I promise you I resisted the urge for as long as I could and it beat me in the end!!
I have just booked my flights to Madrid, Spain and I am in hyper-excited mode and itching to pull my backpack on right NOW!
My patience levels are going to get a serious workout as I still have 211 sleeps before setting out on yet another +820km walk through Spain.
Here are the initial plans…
Timing:
- Start Day: Sunday 10 May 2020, from Madrid, central Spain.
- Finish Day: Thursday 11 June 2020, at the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, north-west Spain.
- Walking Days: 31
- Rest Days: Two (Segovia and Oviedo)
Route:
- Camino Madrid: north-west from Madrid for 12 days to join,
- Camino Frances: in a westerly direction for two days until Leon to join,
- Camino San Salvador: due north for five days until Oviedo, then
- Camino Primitivo: for eight days heading south-west towards Santiago de Compostela, and finally,
- A little cross country for two days on the Camino Verde, crossing the end of the Camino del Norte and then a ‘freelance’ day to reconnect with the Camino Frances and into Santiago de Compostela.
- Why this route?: It has been three years since I walked my last camino and it appears that in that time, the popularity of walking a camino has gone through the roof. Last year over 320 000 people walked into Santiago de Compostela on one of the many camino paths. The large majority of those pilgrims stepped out on the Camino Frances, so I have tried to plan a route that avoids the Frances and is a little less-travelled. We will see how successful I am with this theory come June next year!
Distances:
- Total: around 827km, give a take a kilometre or two as I accidently take the scenic route.
- Daily Average: approximately 26km, quite civilised.
- Longest Day: Yes, that will be a long day.
- Shortest Day: 21km, easy peasy.
Terrain:
- Camino Madrid: I am expecting mixed terrain with a couple of stiff climbing days leading into the Sierra de Guadarrama to a maximum of 1 796m. Thankfully it will be downhill all the way to Segovia and then relatively flat as I get closer to the Frances.
- Camino San Salvador: Climbing, climbing, climbing. Hopefully by this stage I am super-fit and can take it all in my stride! Ever the Optimist.
- Camino Primitivo: Mixed with plenty of climbs thrown in just so I don’t rest of my laurels. I have seen a few YouTube clips and the scenery looks stunning with lush forested paths and misty mountains.
Weather:
- It will be late Spring in Spain so I will be expecting lots of lushness, green and Spring blossoms. I imagine this will vary considerably as I move from the hotter/drier Madrid region to Asturias and Galicia where “the rain in Spain falls mainly on Galicia”.
- Camino Madrid: based on historical weather data, I am expecting an average daily temperature of 10°C to 23°C with only a 20% chance of rain. That weather forecast is very appealing. I can put up with a lot of things when I walk, but wet weather really takes the shine off walking 30km.
- Camino San Salvador: based on historical weather data, I am expecting an average daily temperature of 10°C to 23°C with only a 17% chance of rain.
- Camino Primitivo: based on historical weather data, I am expecting an average daily temperature of 10°C to 20°C with only a 20% chance of rain.
- For the first time on a camino I will be taking a sleeping bag as I understand some of the more mountainous regions and albergues can get quite chilly at night.
Maps, Guides & Resources:
- As always I have been having great fun reading and researching the path on a large variety of forums and websites.
- Trepidatious Traveller: Maggie walked this same path combination in 2017. She is a font of knowledge and inspiration.
- Camino de Santiago Forum: This forum is excellent for connecting to people who have walked or are walking LIVE on the path. Everyone is very supportive and happy to share their knowledge and experience.
- Gronze: Although in Spanish, this site has excellent information and maps.
- Rutas A Santiago: same comment about this site as previous point.
- Apps: I would like to use apps again after my successful experience with this technology through Italy last year. At this stage I have yet to decide which one will serve me best. Do you have any recommendations?
Getting There/Away:
- Qatar Airways: I have booked return flights from Sydney with Qatar Airways for AUD$1270. I have never flown Qatar Airways and TripAdvisor says very good things about them. Other than the price, one reason I chose them was because of their convenient departure and arrival times. I have been able to avoid additional accommodation nights due to their late-in-the-day departure times and early-in-the-day arrival times, allowing me to travel to/from airports on the same day. I particularly like the fact that I arrive in Madrid early in the morning, allowing me a full day to acclimatise and, jet lag permitting, start to explore this vibrant city.
- Internal Transport: Other than on foot, I plan to connect from Santiago de Compostela to Madrid on an Iberia flight, but at this stage it is not allowing me to book through their website.
