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What exactly are you finding overwhelming? My general approach is this.......book the first 2-3 days. Then either just book one day ahead or wing it. I don't want to be locked into a 'schedule'. The exception would be St Jean to Pamplona on the Frances and the last section from Sarria of the Frances. Those can get busy. This video might help you: ruclips.net/video/h0HxoRctrcc/видео.html

I find humanity on all my Caminos 🙂 I've walked that final section of the Frances from Sarria 3 times. It's great. I just prefer a few less people these days 😉

Incidentally what umbrella brand did you use? And what system of attachment to your rucksack did you use so you could use your hiking poles? About walking from Sarria on the Frances..I found that after walking 1000 Kms, it was a shock to return to a Humanity that wore Nike shoes and Gucci bags who very few even said Buen Camino.

Yes. From Sarria is a wonderful part of the Camino, but it has a very different vibe if you have already walked a long time alone. I use a Euroschirm umbrella. I used to hold it in place with velcro straps, but now I use clips made for the job. www.gossamergear.com/products/handsfree-umbrella-clamp Just a tip. The upper clip, once you find the best place / angle for it, it best sewn into place. Otherwise the umbrella can slide up alongside your head. This video shows it all connected. ruclips.net/video/aJ-bF8uO1GQ/видео.htmlfeature=shared&t=747

@@robscamino thank you Rob..appreciated your comments here and on Ivar’s forum.

Only one thing comes close to being on Camino................talking about it 🙂 endlessly !!

Hopefully in the Fall. I think they are talking to potential Distributors now.

It's a lovely route 🙂

Great story, isn't it? Great 'true' story.

Some do. Traditionally, Pilgrims would walk to Santiago from their homes and then walk back home again. But the Pilgrimage is 'to' Santiago. It would not make any difference with accommodation. You are waling the same route, just in reverse. And you would be 'swimming upstream' meeting hundreds of different Pilgrims each day. You could also have some problems getting Albergue accommodation, as technically, Albergues are for Pilgrims walking 'to' Santiago. Though obviously, some do walk home afterwards.

Is ?

Nicely said 🙂

I think we often hear the lack of beds issue coming from those who want private rooms.......

@@robscamino Ok, I guess its "all kinds of people then". I have the experience of people who cant find a bed because the municipal albergues are too few/too many pilgrims at the same place the same time... It always turns out ok in the end anyway, maybe not as we plan, but its all part of the experience 😉

I agree. I often have 'plans' to stay at a certain place and I might find I want to walk lessor further, or the place is full...... And always.......... I sense that I am being gently guided to stay somewhere else. And always......... I meet someone special, or stay somewhere amazing, or get to help a fellow Pilgrim. There is always a silver lining, so when plans change, I just smile and look for what's coming my way. 🙂

Hopefully not too long before it reaches the US.

Bit of a tough call. As (1) What is not expensive? We all have different concepts. and (2) Things change. What I thought was good in the past might no longer be. I'm happy to mention where I have stayed, but be aware...........Paris is expensive. In my view at least. I have stayed twice here, near Gare Montparnasse. Nice cafes nearby and a fairly easy walk to the Seine, Louvre etc. In 2015 and 2018 I stayed at Best Western Bretagne Montparnasse . But I see now it's quite expensive. For City stays like this I just use booking dot com. Maybe set a budget on the filter, read some reviews....... For example I just set 2 filters, Reviews of 8+ and budget max e150. Quite a few came up. I just found one at e60! But only had average reviews of 6. All depends what you want really.

I hope so! Buen Camino. 😀

@@annickselby4114 I was thinking of updating the video. But my gear is still the same...

I pack the same gear for every Camino, that includes rain pants and jacket. Whilst they are great for rain, they get used more as an extra layer if cold or windy…. And for going to the laundry!!

I would suggest that the Frances route could be walked by anyone of 'average' health and fitness. And if you consider that 'average' is not particularly fit, you should be good to go! If you are walking 7 miles a day you are more than ready to go.......

