Seven days to Santiago

[GeorgeK]

Hey folks,

I'm coming to this completely cold so apologies for what might be a pretty basic question.

So far I'm finding it hard to get a clear map showing distances/recommended days from and to each town/village.

I'm hoping to spend 7 days (perhaps 10) in July walking about 200k (or 250k if I spend the longer time) into Santiago. Can anyone tell me the best starting point 200km or 250km out of Santiago that I should consider covering a distance of about 30km per day?

Any replies are much appreciated.

G

[HuskyNerd]

If you truly can do 30 kms/day then Ponferrada would be a good choice. It's the last town for quite a stretch that has rail access from Madrid and it's a beautiful city with a great Knights Templar castle. At 210 kms it should be doable at your pace. Here's a website that shows distances and lodging in the Spanish portion of the Camino. Hope this helps. http://www.godesalco.com/plan/frances

Buen camino ~
Sandy

[GeorgeK]

Great stuff, thanks for that. It's exactly what I was looking for.

I'm starting to question my 30kms per day target. Might scale it back to the 22k-25k per day range.

Thanks again

[grayland]

Glad to hear you are dialing it back a little. MOST people who start with the 30km per day find that it is not something that is easily done. Try walking 30km for a couple of days in a row at home.....a real eye opener.
20 to 25 per day is something most fit people can handle.
You may want to consider starting from Sarria and then on to Finisterre if you can handle it. Usually, people take a bus back from Finisterre.

[Covey]

Sandy and Greyland are absolutely right about dialing back your "daily" plan.

The problem on the Camino Frances is that the "plan" calls for 34 days on the trail, plus any rest days to get from St Jean to Santiago.

Fortunately, the hardest day on the Camino Frances is the first day from St Jean to Roncesvalles, but as it is the first day for most, the energy levels are at max, the muscles are fresh, your spirits are high and you are on the first day of your Great Adventure.

When you walk in to Burgos 13 days later, you are tired, your energy levels are drained, your muscles and tendons are sore and stretched, and you really need a couple of days R&R with good food and rest (and a nice bath!!!!), but guess what? you still have another 3 weeks to go doing the same thing each day.

Most of us can cope OK doing 20-25kms per day, day in, day out. and can cope with the occasional 30-40Km day if pushed hard, but few could keep that up for more than a few days before our body says "Enough" The penalty for not listening to what your body is telling you is injury and pain.

I think Greylands idea of Sarria to Santiago and then on to Finesterre if you have time is spot on.

Buen Camino, whichever way you do it.

[HuskyNerd]

Notwithstanding the great advice from my colleagues Covey and Greyland, if you can squeeze out 10 days and start from Ponferrada (or better yet, Villafranca del Bierzo) and maintain a 22-25 km/day pace I think you'll enjoy it. The stretch from Ponferrada to Villafranca takes one through the noted Bierzo wine country and is very scenic. If you bus from Ponferrada to Villafranca you save a day and begin your camino by walking up to O Cebreiro, a challenging and rewarding day. One of my favorite stretches of the Camino Frances is Ponferrada to Villafranca to O Cebreiro to Triacastela to Samos. You miss all this if you start as late as Sarria, and sad to say, many find the Sarria to Santiago portion to be the least scenic and interesting of the entire Camino Frances.