Take it from me and from all the other pilgrims who have walked thousands and thousands of kilometers. When it comes to the camino you are talking about here is what I can safely tell you:
Just have a good pair of trail runners that fit you well, at least a half size larger.
Have a poncho or other good rain gear.
Download the
WIse Pilgrim, Buen Camino and refer to Gronze.com because no matter what any site tells you the open/close dates are left to the whims of the owners. You can almost 100% count on the municipal albergues will be open all year. Call or send a whats app message ahead to make sure the albergue. you want is open.
It is by far the least demanding camino there is. I have walked alot of different ones and you can take this statement to the bank.
Who knows what the weather will be like.
I am 70 years old and I am lucky enough to say I have never needed to use a baggage service. I walk caminos of between 900 and1100K. The longer you walk the stronger you get.
You are walking in December so do not worry about pilgrim numbers. In fact outside of a September and a few days here and there if you are not on the CF you don't have to worry about number of pilgrims.
Walking sticks can help. You can buy a good decent pair that will be cheap and more than adequate when you get to Porto. Just go to Decathlon or a local outdoor store. After your camino go to Pilgrim House and donate them and make sure you leave at least 5Euro donation as they do wonderful things for all of us.
Finally I know you are worried. It is natural. I walked my first two caminos (about 2400k) one with a
Brierley that helped and the other starting in Le Puy with a useless Michelin guide, no French and no telephone for either camino and not only survived but loved both caminos with some of my fondest memories.
You are full of expectations it is obvious, and you think you are getting an idea of what pilgrimage is or isn't and the state of pilgrimage today. Your comment about the statue confirms this.
You really do not have a clue. And you know what that is a great thing!!!! Be mindless, get out of your head, listen to nature around you, you don't have to worry about the "wrong" equipment or any of that other bulls@@t. You are not walking through the mountains of Afghanistan, you are walking by town after town, mostly tourist towns that will have everything and anything you may need.
Just take one step at a time, listen to the birds and the surf, take your shoes off and walk through the sand, last year it rained so hard every day I thought I saw Noah go by in his ark. But I couldn't have cared less as I was home on the camino. Where I want to be.
Again one step at a time, listen to your body, get out of your head, don't spend hours yapping with your friends, just walk. That step you are taking is all you have in life.
STOP ASSUMING OR GUESSING WHAT IT IS OR WHAT WILL BE