Advice for walking the Camino

[stimpakceo]

Hello, I am 16 years old, and I live in Ireland. Come September, my year and I will be walking the first stage of the Camino de Frances. I am a mildly religious person, so I decided to go, even though I am overweight. I depart on September 11. I currently weigh 230 pound, and I am 6 feet, 2 inches. A considerable amount of my weight is muscle, but a lot is fat.

What advice can you give me for my weight, and for packing?

 

[scruffy1]

Don't worry about your weight, eat what you will but eat healthy - you will lose weight on the Camino but a shorter Camino means most of that weight loss will be due to dehydration so drink a lot. You can find Guinness on the Camino but stick to the wine the dark stuff costs an arm and a leg. One thought, 250,000+ pilgrims finished the Camino last year - you can do this!

 

[ShaunKevin]

Hello, I am 16 years old, and I live in Ireland. Come September, my year and I will be walking the first stage of the Camino de Frances. I am a mildly religious person, so I decided to go, even though I am overweight. I depart on September 11. I currently weigh 230 pound, and I am 6 feet, 2 inches. A considerable amount of my weight is muscle, but a lot is fat.

What advice can you give me for my weight, and for packing?

Good for you ! There are people in all shapes and sizes on the Camino: older, younger, obese, underweight, gay, straight, non binary, religious, atheist, you name it.

You go and be your best self.

Pack light as can be - you don’t need much really.
And good luck!

 

[Pelegrin]

Don't worry about your weight, eat what you will but eat healthy - you will lose weight on the Camino but a shorter Camino means most of that weight loss will be due to dehydration so drink a lot. You can find Guinness on the Camino but stick to the wine the dark stuff costs an arm and a leg. One thought, 250,000+ pilgrims finished the Camino last year - you can do this!

Mínimum age allowed to consume beer or wine in Spain is 18.

 

[Kathor1]

Come September, my year and I will be walking the first stage of the Camino de Frances. I am a mildly religious person, so I decided to go, even though I am overweight. I depart on September 11. [...] What advice can you give me for my weight, and for packing?

Welcome to the forum, @stimpakceo. What do you mean by "the first stage of the Camino [de] Frances"? Starting in the French town of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port? And then what - a day? a week? It seems to be a somewhat unusual choice for school classes. Do you know why your school chose "the first stage"?

11 September is soon and it must be the school holidays now for you. Did your school not provide you with a packing list? Why not post it here to get more specific advice if necessary.

Buen camino!

 

[nycwalking]

Hello,

You will be ok. Do not worry about your weight. Many pilgrim folk have extra meat on their bones and they are just fine.

You are quite lucky to head out so young.

Pack lightly, get some good trekking shoes.

Buen camino.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Hello, I am 16 years old, and I live in Ireland. Come September, my year and I will be walking the first stage of the Camino de Frances. I am a mildly religious person, so I decided to go, even though I am overweight. I depart on September 11. I currently weigh 230 pound, and I am 6 feet, 2 inches. A considerable amount of my weight is muscle, but a lot is fat.

What advice can you give me for my weight, and for packing?

I'm about 30lbs heavier and 50 years older so if I can . . . so can you.

This might seem rude but how are your thighs (God I hope I'm not talking to a female)? If largish you need to watch out for chafe between your legs - see recent post about "gentlemen's undercarriage) - a pot of Sudacreme or zinc oxide can do wonders.

If in a group are they transporting your bags for you? If so pack weight is not a problem. Nothing too tight.

Keep gear to a minimum - ask your mother to show you how to hand wash tee shirts, socks and underwear

Most important of all - footwear. See what @davebugg has to say about trail runners. And once you've got that sorted get some practice in by walking as much as you can. If the "first stage of the Camino" is out of SJPP you have a mountain to look forward to - not sure what part of Ireland you're from but the Mountains of Mourne can be good practice. If you're not used to mountains then search for Sherpa Step Hiking - there are videos on YouTube. Basically as you walk up the slope you straighten your back leg so it takes the weight. Slows you down but saves energy, like I say, there are videos!

Thinking about it the biggest (no pun intended) problem you may encounter are the beds. Spanish single beds do not run to a generous width or length - you might need to practice sleeping with your feet hanging out the end (not fun with a metal bed frame)

Above all have a great time and report back to tell us how it went.

Take care.

 

[Bradypus]

This might seem rude but how are your thighs (God I hope I'm not talking to a female)? If largish you need to watch out for chafe between your legs - see recent post about "gentlemen's undercarriage) - a pot of Sudacreme or zinc oxide can do wonders.

A very important point. Lots of words on here about blisters but chafing is a far bigger issue for me. A friend once diagnosed my problem as "teddy bear legs" - my overly-fat thighs having no separation Slapping on Vaseline or Sudocrem or zinc oxide cream certainly helps. As does wearing close-fitting underwear which has legs ending part way down my thigh rather than my usual cotton briefs which saw into my groin when walking long distance

 

[Nanio]

I do not see the young Irish person asking about wine or Guinness in this post, they are asking about fear and weight etc. I know stereotypes exist for a reason , but it is disheartening to see people make these assumptions.

 

[John Sikora]

Go for it and you'll find that you've found yourself and lost some of yourself as well. When I walked the Camino Frances (full route), I lost about 12 pounds. Ate like a pig. Love the Camino diet.

 

[spagirl]

Its wonderful that you will get to experience this at a younger age. I was jus a bit older than you when I first heard about the Camino. I wanted to go ever since.
Enjoy all of it.
Buen Camino and good luck!

