Help with sello and other questions

[reader134]

Hi newbie here planning my first walk from Vigo with an overnight detour to Combarro
day 1 arrival to Vigo, because of time constraints I start walk right away 7:30-8am to Redondela
day 2 Redondela-Pontevedra
day 3 walk or bus to Combarro
day 4 bus back to Pontevedra in the morning, walk to Caldas de Reis
day 5 Caldas-Padron
day 6 Padron-Santiago

I guess I may as well try for a certificate....

1) I read that the office of Santiago de Vigo church doesn't open until 10am. Where can I get a sello in Vigo at 8am? Can I go into any hotel, will they give me a stamp without staying the night? Where should I begin my walk in Vigo?

2) I've looked at other threads but couldn't find the answer. The two a day sello requirement can it be one at beginning city and one at end of the day? It seems there are no cafes or stores after leaving Vigo without going off the path. Would like to know about toilets and where to get water, does anyone know where they are located after leaving Vigo?

3) on day 4 I need a stamp in Pontevedra before I begin my walk?

Thank you very much in advance

 

[dougfitz]

I guess I may as well try for a certificate....

You don't make it sound like you are committed to walking as a pilgrim. The Compostela is far more than a certificate of completion. It is an acknowledgement of walking 'the pilgrimage for religious or spiritual reasons, or at least an attitude of search.'

the office of Santiago de Vigo church doesn't open until 10am. Where can I get a sello in Vigo at 8am? Can I go into any hotel, will they give me a stamp without staying the night?

There will be cafes, etc open in Vigo, and you could try at hotels as well if you cannot find one elsewhere. More importantly, you will need to collect a sello in Vigo if you wish to establish that you started there. Leaving it to later in the day will risk your endeavour not being considered to have met the minimum distance requirement when you reach the Pilgrim Office.

Where should I begin my walk in Vigo?

I don't know that it matters, but I would get my first sello in the city itself.

The two a day sello requirement can it be one at beginning city and one at end of the day?

Yes.

on day 4 I need a stamp in Pontevedra before I begin my walk?

If it is clear that you have taken a break, you need to get a stamp when you re-start at the place where you stopped. Whether it has to be at the specific establishment is not clear to me. Others might know. But if you are taking the bus, getting a stamp at the bus station might be a good option.

Finally, all the best for your pilgrimage.

 

[Vacajoe]

If you are not interested in the Compostela (a religious document of the Catholic faith), perhaps forgo all the rules of getting sellos and just enjoy the walk.

 

[dick bird]

If you are not interested in the Compostela (a religious document of the Catholic faith), perhaps forgo all the rules of getting sellos and just enjoy the walk.

He has a point. Do you really need as composta? If the answer is yes, relax, any bar, retail outlet or government office can and will happily stamp your credencial. If you need to use the toilet, go to a cafe and you can buy water at the same time. Spain is a very civilised and a highly developed country.

 

[willydp]

It's nice to look at your collected stamps later on, getting the memories back

 

[Tincatinker]

Hi newbie here planning my first walk from Vigo with an overnight detour to Combarro
day 1 arrival to Vigo, because of time constraints I start walk right away 7:30-8am to Redondela
day 2 Redondela-Pontevedra
day 3 walk or bus to Combarro
day 4 bus back to Pontevedra in the morning, walk to Caldas de Reis
day 5 Caldas-Padron
day 6 Padron-Santiago

I guess I may as well try for a certificate....

1) I read that the office of Santiago de Vigo church doesn't open until 10am. Where can I get a sello in Vigo at 8am? Can I go into any hotel, will they give me a stamp without staying the night? Where should I begin my walk in Vigo?

2) I've looked at other threads but couldn't find the answer. The two a day sello requirement can it be one at beginning city and one at end of the day? It seems there are no cafes or stores after leaving Vigo without going off the path. Would like to know about toilets and where to get water, does anyone know where they are located after leaving Vigo?

3) on day 4 I need a stamp in Pontevedra before I begin my walk?

Thank you very much in advance

Why the diversion to Combarro? Despite what it says on Tripeadvertiser it is just another, rather lovely, fishing port with a couple of decent restaurants and an enthusiastic Turismo. Unless you are planning a sea-food feast, Restaurante Entrepedras should fix, the place is only worth an hour or two IMO.

There are enough regular buses that you could easily visit for the afternoon/evening and be back in Pontevedra before bed-time.

 

[reader134]

That's a good idea, maybe I don't have to overnight in Combarro.

Thank you everyone for the advice. I like quaint old towns, the ones that appeal to me from looking at photos are Ponte de Lima, Vila Nova de Cerveira, Pontevedra, Combarro. What are your favorites?

