Who can do it

Can I do it? This is one of the first questions many pilgrims ask themselves. Do not worry – every healthy person in an average condition can manage any part of it. Important is to di-vide it into stages according to your individual possibilities. You decide how fast you want to walk, the number of stages and the type of terrain, how often and long your breaks are, etc. Just keep in mind that walking the Way of St. James is not a sports race. On the other hand, if you have never been on a longer hike (e.g. you have never walked 10 km), it is time to try it and test not only your strength, but also the shoes you will be wearing. You really don’t need to worry. The route leads through civilised territory, so you can inter-rupt your journey at any time and resume it later on, let us say the following year. This is what pilgrims actually do, mainly those who do not have enough time to walk the entire route at once.

Note: On the most popular route to Santiago de Compostela, the Camino Francés, you will meet pilgrims between 5 and 87 years of age, with crutches, limping, and many other physical disabilities.

  • It is up to each individual to decide how fast he will walk, how many stages he decides to do, or whether he will take a rest day between stages. Even the selection of the section itself can mean stages with easier or more demanding terrain.
  • It is true that the march on the paths of St. Jakuba is not a sports race.
  • In the extreme case, if you have never walked even 10 km in a stretch, it is a good idea to try it in advance and thus test not only yourself, but also the shoes you will be walking in.
  • The route leads through civilized territory, and at any time in case of problems, it is possible to interrupt it and return after some time, or even a year later, and continue. This staged approach is used by many pilgrims also due to the lack of free time to complete the entire route at once.
Did you find this helpful? Let others know!
Matej
Matej
An ordinary Slovak guy who fell in love with the Camino. He also likes adventure, travelling (he even writes a blog about it) and fried cheese. When doing the washing up, he always forgets the pan.

Table of contents