leaving June 25th

[craigman1211]

So I am just doing some budgeting and other things of that nature and one of the things that I was reading on here is that the water could be an issue, which leads me to two questions related to water, and another unrelated question.

1. about how much water does someone drink a day along the Camino? and about how much of that will they have to carry along the way?

2. How much does a bottle of water usually cost, and how much will I be spending per day on water? Ive been thinking of getting water filters for my water bottle, or perhaps a life saver water bottle, because it could end up saving long term money.

3. After I walk to the next place I am going to stay, I understand that I will be stopping around 2pm, but exactly what am I going to be doing with my bad while I go out for the rest of the day? Is it safe to keep it unattended in a hostel? Do many hostels have lockers and things of that nature?

[Covey]

Some times you will be staying in large towns which have good drinking water and there is no problem. Other times you might be passing through a small rural village and they might have a public water fountain, and here you need to be careful. Most fountains are marked with a "P" if they are fit to drink and with a cross through the P if not.

Potable means to rural Spanish standards NOT USA or European standards so if you have a delicate stomach, you could have a problem and you have to understand that if you end up with "troubled insides" walking ain't no fun. In somewhere like Pamplona or Burgos I would fill my water bottles from the albergue taps, but out in the sticks, I buy bottled water which is less than €1 / 1.5L.

You should drink lots of water!!! I suggest at least .5L before you set off in the morning and you will probably drink at least 1L along your days walk, plus tea's and coffee at your various rest stops. Up on the Meseta in August you will drink even more water.

If it is very warm, try to avoid coffee. Coffee is a diuretic substance which causes your body to expel fluid which is not what you want. Hot chocolate is better for you as the milk and sugar gives you energy.

You don't have to stop at 2pm!! This is Covey's proven method of ensuring you get a bed in the albergue so having had a shower, you then do your laundry and hang it out to dry, and then wander off to look around the town/village/city where you are staying. Your footsteps will probably lead you to a bar where pilgrims for hundreds of years have quenched their thirst and whiled away the hours with tales of hardships endured and maidens rescued. Whilst you are sitting outside the bar, you can convince yourself that topping up your fluid levels is just what this Forum recommended!!!

As for your bed, it will still be there when you return, and so will your kit be. Try not to leave money, passports, cameras lying around!

[grayland]

Water is available everywhere and usually inexpensive.
One thing to be aware of is the weight of water.
1 ltLteighs 1 kg (2.2 lbs) and the normal bottle (.5 lt weighs .5 kg (1.1 lbs)
You don't want to carry any more than you will need until the next place to get more.
I have seen many people who are seriously struggling with pack weight carrying two full liter bottles of water...that is 2 kg (4 lbs)!
Just carry what you need.

[craigman1211]

I guess I sort of imagined that the walk would be long stretches of nothing and then suddenly being in a town or something. How far does one walk without seeing anything usually?

[grayland]

Well...not actually "nothing". There are farms, vineyards, trees, Pilgrims, rocks, blisters, etc.
I don't see where you have said you are starting. The terrain and distances between towns vary a great deal as you cross Spain but the towns average about 5 to 6 km apart most of the way. They are closer in some areas and further apart in others.

[joe]

I've read bits of John Brierelys guide book, and it just by flicking through it there seems to be a lot to do and a lot to see along the long stretches of the Camino, there are shrines, a lot of statues, monuments, old buildings, scenery and wildlife to be seen! All of which will keep your mind in a state of concsiousnes. But also those long stretches are meant to be for the times when you reflect on your life and find out things about yourself that you never knew before, which could in turn change your life dramatically. This is why the Camino is so popular, there is meant to be something "mystical" and spiritual about it.

[craigman1211]

To Grayland, I am starting in St JPP.

To Joe, that actually sounds exactly like what I am looking forward too. I just need a long walk. What is the general rate of progress, I was thinking I would be walking something like 15-20km/day.

[joe]

According to the guide book I have, the distances for 33 day trip vary from 17km to 30km per day. Probably averaging at about 22-23km per day.

But I'm the same as you, I plan on taking my time, even thinking about extending my trip by a week just to be on the safe side.

20km a day should get you there in about 35-36 days, so if I were you I would plan your flights around that, so about 40 days (leaving a day or two for resting, and a day for each of your flights). I originally planned 42 days (6 weeks), but now thinking of 7 weeks becaue I'd like to travel to Finisterre and Muxia after Santiago!

I suggest you buy John Brierleys Camino de Santiago Pilgrim Guide book. I got the 2011 edition for £15 on ebay, which is cheaper than anywhere else that sold it. And even though it seems a little expensive (well to me it did), once I got it and read parts of it, I changed my mind and thought it was worth every penny.

[craigman1211]

oh noes, I was planning to go from st jpp to finisterre allowing myself about 40 days to do that, I hope that I have enough time...

[joe]

Well it should be enough time, I'm only taking the extra week because I'll be spending 3 days in France before I start, and wanted to stay at Finisterre for 2 nights and in Muxia for a night or two. I like to over estimate the time I'll have to complete a task, just so I don't have to feel the need to rush.

