First time Camino Frances Sep 2021

[Mqcola]

Hi everyone,

My husband and I have been waiting for over 10 years for this time to come. We have planned to walk the Camino Frances in 2021 to thanks all the good and maybe not so good things that happened in our lives and to start a new journey as we will be retiring.
We are a little bit concerned on how the lodging will work in this era of the new normal ( I know I might being pessimistic that we will not get throught this until september, just wanted to be prepared for the worse case scenario.
Please, we need your help and sugestion on what we should do.
Please let us know if we should book ( and even if it is possible as before it was first come first serve) the loading in advance, and if so could we do it 24hrs in advance or it wouldn't be enought time.
I am very concerned, going and not having a space to sleep.
Thank you so much for your help.

 

[trecile]

Hi everyone,

My husband and I have been waiting for over 10 years for this time to come. We have planned to walk the Camino Frances in 2021 to thanks all the good and maybe not so good things that happened in our lives and to start a new journey as we will be retiring.
We are a little bit concerned on how the lodging will work in this era of the new normal ( I know I might being pessimistic that we will not get throught this until september, just wanted to be prepared for the worse case scenario.
Please, we need your help and sugestion on what we should do.
Please let us know if we should book ( and even if it is possible as before it was first come first serve) the loading in advance, and if so could we do it 24hrs in advance or it wouldn't be enought time.
I am very concerned, going and not having a space to sleep.
Thank you so much for your help.

I don't think that anyone can tell you with any guarantees what the Camino might be like next year (hopefully) post Covid. Be aware that 2021 is a holy year, which usually brings out more pilgrims, and September is one of the most popular months to start the Camino from St Jean Pied de Port. You might want to consider starting the last week of August rather than in September. That's when I started my first Camino in 2016, and I never had an issue finding a bed, and I rarely booked ahead.
I would definitely book my accommodations up through Pamplona, then wing it from there - booking a day or two ahead, or just showing up and finding a place each day.

 

[aname4me]

There are many views on prebooking.

As a newbie Pilgrim you won't know the distance you are capable of walking each day. If you don't know how far you can (really) walk... it is hard to prebook.

Most retired couples walk 20-25Km a day.

I would advise you to book the first four night months before, by July.
September 2019 was a record year with the places (at the beginning) all filled by 1 or 2pm.

You do need to prebook....
St Jean Pied de Port
Orisson this is an important stop, you will meet many people here that will be part of you Camino family
Roncesvalles
Zubiri

Pamplona this is a big enough place that you should not have difficulty finding a place when you arrive.

After Pamplona the herd of Pilgrims spreads out.


Also (if you don't live in Europe).... allow at least 2 night in Europe before you start to walk. Your body needs time to relax and adjust after your trip.

 

[Mqcola]

Hi,
Thank you so much for your advise. I will check leaving by end of August, my husband was a little bit concern if the weather would be too hot.
I also like the idea of staying a few days before starting our walk. Thank you, so many good advise.
We will take it easy in the beginning of the walk, as I agree that we don't know how our body will react of walking long distances on a daily basis.
Thanks again ...

 

[trecile]

Thank you so much for your advise. I will check leaving by end of August, my husband was a little bit concern if the weather would be too hot.

Yes, it can be hot in August, but the weather doesn't magically change starting September 1st - it can be quite hot in September too.

 

[André Walker]

Trecile is right: the temperatures don't significally change from the end of August to the start of September. For what it's worth, here is the longterm climate info of the 4 major cities on the Camino Frances:

 

[BROWNCOUNTYBOB]

My wife have walked Camino Frances three times from St Jean to Santiago, each time from mid September to late October. That time of the year is ifeal for us.

Our first in 2015 was right after I retired and we did not make advance reservations except in St Jean, then we made reservations a few days ahead, such as when we stayed in paradors. Our second CF we walked with my brother and his wife. We made advance reservations for every night except 4 or 5 places and this worked well for us. Last year we had reservations every night for private rooms with private bathroom every night.

