cassieryle
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Fisterre (2017), Norte(2018), Ingles (2019)
Hello Pilgrims,
We just returned from completing the Ingles with our six-month old baby boy. We actually started in Ireland, then flew to Spain to connect with the Ingles. This is called the 'Celtic Camino,' and we did about 170km total. He was no stranger to the Camino - last year while walking the Norte, I became pregnant, essentially walking the entire thing with child without knowing it. We named the resulting child Tiago, of course
So, we were anxious to get back out on the Way this year, with him along. We learned a lot in the process, and I thought I'd share it here so others can benefit from our experience if you're thinking of doing the same thing.
The Ingles is the perfect camino to do with a buggy/stroller. There are really no rough spots at all, and we didn't have to lift the buggy once. We were traveling with an Out n' About Sport, which is very affordable, and it held up very well. No complaints. We also used a baby sling about half the time, which he loved, because he felt like he was walking. Most people do the Ingles in 6 stages... we did it in 7, but easily could have done it in 6. We were going our normal speed without baby, which is about 4km an hour.
We didn't have much fun on this Camino. Partly, I think it's because there are way less pilgrims and most of them didn't speak English so we couldn't communicate. The other issue is that we were not staying in albergues. There aren't many choices on the Ingles, and we were forced to stay in small hostals and pensions along the way rather than in private rooms in albergues, which would have been perfect. On our last night, in Sigueiro, there was finally an albergue with private rooms, and we met so many people and felt the Camino spirit again. On the Frances, or even the Norte, this wouldn't have been an issue most of the time, as there are many albergues with private rooms.
Walking the camino with a baby is HARD. The walking is not the hard part. That was easy, and our boy LOVED it. The hard part was getting to your destination in the afternoon, tired from the journey. In the past, this is when we would take a nap, have a shower and a beer, and just relax. With a baby, once you arrive and get him out of the buggy, he is ready to PLAY. So, I found this camino to be doubly exhausting, and it was very hard to find the time to just relax and recover from the day's walk.
The negatives aside, we found this camino to be SO REWARDING. The benefits for the baby were undeniable. He was so stimulated, happy and full of the spirit. Everywhere we went people treated him like a superstar, and you could just see his brain sponging up all the new sights, smells, sounds and people. Any naysayers who say taking a baby on the Camino is cruel or abusive can shove it as far as I'm concerned. It's just plain wrong, at least in the case of our child. It was the best thing we could have done for him. Six months is the perfect age, too, because he was totally into his surroundings and loved looking around and interacting, but not yet mobile so he's happy enough sitting in the buggy or walking with us in the sling. It also brought us way closer together as a family. My husband and I learned even more about team work, and we really got the routines down seamlessly. AND, when we walked into the square in Santiago finally, we were overcome with emotion, unlike ever before. It felt like we had really achieved something. It was all worth it in the end.
About half the rooms we stayed in offered baby cots. In the ones that didn't, we constructed little beds out of extra blankets. He doesn't crawl yet so this worked. We carried all the nappies and formula we needed. He ate from little organic food pouches we brought. In the evenings I'd lay down a clean towel on the shower floor, folded up a few times, and put him on it laying down, then spray him with the shower head for a bath. Worked wonderfully in the absence of a tub.
Unfortunately my husband and I got terrible bed bugs on this camino. The saving grace is that baby Tiago only got one bite, while we were completely covered. I would have been beside myself if he was covered, and probably would have quit immediately. His one bite didn't even bother him though, so we kept going after watching him closely.
The compostela office would not give Tiago his own document, but added his name officially to mine, so we have a combined compostela.
All in all, we are glad we did it. It was the hardest thing we ever did though, nothing like walking it without a baby. We won't be doing it again until he can walk on his own and take care of himself after arriving at the albergues. But the experience was one of the great memories of life, and a true adventure.
