Walking with large family

[Camino with Kids]

Hi. My husband and I and 5 or 6 of our children (ages 12 to 28) are walking the Camino Ingles at the end of August 2016. We fly into Coruna and have booked accommodations for 2 days in Ferrol to get over our jet lag (we are coming from Canada). Then we want to walk over 6 days but everything I read seems to be over 5 days which I find somewhat intimidating as my husband and I are both 55 and although we are training for this walk it is still something we have never done. Also we live in Canada where the temperature doesn't get that hot so adjusting to the weather will be another challenge. Does anyone have a suggested itinerary for 6 days? Also, we are nervous about accommodations because our family is so large so were thinking of choosing places we could reserve. Any help or suggestions are genuinely appreciated.

 

[Tia Valeria]

Hola and welcome to the forum.
We took 9 days but walked very short distances when possible. We simply combined the 2 slightly differing 5 day stages given in @JohnnieWalker 's guide to the Inglés, downloadable for a donation through the forum, then worked out our own stages.
Ferrol- Neda/Narón - you can shorten day 1 by walking down to the harbour and then along the Camino back to town and the information office and your hotel, then start from there next day. Depending on where you are staying it can knock 3kms or so off of day 1.
Narón-Pontedeume
Pontedeume-Miño
Miño- Betanzos
Betanzos-Casa Julia (taxi to Meson do Vento) this is the long stage that IMO really does need to be split if only shortening one stage.
(Return taxi to) Casa Julia- Meson do Vento
Meson do Vento -Calle de Poulo (hotel in Ordes, taxi and return from/to Calle de Poulo)
Ordes- Sigueiro (or walk through to Santiago)
Sigueiro-Santiago

If you look on Gronze you will find distances and elevations to help too, with many of the private accommodations as well as the albergues.
We stayed at the following and all were good:-
Hotel Kensington in Narón
Hotel Iberia in Cabañas (Playa de Magadalena) who went out of their way to be helpful
Pension O Cantiño in Miño (1km beyond railway bridge turn for albergue)
Hotel Garelos in Betanzos
Pension O Meson Novo (2 nights) in Meson do Vento (then Don Antonio will arrange pick up from agreed location at/ near Casa Julia and return next day)
Hotel Nogallás in Ordes
Sigueiro Hostal (expensive but the albergue was closed for renovation when we walked)
Santiago
All these places are on Gronze this year and I would suggest that with it being August and a large group that you will need to book now.
Buen Camino

 

[Tia Valeria]

An added thought. As these were all private accommodation we did not need to carry sleeping bag, or a liner, nor towels as all were provided. Nice to be able to carry a lighter pack with just our clothes and other basic neccessities.

 

[Catholic Deacon]

Hi, thanks for the info. We are walking the Camino Ingles from 20th March. Having previously cycled from Arles and walked from Oporto, this will be our first time back to the Camino in nearly 20 years. Since that time we have become a lot fatter and less fit and have two children! We currently live in Spain but we will be leaving in July so we thought it would a good thing to do to finish our time here. The problem is our children don't agree and are dreading it - especially our 14 year old daughter. I think our 9 year old son will get into it especially when we introduce the game of finding the yellow arrows but I have already thought about packing the ear plugs not for snoring in the refugios but to stop hearing her complaints of 'where can I charge my Iphone'!!

Like yourself Tia we are hoping to complete it in 8 or 9 days and will be looking to sleep in private accommodation.

One thing that is slightly worrying is that I have heard that the weather is not very good in Galicia at the moment with storms and snow! As I type this on the Costa Blanca I am now back in T-shirts and shorts as it is very warm with sunshine and blue skies. I need to remember that Northern Spain is not like this and prepare our kit accordingly!!

 

[purplesage]

Hi. My husband and I and 5 or 6 of our children (ages 12 to 28) are walking the Camino Ingles at the end of August 2016. We fly into Coruna and have booked accommodations for 2 days in Ferrol to get over our jet lag (we are coming from Canada). Then we want to walk over 6 days but everything I read seems to be over 5 days which I find somewhat intimidating as my husband and I are both 55 and although we are training for this walk it is still something we have never done. Also we live in Canada where the temperature doesn't get that hot so adjusting to the weather will be another challenge. Does anyone have a suggested itinerary for 6 days? Also, we are nervous about accommodations because our family is so large so were thinking of choosing places we could reserve. Any help or suggestions are genuinely appreciated.

