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[robyn]

Hi, I am Robyn and have 2 weeks to walk, starting 1st april ( a rainy time I believe). I am living in Dubai. Needing advice on where to start if to finish in Santiago.

[HuskyNerd]

Hi Robyn and welcome to the Forum ~

With two weeks available you would want to start somewhere between Leon and Sarria. Leon, which is one of the largest towns on the Camino Frances route, is pretty easy to get to by train. You could fly into Madrid, take the train to Leon, walk to Santiago, then take the train from Santiago to Madrid. The walk from Leon proper would be 312 kms, or 22 kms/day for 14 days. Very doable.

Another choice would be to start somewhere just after Leon, like Astorga or Hospital de Orbigo. The first kms out of Leon are dreary suburbs and not that much fun. You could bus to Astorga or Hospital de Orbiga or take the train as far as Ponferrada and begin your walk there.

Something to consider would be to use 3 days of your 14 for a walk to Finisterre, which is quite a delight and 100 kms past Santiago. Many pilgrims choose this extension because of the beauty of the Galician coast and the charm of the little town of Finisterre.

This website http://www.godesalco.com/plan/frances will help you plan just where to begin. Buen camino.

[robyn]

Decided to start in Leon...just wondering how much Spanish to I have to speak to get by?

[HuskyNerd]

Many people make it with no Spanish whatsoever, but it's a good idea to have some travelers' Spanish so you can order at restaurants, etc. I walked in 2008 after one term of college Spanish years ago and had more than enough vocabulary to get by, but I took another term afterward so I could have conversations occasionally with patient Spaniards.

[robyn]

thanx for that, going thro my phrase book and a basic cd, but it's hard...