Wheelchair possibilities?

[brycedavues]

Hi my name is Bryce (Australian) and I’m doing the Camino Frances starting September 15.

My wife is 57 years old and was born without her left thigh bone. She can wear a prosthetic leg for very limited distances, maybe enough to get up a few stairs. We have an excellent electric wheelchair that is great for tarmac and to a degree gravel roads. We are both seasoned international travellers and often walk together on our local paths.

She is arriving in Santiago on The 17th October to meet me. We fly out of Santiago on the 23rd.

We are exploring the possibilities for her to experience the Camino - maybe join me in Sarria for the last section or maybe head to Finisterre for the days we are together or maybe just experience a particular section that is wheelchair friendly and pretty?

We would value your thoughts.

 

[Tia Valeria]

There is a guide by Johnnie Walker giving a walk around Santiago which covers all 5 main Caminos as they enter the city. It is available on Kindle. We walked one area and some parts are steep but you do not have to do it all, or in one day. It might be worth considering. The link is for the UK but can be changed for your own area.

 

[EricJR]

Hi Bryce. I have a relation, similar age, who uses a wheelchair who has asked about this, so I've thought about it. I've walked the CF from Burgos, and the part from Leon twice.

Overall, I think the walking path is about 50-75% gravel in the later parts, with fairly long sections that are earth and turn into mud when it rains - in May, I've fallen over in one of many deep puddles of mud right after Sarria, and that part would be impassable and need a road alternative. Other gravel bits could be possible for an off-road wheelchair enthusiast, but personally I wouldn't want to do the entirety of Sarria onwards, and I'd only consider it if the weather has been dry (maybe unlikely in October). Some stretches of the Camino have a cycling alternative, on tarmac, and you'd definitely need them to avoid some muddy woodland paths with steps and/or streams to cross.

Have a look at the Camino time-lapse videos on Youtube to get an idea of the path - you can view the entire walking route! You should find stretches that you could do with a wheelchair - e.g. the last bit into Santiago - but I think it would be good to take bus or taxi between them.

Buen Camino!