I'm now reworking my itinerary and thinking of starting in either Caminha or Vila Nova de Cerverira. Walk to Tui, bus to Vigo and do the above. Maybe I can add 2 days to my trip. Also considering forgoing the certificate and bus/taxi the distance between Tui and Redondela, then walk the rest

Should I skip Caminha? Which do you like better Caminha or Vila Nova? I won't be able to walk the 30km from Caminha to Valenca in one day as the route is described as challenging.

 

[willydp]

You need to walk minimum the last 100km to qualify for 'the certificate' -> accreditation of the pilgrimage is called "The Compostela".
Calculate your route so that you have the necessary stamps for those last 100km!
The Camino is not a vacation...
Buen Camino

 

[SabsP]

You need to walk minimum the last 100km to qualify for 'the certificate' -> accreditation of the pilgrimage is called "The Compostela".
Calculate your route so that you have the necessary stamps for those last 100km!
The Camino is not a vacation...
Buen Camino

A Camino can be a pilgrimage and at the same time a vacation.
It is this way for me and I do not feel a lesser pilgrim because of this. I think I speak for many others.

 

[reader134]

Perhaps I've come to the wrong forum. Is this not true? This was the top result from google
"No, you don't have to be religious to walk the Camino. People from over 150 nationalities and various backgrounds walk the Camino each year. Many embark on the Camino for religious or spiritual reasons. Others seek a unique experience, personal challenge, or a break from daily life."

 

[willydp]

@SabsP Was perhaps a bit short in words
The OP is planning his visits and taking the bus to Redondela which is only 84,7km from Santiago. He wrote that he wants to go for the 'certificate', but he's not paying attention to the route to walk, he is more planning his visit.
You can visit and skip, but not if you want the Compostela. My words (...vacation) were more to tell him to pay attention

 

[willydp]

@reader134 Your are certainly not on the wrong forum, you are on the 'best' forum

 

[alexwalker]

That's a good idea, maybe I don't have to overnight in Combarro.

Thank you everyone for the advice. I like quaint old towns, the ones that appeal to me from looking at photos are Ponte de Lima, Vila Nova de Cerveira, Pontevedra, Combarro. What are your favorites?

Spain and Portugal are peppered with towns like these; You will stumble upon them on a daily basis. Enjoy your Camino, for whatever reason you walk it.

"Every" place, like bars, shops, hotels, albergues, etc.; every business, has sellos/stamps. Just ask. If you do not speak the language, just get out your credential, and point to a free space in it.

Bom Caminho/Buen Camino!

Edit: Forgot to say: Welcome to the world's biggest Camino forum! Use the Seach function (upper right) to seek answers to your uestions; If you do not find answers, just start a new thread, and we'll help you.

 

[Bert45]

If your walk is for religious or spiritual reasons, and you fulfil the 100km minimum and two sellos per day requirement, you can be given a Compostela. If your walk is for other reasons (health, to lose weight, to take photos, to enjoy foreign travel, etc), you can be given a "Welcome" certificate. I'm not 100% sure, but I think you still have to fulfil the same requirements as for the Compostela, otherwise you could just get to Santiago by any means and walk into the Pilgrim Office and ask for the Welcome certificate.

 

[trecile]

Perhaps I've come to the wrong forum. Is this not true? This was the top result from google
"No, you don't have to be religious to walk the Camino. People from over 150 nationalities and various backgrounds walk the Camino each year. Many embark on the Camino for religious or spiritual reasons. Others seek a unique experience, personal challenge, or a break from daily life."

No, you haven't come to the wrong forum. It's perfectly fine to walk the Camino for non-religious reasons. As @Vacajoe said, the Compostela certificate is a religious certificate.

But, as @Bert45 mentioned, the Pilgrim's Office also issues a "Welcome Certificate" for those who walk for other reasons. The requirements for both a Compostela and Welcome Certificate are the same - you must walk the final 100 km into Santiago, and you must have two stamps each day in your pilgrim credential. Many people enjoy getting more stamps per day, because the credential becomes a unique souvenir of your Camino. You can also request (and pay for) a distance certificate.

 

[Tincatinker]

Perhaps I've come to the wrong forum. Is this not true? This was the top result from google
"No, you don't have to be religious to walk the Camino. People from over 150 nationalities and various backgrounds walk the Camino each year. Many embark on the Camino for religious or spiritual reasons. Others seek a unique experience, personal challenge, or a break from daily life."

I just searched Godgle for your quote and all I got was the “falls backwards laughing” emoji. So, nothing to worry about there. If you want to walk through a bit of Galicia and have a nice time doing that then your plan seems a good one.

