Questions from a new walker to El Camino, John

[John Pinnington]

My wife and I are aiming to spend 3 weeks walking the Camino de Compostela starting in late May. Where would be a reasonable starting point for us? We walked the Cornish coastal Path in 29 days (290 miles approx)15 months ago but I am assuming this is more strenuous.
How easy is it to book accommodation on the way rather than in advance? We would prefer to stay in B and Bs rather than the hostels.
Is the route well marked? How easy is it to get lost?
what other key tips would you give?
We will be carrying our own rucksacks.
thanks

[HuskyNerd]

If you're in fair shape and able to do the average of 20-25 km/day you could start at Burgos, one of the larger towns along the camino that is 489 km from Santiago. That's farther each day than the 10 mile avg you walked in 2010 and, because of lack of rest days may feel strenuous if you're not a strong walker.

To shorten it some you'd be looking for a city a few days after Burgos but, unfortunately, most all of the cities are quite small in this stretch (the Meseta) until you get to Leon. You might consider Sahagun. You didn't mention your mode of transportation, but it helps that Sahagun has a train connection. If you started here you could walk to Santiago and add the 90 km to Finisterre for a total of 457 km, a little more humane than the 487 from Burgos.

It's quite easy to book accommodation ahead if you have a list with phone numbers. The Brierley guidebook is good for this purpose. The Spanish don't have a network of B&B's like the UK or USA, so you'll be booking in small hotels or case rurales, which are essentially rental homes. Occasionally you'll find a hotel or case rural that offers breakfast in the deal. I've walked in late May/early June twice now and had no problem on the days I've wanted hotel accommodation.

The route is well marked. Follow the scallop shells and yellow arrows. On the first time I personally think it's nice to have a guide book -- not for maps, but so you can be a little more aware of the amazing region you're walking through. Buen camino!

[John Pinnington]

Thanks for taking the trouble to give us this advice. Very helpful. It sounds like it is difficult to get lost on the Camino. We have just bought the Guide book by Brierley so now we just need to decide on Burgos or Sahagun. John

[BHinSanDiego]

Yes, it can be difficult to get lost, the times I heard of people getting lost was people that started out before sunrise and because of the darkness did not see the markings, they can be on rocks, sides of buildings, posts, you name it. If all else fails just follow the crowd and if you desire do a little scouting mission in the evening to find the way out of town. With the amount of time Burgos is a good option, it one of the largest cities on the Camino so if you do start there you'll be walking in the city for a while, but it is well marked. If you need to you could always bus it for a day, some people frown on this, but it is your Camino, do it as you please. Luckily for me I wasn't on any type of time frame so I didn't have to do that but many people do.

[John Pinnington]

Thanks and sorry it took me so long to reply. It is reassuring to hear from you that it is difficult to get lost. On the basis of what you have said we will probabaly start at Burgos and if we are slower than we hope we will use a bus to catch up on our schedule.
Best wishes
John