We were going to hike again this year to avoid the jubilee year crowds, but had to cancel due to the pandemic. We were uncertain if we would be able to book reservations in 2021, but were able to do so, using Booking.com and Gronze.com. In fact, yesterday I made our final reservation. We have 5 reservations for in transit overnights and 35 overnights hiking the camino.

Some veterans prefer a more spontaneous camino by not making advance reservations, but we now know the routes and where to stay so this suits us well.

Bob

 

[Walking Lover]

Hi everyone,

My husband and I have been waiting for over 10 years for this time to come. We have planned to walk the Camino Frances in 2021 to thanks all the good and maybe not so good things that happened in our lives and to start a new journey as we will be retiring.
We are a little bit concerned on how the lodging will work in this era of the new normal ( I know I might being pessimistic that we will not get throught this until september, just wanted to be prepared for the worse case scenario.
Please, we need your help and sugestion on what we should do.
Please let us know if we should book ( and even if it is possible as before it was first come first serve) the loading in advance, and if so could we do it 24hrs in advance or it wouldn't be enought time.
I am very concerned, going and not having a space to sleep.
Thank you so much for your help.

I would use Booking.com to book in advance. This will make your day's walk more enjoyable - no rush to get there early enough to find a bed and a more relaxed state of mind that will enhance your experience. I have done 4 Caminos. I will take it much slower on my next one and will still do bookings ahead of time. This allows for baggage transport to a determined location if needed.
.

 

[Bdub]

Hi,
Thank you so much for your advise. I will check leaving by end of August, my husband was a little bit concern if the weather would be too hot.
I also like the idea of staying a few days before starting our walk. Thank you, so many good advise.
We will take it easy in the beginning of the walk, as I agree that we don't know how our body will react of walking long distances on a daily basis.
Thanks again ...

This is a great forum isn’t it.
My wife and I will be starting the CF Aug 28th. We plan to get vaccinated in May or June in case we need that to enter France or Spain. We booked our first 4 nights including Orisson. We are fortunate to be able to take our time so we plan to ease into the Camino distances. Keep in touch if there’s further travel clarity out of Spain. Judging from many of the comments from this forum there is still a lot of hesitation to go this year so I don’t know how crowded it will be along the way. BTW we arrive in Paris Aug 25 then Lourdes then SJPDP.

 

[trecile]

We plan to get vaccinated in May or June

I hope to get vaccinated by May or June. I'm not sure that it's possible to plan it though.

 

[C clearly]

there is still a lot of hesitation to go this year so I don’t know how crowded it will be along the way.

Hi Bdub - I wouldn't describe it as hesitation - most of us would leap at the opportunity - but so far, we haven't been permitted to go, and there is no indication that permission will come soon! I wouldn't worry about crowds, for sure. Just make sure that any plans you make can be easily cancelled.

 

[Grousedoctor]

Hi everyone,

My husband and I have been waiting for over 10 years for this time to come. We have planned to walk the Camino Frances in 2021 to thanks all the good and maybe not so good things that happened in our lives and to start a new journey as we will be retiring.
We are a little bit concerned on how the lodging will work in this era of the new normal ( I know I might being pessimistic that we will not get throught this until september, just wanted to be prepared for the worse case scenario.
Please, we need your help and sugestion on what we should do.
Please let us know if we should book ( and even if it is possible as before it was first come first serve) the loading in advance, and if so could we do it 24hrs in advance or it wouldn't be enought time.
I am very concerned, going and not having a space to sleep.
Thank you so much for your help.

If we are lucky enough to have Europe open to us, we, too, hope to walk come fall. When we left SJPP last October, a relatively large number of pilgrims were still walking then. So, on that Camino and others, we found having reservations for accommodations most helpful. With this year being a Holy Year and with so many pilgrims having had to postpone their Caminos from months earlier, I wouldn’t even begin to try to predict how crowded the CF could potentially be once it does more fully open.

In the past, and this year has been no exception, we’ve had great luck making reservations in advance with Booking.com or by emailing the establishment directly. So, if we can get to Spain in late-August, we’re already all set with our nightly reservations. All of our reservations can be cancelled with no charge.