 

[Deleted member 12253]

Don't worry about your weight, eat what you will but eat healthy - you will lose weight on the Camino but a shorter Camino means most of that weight loss will be due to dehydration so drink a lot. You can find Guinness on the Camino but stick to the wine the dark stuff costs an arm and a leg. One thought, 250,000+ pilgrims finished the Camino last year - you can do this!

Scruffy the kid is 16 years old

 

[Deleted member 12253]

Hello, I am 16 years old, and I live in Ireland. Come September, my year and I will be walking the first stage of the Camino de Frances. I am a mildly religious person, so I decided to go, even though I am overweight. I depart on September 11. I currently weigh 230 pound, and I am 6 feet, 2 inches. A considerable amount of my weight is muscle, but a lot is fat.

What advice can you give me for my weight, and for packing?

Climb crough patrick or reek a few times keep pack weigh to 6kg.

 

[Kathor1]

Can we stop the discussion of cultural aspects of Ireland and Spain in this thread, please? I think most of us know how ill-judged that earlier advice in this thread is, in particular in the age of the phenomenon of binge-drinking among young people. It's one thing if one's own cultural background is such that consumption of wine in modest quantities is not frowned upon at an earlier age in a family setting, whether private or public. I myself come from such a background. It's something completely different to tell a youngster on a school trip to accept alcohol when offered by any (""responsible"") adult in a foreign country. I guess the poster didn't think this through in his eagerness to share his knowledge.

 

[SioCamino]

Hello, I am 16 years old, and I live in Ireland. Come September, my year and I will be walking the first stage of the Camino de Frances. I am a mildly religious person, so I decided to go, even though I am overweight. I depart on September 11. I currently weigh 230 pound, and I am 6 feet, 2 inches. A considerable amount of my weight is muscle, but a lot is fat.

What advice can you give me for my weight, and for packing?

Hi Stimpakceo, in terms of packing, the less the better if you plan on carrying your bag. There are lots of packing lists and advice on this forum on what to bring. You may be able to adjust your packing list closer to the time when you have a better view of what the weather might be like. How long are you going to be walking for? Will you be travelling alone or with friends/family? My brother recently walked the first week or so from SJPP with his 16yo son who was in transition year - they both really enjoyed it.
In terms of general advice, I guess just take a deep breath and go for it... travelling and doing something for the first time can be nerve wracking but invariably worth the stress.... be ready to smile and chat and be patient - with yourself and with others. There is so much advice and information here on the Forum so use it! Very best wishes and buen camino!

 

[wayfarer]

Please stay on topic.

 

[Anna SWEDEN]

Hello, I am 16 years old, and I live in Ireland. Come September, my year and I will be walking the first stage of the Camino de Frances. I am a mildly religious person, so I decided to go, even though I am overweight. I depart on September 11. I currently weigh 230 pound, and I am 6 feet, 2 inches. A considerable amount of my weight is muscle, but a lot is fat.

What advice can you give me for my weight, and for packing?

Hello Stimpakceo !
I am the same height and weight as you. 45 years old and took a 7 day walk on the camino in June. ( with no previous training)
Besides the obvious - avoid blisters and keep your packweight low.
Two important things to keep in mind in our size:
• Good footwear with cushioning in the soles and arc support
• Good underwear and pants to aviod chafing - short bicycle pants that ends a bit down on the leg was my salvation.
If the pack is heavy and your body hurts - ship it for a day or two.
Consider walkingpoles to reduce stress on the body downhill.
Most important ENJOY.
I loved it
Please excuse bad spelling - my iPad is still on autocorrect in swedish.

 

[Rover]

Hello, I am 16 years old, and I live in Ireland. Come September, my year and I will be walking the first stage of the Camino de Frances. I am a mildly religious person, so I decided to go, even though I am overweight. I depart on September 11. I currently weigh 230 pound, and I am 6 feet, 2 inches. A considerable amount of my weight is muscle, but a lot is fat.

What advice can you give me for my weight, and for packing?

Congratulations, you are about to embark on a transformative journey. I walked the Camino two years ago and met people from all around the world - all different sizes, ages and shapes - it didn't make a diddle difference. If you want to walk the Camino, however far, then you can do it . . . as long as YOU have the resolve. Time is short before you leave on your journey. I recommend that you do the best you can to loose weight and to get into shape - both mentally and physically and when you start your trek, walk at a comfortable pace until you reach your destination. The Camino is not a race; it's about you and what you experience along the way.

 

[McNickj]

Hi Stimpakceo..
If you live in or near Dublin you might consider visiting the Camino Society Information Centre @ St James's Church on James's Street D8. There you can chat with our volunteers about any concerns you have about your Camino. They are all experienced pilgrims. The centre is open Thursday to Saturday 10:30 to 15:30.
CAMINO Society Ireland Info-centre

Jim

 

[TatiLie]

I haven't done a Camino yet but I advise you go get some walking as a test drive and check for these items:
• the shoes you'll be wearing, different socks, clothing, hat, sunglasses (one that slides down your nose when sweating will drive you crazy after a couple of hours)
• a backpack and how much stuff you really need (I surely won't be needing a DSLR camera and a couple of lenses!)
• test the sunscreen and repellent (strangely in my test walks I realised that flies are the most challenging thing!)
• check if you would like to use walking poles, and if you do, you need to practice before getting to your Camino

If you are in Dublin you can visit the Camino Society of Ireland to get more info http://stjamesparish.ie/camino-de-santiago/ and maybe doing one of the Celtic Ways (for example Bray to St James Church) will give you an idea of how your overall physical conditions are.

County Kildare has some nice guides and activities for walking along the canals and your county might have something similar http://kildare.ie/kildaresp/TowpathTrails/?page=1

Have a great Camino and come back to the forum to let us know how it went!

 

[Deleted member 12253]

The young man walking with his year which means school year so teachers and leaders involed including his school