21 Days to complete??

[kenseph]

Hi, is there anyone out there that could tell me, is it possible to complete the Comino starting from St Jean, in 21 days walking. As this is all the time i can get.

Thank you

 

[renegadepilgrim]

Why don't you start in Burgos or León and take your time and enjoy it? Starting from SJPdP and doing it in 21 days is pure insanity, in my opinion....I just met a guy the other day who had walked 52km in one day! Why? I am enjoying myself by taking it slow and taking longer than I thought I would but that's okay because I am having the time of my life. Have you thought about asking for a non-paid leave of absence for religious reasons? They might give it to you.....

 

[surlechemin]

The camino in 21 days would mean an average of about 40 km a day. Judge yourself if you are fit enough to walk that on average no matter what the weather or terrain.

I would advise you to do it either in two years or start in Burgos or even Leon.

 

[amado]

Completing the Camino Frances in 21 days is doable if you are highly fit and well-trained. I was planning to do it myself in 21 days this July because I was able to run/walk 390 km in 9 days across the mountains of Mindanao last month as part of my preparation. I know that I can easily complete the Camino in 18 days if I want to but I decided to take it easy and do it in 24 days. I don't want to rush and I want to savor the whole experience. My problem will be how to discipline myself and stick to my daily plan.
So only you can answer your question. Are you fit and highly trained enough to walk comfortably 40 km daily in 9-10 hours for 21 days.

 

[Davroos]

I recently walked from Porto with a 71 year old French guy who had walked all the caminos and when I questioned him about how long this route took, he said 19 days.

 

[surlechemin]

I recently walked from Porto with a 71 year old French guy who had walked all the caminos and when I questioned him about how long this route took, he said 19 days.

Which is about 42 km a day without rest days. If you like it ...

 

[Anniesantiago]

My opinion:

Yes, it is "doable" but what a shame to rush along the Way and miss all the beautiful churches, art, food, and people!

As someone else suggested, why not do it in two stages, one this year, and one the next, and take it slow... starting in Leon is an excellent idea... or walk ANY section and then return another year to complete it.

To spend all the money and time to plan and then have the memory be a blur... I just don't get it...

 

[LTfit]

Here an opinion from someone yet to walk the camino but who is also planning on walking 21 days:

IMHO it all depends on your personal reason for doing the Camino and only you can answer that. For me is is not about reaching a final destination or "goal" per se but rather about taking in what the Camino has to offer, step by step, hour by hour and day by day - whatever that may be. By myself (not likely in July) or with others, fast or slow, etc.

I've decided to start out in SJPP (actually want to cross over the pyrenees) and see where I end up. I suspect that that will be in or around Leon but who knows. Again it's personal. For me it is not about proving something to myself as I have participated in numerious races over the years and have trained and ran 5 marathons. But in doing so I missed out on a lot that went on around me. It is hard to teach old dogs new tricks but I hope that I will be able to stop...and...smell... the... "roses" (sweaty Pelegrinos/as, cow dung, etc.) along the way :wink: !

Good luck deciding and keep asking questions cause there is a wealth of knowledge and experience here. The help I have received thus far has been great!

Cheers,
Lee

 

[Anniesantiago]

Hooray! :::applause:::

This sounds like a wonderful plan!

Buen Camino!

 

[spursfan]

It's do-able but not guaranteed - I started off following the Brierley stages but quickly found that I reached the destination before noon - so I decided to walk in the afternoons as well and thereafter walked 40KM+ a day in something like 8 hours - so plenty of time to appreciate the rest of the camino

But you will require well-used and comfortable shoes (I went with North Face trainer-style but with Vibram soles for rough terrain), travel light (my bag was 7k but 5k would be better), choose a variety of surfaces (hard tarmac but also softer side of roads), take care of your feet (separate inner and outer socks, compeed at the ready, change socks every 2 hours) and listen to your body along the way

 

[LTfit]

Another take on my comment about slowing down to "smell the roses"...

From a sunny Holland!