I’d encourage you, depending on where you’re traveling from, to give yourself a couple days to rest up prior to starting your Camino. A reservation in SJPP is advisable. Depending on your hiking strength, you can choose to go all the way to Roncesvalles in one day, or break it up with a night in Orisson. I’ve taken both routes over the Pyrenees in a single day. However, if you choose to break the first stage into two parts, reserve well ahead as the number of beds in Orisson are limited.

So as to avoid the daily “bed rush” and to give yourself some peace of mind if finding a place to sleep is worrisome, plan out your route now and start making reservations. If you’re looking to stay in private accommodations, you should be able to secure them well in advance of your Camino. Although we have our trip all laid out, since we have a good sense of how much we want to walk each day, if we can’t get to Europe due to COVID, we can easily cancel the reservations we now have in place. Buen Camino.

 

[Mobilemejen]

Hi everyone,

My husband and I have been waiting for over 10 years for this time to come. We have planned to walk the Camino Frances in 2021 to thanks all the good and maybe not so good things that happened in our lives and to start a new journey as we will be retiring.
We are a little bit concerned on how the lodging will work in this era of the new normal ( I know I might being pessimistic that we will not get throught this until september, just wanted to be prepared for the worse case scenario.
Please, we need your help and sugestion on what we should do.
Please let us know if we should book ( and even if it is possible as before it was first come first serve) the loading in advance, and if so could we do it 24hrs in advance or it wouldn't be enought time.
I am very concerned, going and not having a space to sleep.
Thank you so much for your help.

And --you can also book St Jean for the first two nights if Orission is booked. I found it easy to grab a taxi at Orission for the ride back to SJPDP and for the second morning, a taxi back to Orission to continue the walk. Yes, you miss the camaraderie of the pilgrim dinner at Orission, and you also miss sleeping in a room with 6 others, and 5 minute showers, etc. Everything has a tradeoff---it is YOUR Camino. Remember the first weight on your back you need to lose walking the Camino is the judgement of others.

 

[trecile]

And --you can also book St Jean for the first two nights if Orission is booked. I found it easy to grab a taxi at Orission for the ride back to SJPDP and for the second morning, a taxi back to Orission to continue the walk.

Or, you can walk farther than Orisson the first day (making your second day shorter) and use Express Bouricott's Mountain Shuttle to transport you to and from St Jean.

Passengers tranport on the way of Saint James | Trip from Biarritz to St Jean pied de port

Transporting people around the Way of Saint James. Trips from Biarritz to St Jean Pied De Port to Roncesvalles, and the whole pilgrimage region

www.expressbourricot.com

 

[BROWNCOUNTYBOB]

Totally agree with Grousedoctor. This will be our fourth camino frances. We hiked the full 800 kms in 2015, 2017, and 2019. We considered hiking in 2020 to avoid the Jubilee Year crowds, but due to COVID, we were able to cancel private room reservations and flights without penalty. We had advance reservations for private rooms each night in 2019 and all went well. Some worry about what to do if there is a glitch along the way. If we were unable to walk for a day or two, we'd simply take a taxi to the town we'd planned to stay in.

Not knowing the volume of pilgrims in 2021, due to pent up demand and Jubilee year, we have advance reservations for private rooms with private bath every night including in transit (overnights in Madrid, Pamplona, St Jean), and celebration reservations (two nights Santiago, one in Madrid). Most of our reservations were made on Booking.com, plus contacting the albergues directly. COVID vaccines are rolling out in our home city, with the next eligible group being age 65 and above. So our turn (my wife and I are age 63) will be soon. Can't wait ! Bob

 

[trecile]

Most of our reservations were made on Booking.com, plus contacting the albergues directly. COVID vaccines are rolling out in our home city, with the next eligible group being age 65 and above. So our turn (my wife and I are age 63) will be soon. Can't wait !

I can't wait either, but I think that I'm going to have to. I'm in the same age group as you - under 65, and according to this New York Times calculator there are over 250 million people ahead of me in line.