Its a beautiful Camino. Tough on two stretches but absolutely great. Not sure about August. I walked in September and had no trouble. You will ALWAYS get a place. Buen Camino Caesar

 

[Tia Valeria]

Its a beautiful Camino. Tough on two stretches but absolutely great. Not sure about August. I walked in September and had no trouble. You will ALWAYS get a place. Buen Camino Caesar

Sadly it is not correct to say that you will always get a place, although a single pilgrim might find it easier. At the information office in Betanzos we heard of folk who had to quit earlier in the month because there were no beds at all (May 2015). We had phoned in the morning and booked the last room at the Garelos and had to take (and pay) for a triple room or we too would have had to bus into Santiago. There seemed to be a surge over a couple of days as Bruma and Meson do Vento were full too a few of days later. August being a busier month and for 7 or 8 people IMO it would be best to book and be sure of completing the pilgrimage, especially if time dictates the stages and it is not possible to let a surge go past you. March should be easier, except maybe for Easter, and even then for a family it might be better to book.

 

[Camino with Kids]

Thanks Tia - this was very helpful. I will work on our route and accommodations today and hopefully have them booked this weekend.
We had to chose this time of year to hike as 2 of our children are in university. Since August is so busy we opted for the Camino Ingles instead of walking from Sarria to Santiago. We are looking forward to it!

 

[Tia Valeria]

If you have a problem with booking.com having used their allocation feel free to send us a PM for phone numbers or e-mail addresses. We have them for some places named if they are not on the websites.
Buen Camino

 

[rometimed]

This must be seasonal because I did the English way at the beginning of November and only saw 10 other pilgrims the whole time over 4 days.

 

[Tia Valeria]

This must be seasonal because I did the English way at the beginning of November and only saw 10 other pilgrims the whole time over 4 days.

I think it is seasonal, like all the routes. Also it is becoming increasingly popular as the Sarria-Santiago section becomes ever more crowded. First time we walked in May 2011 we saw only 5 or 6 other pilgrims apart from the night at Miño where there was a group of 8 youngsters and another older couple like ourselves.
It is good that there are more facilities open now than there were then. Having done both non-booked and booked it does feel different, but could be the difference between walking the whole Camino or not at popular times.

 

[Camino with Kids]

Hi Tia,
I have some questions for you but aren't sure how to private message you on this forum. Can you tell me or shall I just post the questions in this thread?
Thanks
Susan

 

[Tia Valeria]

Hi Tia,
I have some questions for you but aren't sure how to private message you on this forum. Can you tell me or shall I just post the questions in this thread?
Thanks
Susan

I have sent you a PM to get you started. Top right when you log-in you should see and 'Inbox' with a red marker to show that you have a private conversation. Click the box and the link and you will see my first message, then just reply.

 

[Camino with Kids]

Well our plans are all coming together and I thought I would give an update for anyone interested.
We had booked accommodations and scheduled our walk for 6 days but I was still struggling with the 31 km day even though many of you were very encouraging (thank you!). However, I have a bad knee and our 12 and 14 year old are quite small in stature (more the size of a 8 or 9 year old). So I did some un-booking and re-booking and this is what the final plan looks like.
Fly Canada to Madrid to Coruna then bus to Ferrol
one night in Ferrol
Day 1 Ferrol to Naron
Day 2 Naron to Cabanas
Day 3 Cabanas to Betanzos
Day 4 Betanzos to Bar Julia (pickup and back to Betanzos)
Day 5 Bar Julia to Meson do Vento
Day 6 Meson do Vento to Siguero
Day 7 Siguero to Santiago

We have to do the 2 nights in Betanzos because the original accommodation I booked was not refundable. We also like the fact that we won't have seen the Bar Julia to Meson do Vento stretch until we actually walk it. We also feel that we will have more time to enjoy the towns we pass through or stay at for the night.
I'm not yet sure how we will get from Bar Julia back to Betanzos (I'm assuming 2 taxi cabs) but am hoping the hotel can help us. Unfortunately we have to stay in 2 different hotels as the first one we booked wasn't available for the other night.