No one seems to have answered your question about toilets: there are lots of them in bars and cafes and such and if you use them either buy a drink or leave 50 cents on the bar. If you pee behind a tree the 50 cents is not obligatory.

I asked you “why Combarro”, a question you’ve not responded to. Might I ask why Santiago? There are so many wonderful places on this planet that the average wayfarer can walk to or from or around. So, why Santiago?

Your itinerary in your original post looks perfectly doable. You’ll get to visit some nice places and see some pretty scenery. You’ll have the chance to eat some amazingly good seafood and, if you’re inclined, taste some stunning wines. You will also have the opportunity to meet and interact with people from all over the world who are making pilgrimage to Santiago.

 

[David Tallan]

That's a good idea, maybe I don't have to overnight in Combarro.

Thank you everyone for the advice. I like quaint old towns, the ones that appeal to me from looking at photos are Ponte de Lima, Vila Nova de Cerveira, Pontevedra, Combarro. What are your favorites?

I'm now reworking my itinerary and thinking of starting in either Caminha or Vila Nova de Cerverira. Walk to Tui, bus to Vigo and do the above. Maybe I can add 2 days to my trip. Also considering forgoing the certificate and bus/taxi the distance between Tui and Redondela, then walk the rest

Should I skip Caminha? Which do you like better Caminha or Vila Nova? I won't be able to walk the 30km from Caminha to Valenca in one day as the route is described as challenging.

If you are heading to Tui, why not walk from there? If you just walk from Tui on the Central, you will see plenty of nice towns/villages, avoid extra time shuttling between the Coastal and the Central, and earn your Compostela. On the other hand, if your transportation is booked to Vigo, I would stick with your plan of walking from Vigo to Redondela and not worry about side trips. Just saunter on to Santiago. As alexwalker says, you won't miss out on seeing nice little villages and towns. And I think, in the end, you will find the experience of the continuous walk much more rewarding.

As others have said, stamps are readily available at anywhere you stop for a coffee, and other places as well. Just make sure to stop for a coffee before departing Vigo.

 

[jungleboy]

@David Tallan ’s comments are wise, as usual. I agree completely that a continuous walk — wherever it starts from and whatever towns it hits and misses — is a good idea, especially for a first camino.

 

[C clearly]

Perhaps I've come to the wrong forum. Is this not true?

No, you haven't come to the wrong forum. Many of our members walk for religious reasons but many (I would guess the majority) do not. They are all welcome on the Forum, and they are all welcome on the Camino. You will have a very difficult or impossible time distinguishing between "religious" and "non-religious" people on the Camino.

I guess I may as well try for a certificate....

Some responders reacted to this by assuming that you wanted the Compostela, which for some years was acknowledgement of walking the Camino with a religious or spiritual attitude, which you may or may not have. The responding members saw a casualness in your statement, and wanted to point out what the Compostela has, at least in the past, been about.

Different people have different interpretation of the wording of the Compostela and the application form for it. The wording itself, and the interpretation, have changed over the years, and the Pilgrim Office does not publicize any official rationale. So, any dogmatic statements about it should be received with caution.

On the forum, we ask people to refrain from challenging the intentions of others. Some of the responses may have seemed to border on that, but let's give the benefit of the doubt and assume that their responses were simply clumsy and incomplete.

Other responses have explained that there are other certificates that do not refer to religious, spiritual, or searching intent. The Welcome Certificate and the Certificate of Distance come to mind, but I am not certain if they are the same or different items. I am confident that there will be at least one such non-religious certificate available if you follow the rule of getting 2 stamps per day on your credencial, showing that you have made a continuous walk to Santiago for at least 100 km along a recognized route.

Many pilgrims take small side trips along the way. Whether Comparro is worth an excursion or not is something I don't know. As pointed out in the thread, Spain and Portugal are full of interesting historic sites, so you don't need to stray far to find them!

I hope we've been able to provide some useful information!

[Edited for clarity.]

 

[trecile]

The Welcome Certificate and the Certificate of Distance come to mind, but I am not certain if they are the same or different items

They are different.

Both the Compostela and the Welcome Certificate are free. The Pilgrim's Office charges 3 euros for the Distance certificate. If you want the Welcome Certificate rather than the Compostela you need to specifically tell the Pilgrim's Office volunteer this. And sometimes they will still give you a Compostela anyway.

Both the Compostela and the Welcome Certificate are in portrait orientation.

The Compostela is on the left, and the Welcome Certificate is on the right.



This is the Distance Certificate

 

[alexwalker]

They are different.

Both the Compostela and the Welcome Certificate are free.