 

[pepi]

And --you can also book St Jean for the first two nights if Orission is booked. I found it easy to grab a taxi at Orission for the ride back to SJPDP and for the second morning, a taxi back to Orission to continue the walk. Yes, you miss the camaraderie of the pilgrim dinner at Orission, and you also miss sleeping in a room with 6 others, and 5 minute showers, etc. Everything has a tradeoff---it is YOUR Camino. Remember the first weight on your back you need to lose walking the Camino is the judgement of others.

And --you can also take the taxi from SJPdP to Orisson (or even a bit further) to skip one of the steepest parts of the entire CF and easily reach Roncesvalles or even Burguete (where I prefer to stay)
Buen Camino

 

[woody66]

Please, we need your help and sugestion on what we should do.
Please let us know if we should book ( and even if it is possible as before it was first come first serve) the loading in advance, and if so could we do it 24hrs in advance or it wouldn't be enought time.
I am very concerned, going and not having a space to sleep.
Thank you so much for your help.

Hi Mqcola!
Regarding pre booking accommodation for the French way!!
On Booking.com or any other site that offers it; if you can get free cancellation and no prepayment you can cancel free of charge up to a few days before your departure.
If things do change for the better in the months to come; and we can travel safely (for us and others)at least you have the peace of mind that you have a bed for the night!!
(I could be wrong but i think accommodation might be heavily booked.
My thinking is all those who couldn't walk in 2020 will want to go this year if possible;then there are those that would walk in 2022 who might try and get in 2021 because 2022 is a holy year and very busy but that's just a guess)


If you have to cancel you have lost nothing.

I have all my overnight stays confirmed and flights booked with Easyjet (PAID) for mid September for the Portuguese Coastal and Espiritual not the French way but the same principal.
I have until the 4th September before i must cancel the first booking so 7 months of peace of mind!
If i cancel the whole trip all i will lose is a £140 the cost of my flights.
So for me worth the risk.
I wish you Buen Camino and that you get sorted.
All the best
Woody

 

[woody66]

And --you can also book St Jean for the first two nights if Orission is booked. I found it easy to grab a taxi at Orission for the ride back to SJPDP and for the second morning, a taxi back to Orission to continue the walk. Yes, you miss the camaraderie of the pilgrim dinner at Orission, and you also miss sleeping in a room with 6 others, and 5 minute showers, etc. Everything has a tradeoff---it is YOUR Camino. Remember the first weight on your back you need to lose walking the Camino is the judgement of others.

Remember the first weight on your back you need to lose walking the Camino is the judgement of others.

Love that!!!
Woody

 

[Arn]

If you book Orisson, remember, any deposit paid is none-refundable. Though I have no problem surrendering it as a donation to keep this wonderful location open should my late Fall Camino fall through. The first week in October is the last week (10 days) you can book.

 

[trecile]

If you book Orisson, remember, any deposit paid is none-refundable

That's true if you decide not to go, but if Orisson closes because of weather or Covid you will be refunded.

 

[Arn]

That's true if you decide not to go, but if Orisson closes because of weather or Covid you will be refunded.

That is correct!

 

[tweekes]

There are many views on prebooking.

As a newbie Pilgrim you won't know the distance you are capable of walking each day. If you don't know how far you can (really) walk... it is hard to prebook.

Most retired couples walk 20-25Km a day.

I would advise you to book the first four night months before, by July.
September 2019 was a record year with the places (at the beginning) all filled by 1 or 2pm.

You do need to prebook....
St Jean Pied de Port
Orisson this is an important stop, you will meet many people here that will be part of you Camino family
Roncesvalles
Zubiri

Pamplona this is a big enough place that you should not have difficulty finding a place when you arrive.

After Pamplona the herd of Pilgrims spreads out.


Also (if you don't live in Europe).... allow at least 2 night in Europe before you start to walk. Your body needs time to relax and adjust after your trip.

Yes, I 100% agree here. I am a New Member, myself, and am aiming to walk the Camino in September 2021 for the first time, too (perhaps, we will meet?)... I have already booked 2 nights in SJPDP, in order to acclimate from the long flight (I'm coming from Western Canada). From there, I also secured a booking in Orisson and will soon move towards a booking in Roncesvalles, Zubiri and Pamplona. The rest, I will work out on the trail, as I go.

