Before The Camino: Preparing for an Incredible Unknown Journey
- D Marino
- Jul 2
- 6 min read
We are now just over seven months away from taking our first steps on the Camino de Santiago.
In the past six months since our last post, Dreaming of the Camino: Reflections on a Path Not Yet Taken, we have researched some, but have done little to prepare. At least until very recently.
In the seemingly endless posts, articles and opinions available, it has been quite difficult to pinpoint exactly what we need to know, how much we should prepare physically and most importantly, what we need to bring with us on the Camino. The most common phrases we encounter are "The Camino Provides" and "Everyone Walks Their Own Camino", with everyone having a different interpretation of what that means.
If we have learned nothing else from our years of travelling the world, it is: plan for the best, expect the worst and no matter what happens, make it a trip of a lifetime.
There are as many ways to walk the Camino de Santiago as there are routes to the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. In fact, you don't even have to walk. To obtain a Compostela, you must travel by one of the approved means, which includes walking, cycling, horseback riding and even sailing. Though I doubt many sail these days.
We chose the date (and year) specifically to celebrate a milestone birthday in February 2027. It happens to coincide, as we have recently learned, with the Jacobean Holy Year. This occurs when the Feast of Sanit James (which is celebrated on July 25) lands on a Sunday, and only happens fourteen times in a century. During the Holy Year, there are added festivities and celebrations throughout Spain. The Porta Santa (Holy Door) of the Cathedral in Santiago, which is usually locked, will remain open to welcome pilgrims, and believers can receive a Plenary Indulgence (full remission from their sins).
Some pilgrims who walk the Camino to Santiago prefer the flexibility of booking their accommodations on route (or walking into the next available albergue), while others book ahead to guarantee a bed and keep to a schedule. We had decided early on that we would be foregoing the communal albergues and booking private accommodations in advance. Many feel this isn't the path of the true pilgrim and enjoy the comraderie of the shared accommodations the most on their journey, but we know this would just make us miserable.
The Camino Portugués has three different routes from Porto: The Central Route (243km through traditional countryside and historical towns), The Coastal Route (274km hugging the Atlantic coastline) and the Senda Litoral (280km running even closer to the ocean), plus there is a Spiritual Variant (a scenic detour) that follows the Traslatio, the maritime journey taken by the disciples of St. James when transporting his body to Santiago.
J has been working on the actual route we will follow along the Camino Portugués for months and months, making adjustments as we learn more information. We've followed the guide, read countless articles, and watched as many pilgrim journey videos as we could find. We will be following the Senda Litoral, trekking along the boardwalks over the beach, before joining the main route in the town of Redondela.
We will also be taking the Spiritual Variant, which branches off the main route, but rejoins in the town of Pontecesures. This detour adds 35km to the Camino, but only 7km of walking. The highlight of the Spiritual Variant is the 28km boat journey, following the only maritime river "way of the cross", with seventeen ancient stone crosses emerging from the water. Opting for this historical journey seems both appropriate and special during a Holy Year.
The traditional Camino Portugués has a standard ten stages, with many days stretching into 25-30km walks. Knowing that we would not be staying at the traditional albergues, and worried that we would not be able to manage intense back to back days, we extended the overall journey to eighteen days total (including two rest days), and shortened the length of the walks per day. With the planned route in place, we were able to research and reserve accommodations in the towns we planned to stop.
We quickly learned that our Camino landing in a Holy Year, limited our options for accommodations everywhere along the route. Though our journey begins in late February, when the temperatures are cooler and the rain is abundant, pilgrims planning on walking the Camino de Santiago on any route in a Holy Year, should expect more people and less options. Booking early is highly recommended. Luckily, we were able to reserve accommodation (from basic to luxurious) for every stop along the way.
We opted for more luxurious accommodations on rest days, so that we could truly rest and recoup, but the stay we are most excited about is at the end, when we finally reach Santiago.
We booked the Parador de Santiago (or Hostal Real de Santiago de Compostela), known as the oldest hotel in Spain (or the world). Located in the same plaza as the Cathedral, it was established in 1499 by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella as shelter for weary pilgrims completing the Camino de Santiago. It feels appropriate to continue with that tradition and end our journey in the same place. If you want to see the route, stops and accommodations we plan for our Camino de Santiago, see details below at the end of the post.
Having researched flights since last year, we recently booked our journey to Porto, Portugal (with a stopover in Ponta Delgada) on Azores Airlines, and one of the ways we make our adventures, trips of a lifetime, is opting for Business Class seats. On the journey home, we have a very long layover and an opportunity to explore the Island of São Miguel.
Other than accommodations, the majority of discussions in Camino forums revolves around clothing and gear. Many first time pilgrims opt to walk the Camino Portugués due to the scenic routes and relatively flat terrain. Some choose to carry large backpacks, while others only wear daypacks and use a luggage transfer service between stages. We were open to the luggage service but wanted to challenge ourselves to minimal packing and carry lighter backpacks.
We both purchased the MEC Serratus Pace 25L light daypack, that features running vest shoulder straps and the ability to tightly compress when holding less weight and mimic a small daypack.
We will adorn our backpacks with the official Camino Portugués patch (which we purchased last year) and both the official Camino de Santiago patch for 2027 (which includes the latin Ano Xacobeo for the Holy Year) and the official Canadian Company of Pilgrims patch. Apparently, there will be special stamps and shells to commemorate the Ano Santo (Holy Year) available throughout the Camino.
Dressing for the Camino is still a work in progress, as we research the light weight warm clothing we will need for the cool, wet weather we expect in February and March, but we have decided on our shoes.
J purchased a pair of Altra Lone Peak Trail Runners last year and has been walking with those for a few months, but we both just recently purchased Altra Olympus Trail Runners, that offer the same zero drop shoes with a wide toe box as the Lone Peaks, but with added cushioning that will be needed on this Camino route.
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Our training has been a slow progress, with stress, work, bad weather and health issues getting in the way, but we have been committed to walking every day, even if only for a 2km. Over the next month, the plan is to ramp up and extend the daily walks, peppering in a few much longer hikes. The goal is to be able to complete 25km easily by end of August.
Though there is more to research and confirm, the bulk of the preparation over the next seven months with be getting our bodies in shape and accustomed to back-to-back days of long treks. There will be things we cannot prepare for, those spontaneous events that we have no control over that change even the best laid plans. Sometimes, it is those unpredictable events that end up making the entire journey.
We hope to post additional updates before we begin our Camino to Santiago in February 2027.
Camino Portugués Route and Accommodations:
1 | Porto to Lavra | 22.5km | |
2 | Lavra to Povoa de Varzim | 17.3km | |
3 | Povoa de Varzim to Esposende | 20.3km | |
4 | Esposende to Viana do Castelo | 25.6km | |
5 | Rest Day - Viana do Castelo | ||
6 | Viana do Castelo to Ancora | 19.4km | |
7 | Ancora to A Guarda | 13.3km | |
8 | A Guarda to Serallo | 16.5km | |
9 | Serallo to A Ramallosa (Nigran) | 16.3km | |
10 | A Ramallosa to Vigo | 18.5km | |
11 | Vigo to Redondela | 18.1km | |
12 | Redondela to Pontevedra | 19.6 km | |
13 | Rest Day - Pontevedra | ||
14 | Pontevedra to Combarro | 11.3 km | |
15 | Combarro to Barrantes | 16.5 km | |
16 | Barrantes to Vilanova de Arousa | 18.2 km | |
17 | Vilanova de Arousa to Milladoiro | 18.2km | |
18 | Milladoiro to Santiago | 7 km | |
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