Sorry this is such a long post... I just felt like writing it out.
Here is how I did it. I am near your age, 58, and have walked these stages twice:
Spend the first day/night in Leon. Spend the day seeing the Cathedral and the city. Locate the bus stop that will carry you to La Virgen del Camino. It is across the street from the train station. Get up next morning and catch that bus. You can get coffee and food in La Virgen del Camino or stop on your way to the bus... or eat at the convent in Leon.
Day 1: La Virgen del Camino to Villar de Mazariffe. This will be a short stage of a little over 16 kilometers.. a great first day.. gentle. There are several places to stay in Villar. I loved the quirky El Refugio de Jesus because of all the art and the fact that you do not have to get up at any particular time... so you break in easy your first day.
Day 2: Villar de Mazariffe to Hospital de Orbigo. This is another short day, only 13.8 k and the parish hostel there is lovely with a nice kitchen so you can cook, or several restaurants in town.
Day 3: HDO to Astorga. (about 16 k) Astorga is a wonderful city with a lot to see. This is another short walking day - and will give you time to see Gaudi's palace and the archeological museum. By now, you should be finding your pace, and can start taking longer stages, in my opinion.
Day 4: Astorga to Rabanal del Camino. (21 k) Guacelmo is my favorite albergue here, right behind the church. There used to be Benedictine monks that sang vespers here. It stopped for a while, not sure if it's going on now, but this is a very nice albergue with a good kitchen and a little mercado for buying groceries a short walk away (actually on your way to the albergue).
Day 5: Rabanal to to Molineseca (26.5 k). Stop at Manjarin to visit a well=known character on the Camino. If you had more time, I'd say to stay there, it's an adventure... but you are short on time. If you don't like the looks of the albergue at Molinaseca (it wasn't too clean, so I slept outside on the porch on a bunk), you could taxi into Ponferrada?
Day 6: Following
Brierley's guide, we walked from Mollinaseca to Viafranca del Bierzo. This is 30 k.. a LONG walk, so you may want to stop in Cacabelos or taxi part way? There, they had nice showers and 2 bed private cubby rooms, but no kitchen. You will have to picnic, plan ahead, or keep walking (or taxi) to Viafranca, where you could stay at Ave Fenix, a really nice network hostal. There is also a municipal there, but I haven't stayed in it. If you want more privacy, you can get in touch with Frederica and Andres, who have a private place. There are plenty of places to eat there. I had a great American style hamburger at Cafeteria Compostella. Two burgers, two beers, and a plate of batatas bravas on the terrace for 13 Euro.
Day 7: The guide sends you from Viafranca to O'Cebreiro. (30.9 k with a HARD climb!) To me, this looked like suicide unless you were 18 years old or in excellent condition. The climb to O'Cebreiro is VERY DIFFICULT, but spectacular. It made more sense to break this stage into two days and enjoy the walk up. We walked only 20 k and stayed at Vega de Valcarce. Nice good kitchen, bar and market nearby for 5 Euro. BUT, the first albergue you pass is owned by a wonderful Portuguese lady who keeps the place spotless and offers a nice dinner and bed for 20 Euro or only bed for 6 to 8 Euro. When I walk again, I will plan to stay with her. If you do stay at the second albergue, be sure to watch for the old men attending "parliment" up on the high hill around sunset... it's their evening routine, and great to see 80 year olds manning that steep hill!
You could also taxi part of this stage...and miss the climb or miss the first section and climb the danged hill.
Day 8: VdV to O'Cebreiro. This will be a short but difficult day... enjoy the afternoon being a tourist pilgrim in O'Cebreiro. Eat pulpo! Sit on the wall and watch the guy down below making the thatching for the rooftops. Enjoy a great bowl of Caldo Verde in one of the restaurants. It's a beautiful place for a short day and some rest.
Day 9: We walked to Triacastela. We did not stay at the first albergue, as I felt his prices were high for what he offered. Instead, we continued up the road to Casa XATO, a working farm, and took a room (ensuite) there. I loved it! Having grown up on a farm, I was at home. Yes, it smelled of cows and goats, and there were a few flies, but it was just lovely. The lady of the house included dinner and breakfast in the cost of the room, and we paid for the ROOM, not per person - which was large enough to accommodate probably 6 people (we were only two). For two of us, we paid 36 Euro and that included ensuite room, Caldo Gallego, Pan, Vino, Coffee, 2 beer/limon and breakfast. I would stay here again in a heartbeat.