 

[DwainS]

Yes, I 100% agree here. I am a New Member, myself, and am aiming to walk the Camino in September 2021 for the first time, too (perhaps, we will meet?)... I have already booked 2 nights in SJPDP, in order to acclimate from the long flight (I'm coming from Western Canada). From there, I also secured a booking in Orisson and will soon move towards a booking in Roncesvalles, Zubiri and Pamplona. The rest, I will work out on the trail, as I go.

I'am also planning my first Camino Frances for Sept. 2021. I live in Victoria, BC and I'am supposed to get my first vaccine shot in June and second in July so hopefully I'll be good to go. I wanted to book the first few nights along the way but booking.com and hotels.com do not seem to have any availability in Zubiri.

 

[Natcats]

Yes, I 100% agree here. I am a New Member, myself, and am aiming to walk the Camino in September 2021 for the first time, too (perhaps, we will meet?)... I have already booked 2 nights in SJPDP, in order to acclimate from the long flight (I'm coming from Western Canada). From there, I also secured a booking in Orisson and will soon move towards a booking in Roncesvalles, Zubiri and Pamplona. The rest, I will work out on the trail, as I go.

My walking companion and I have done the same thing as you: pre-booked SJPdP and Orisson (mid-September). We'll land in Cahors, continue our interrupted walk to SJPdP then onward to Santiago, feet willing

We're leaving from Ottawa! Fingers crossed things will be open and enough folks will have had their vaccines.

 

[DuaneS]

I'am also planning my first Camino Frances for Sept. 2021. I live in Victoria, BC and I'am supposed to get my first vaccine shot in June and second in July so hopefully I'll be good to go. I wanted to book the first few nights along the way but booking.com and hotels.com do not seem to have any availability in Zubiri.

Just be careful because Spain may not even be open to visitors then. Right now best case scenario is the end of summer, but that requires the vaccinations going at the original speed -right now they are behind. I'd be very surprised if Spain opens to tourists before the fall.

 

[James van Hemert]

Just be careful because Spain may not even be open to visitors then. Right now best case scenario is the end of summer, but that requires the vaccinations going at the original speed -right now they are behind. I'd be very surprised if Spain opens to tourists before the fall.

Just be careful because Spain may not even be open to visitors then. Right now best case scenario is the end of summer, but that requires the vaccinations going at the original speed -right now they are behind. I'd be very surprised if Spain opens to tourists before the fall.

 

[James van Hemert]

Hello Duane
We are practically neighbours. I live in Cowichan Bay, just up over the Malahat. I too am hoping to make the pilgrimage in September/ October of 2021.

 

[Cleigh]

We are neighbours as well, from Victoria. I have reserved accommodation through Booking.com for the entire CF starting on August 18th, 2021. We did the same route in 2019 and found it difficult to find private rooms so sat in a Burgos hotel lobby and booked the rest of the trail that morning. Worked beautifully!
Keeping everything crossed that this becomes a reality but not willing to risk putting our Spanish hosts in harms way.

 

[Albertagirl]

Just be careful because Spain may not even be open to visitors then. Right now best case scenario is the end of summer, but that requires the vaccinations going at the original speed -right now they are behind. I'd be very surprised if Spain opens to tourists before the fall.

Thank you for this information. Canada is currently behind schedule in the reception and administration of vaccines, so it is impossible to predict when travel will open up again. I will not make any reservations for my fall pilgrimage until I have been vaccinated. The Canadian government has insisted that all Canadians will be vaccinated by the end of September. I'll believe it when I see it. If Spain is also behind in vaccinations and still sticking to its original dates for completing its vaccination program, I would not want to make plans and book reservations which I might not be able to keep. When I am as certain as I can be that the situation has stabilized in Spain and it is admitting foreign travellers. I shall purchase an air ticket and start planning accommodations.

