Starting point

[SaraHu]

I plan to walk by myself the last part of Camino Frances in 6.5 days starting on Jan25. It will be my first visit to Europe.

I'm 28 year old, fit, female. I run 10km, 1 hour in gym everyday. I want to push myself a little hard on the way so that I can complete more, as it's difficult for me to get several days off from my work. My question is what's the distance I should expect to walk in total if I walk 8 hours everyday? Could anyone suggest a starting point for me?

Also I didn't find much information on the weather in late Jan. Will it snow and very cold especially if I go through Ponferrada?

To make my backpack as light as possible, I'd prefer not to take a sleepingbag. Since there will not be many people, I'm wondering if the alburgues could provide me enough blankets? Hopefully more than one to keep me warm..

Many thanks for any help in advance!

Btw, this is a very helpful forum. I searched a lot on google but have not found anything more informative. Indeed good job

[HuskyNerd]

Hi Sara ~
Congrats on you upcoming camino. An aggressive daily goal for the camino is 30-35 kms. If you walked 6.5 days in theory that would put your starting point 195-228 kms outside Santiago at someplace like Ponferrada, which is a very nice place and allows you to enjoy some of the Bierzo, as well as the scenic walk up to O Cebreiro. An alternative would be for you to start at Sarria and do the 114 kms to Santiago, then walk the extra 90 kms to Finisterre afterward. That gives you a taste of the Camino Frances and also the fun of the coastal walk as well. You're probably already aware of the camino distance planner at http://www.godesalco.com/plan/frances that can help you decide your precise starting point.

You probably should ask yourself why you want to cover so much ground in such a short time. Many of us who've done the camino a few times would want to tell you the camino is not like a tour in which you soak up as much scenery as possible, but instead is something to be savored. A moderate daily distance of 20-25 kms feels about right to balance the physical demands while soaking up the locale and the spirituality. Especially if this is your first time in Europe it could be more rewarding to try a less ambitious distance and then plan to return in another year to take another taste.

You could certainly get snow at O Cebreiro with a Ponferrada start. I typically freeze there in June and I can only imagine how cold and blowing (and likely, snowy) it would be in January. That's another good reason to start in Sarria! Albergues may or may not have any blankets at all, so best not to count on them supplying your bedding needs. Buen camino!

[SaraHu]

Hi Sandy,

Thanks much for your advise! It's quite informative and helpful.

Anyway I decided to start from Ponferrada, for I think the Sarria - Santiago is something a little bit tourism. I want to get more flavor of the off beaten route to enjoy the real pilgrim staff. If I feel it's too much I'll just jump onto a bus between towns.

I'll take my sleeping bag following your suggestion. I hope it can be taken onto the cheap flight without extra charge as it's a little big...

It's Chinese New Year eve on coming Sunday. I hope everyone on this forum happy and peaceful in the New Year!

Best,
Sara

[grayland]

Sara...take some time and effort to see if you can buy or borrow a lightweight sleeping bag. You should aim for under two pounds and 1 to 1.5 pounds would be ideal. The heavy bag you describe will be a real problem for you! If you are trying to make distance you should be carrying no more than 6 to 8 kilos total including the pack. You will have to also have more layers of clothing than summer Camino walkers.
Don't make the mistake on your pack weight.
Buen Camino.

Hope we hear from you along the way.

[SaraHu]

Thanks for the tips！

I checked my bag yesterday - it should be within 7kg in total. My sleeping bag is kinda heavy but I don't take much things else so I would be fine.

I'll let you know how it goes when I'm back.

Sara

[SaraHu]

Hi guys,

I'm just back from Spain. As scheduled, I walked from Ponferrada to Santiago during Jan25-30, 2012. I really had a nice one. In this year the weather is quite warm and I only got a little snow at O Cebreiro. I worn one layer of trousers on my whole way. In half of the towns albergues and bars are closed but I didn't meet any problem in finding accommodation, for the big towns are still all on business. As long as you find an albergue, you can get a bed in this season. I even slept by myself twice in a huge room of about 14 beds. Personally I believe in Jan/Feb the trekking is much better as there are less people on the way.

It's such an amazing way that the arrows, fountains and facilities are so fully equipped. The way is just like a person's life - you join each person for a while and share sometime with them. Once you feel bored, or get different plans, you just say bye and keep on walking and meet new people. Or you simply don't even know it's the last time you meet. You may be with someone for longer period coz you have similar objectives or you really care about each other. But anyway in the end you will be all by your own, just as in life.

I would highly recommend this way, either for religious/spiritual purpose, or just for the nature and making friends. Actually some people don't even know why they are on the way. But we did feel sad when we arrived at Santiago. We would rather hope it was an endless way.

As I'm just back and may be able to help, feel free to let me know if I could provide any info :0) I would love to help!

Bueno Camino!

Sara

[grayland]

Wow..5 days from Ponferrada to Santiago (if I read that right). What was your average daily distance?

[SaraHu]

It is 6 days in total. That is 35km per day on an average. I did it faster so I missed some friends on the way. On some days I thought I may have made a too ambitious plan that I got no enough time to think or share time with friends, but on the other side I saw more sceneries and met more people.

Thanks for your good advice before my trip. I found it very useful