Overweight,unfit,dodgy knees and getting on a bit.

[Bunion]

Hi Everyone:
Isn't the Internet fantastic.
Last night a chum of mine suggested we have a go at part of this walk.As drink had been taken at the time ( we live in Ireland !!! ) I readily agreed but now comes the difficult part of actually organising it which is why,after only a few minutes searching,I'm here.
Any help would me much appreciated.
We're interested in having a taste of the pilgrimage to see if we fancy or are able to do it all at a later date.
As you can see by the thread title neither of us is particularly fit - he's in his sixties with a dodgy ticker and I'm ten years behind with dodgy knees and a couple of stone overweight.
The St Jean to Pampalona section seems to obvious place but already I've read stories about that legendary first day ...
So, can anyone suggested a nice stretch with great views and some nice towns to overnight in.
Maybe three or four days walking.
Like many other people coming from this part of the world it would also be nice to tie it in with some low cost airline destinations.
Thanks in advance for any help and advice.
Bunion ( well,it seemed an appropriate username ! )

[Bunion]

On re-reading this post I realise it sounds a little misleading.
We are serious about this although I have to be honest more drink has been taken because it's a bank holiday weekend.
But I am actually now walking to the pub instead of having the missus drive me there and it's a mile each way.
We're sort of thinking of flying to Biarritz and doing the St Jean to Pamplona section.
Is the first day as bad as everyone says it is and if it is can we skip in and start off at a hearty stroll from the other side of the mountain ?
Or is that considered bad form ?

[Leslie]

Three or fours days doesn't let you get the feel of it.

I would either walk from Pamplona for however long you want or do the last 112km from Sarria. Pamplona is not so easy to get to - fly to biarritz (train from there to Pamplona) and return from santiago.

[Bunion]

Hi Leslie:

Thanks for that.
At this stage we only really have a few days which is why we just wanted to get a feel of the pace before attempting anything longer.
Biarritz from Dublin with Ryanair is very handy especially as it ties in with a connecting flight from Cork and it means we can get in to St Jean in time for an early start up the hill the next day
We're not sure about coming back though - would you recommend walking for a few days and then travelling back to Biarritz or going on instead to Santiago and flying back from there - are there plenty of transport links to Santiago.
Once again,thanks in advance for all your help.

[Bunion]

Bit of an update here.
The flights are booked .
Into Biarritz and then we horsefoot it down to St Jean and start at dawn the next morning. ( Here's hoping we don't get waylaid by a road-side tavern. )
The ladies in our lives ( they who must be obeyed ) have allowed us a week to keep on walking and get to Bilbao for the flight back.
I must admit I'm excited but also a little apprehensive - the knees are a bit sore just sat here typing so Lord know's whay they'll be like after the first day.
I'll let you know how we got on.

PS:

People keep telling me to bathe my feet in meths and vinegar for a couple of weeks before we go - any suggestions ?

[Leslie]

Keep your packs light and enjoy. Let us know how you got on.

Train or bus from Pamplona to B

[Bunion]

Bit of an update here.
All current training for the walk suspended as the physio tells me the reason I have a dodgy knee is that I've been carrying some damaged ligaments around for a few months.
Anyway,I'm getting daily physio with ultra-sound and there's an ice-pack on it two or three times a day.
But basically I can't do much training at the moment.
The point of my post is this - apart from prescription jobbies what are the best painkillers and analgesic creams to use on the walk should things flare up again.
It's only three weeks away !

[Douglas]

The certain way to avoid blisters is to tape your feet with duct tape (sometimes sold as 'duck' tape) every morning. After many years of walking I can promise you that this works.

It's still important to keep your feet dry - get them wet and the tape will come adrift, your skin will get softened, and you could be in trouble. With dry feet in mind, shower at night, not in the morning before you start walking.

And you're kidding yourself - anyone who touches the camino gets the bug. I met an Italian couple who had decided to walk a few days out of St Jean -this was in Leon, a few hundred km later.

Make sure you have a buffer of time to keep walking - stopping and going home will break your heart.

Other advice? Travel light - pack 10kg or less.


Buena suerte.

[Pat]

I joined this forum in May having just completed the Camino.I was fascinated and amused by your story and plans as you had no idea what joy pleasure and pain lay before you.

So now I am wondering are you stuck somewhere in the forest between St Jean and Roncesvelles or perhaps your dodgy knees never let you start?

News Please.

Pat

[Bunion]

Hi Pat:
First up,congratulations on finishing.
To answer your query we took Douglas's advice and bought duct tape but because we were travelling light we didn't check the rucksacks into the hold and the tape was confiscated at the aiport.
Couldn't find any more in St Jean so set off without having done any real training.
Did St Jean to Ronsecvalles in horizontal rain and ankle-deep mud and then the second day to Pampalona in glorious sunshine but then blisters the size of dinner plates blew up on my left foot and the following day managed a couple of miles out of the city before having to give up.
So we went to Bilbao on the tear for a few days instead.
However,it has fired up our enthusiasm to return and do some more walking although next time we hope to do some more training.
The moral of our story is that even if a couple of unfit middle-aged blokes - one with dodgy knees and the other with a dicky heart -
can have a go at doing some of the route so can anyone !!

[Ballagh]

Dear Bunion

Im 66 and would be glad to be only two stone overweight.I did it and so can you.My advice would be to just go for it.If you dont finish in Santiago you might just as well have a walk around Dingle.How far you go depends on how long you have got.You will find that you will do about 20-25 miles a day.If I can be of any help you know where I am Good Luck Ballagh