 

[DwainS]

Thank you for this information. Canada is currently behind schedule in the reception and administration of vaccines, so it is impossible to predict when travel will open up again. I will not make any reservations for my fall pilgrimage until I have been vaccinated. The Canadian government has insisted that all Canadians will be vaccinated by the end of September. I'll believe it when I see it. If Spain is also behind in vaccinations and still sticking to its original dates for completing its vaccination program, I would not want to make plans and book reservations which I might not be able to keep. When I am as certain as I can be that the situation has stabilized in Spain and it is admitting foreign travellers. I shall purchase an air ticket and start planning accommodations.

Yeah it's tough to plan with this much uncertainty. I have 6 weeks off for the trip but I don't want the 6 weeks off if I can't go. Really don't know what to tell my boss, because I had planned to go last year and had to cancel. I will be turning 63 Sept 1 so it was going to be like a birthday present to myself. Haha. But if I can't go this year I might just wait till i'am 65 then I can go for as long as I want. But I don't want to wait, I want to go this year. But I will try to be the patient traveller and wait till it's safe for everyone. Buen Camino for those that do make it this year.

 

[Mqcola]

Hello all,
With all what happening I was not even logging into the forum. It is so good to know that many of us are still planning. which is making me concerned now as I haven't started yet the bookings. I will start looking and booking our accommodation ( free cancelation for sure). At least we will be prepare if we can go.
I am not sure when we will be vaccinated as Ontario has lots of promises but I am not seeing a lot of things happening. They are still on the ~85 years.
Another question for this great community. Do we need to be worried about getting the credentials? I was thinking on getting ours when we get there. There is no chance on not finding it there, correct?
Be safe and it would be great if we can meet at the camino.

 

[Tincatinker]

There, is where? Get your credencial from Ivar’s online shop. One less thing to do on your first visit

 

[tweekes]

I read somewhere that you can put in a request for one (online), as you are within distance of Santiago and they will have it ready for you to pick up at a specified time.

 

[Tincatinker]

????? Please do not confuse the Credencial, the Pilgrim Passport, with the Compostella - the nice certificate issued by the Pilgrims Office that illustrates that you were a good and compliant Pilgrim. A credencial is available from multiple sources including Ivar’s shop. The Compostella is only available from the Pilgrims Office and only provided you comply with their rules. You can indeed acquire both online in this modern era but there is only one that will be a true record of your pilgrimage

 

[tweekes]

????? Please do not confuse the Credencial, the Pilgrim Passport, with the Compostella - the nice certificate issued by the Pilgrims Office that illustrates that you were a good and compliant Pilgrim. A credencial is available from multiple sources including Ivar’s shop. The Compostella is only available from the Pilgrims Office and only provided you comply with their rules. You can indeed acquire both online in this modern era but there is only one that will be a true record of your pilgrimage

Yes, my comment was in reference to the Compostella. My apologies.

 

[trecile]

And as a reminder - Compostela has only one L. It would have a different pronunciation if it had two.

 

[Mark Barnes]

Great time of year. I walked Sept 22 - Nov 03, 2017 Pamplona to Santiago de Compostela. Their are a lot of festivals that time of year.

 

[Mqcola]

And as a reminder - Compostela has only one L. It would have a different pronunciation if it had two.

????? Please do not confuse the Credencial, the Pilgrim Passport, with the Compostella - the nice certificate issued by the Pilgrims Office that illustrates that you were a good and compliant Pilgrim. A credencial is available from multiple sources including Ivar’s shop. The Compostella is only available from the Pilgrims Office and only provided you comply with their rules. You can indeed acquire both online in this modern era but there is only one that will be a true record of your pilgrimage

????? Please do not confuse the Credencial, the Pilgrim Passport, with the Compostella - the nice certificate issued by the Pilgrims Office that illustrates that you were a good and compliant Pilgrim. A credencial is available from multiple sources including Ivar’s shop. The Compostella is only available from the Pilgrims Office and only provided you comply with their rules. You can indeed acquire both online in this modern era but there is only one that will be a true record of your pilgrimage

Hi Tincatinker, what is the difference between credentials and Pilgrim passport? I thought they were the same. .

 

[Mqcola]

hello all, my husband and I were hoping to stay at albergues, are they excepting reservations? Also as mentioned here, we are a little bit concerned making reservations ahead as we are not sure how we will do walking daily.

take care.