That’s about it for now. You can be guaranteed you will be hearing a lot more camino chatter from me over the next six months. And I would welcome your advice and information if you have walked any or all of these paths.
Buen Camino Everyone.
#caminodesantiago #buencamino #pilgrimpath #caminomadrid #caminofrances #santiagodecompostela #pilgrimage #longdistancewalking
Life...one big adventure 
This sounds like a terrific route bypassing and occasionally swerving into the maddening crowd. I look forward to reading your trek.
Enjoy the planning for a Buen Camino.
Michelle
LikeLike
Gracias Michelle! You have got it in one! Time to get off the beaten track a bit for a calmer walk with little doses of people to ward off the loneliness. A buen camino to you too, Mel
LikeLiked by 1 person
What?!! I am soooo excited for you!! It’s gonna be a long 221 sleeps!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I know! I am finding it hard to focus on boring things like work! Maybe I need to disconnect from the internet so I stop searching for information and inspiring photos!! 🙂 Mel
LikeLike
Work sucks! Haha Stay inspired!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Disagree! Work is fabulous as it pays for adventures! 😉 And most of the time it is really interesting….and the adventures give me the energy to get back to work to fund more adventures!! A wonderfully vicious cycle!! Have a great day and happy adventuring! Mel
LikeLiked by 1 person
I cannot argue with you in the least – work has certainly paid for my fair share of travels – for that I am grateful. Happy planning!! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Planning is half the fun! And the internet makes it so easy and enjoyable to connect with other adventurous folks like yourself!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree! Grateful our paths crossed!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s fantastic Mel. I’m excited for you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I thought you might be! 😉 Mel
LikeLike
Looks good Mel. I have found most albergues have a hidden supply of blankets in a cupboard if you ask. I carry a very light weight sleeping bag I picked up at REI a few years ago. I also carry a smaller lighter pack now. My gear weight was 15 Lbs. this year. So you are doing Everest and Camino in 2020? What about the planned reunion Ester is suggesting?? This time next week we will be home. David
Sent from my iPhone
>
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the intel. I would like to avoid carrying a sleeping bag if I could, but I was just thinking that the higher altitudes may be colder, especially on the San Salvador and the Primitivo. I remember Lue, yourself and I had some cold nights on the via de la Plata when I wore every piece of clothing I owned!! 🙂 I guess I will make my mind up closer to the time. You are amazing to be able to carry such a light pack. I doubt I will ever get down to that level. Yes, Everest Base Camp in March and Camino in May/June. I am a very lucky duck. Nope won’t make the reunion tour, but I will be thinking of you all! Melx
LikeLike
That is a well planned out Camino! I really don’t recall the Camino Madrid’s climbs being too tough (and I have mild emphysema). I do remember coming down into Segovia being a rough day with all of the boulders. Your average daily distance is pretty impressive. I know you will have a wonderful adventure. Melanie, the intrepid pilgrim!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the tip about the descent into Segovia. That will be the first of a few long days and I am hoping the Spring weather will make for long and easy walking days. Not sure about being intrepid, but then I do have some pretty inspiring Canadian role models! Melx
LikeLike
Oh my goodness Mel! You are surely smitten & perhaps slightly mad 😘. Go girl xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, equal parts of both I think, Kerry! Melx
LikeLike
Oh my God. Sixteen miles a day for a month, with only two rest days?! You’re a beast!! I’m fit but that would destroy me. I remember the day we watched the Tour de France in person. Between a very short morning run and the walking up and down the mountain to get to our Tour observation point, I think we put in 14 miles that day and I was absolutely shattered by the end of it. I’m super impressed.
Out of curiosity, is this a religious thing for most people nowadays like it was in times past, or do people mostly do it now for the challenge? I’ve only started hearing about caminos being done in modern times through the blogs, and I’ve always wondered.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is quite amazing how the body adapts. I am a VERY casual exerciser at home, but ramp up the training before I go complete with backpack and boots. The first week on the Way is always a combination of excitement and shock as my body gets used to the daily routine, but after that, life is good. Yes, I am tired at the end of each day, but a big sleep and good food kick starts me into a new day.
The motivation for walking a camino is as varied as the +250 000 people who walk one of the various caminos each year. You do meet people who are genuinely doing it for religious reasons and call in to all the churches along the way. Often they have an open end plane ticket which allows them to walk at a very gentle pace and truly savour every step. Other people love the history and culture, for others it is another adventure to knock off their To Do list.
