressed to the size of a large grapefruit. I was never cold, though there were some nights after Astorga that I had to wear my fleece to bed initially. And some of the albergues were really quite overheated, so it was nice to have a much lighter bag.

I hope this helps.

[Ros]

Thanks for the recommendation & for pointing out that Easter on the Camino is a special experience. The earliest I could leave Roncesvalles is Mar24 so doubt if I will make it to Leon for Easter unless I start a lot closer. Were you pushing yourself to get there by Easter ? I am starting to think I want to start at SJPP but anything is possible at this stage.

[kkcamino]

Hi Ros,

No, I didn?t really push myself to get to Leon for Easter. I found about 25 km a day to be a real comfortable pace for me. My longest was 39 km, but it just seemed to happen. Three times, the albergue I wanted to stay at was not open, so those days it just seemed to be more of a push, since I had mentally planned to stop at a certain point. (Two of the albergues were not yet open for the season in March, and Granon had just been fumigated the day I got there, so they weren?t allowing pilgrims to stay that night.)

You are planning to travel with your son. What are his wishes? Is he as committed as you are in walking the distance? Will you have to make some concessions to his moods, emotions and physical condition as you walk together? I have three under twenty at home myself, and I am not sure how I would deal with it, but then, this for me was a solitary walk. I have had other treks with my children, and I remember vividly one of my daughters sitting down on the trail, and refusing to go any further! And I had no idea that I had been pushing my family so hard.

Perhaps you might want to consider building in some flexibility. A couple times I saw couples walking together, and it was pretty clear that one was suffering, and the other was pushing them on. There didn't seem to be a lot of joy there. Perhaps you may have to take a few more unplanned rest days for you or your son. What if you caught a bus to Leon during Easter week, rested there for a day or two, and then bused back to continue walking? Your son will probably never stop talking about the processions that he witnesses in Leon.

My children have stayed at some pretty neat youth hostels in our travels, and have been able to meet and talk with people from lots of different backgrounds. Perhaps you may find that your son also will most enjoy the refugio experience.

[Castellana]

We, too, were in Leon on Good Friday last year, and the procession was spectacular, solemn, awe-inspiring, and impressive.
Since our time constrain only permitted us to walk to Ponferrada, we plan to start from that point this year, hopefully reaching Santiago Easter Saturday.
By the way, did you encounter small angels on your camino last year?
castellana

[HuskyNerd]

Hi Ros ~

After reading your original post I'm wanting to caution you about physical conditioning in relation to both you and your 13-year old. I'm in fair shape and did the Camino in May/June 2008 from SJPP to Villafranca del Bierzo where I turned back to the US to help my mother through heart surgery. In August that year I restarted at Villafranca, this time with my wife, and completed the pilgrimage to Santiago over the following 10 days.

At the time my wife was 30 lbs overweight -- she had an absolutely miserable time with the big climb to O'Cebreiro, and also was tired and footsore for the entire 10 day walk through Galicia. She remembers the Camino as a painful, torturous experience. I spent my 10 days cajoling her, urging her into taxis (she never would go), massaging her muscles, bringing her food and generally babying her toward Santiago. She's proud of her accomplishment and happy to have accompanied me on something important to me, but we both recognize it was a tough experience for our relationship.

So my concern is for your son. If you're in misery and he's dealing with both his ambivalence at being on the Camino and his mother's painful adjustment to the physical challenges of the Camino it could be a yucky experience for him. Here's some "free" advice for you, take it for what it's worth or ignore it if I'm being too presumptuous:

1) Consider starting somewhere that will enable you to get an easier start. The climb from SJPP is grueling and the climb down to Roncesvalles is nearly as bad (some say "worse"). Why not start someplace like Puente la Reina? The climb from there is only about 150 meters in elevation vs. 1300 meters from SJPP, and the next few days are gently rolling hills heading toward Burgos (except the climb at Montes d'Oca which is 350m).

2) Consider carefully how much freedom you can give your son. He may feel limited by your need to keep him in your sights. Depending on his maturity he may or may not be ready to carry a cell phone and walk ahead with a familiar group and call you to coordinate meals and coffee stops. If you don't feel it appropriate to give him that kind of freedom, you may want to find other ways to keep him occupied while he's waiting for you -- an iPod or a great book or making plans via your guidebook. I took my 13 y.o. son to Turkey and discovered he was fearless with the locals and unconcerned when he was out of my sight. Perhaps you'll want to buy a guidebook just for him so he can experience the challenge of finding directions. Maybe you can appoint him as your "guide" and help him build confidence as you two find your way. FYI I recommend the Brierley guidebook. I haven't seen anyone specifically mention it to you yet, but it's the best book in English for planning your trip and if you haven't bought it yet that's where you should start. It's available on Amazon at Amazon.com: A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino de Santiago: St. Jean - Roncesvalles - Santiago (Camino Guides) (9781844091928): John Brierley: Books Make sure you purchase the 2010 6th Edition.

3) Get in the best shape you can before you go. My wife walked 3-4 miles/day in the 2 months before she joined me on the Camino, but it wasn't enough. Grab your hiking boots, cajole your son into joining you, and take a 10 mile walk this weekend. When you're done, ask yourself if you'd be ready to do it again and again for 30+ days. If not, you would benefit from walking about 5 miles/day, plus 10 miles on weekends. The most important adjustments are a) your boots for blisters, and b) your legs for soreness and tendonitis, and c) your cardio. Almost everyone can do the cardio if they take their time. It's blisters that will slow you down most, and it's tendonitis that might end your Camino. The cure for both is to gradually get used to walking.

This year will be crowded on the Camino. I'm biking it this year with the goal of Santiago on July 25 and assuming I'll often be in temporary accommodations or sleeping under the stars. Estimates are for 2x the number of people as last year. Phoning in advance for reservations at hotels may or may not be adequate this year for you two, especially as you approach Santiago itself. Many Spanish pilgrims join the Camino at Sarria or sometimes as early as Ponferrada and they're expected to be the bulk of the "extra" pilgrims this year.

All that said, you have before you a wonderful adventure. Have a blast and, as has been said many times before, "Buen Camino!"

Sandy Brown
Seattle WA USA