If I recall correctly from my work in the Pilgrim Office (PO) in 2019, they charged 2€ for the Compostela (at least as a donativo, in a polite form. And we all know that donativo does not necessarily mean "free"). As for other certificates, I do not know, but I believe they come with a small price.

Another important info: In the shop in the PO you can buy a cylindric cardboard box to keep your Compostela/Certificates safe until you are home, for 2€, at that time.

 

[David Tallan]

If I recall correctly from my work in the Pilgrim Office (PO) in 2019, they charged 2€ for the Compostela (at least as a donativo, in a polite form. And we all know that donativo does not necessarily mean "free"). As for other certificates, I do not know, but I believe they come with a small price.

Another important info: In the shop in the PO you can buy a cylindric cardboard box to keep your Compostela/Certificates safe until you are home, for 2€, at that time.

In 2016, 2018, and 2023 a donation was not suggested to me for the Compostela (although perhaps it would have been had I not also requested a Distance Certificate, for which there was a small price).

 

[trecile]

In 2016, 2018, and 2023 a donation was not suggested to me for the Compostela (although perhaps it would have been had I not also requested a Distance Certificate, for which there was a small price).

Right. I have never heard of a suggested donation for a Compostela. I paid 3€ for my distance certificate and another 3€ for the tube for the documents.

 

[henrythedog]

Some set out not walking for religious (more accurately in my case, ‘spiritual’) reasons; but find by the time they get to Santiago they were wrong.

Just do it and figure out your motivation later.

I’ve got enough compostelae to paper the spare bedroom and I’ve never been asked to donate for them - although by the time I get there I’m happy to drop a couple of euros regardless.

 

[dougfitz]

Some responders reacted to this by assuming that you wanted the Compostela, which for some years was acknowledgement of walking the Camino with a religious or spiritual attitude, which you may or may not have. The responding members saw a casualness in your statement, and wanted to point out what the Compostela has, at least in the past, been about.

This is misleading. The Pilgrim Office page on the Compostela can be found here. The first requirement is:

To get the “Compostela” you must:

• Make the pilgrimage for religious or spiritual reasons, or at least an attitude of search.

I understand that this requirement was added to at some point to clarify that one could make the pilgrimage in 'an attitude of search'. When? I am not sure, but my recollection is that it was some years ago, and has not changed recently. Certainly the full sense of this requirement was included in my earlier post, so to suggest that someone has been pointing to a past understanding of the purpose of the Compostela is incorrect.

My view is that the current requirement allows for pilgrims with quite a wide range of motivations, well beyond undertaking the pilgrimage for religious or spiritual reasons. So for the OP, whether you plan to walk in the towns to admire the architecture or hike the countryside for its natural beauty, there is ample scope to consider yourself a pilgrim.

 

[C clearly]

This is misleading.

I tried quite hard not to mislead, and I put qualifying words in my post to reflect the different reports of practice, and the room for interpretation - all in the absence of definitive clarification from the Pilgrim Office aithorities.

So for the OP, whether you plan to walk in the towns to admire the architecture or hike the countryside for its natural beauty, there is ample scope to consider yourself a pilgrim.

Exactly!

 

[dougfitz]

I tried quite hard not to mislead, and I put qualifying words in my post to reflect the different reports of practice, and the room for interpretation - all in the absence of definitive clarification from the Pilgrim Office aithorities.

What does this mean? I was unaware that there were any major issues with the Pilgrim Office guidance about which the authorities needed to provide 'definitive clarification'. I find it difficult to see what about the guidance as it now stands is so lacking that it lends itself to this criticism. More, if you have identified such matters, what was the response when these matters were raised with the Pilgrim Office. I know that on the relatively few times that I have had to seek clarification from them, the Pilgrim Office has always been able to provide that, so I would expect that it would only be matters that have been raised recently that might not have been addressed. If, on the other hand, there are matters that you haven't yet raised to have clarified, then it would be inappropriate to suggest that the Pilgrim Office has not addressed these.

As for 'different reports of practice', whatever that means, as a pilgrim community I think we have accepted that there will always be some differences in how rigourously individuals working in the Pilgrim Office will apply specific rules when individual pilgrims present themselves having not fully complied. Even with that, I don't ever think that, when advising new pilgrims, we should suggest taking any other approach than attempting to meet the Pilgrim Office's stated requirements. I certainly wouldn't want someone relying on advice that the rules could be ignored.

I see that as different from suggesting to someone who finds that they haven't met all the requirements that they should seek compassionate consideration of their circumstances. But that is advice that applies after the event. It is not suggesting that ignoring or otherwise deliberately avoiding doing something that the Pilgrim Office has made clear is appropriate advice to give.

 

[David Tallan]

This is getting unnecessarily argumentative. I am going to lock this thread.