When we did the Camino Frances in 2013 we met a wonderful German man (74yrs old). He had a very strong faith and was deeply religious, but did not force it on anyone else. Over dinner he explained that he was walking to commemorate the death of his wife. They had walked the camino together 10 years previously and she had passed away 1 year ago. Every day he walked he would read his journal that he wrote 10 years ago and visit a church to light a candle for her. Such a wonderful, gentle man and his story and devotion still gives me goose bumps.
I am not a religious person and yet I love these pilgrim routes. It is something to do with the sense of walking in the steps of thousands of other people over thousands of years. I love the history, the architecture, learning a new language and meeting a vast array of new and interesting people. Add to that that I find the daily walking quite meditative and liberating. My whole world is on my back (yes, tough at the end of a long day), but just so simple. Find food, a bed, shower, beer, more food and then get up and do it all again the next day.
I also get eat everything and anything I want and still manage to lose about 5kgs each time! What is not to love!
Apologies for the long-winded reply! You get that with camino-bores like me!! Have a good day, Maggie, Melx
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really appreciate the detail. In fact, you could just copy and past this reply and you’ve pretty much got yourself an awesome blog post! That’s a wonderful story about that man commemorating his wife with his walking. I can tell by what you wrote that you truly love doing these, so I’m happy that you’ve got another one in the offing. Looking forward to reading about it. By the way, we spent all day yesterday watching the Ironman World Championship on TV (this is an annual event for us). Congrats on the 3rd place finish by Aussie Sarah Crowley. Watching this event gives me a chance to hear your wonderful dialect, as one of the main announcers/commentators is Australian.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I truly do love long-distance walking. Isn’t it funny how we discover our passions later in life? Before 2013 I hadn’t done anything remotely like this and then we walked the Frances and went from zero to addiction in about 31 days! 😉 Have a great day, mate! Melx
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know. It’s rather unfair. I majored in X but now realize my passion is Y. Arghhhhh!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s a good thing! Just think, you could have been stuck doing X for the rest of your life!?! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Buen Camino! I’m excited for you. Let me know how the Camino Madrid goes as I am interested in walking that route. Not next year however. The fact that I will be alone for many days is putting me off it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I understand it will be a very quiet walk, but very beautiful. I am especially looking forward to Segovia. I will try to blog ‘live’ from the path, WIFI permitting. Buen camino to you. Mel
LikeLiked by 1 person
Go Mel! Me thinks you are addicted to spain!!!! 😉😊
LikeLike
Definitely! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mel,
This is great detail information and the links are very useful. We plan on doing this once we are based in Spain in a few years. We look forward to your completion report and best wishes on your trek!
Cheers,
John and Susan
Medellin, Colombia
LikeLike
Many thanks. You will love Spain and there really is a camino for everyone – hard, easy, busy or quiet. The good thing is that when you are living there, you can get a taste of many different ones. Buen camino, Mel
LikeLike
Wow Mel, this sounds like a great adventure. Do you do any pretraining for it? Walking over 20 Kms a day is a lot.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, lots of training including walking in my boots and loading up my backpack. It still comes as a shock though to do it day after day, and my body goes “WHAT???? You want me to do this EVERYDAY???!!” After about a week though it becomes the new normal. Buen camino! Mel
LikeLike
Hi Mel, Is Nepal still going ahead? Louise
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sure is, Louise. I am being decadent and having two trips next year!! 😉
LikeLike
You do- decadent – good on you. You certainly will be fit. After all that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope so – although I will still need to do some training when I get back from Nepal. A different type of walking – distance as opposed to altitude!
LikeLike
Yes. I had a taste of long distance training this year -The Bloody Long Walk here in Melbourne for the Mito Foundation. 35 km it was bloody long. We trained well and pulled up really well. We were with a group and stopped for lunch at a South Bank restaurant and stopped another spot on the beach at St Kilda for a glass of bubbles, coffee and cake a few kilometres from the finish line. we were in no rush. No rain, was a great day and we proved to ourselves that we can do distance. Sustained distance walking is another thing I know, but you effectively train as you are doing too.. If you know what I mean. I hope to get a few more posts up with my trek but I have lost my steam and am flat out at work and have lost my day off as of this week, so… Louise
LikeLiked by 1 person
Go you Louise! I have heard a lot about The Bloody Long Walk and it sounds like a fantastic experience – especially if you get to drink champagne along the way! Now that is my kinda walking! Mel
LikeLike