I am happy to respond to any questions if anyone needs advice. Ingles is perfect for doing it with a baby, at least as far as surface
We just returned from completing the Ingles with our six-month old baby boy. We actually started in Ireland, then flew to Spain to connect with the Ingles. This is called the 'Celtic Camino,' and we did about 170km total. He was no stranger to the Camino - last year while walking the Norte, I became pregnant, essentially walking the entire thing with child without knowing it. We named the resulting child Tiago, of course
So, we were anxious to get back out on the Way this year, with him along. We learned a lot in the process, and I thought I'd share it here so others can benefit from our experience if you're thinking of doing the same thing.The Ingles is the perfect camino to do with a buggy/stroller. There are really no rough spots at all, and we didn't have to lift the buggy once. We were traveling with an Out n' About Sport, which is very affordable, and it held up very well. No complaints. We also used a baby sling about half the time, which he loved, because he felt like he was walking. Most people do the Ingles in 6 stages... we did it in 7, but easily could have done it in 6. We were going our normal speed without baby, which is about 4km an hour.
We didn't have much fun on this Camino. Partly, I think it's because there are way less pilgrims and most of them didn't speak English so we couldn't communicate. The other issue is that we were not staying in albergues. There aren't many choices on the Ingles, and we were forced to stay in small hostals and pensions along the way rather than in private rooms in albergues, which would have been perfect. On our last night, in Sigueiro, there was finally an albergue with private rooms, and we met so many people and felt the Camino spirit again. On the Frances, or even the Norte, this wouldn't have been an issue most of the time, as there are many albergues with private rooms.
Walking the camino with a baby is HARD. The walking is not the hard part. That was easy, and our boy LOVED it. The hard part was getting to your destination in the afternoon, tired from the journey. In the past, this is when we would take a nap, have a shower and a beer, and just relax. With a baby, once you arrive and get him out of the buggy, he is ready to PLAY. So, I found this camino to be doubly exhausting, and it was very hard to find the time to just relax and recover from the day's walk.
The negatives aside, we found this camino to be SO REWARDING. The benefits for the baby were undeniable. He was so stimulated, happy and full of the spirit. Everywhere we went people treated him like a superstar, and you could just see his brain sponging up all the new sights, smells, sounds and people. Any naysayers who say taking a baby on the Camino is cruel or abusive can shove it as far as I'm concerned. It's just plain wrong, at least in the case of our child. It was the best thing we could have done for him. Six months is the perfect age, too, because he was totally into his surroundings and loved looking around and interacting, but not yet mobile so he's happy enough sitting in the buggy or walking with us in the sling. It also brought us way closer together as a family. My husband and I learned even more about team work, and we really got the routines down seamlessly. AND, when we walked into the square in Santiago finally, we were overcome with emotion, unlike ever before. It felt like we had really achieved something. It was all worth it in the end.
About half the rooms we stayed in offered baby cots. In the ones that didn't, we constructed little beds out of extra blankets. He doesn't crawl yet so this worked. We carried all the nappies and formula we needed. He ate from little organic food pouches we brought. In the evenings I'd lay down a clean towel on the shower floor, folded up a few times, and put him on it laying down, then spray him with the shower head for a bath. Worked wonderfully in the absence of a tub.
Unfortunately my husband and I got terrible bed bugs on this camino. The saving grace is that baby Tiago only got one bite, while we were completely covered. I would have been beside myself if he was covered, and probably would have quit immediately. His one bite didn't even bother him though, so we kept going after watching him closely.
The compostela office would not give Tiago his own document, but added his name officially to mine, so we have a combined compostela.
All in all, we are glad we did it. It was the hardest thing we ever did though, nothing like walking it without a baby. We won't be doing it again until he can walk on his own and take care of himself after arriving at the albergues. But the experience was one of the great memories of life, and a true adventure.
I am happy to respond to any questions if anyone needs advice. Ingles is perfect for doing it with a baby, at least as far as surface
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