Day 10: The walk from Triacastela to Sarria is the most beautiful walk on the Camino for me. (25 k) We broke this up into two days and stopped in Samos. But you could easily walk it in one stage, really. By now you're in shape and 25 k is easy!
We slept at the Victoria hostal, which was nice. In Sarria, I found the municipal albergue to be filthy and unfriendly and gross. Two years earlier, I stayed at Don Alvaro in Sarria and loved it. . . unfortunately it was full this time, so if you can, make reservations here or at another place. There are several places in Sarria.
Day 11: Sarria to Portomarin. (22.9 k) We actually broke this up into two days also (we had 3 months to do our walking so we went slow) because I wanted to stay at Casa Morgade, which turned out to be a delightful stay! The albergue at Ferrerios is also nice. I stayed here two years earlier. If you go all the way to Poromarin, I highly recommend the new albergue. It is nice, new, and clean. Great kitchen and showers but MANY beds. They have a television so you can catch up on the world news. 9 Euro.
Day 12:
Brierley's stage is Portomarin to Palas de Rei. We stayed at Ligonde instead at the albergue as you leave the town. (17 k) Tiny and sweet, I loved this place! They had a tiny kitchen, but it wasn't really equipped well. Instead, we walked a very short distance up the road to Eirexe, where we found a great bar with food. I saw other pilgrims sleeping here, so I think they also have an albergue here. Since you are on a schedule, however, you may want to continue on to Palas de Rei... or take a taxi there next morning
There's no law against doing that, you know? It's about 6 miles up the road.. shouldn't cost much.
Day 13: At this point you are 3 stages away from Santiago. From Palas de Rei to Ribadiso is a nice walk. There is a sweet Albergue here with a great restaurant. It's about 26 k.
Day 14...For me, from here to Santiago wasn't the best walking.. but if you want to walk into Santiago, someone else will have to guide you in... and you will have to make decisions about where to stop.. maybe walk longer stages or taxi a couple of stages.
Stages I would not miss would be the ones into Samos and Sarria.. the one up O'Cebreiro (just to say you did it!).
One I WOULD miss would be the one IN to Santiago... but that's me. It was a lot of city walking and by then, I just wanted to arrive. I'll tell you what we did, you can decide.
From Ligende we walked to Casanova. The albergue there was nice, but hot as heck, as they had heated floors and some of the pilgs wanted the windows closed.. I thought I'd have a heatstroke! There was a restaurant by taxi, a kitchen, good showers... but hot.
Day 15: We walked to Ribadiso, which I've already commented on.
Day 16: We walked to Santa Irene but found bedbugs in the albergue, so we walked to Arco do Pino and found a lovely place to stay at Casada Gallega, Rua N 22 along the path. The owner is next door across the street (you pass her as you walk to the Casada).. It was 30 euro for a double, had a nice kitchen, was very clean... a great place to stay.
Day 17: We continued to Santiago. There is a place in Santiago I love that is 25 to 30 Euro for a double with a shared bath.. clean.. we stay there every time we go. PM me if you want that information. It's about a 10 minute walk from center of town... by then that is nothing.
Soo... this is how we went.. you will have to walk double what we walked or taxi some stages, but for the most part, you should be able to easily do it. I'd take it easy the first day or two, then walk longer stages... you can't get lost and it's easy walking except for O'Cebreiro.
We met one lady who was morbidly obese along our walk. She would simply walk until she was too tired, then call a taxi to the next albergue. She was smart, because by the end, she was walking full stages and had lost a LOT of weight, but had not hurt herself. That is the key, to me, to a good Camino... listening to your OWN body and your OWN gut feelings and following those instincts. If someone else doesn't like it ::shrug::: The one thing you will need to be careful of is that some albergues will not let you stay if you taxi in.. until all the pilgrims who are walking have come in. So in those cases, you may need to pay for a private room. Just be aware.
I'm sure others will have input.
Most of all, make it YOUR Camino, and walk it YOUR way and have a blast!
Buen Camino!
Annie
