Walking with children - 2010

[andrewd]

I am new to this forum and the Camino walk so a big HI to all. We are aiming to do some of the Camino trail with our children in 2010, two girls aged 8 and 12. As I am a newbie I have a few questions and would appreciate comments from all and sunder...

We are aiming to walk for 5-7 days during a 10-12 day period. We will be in Europe (from Australia) during April, May and June. We are all fairly fit, not overweight and live an active lifestyle although we have never done a multi-day walk before. We enjoy getting out of our comfort zone and experiencing the less common attractions.

1. Which of the many trails would best suit us? We are not doing it for the religious aspect so finishing in Santiago is not critical. We would also prefer to not be amongst the crowds.

2. What would be the best time to do it - weather and crowds considering?

3. We will have a car so can drive to a starting point. I had thought we could leave the car and come back to it via bus/train. Security and long stay parking availablity are the obvious questions. That said we are happy to Plane/Train/Bus it to the start and back to UK - it is all part of the adventure.

4. To ensure the experience is good for all of us I am thinking of breaking the walking up by stopping for a day once or twice. As we are into the historical aspects of the area what would be the best stop over places?

The main thing for me is to ensure that we all have a good experience as I want to do more family walking adventures in the near future and don't want to put the girls off.

Regards Andrew

[Leslie]

I would choose to go in May or early June to miss the most crowded parts of the year, Camino Frances, this is currently the best supported, though the other routes are getting better.

My personal preference is starting from Roncesvalles. There is a car park here but it is not secure, maybe you will be able to find one in Pamplona, which is only a short bus ride from Roncesvalles, or just start from Pamplona.

The main stop over places are quite far apart - Pamplona, Burgos, Leon, but you can stop anywhere.

I have nearly completed a day by day guide for the Camino Frances - the last week is still to go up - you can find it here Camino Frances - Camino Walks - The Main Route to Santiago

All the best.