Once we arrived in Santiago we are in an airbnb for 2 nights then fly out from Santiago to Madrid then onto France for a while before flying back to Canada

 

[mylifeonvacation]

I'm not yet sure how we will get from Bar Julia back to Betanzos (I'm assuming 2 taxi cabs) but am hoping the hotel can help us.

The hotel will surely be able to assist (if one of them happens to be Garelos, they speak English, so that helps). It may be less expensive to arrange a taxi from Abegondo or Meson do Vento to pick you up at Bar Julia and return you to Betanzos (the hotel can help, surely). Otherwise, the taxi stand in Betanzos is located right in the center square, so you could arrange easily with one of the taxi drivers the day before. When I needed a ride after Betanzos, I worked with Taxi 10 (I can get their number when I'm back home) - the gentleman was wonderfully kind.

With two children, I would think you could all fit into one taxi, and throw the backpacks in the trunk?

 

[Camino with Kids]

When I needed a ride after Betanzos, I worked with Taxi 10 (I can get their number when I'm back home)

Thanks, that would be great!
And we have 5 children with us so I'm assuming 2 cabs

 

[mylifeonvacation]

Sorry! I was confusing your 5 kids with the other family with 2 who are walking now. You are right, you'll probably need 2 cabs to accommodate. Unless someone has a minivan type vehicle, which doesn't seem to be very common.

Taxi 10 Betanzos, I believe the gentleman's name is Vincent
Telephone +34 981 771 557
Mobile +34 622 331 710

Buen Camino!

 

[Catholic Deacon]

Sorry! I was confusing your 5 kids with the other family with 2 who are walking now. You are right, you'll probably need 2 cabs to accommodate. Unless someone has a minivan type vehicle, which doesn't seem to be very common.

Taxi 10 Betanzos, I believe the gentleman's name is Vincent
Telephone +34 981 771 557
Mobile +34 622 331 710

Buen Camino!

That would be us then!!

 

[Catholic Deacon]

So we completed our pilgrimage last Monday! We live in Alicante so flew from there to Santiago. Then we took a taxi (standard cost 21 Euros) to get to the bus station. Then we caught a bus to Ferrol.

This is the breakdown of our stages.

Day 1: Ferrol (make sure you find out the way down to the port in advance to begin your Camino, we didn't, got lost and frustrated and added a few extra km on to the day!) - Narron and The Hotel Kensington.

Day 2: Narron to Pontedueme - Here we stayed in the Albergue but it was full so we had to sleep on the floor in sleeping bags!

Day 3: Pontedueme - Mino. A short day but we wanted to make sure of beds at the Albergue.

Day 4: Mino - Betanzos. In Betanzos we stayed at the Hotel Palacete.

Day 5: Betanzos - Casa Bar Julia. We then took advantage of the pilgrim pick up service provided by the excellent Hostal O Meson Novo. They then dropped us back to the Bar Julia the next morning.

Day 6: Casa Bar Julia - Meson do Vento - spending another night in the Hostal O Meson Novo.

Day 7: Meson do Vento - Calle de Poulo. From Calle de Poulo we then took a taxi to the Hotel Nogallas in Ordes. In the morning a taxi took us back to Calle de Poulo.

Day 8: Calle de Poulo - Lugar da Torre de Marantes and the Hotel San Vicente.

Day 9: Lugar - Santiago where we spent 3 nights in PR Campanas de San Juan.

Overall it was a great experience and our children of 9 and 14 coped really well!

Would be very happy to provide any advice!

 

[mylifeonvacation]

So glad to hear it went well for you @Catholic Deacon !!! What a wonderful experience for your whole family!! And this looks like a very nice way to break down the route. We also stayed at the same hotels in Betanzos, Meson do Vento, and Sigueiro. Were you able to obtain family rooms at the hotels, or did you end up having to go with 2 (that was you guys, right?)?

 

[Catholic Deacon]

(That was us!) We booked the hotels as we went along using Booking.com. We booked triple rooms. We then either had to squash together or an extra bed was put in the room. The Hotel San Vicente gave us an extra twin bedroom for no extra cost which was kind of them.