 

[Kanga]

Hi Tincatinker, what is the difference between credentials and Pilgrim passport? I thought they were the same. .

They are. Tincatinker was talking about the difference between a credential (aka Pilgrim's passport) and a Compostela. Credential is the book you get stamped along the way, Compostela is the certificate given by the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago. You use the credential as proof you have complied with the rules for getting the Compostela.

 

[Albertagirl]

They are. Tincatinker was talking about the difference between a credential (aka Pilgrim's passport) and a Compostela. Credential is the book you get stamped along the way, Compostela is the certificate given by the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago. You use the credential as proof you have complied with the rules for getting the Compostela.

Just to add a little information. All pilgrims who want to stay in pilgrims' hostels must have the credencial as proof of being pilgrims. So even if you don't expect to get to Santiago and apply for a compostela on a particular pilgrim walk, you will need the credencial to be able to stay in pilgrim's hostels. They are sometimes available in places where pilgrims start their walk, the Pilgrim's Office in St Jean pied de Port, some cathedrals where pilgrims begin their walk. I bought my credencials for the Via de la Plata at the Hotel Simon in Seville, which keeps a relationship with pilgrims who are beginning that route. But there is a certain security in bringing it with you to where you start your walk, whether you buy it from this forum or from one of the national pilgrims' associations that sell them to their members.

 

[norfolk-keith]

Hi,
Thank you so much for your advise. I will check leaving by end of August, my husband was a little bit concern if the weather would be too hot.
I also like the idea of staying a few days before starting our walk. Thank you, so many good advise.
We will take it easy in the beginning of the walk, as I agree that we don't know how our body will react of walking long distances on a daily basis.
Thanks again ...

Hi Mqcola
It's not as daunting as you may think. I'm 64 and walked my 3rd Camino 2019 and plan to cycle one more time August this year.
Walking your first Camino is probably the biggest physical challenge you will ever attempt but let me re-assure you it will be worth every blister, aching muscles and stiff joints you will experience along the way.
My advice is use John Brierley guide book which I have used for the past 3 Caminos and use his guidelines on the first 4 days stopping points, this will give you a set daily distance and routine where you can pre-book your Albergue for each day whilst you acclimatise with the conditions. You will average walking 25-30kms per day and you will need walking poles to assist for at least the first 5-7 days after that you will have developed your walking legs, I didn't use my poles after that at all for the rest of the Camino. Once you've reached that level you can plan each day as it comes and how you feel, one day I felt so good I walked 44kms and still made it to a decent stopping point by 3pm. Remember this is your journey your way.
One word of advice the guidelines recommend you don't exceed 10% of your body weight for your rucksack, personally don't exceed 7kg, honestly, anything you need you can buy or replace along the way and you only need to wash your cloths every 2-3 days because most all Albergues have washing facilities with machines powders anything you need, don't confuse comfort for necessity.
Enjoy your Camino guys. Keith
NB: Every litre of water is an additional 1kg and you do need to keep hydrated

 

[gayeh]

Hello all,
With all what happening I was not even logging into the forum. It is so good to know that many of us are still planning. which is making me concerned now as I haven't started yet the bookings. I will start looking and booking our accommodation ( free cancelation for sure). At least we will be prepare if we can go.
I am not sure when we will be vaccinated as Ontario has lots of promises but I am not seeing a lot of things happening. They are still on the ~85 years.
Another question for this great community. Do we need to be worried about getting the credentials? I was thinking on getting ours when we get there. There is no chance on not finding it there, correct?
Be safe and it would be great if we can meet at the camino.

I recently joined the Canadian Council of Pilgrims ($5 annual membership) and obtain your documents (and many other resources) through them. Great org.!

 

[Cleigh]

I recently joined the Canadian Council of Pilgrims ($5 annual membership) and obtain your documents (and many other resources) through them. Great org.!

I just recently joined as well. Looking forward to a August 17th start. Obviously dependent on the state of affairs by then.

 

[norfolk-keith]

I recently joined the Canadian Council of Pilgrims ($5 annual membership) and obtain your documents (and many other resources) through them. Great org.!