THe Frances is still my favorite route so far, but if I ever walked it again it would have to be in the 'off' season.

My pleasure

Bill remarked that they tried not to intrude on other Pilgrims and filmed early morning and later afternoon. The final scene in Santiago for example was shot at dawn. I imagine in 2007 it was busy from Sarria, but not earlier in the route surely?

@@robscamino indeed it was crowded..i started in vezelay and as soon as i reached sjpdp it was heaving. I had walked on and off with a french woman. She emailed me when she returned home to say she hurried to complete her camino because she found the crowds intolerable. I was surprised to see in the long shots not a single other person.

I can imagine coming off the Vézelay it would seem very crowded!

I found a great one in Leon too, on my first Camino. Just on the way into the city, right on the Camino.

I was using google earth to show the camino route. uploaded a GPS track. Not sure if you can do that with google maps. But for a route like the Frances you don't need GPS. Just follow the signs and the other Pilgrims. 🙂

Indeed. I haven't tried that route. I was too drawn to the Napoleon route. But of course the Valcarlos route is the only option if the higher route is closed.

So true..........🙂

The journey kind of becomes more important than any pain, doesn't it ? 🙂

Glad you enjoy it!

I presume you mean the Frances Route from Saint Jean pied de Port? Yes, it can seem overwhelming at first! Tip. Just take it day by day or hour by hour. Forget the destination or how far it is. Focus on the next coffee break or something. 6 weeks (42 days). I walk very slowly and short days. I average about 20-25 kms / day. I walk the Frances in about 40-42 days. Most do it in about 33-38 I would guess. I don't rush, as I make sure I want to enjoy every step. My 40-42 days would generally include a couple of days off (rest days) and some shorter days here and there. 6 weeks should be plenty. If you can add a few more days, go ahead...... But 42 days is not rushing. THis is the main reason I suggest hat booking your whole Camino in advance can be a big mistake. Leave yourself some flexibility.......change your plans as you go. You might want to walk faster/slower, longer or shorter days. It takes a few days of walking before you start to understand your comfortable daily distances and speeds.

In a word, No. 🙂 Descents are a problem in a number of ways. Just my experience. (1) They put a lot of strain on knees and other joints, due to the breaking effect you have to attempt. So downhills are far harder than uphills! Way harder! It requires care, poles help, and zig zagging can help too. Even so I slipped on my rear end coming down from El Acebo last year. Foolishly I was walking on some fine gravel down a steep incline. But the problem is not really one of 'traction' or lack of. (2) The tricky descents - there are not that many on the Frances - are more about muscle strain than traction. That breaking action. And they also tend to be on a wide variety of surfaces. From concrete, to large stones, to rock. So given the variation in terrain, spikes would be of little (No) use in my view. It's not something to worry about really. Just take care and go a bit slower on those tricky descents. On the Frances though I have not really walked it in full since 2018, the ones that stand out are........ A. Down to Roncesvalles. Use the right fork which is easy. B. Down to Zubiri. It's just the last 2-300 metres that need care. C. Down from Alto del Perdon. A short section, maybe 3-400 metres on pebbles / river stones. Take care in wet (same for all) D. Down from Alto de Mostelares (after Castrojeriz) 3-400 metres on concrete. E. Down from Cruz de Ferro to Molinaseca. The hardest section of the Frances in my view. 2 parts to take care. Coming down into El Acebo, and from there down to Molinaseca. Just go slow and take care, particularly if wet. My knees take a pounding on that section so I break it up by staying in El Acebo. There is nothing on that route that is particularly 'hard'. Just take your time, take care and don't push yourself. They are section of 10-30 minutes generally.

Oh very jealous! No idea when my next one will be. Buen Camino 🙂

Will be thinking g of all the advice and what I have learnt. buen camino ✨️✨️

@@susanneal3781 Don't think too much...... once you start. Walk, eat, sleep, repeat and let the Camino unfold 🙂

Good to hear that you found a company that is flexible. Feel free to name them. I have met so many Pilgrims over the years who got locked into a set schedule and it made their Camino miserable.......

