Interested to know how the OP fared?
I have two young kids currently a little younger than you, 2 and 1.
But we live in Spain and the wife and I are considering the Camino next year. Not planning to cover 350km and we'll go not in June-August. Probably September.
How were the kids?
Hi Joshua,
We went with Francés and started in León. This was based on recommendations here and we were unsure what accomodation would be like when it was the four of us so we went with the more travelled path.
I have two boys 3 and 4. They are both very (very) active kids and so I new they would be ok, but it was still suprising how tough they were, particularly my 4 year old. We alternated between carrying and letting them walk (run). The heat was also not a problem, we took normal precautions with hats and regular sun cream etc. They actually only ever complained of cold. I will try and give a few insights for you and your family.
Firstly, it was a great trip, I would highly recommend and though they may not remember it very well, I think the act of walking it together will be something that will stay with them for a lifetime. So go for it!
Secondly, it is definietly a different Camino experience (I imagine). You still have to deal with the stresses of hungry or tired kids, broken sleep and you don't really get a break. Even when walking we needed to constantly entertain them with stories, play games and we probably stopped at every playground we passed. I didnt get much time to look into the distance and contemplate life etc and a few seconds by myself in a quiet church with my own thoughts was bliss! That being said it was lovely to be able to outside in nature all day and have long conversations with a 3 and 4 year old about Knight Templars, God, Nature, Religion and tell them fairy tales which I had forgotten. It was really innocent stuff and something we probably miss in our modern busy lives. I did manage a few interesting conversations with adults along the way but was invariablely a little distracted and one eye on a child. As somebody rightly pointed on this chat (Since taken down i think) its much more enjoyable to do the camino without children, which is definetly true, but it was still joyful in a different way.
On a purely practical basis, accomodation can be hardish to find particularly toward the end for 4 people and to be honest a lot of time not very well suited to our needs. We booked non-Albergue accomodation more than half the time. It allowed us to cook some healthy meals and give our boys freedom to be loud and be kids. We also took a few rest days which was brilliant and allowed us to explore some beautiful villages particularly early in the trip which I am really glad we done. As you know, Spanish life begins at 9p.m and we tried not go to bed too early which invariablely meant setting off late in morning (again difficult to do both in Albergues). That and stopping at playgrounds, exploring etc meant we walked through most of the sunniest parts of the day and were probably longer outside than most. It depends how disciplined you want to be and what you are trying to achieve. We tried to plan only 1 or 2 days in advance and a lot depended on how everyone was feeling and availability of suitable accomodation.
We aimed to walk about 15km per day. The least we did was 8km and the most was about 26km. The experience of walking with children was really special, Spanish people constantly stopped them, hugged them, give them presents and sweets. I don't think we had one day when they did not get something for free. They felt like celebrities! I did one stage by myself when my wife was ill and I had a completely different experience.
I think doing it with younger kids will be easier in ways particulalry if you can carry them.
Amyways, feel free to ask any specific questions.
¡Buen Camino!
B