Cheers,
LT

 

[DogWalker23]

Hello, I also only have 21 days to complete the Camino Frances. I thought about biking at least the Meseta stretch, but may increase the biking portion. Do you think this will give me enough time to enjoy the Camino, or should I extend my trip one week?

 

[Tincatinker]

What will you do with the bike the rest of the time?

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Hi, is there anyone out there that could tell me, is it possible to complete the Comino starting from St Jean, in 21 days walking. As this is all the time i can get.

Thank you

I met an 80 year old French pilgrim the other day who said that he walked the Frances in 20 days when he was younger (i.e. when he was 70).

 

[jldelta]

Hello, I also only have 21 days to complete the Camino Frances. I thought about biking at least the Meseta stretch, but may increase the biking portion. Do you think this will give me enough time to enjoy the Camino, or should I extend my trip one week?

I walked from SJPDP to SdC in 27 days earlier this year (I planned for 34 days). I'm a reasonably fit & healthy 71 year old who was very fortunate not to get a single blister (oversized Hoka Challenger 6 ATR footwear, in case you're wondering). The experience was utterly marvelous beyond words, but I devoted very little time to any of the more normal sightseeing, as this was not what I was seeking by walking the Camino.

So, unless you are very fit & walk that/those dog(s) a very long way very fast, and are used to 40+km days (I walked that far 3 times - I just kept going and loved it), I would suggest either taking the additional week you mention, or starting a little further down the road. There is a mystique about the camino that may well affect you in ways you do not anticipate, so I would not worry about missing out... you'll come back as so many do, if needed (although I doubt that I will).

 

[henrythedog]

Hi, is there anyone out there that could tell me, is it possible to complete the Comino starting from St Jean, in 21 days walking. As this is all the time i can get.

Thank you

I’ve done it in 26 days and I’m built for comfort, not for speed. I had all the time I wanted, it was just my natural pace.

I’m certain that someone fit and single-minded could walk the CF in 21 days, but whether they would enjoy it or not is another matter. I wouldn’t, but then I’ve got alcoholic constipation. I can’t pass a pub.

 

[Kirkie]

Hi, is there anyone out there that could tell me, is it possible to complete the Comino starting from St Jean, in 21 days walking. As this is all the time i can get.

Thank you

Possible? Of course! Here is a screenshot of the question I put to duckduckgo. So, a serious daily average. My first camino I gave myself an average of 25k per day. I didn't do too badly. Depends on your particular situation - age, fitness, motivation...

Now, to your question. The Camino. Which one? Pop into the Camino Information Centre in James's street in Dublin and bamboozle yourself with the map on the wall. You could walk from Porto to Santiago, then from Ferrol or A Coruna to Santiago, Santiago to Muxia and back via Finisterra... that could bring you up to your limit.
Whatever happens, buen camino, and may it be a blessed pilgrimage.
Maybe have a look at the current thread asking people to express thanks to John Brierley - someone who has walked more steps than many, on many of the umpteen caminos, and has been an invaluable guide to many many pilgrims.

 

[David Tallan]

You won't really know how far you can walk day after day after day until you actually do it. Some people certainly can. Others can't. It isn't necessarily related to age. My teenage son was having major blister issues when we walked successive 25+ km days. They went away when we kept the daily distances below that.

You can find out what your threshold is by devoting enough time to training before you go. Once you know how far you can walk day after day after day under load, you can figure out pretty easily how much time you need. And then decide what to do with that information.

If that kind of training/research isn't practical in the time you have available before going or committing to dates, I would give yourself as much extra time as you can.

 

[LTfit]

Had to chuckle at my posts from 2010 before my first Camino (#8 and #11). Did I really write that? Sounds quite sensible

The fact is that I actually got to Santiago in 20 days. I originally thought that I would make it to about León that changed quickly to Ponferrada and while walking it soon became clear that I could make it all the way to Santiago. It was never my plan but worked out for me.

In 2018 I walked again from SJPDP to Santiago in 19 days. I was 62 at the time.

I would have never reread those comments nor remembered them but I received 2 Forum alerts that someone "liked" my post .

 

[Kirkie]

Check the date, check the date! I checked to see if the OP had looked in. Then I saw the date!!!