 

[mylifeonvacation]

So glad that worked out for you guys in the triple rooms. Better squashing together than everyone sleeping on the floor in an albergue! (To me, anyway) And how very kind of the folks at San Vicente! I recall my room at Meson Novo had a sofa in it, but I suppose perhaps not in a triple room.

I used Booking.com on the Portuguese last year and it worked out great for me too. There was one place where I called them after seeing their availability on booking and they gave me a cheaper rate over the phone (it was a little higher than I wanted to pay on booking, so I thought it was worth a try - it was!).

 

[Catholic Deacon]

Forgot to mention but at Ferrol we stayed at the Hotel Suizo, with interconnecting rooms. From there it is just a walked down the hill to the starting point - well it should of been - we decided to find a bread shop for supplies for the day ahead and got completely lost! As we are English and therefore do not ask for directions, we spent an hour searching for the correct bit of the port! Not the best start!

 

[Camino with Kids]

Well we're back from the Camino Ingles and it was a wonderful experience. We ended up only taking 3 of our children - age 17, 18 and 24 so it made for quite a nice trip.
The weather was horribly hot and muggy though - up to 37 C some days, which is extremely hot for a family from western Canada.
But we made it and my husband and I are already looking at walking from Santiago to Finisterre/Muxia next year. But not in the summer!

 

[Catholic Deacon]

Well done! It would be great to hear a more detailed account of your journey. I bet you did find it quite warm! How did all the accommodation work out?

 

[Camino with Kids]

Well here's our journey in a (large) nutshell.
If anyone wants to know about specifics I'd be happy to answer.
Flew from Canada to Madrid to A Coruna then bus to Ferrol. Overnight at Hotel Silva. Walked to Naron next day (easy) and stayed at Hotel Kensington. Walked to Cabanas, super hot, never been so happy to see the Atlantic Ocean and swim. Stayed at Hotel Iberia. Nice resort town for a return visit perhaps. Got lost a bit in Mino because it was market day and so many cars and stalls were set up which masked some of the signs. Got up early next day to attack hill in Pontedume (some difficulty with markings around the church but figured it out). Hill wasn't so bad early in the cool morning. Walked to Betanzos and stayed at Hotel Palacete. Loved Betanzos - would go back for a mini vacation. Next day took a crazy cab ride to Bar Julia then walked backwards to Betanzos. Not too much difficulty with signage going backwards but took awhile. Almost 40 C so that made it difficult. We did it this way because my husband, my daughter and I walked as one group much slower than our 2 sons. We would arrive at our destination at different times of day plus cabs for 5 passengers aren't common so instead of walking to Bar Julia and cabbing it back to Betanzos trying to organize it all in a language we didn't speak, we did that leg backwards. That was the day I hit the wall due to the heat but just rested for awhile and continued on. Also, you have to love the lavaderios. We couldn't stay in the same hotel in Betanzos due to bookings so that night we stayed at Hotel Garelos. Next day, cab back to Bar Julia then walk ed to Meson do Vento. Didn't find the huge hill too bad as it was cool out still. Stayed in Hotel Caniama. Long day though - 24 km. Next day walked to Sigueiro and stayed in hostel. Last day walked to Santiago and stayed in airbnb apartment.
Signage on the camino was good - also bought the Camino Ingles guide from Confraternity of St James - well worth the donation.
All accommodations were pre booked and fine - some nicer than others but we aren't fancy people so it didn't matter to us. All were clean.
Not a lot of English but everyone was super friendly and helpful.
Even though it was a short camino route (120 km) we learned what we are made of. As Canadians who find 25C hot, 30 to 40 C is something we don't experience, plus there was 88% humidity. But you certainly learn how strong a person you are.
I walked with a very swollen ankle the last day, from an old injury. Didn't care - I wasn't walking all that way to not walk the last 16 km.
I also walked with a knee brace (preventative) and had a number of older Spanish people stop me and ask if I was ok. One older guy looked at my knee brace then at my husband then rolled his eyes at the fact that I was walking with a bad knee. It was hilarious!
Loved Spain -loved the people. Enjoyed Santiago and seeing the botafumerio (Friday nights) but Santiago was very busy and noisy - quite a contrast after the peacefulness of the countryside. Saw very few pilgrims each day even though it was August.
Planning another short route for next year