Preparing for our 8-day Camino

Early Booking: As our group is limited to a maximum of fifty people (one full coach), early booking is required in order to be sure of a place on this trip.

The Retreat Dimension (all these elements are optional):

• You might bring a copy of the New Testament, or at least the Gospels; plus other spiritual reading of your choice.
• Morning Mass and Evening prayer sessions are "optional attendance."
• If you want to discuss anything with the pilgrimage director, just ask him to walk a bit of the trail with you.
  

Deciding whether to book
Perhaps you're doubtful if you can easily walk an average of 13 km daily for eight consecutive days. To test yourself, try a brisk walk of about 5 km each day on consecutive days, near home. If you can do that in about 90 mins without distress, you'll be well able for our average daily distances, which can be broken into 3 or 4 stages, with rest-breaks between. Anyone over 65 should check with their GP for advice on the Camino.

Preparing for the walk: What to bring.
Our baggage allowance on the Aer Lingus flights is ONE CASE or VALISE, plus one piece of hand-luggage under 10 kg. Experienced walkers have listed these items as essentials:

TO FIND YOUR WAY
1. Navigation: map, compass and mobile phone
2. Flashlight or headlamp (You should not need it; days are long!)

FOR PROTECTION
3. Sun protection: sunglasses, sunscreen, and hat
4. Pullover for evenings, a light shower-proof jacket.

FOR THE RECORD
5. Camera
6. Diary, to write your daily impressions

FOR YOUR FEET
7. Comfortable, sturdy footwear
8. Supply of fresh socks
9. Emory boards, to keep toenails well trimmed

First Aid Supplies, for blisters, aches, minor cuts, will be on hand if needed. Your main luggage will be brought for you from one overnight place to the next; but on each day's walk it's well to carry a small back-pack, with water, sun-protection, light rainwear, a snack and a change of socks, underwear etc., in case of a drenching; also, the price of a simple lunch in some bar or restaurant along the way. Map Travel will provide each walker with a booklet including sketch-map of each day's route and local area maps showing our overnight accommodation. But for a more detailed set of route descriptions, you might make and take with you a printout of the file Stages to Compostela.

Preparing for the experience: What to read.
Along with getting moderately fit for the walking, you might read whatever else you can find about the final stretch of the Camino, from Sarria to Santiago. In particular, we recommend the book Buen Camino, described elsewhere on this site. Your local library or bookshop will stock relevant volumes, but the internet is also an excellent source. See the Friends of St James site, for a clear background to the Camino pilgrimage. There are helpful descriptions also on the the Confraternity of Saint James site. We also recommend John Brierly, A pilgrim's guide to the Camino, Findhorn, 2011. Brierly, a Dubliner, has his own blog.

Among the bloggers who have walked our section, Turly's (Turlough O'Connor's) account is very enjoyable. He walked from Sarria to Santiago in 4 days, via Portomarin, Palas do Rey and Melide... but he's a strapping young Corkman, going at a pace quite different from what we plan. His background description of the Camino is also very useful. There's a fine description of Compostela itself on Robert Ward's Camino Website.

If you've not already seen the movie The Way (Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez), it's well worth a look, to get you ready for the Camino. Let's do it together! Yes we can! Is Feidir Linn!

Best wishes!
Fr Pat Rogers cp, CORI