But in your case you could easily get to Santiago and Finisterre in 40 days. Just take it easy in the first week (the 1st day you have to walk 27km anyway, so take it easy and don't rush it), in the second week your legs and feet will be more adjusted to the long distance walking and you can push yourself further each day, but not too much, just 3-5km. In the third week you'll be tired, but more confident, you should take a days rest to relax your feet in the third week, because you'll be feeling like you can keep going, but it might wear you out faster. So a days rest will work out better for you in the end. After your days rest the remainder of the 3rd week should be easy and you could start increasing your distances even more ready for the 4th week. In the 4th week you will be more confident knowing that it's only a few more days away until you have reached Santiago, this sense of near-achievement can help you walk longer, but remember to stay focused and don't rush it. The end of the 4th week will be 28 days, which in your case would be about 6-7 days away from Santiago. The 5th week just walk the same amount of distance you have walked in the 4th week (should be around 25km per day), you'll reach Santiago then in 35 days (36 including your rest). Stay the night in Santiago, go to the mass at around 7.00 or 8.00pm too. And then set off for Finisterre the next day. It's about 3 days walk to Finisterre. So you should hopefully be able to squeeze it in! If you walk there you recieve another Compostela, and you can get the bus back to Santiago just in time for your flight (depending on what time your flight is... hopefully in the afternoon sometime). But if you can't make it to Finisterre on foot you can get the bus there, but you dont get the compostela (which is a bit disappointing after all the hard work).

As I said, buy the guide book, everything I've said is from that guide book (put into my own words). It'll give you a daily walking guide which if you follow you can make it to Santiago in 33 days! Leaving you a lot of time for Finisterre, and maybe even Muxia (only a days walk north from Finisterre, and you get a 3rd compostela there!!).

However you decide to do it, make sure you do it at your own pace and don't push yourself too much. It's your Camino and nobody else can tell you how to walk it, you can follow guides but you don't have to strictly follow all of the guide. I wish you the best of luck on your Camino! Buen Camino

[BHinSanDiego]

Craigman, just using myself as an example I walked from St Jean to Santiago in 33 days (starting May 22 arriving June 23), so continuing on to Finisterre could be factored in if so desired. I never bought water, I used the fuente that each village has, or in the morning I would fill my 1 liter Nalgen bottle at the alburgue, I second don't carry too much water it's weight you'll probably dump anyway when you get tired of carrying it. Some people did buy water but I have no idea what they paid.

As far as your bed, pretty much everybody lays out their sleeping bag, liner or whatever they are using for warmth while sleeping as soon as they get to their bed. That way it gives it time to air out and it marks it as taken, I never saw anyone move one. As others have said when you go out for the afternoon take your money, phone, whatever items you absolutely don't want to lose, the only thing I ever heard of being stolen on the Camino was a MP3 player that someone left plugged into a computer, since this computer had not only pilgrims but locals walking by it who knows who could have taken it. If you take a money belt you don't need to wear it while walking during the day, just stuff it deep into your pack, your pack will or should never be far from you during the day, just no reason for it, when you take a break at a bar just sit it next to you, if need be have someone you recognize watch it while you go inside, I think it's just too difficult for a thief to try to go through a full pack, for the most part it's just dirty clothes etc, just use common sense. And I don't think another pilgrim would want to steal from someone else, they would have to carry the weight! In all honesty, pretty much everyone you'll meet is just like you, someone on a journey of a lifetime, not out to steal from someone else, just don't think it happens.

Though I didn't realize it at the time I subscribed to the Covey belief of checking into the alburgue at about 2 PM, it justs works out well, once checked in I would wash myself then my laundry then I would have the rest of the afternoon to rest and see what the village had to offer, if you need to do any shopping at the market or pharmacy be aware they usually close in the afternoon from about 2 till 5 or 5:30, the hospitleros can tell you where they are and the hours, so if need be plan this into your day. I would wash my shirt I wore walking everyday, but my pants only every couple of days, I came to this realization after about a week, just wasn't worth the effort, I wore underarmor type tee shirts, I took 3 short sleeve and 1 long sleeve, I would rotate 2 for walking and keep the others for after walking, they dry quickly and wick the moisture away from you, stay away from cotton, it absorbs moisture and takes forever to dry.

[BHinSanDiego]

I forgot to mention I took single serving packets of Hawaiian Punch to put in my water bottle to add a little flavor. More than a couple of times I was asked what I has in my bottle since it had a red color, I simply said "wine" doesn't everybody?

[joe]

Hahaha, that seems like a really good idea to take a bit of flavouring for the water, will also help to increase the sugar levels. I think it's hilarious about the wine joke! People must have avoided you for a while after saying that to them

[grayland]

The longest (and most difficult day) will probably be the first one from SJPP to Roncevalles. It is difficult both because it is long and uphill and the first day. Later, you will be more fit and it will be much easier.
You will have the adventure of your life.

[Covey]

Greylands comments on the weight of water are very true!! Water is heavy, and if you are aiming for the 10kgs target for the weight on your back, then that really means 8kgs + food and water.

My pack, like most has a pouch on either side of the pack to take a water bottle. You can take the aluminum screw top bottles but really the best thing is to use the 1L or 1.5L bottles of water from the supermarket. The supermarket bottles are surprisingly tough and I tend to throw them away (in a bin and NOT just dropped by the pathway!) every four days. I carry two bottles, one on each side of the pack and usually start the day with them half full (ish)

It is important to ensure that the weight distribution of your pack is even either side and try and put the heavy stuff at the bottom of the pack. Carrying a lop sided pack is very tedious and gets very uncomfortable.

You do not need to carry water to last you all day as on the Camino Frances there are shops and water fountains roughly every 10kms. If you are walking the Meseta in July to September you will need to increase the amount of water because the Meseta ( Burgos to Leon) is high, flat(ish) and hot!!

I love walking the Meseta, but many avoid it because it is hot, dusty and harder than other sections.

[grayland]

I like the Meseta also. Maybe because it is flatter than the other parts of the Camino. The worst word on any Camino map is "Alto"