You don't have to worry about credentials, the pilgrim office is at the top of Rue de Citadel which is the main throughway and it's open till about 9pm which gives you plenty of time to settle in to your Albergue. There's plenty of time for everything really, your worst enemy is probably yourself don't panic, don't rush and there are enough experienced pilgrims that are more than willing to offer support/advice/information

 

[Lurch]

Hi everyone,

My husband and I have been waiting for over 10 years for this time to come. We have planned to walk the Camino Frances in 2021 to thanks all the good and maybe not so good things that happened in our lives and to start a new journey as we will be retiring.
We are a little bit concerned on how the lodging will work in this era of the new normal ( I know I might being pessimistic that we will not get throught this until september, just wanted to be prepared for the worse case scenario.
Please, we need your help and sugestion on what we should do.
Please let us know if we should book ( and even if it is possible as before it was first come first serve) the loading in advance, and if so could we do it 24hrs in advance or it wouldn't be enought time.
I am very concerned, going and not having a space to sleep.
Thank you so much for your help.

IMO, if you are traveling as a pair, I would recommend booking a reservation. In 2018, there were three of us and without prebooking we would not have been able to stay in some of the alburgues we did stay at. In today's world, I am not sure this is necessary, but it does take some of the worry away when wondering about where to spend the night. In September, I am planning on traveling, alone, this time and that worry is not as concerning.

 

[C clearly]

hello all, my husband and I were hoping to stay at albergues, are they excepting reservations? Also as mentioned here, we are a little bit concerned making reservations ahead as we are not sure how we will do walking daily.

If they are open, some albergues might accept reservations and others not. Different albergues have different policies. Private albergues are more likely to take reservations than the municipal or parroquial one. However, everything is in a state of flux now.

If I were thinking of walking in 2021 (I'm not expecting this) or hoping to walk in 2022, I would not make any reservations at all until after I booked my flight. Then I would reserve my first 2 or 3 nights, with a totally refundable booking. I would space them at modest distances that I was quite confident about. If you are flexible in your accommodation needs - i.e. you are willing to take whatever option is available - then I don't expect you'll have any trouble. However, if the very unlikely situation arose, where you learned on the forum that hoards of people were descending on the camino, you could book a few nights more in advance. (I wouldn't expect that, and with the current situation, we are not going to know what will happen until close to the date.)

Once you arrive at your starting point, and have 2 or 3 nights arranged, you will be able to better judge the situation and deal with it.

 

[Kanga]

It will take a while for the practicalities to emerge. All we can do is stay flexible - something that the Camino has always demanded.

 

[Mqcola]

Hello all.
I know this is an old thread. Just would like to share with you all that we are finally going for our walk. We will arrive at SJPP on May 04th, visit the town get the credentials and start our walk on May 6th. We can't wait for such experience. Still some butterflies in the stomach regarding the accommodations as we are not planning to book anything ahead. I hope we can find lodging as we go.
If any of you have an updated hostel list and could share with us it will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Cleigh]

Hello all.
I know this is an old thread. Just would like to share with you all that we are finally going for our walk. We will arrive at SJPP on May 04th, visit the town get the credentials and start our walk on May 6th. We can't wait for such experience. Still some butterflies in the stomach regarding the accommodations as we are not planning to book anything ahead. I hope we can find lodging as we go.
If any of you have an updated hostel list and could share with us it will be greatly appreciated.

I think it wise to book the first three nights. Space is limited and now that travel is once again opening up you may be stuck. 2019 was filled to capacity until Pamplona. 2021 only allowed 50% capacity and again was booked solid.

 

[Lurch]

Hello all.
I know this is an old thread. Just would like to share with you all that we are finally going for our walk. We will arrive at SJPP on May 04th, visit the town get the credentials and start our walk on May 6th. We can't wait for such experience. Still some butterflies in the stomach regarding the accommodations as we are not planning to book anything ahead. I hope we can find lodging as we go.
If any of you have an updated hostel list and could share with us it will be greatly appreciated.

Take it easy along the way and enjoy the Camino. It is a journey you will remember for the rest of your life!! Buen Camino