@@robscamino hi Rob we’ve always used Raw travel based in Victoria. They’ve never had a problem with us dividing long days up and adding extra rest stops. We get to stay in a mix of hotels / casa rurales and albergues in the private rooms.

Glad it was helpful!

Well done to you both! Pat and I also survived 6 weeks together, just........ 🙂

😂😂😂😂😂😂

Wow! What was that 33 km section? Sorry to hear of your Albergue experience. Mine have all been very good.... I've had many private rooms that were far noisier! (thin walls) We're thinking of Morocco too after our next Camino. I was last there 50 years ago! Might have changed a bit........🙄

@@robscamino 33 km Pamplona to Puente La Reina, a tough climb and a worse rocky descent. Might be 23.8 on a flat map, but not in reality.

@@Motorallyrider Interesting. I've walked that section a couple of times. Did you detour anywhere? Like Eunate? Centre of Pamplona to centre of Puente La Reina? The distances are usually measured between the Municipal Albergues. But that is a huge variation. Gronze also shows it as 23.9 kms and I find they are usually with 1 km or so. www.gronze.com/etapa/pamplona-iruna/puente-reina-gares Just wondering how your watch showed 33kms? 13 hours would be 2.5 kph. That would be a fairly slow walk with lots of breaks. I walk at 3.5 kph with breaks and I'm very slow. (Usually one of the slowest) I wonder how you ended up with 33 kms?

@@robscamino Yes slow walk, my wife has had a hip replacement and I am nearing 70, and have a heart condition. Detoured to a few coffee shops (with bathrooms for the wife) and a lot of zigs and zagging up and down hills. Overall, we averaged a little over 20 k per day.

@@Motorallyrider Well done! My kind of distance 🙂

A nice addiction I hope........ 🙂

@@robscaminodefinitely

I think many Pilgrims do indeed set out without too much research and planning. And particularly with everything pre-booked. I honestly believe that diminishes the experience. So I agree to an extent. It's very easy to 'over think' this stuff. But there are many who are really nervous about undertaking a Camino, and have all sorts of questions running around in their heads. And of course once they start walking a Camino, they realise that many of these questions were not worth worrying about. I count myself in that category prior to my first Camino. So these videos are primarily meant to provide a bit of reassurance to first time Pilgrims. Having said that. I researched my first Camino extensively, and my Camino last year given it was a more remote route. I watched lots of videos and read lots of blogs. And yet.........I don't think it diminished my experience at all. Quite the opposite, for me at least. I felt prepared and therefore far more relaxed about the whole thing.

Better walk a Camino next time 🙂

Thanks for watching

It's hard not to enjoy it really! A little bit of research and planning goes a long way 😀

Strange. You should be able to just add them on a comment here.

When will that be ? 🙂

I need to retire first before I can be gone that long--we are looking at 2026 or maybe even 2027.

Work life balance Pete. We work to live, not live to work..... 😉

That would be wonderful--I love the idea of work-life balance. But I don't think I will be in a position to get away for over a month until I stop working end of 2025.

I've seen it twice so far. Need to go again soon I think 🙂

What part of the World are you in. Oz?

Buen Camino 🙂

Buen Camino Chuck. 🙂

I'll check on that. Muxia-finisterra-santiogo should, as it's a walk of over 100 kms, on a recognized route, 'to' santiago.

@robscamino they (the official pilgrim office- in santiago) said the catholic church of Santiago does not now give out compestellas for it. ( as I was receiving my 12 th compestella, for the del Norte)...love

Wow. I wonder why?

I don't think we can ever recapture the feeling of a previous Camino. But a 'new' route helps I think

Stop watching videos! You are there 🙂 Buen Camino.

Yes I agree, it was one. made up of different routes.

I just wish people could be more considerate 🙄

I use Intermittent Fasting. But do seek Medical advice before trying it. ruclips.net/video/rKlKsp2krwM/видео.html