I walked from SJPDP to Los Arcos this past June. For me the hardest day physically was the descent into Zubiri from the Alto El Erro. The so called “Outrock Crops” were downright dangerous and certainly nothing like what was described in the guidebooks. On the emotional side, I met an Australian man with whom I became friends with and we walked together for several days. Sadly, one morning he didn’t wake up and was found deceased in his hotel room. This was tough on me and has changed my outlook on life. Live today since tomorrow is not promised. R.I.P. Sean Reggie McNeill, 6/20/23.
Yes that descent into Zubiri is tough, the last bit anyway. Sorry to hear of your fellow Pilgrims passing may he RIP. Sadly it's not that uncommon. A NZ Pilgrim died on the VdlP when I was walking it this year. He was a day behind me, but the Camino 'telegraph' brought the sad news. Same as I understand. Just didn't wake up.
@@robscamino Thanks for the prompt response. I wanted to let you know that I used a lot of the tips and advice I got from your videos. I have enjoyed some of the recent videos you’ve posted. I must say the “Camino Bug” has bitten me. I am planning on returning in 2025 with my teenage nephews and completing another segment of the Frances. Thanks again. Buen Camino!
1. Start from Jean Saint 2. Climb to Ocbreiro 3. Downhill from Cruz de Ferro. Also in 2 days from Santiago de Compostela to Finisterre (2x45km) was pretty tough.
The walk from Saint Jean the first day was quite a shock. Heavy backpack, left without eating or carrying a snack, and not enough water. I learned from that day and absolutely loved the experience. The people you meet along the way make it an enjoyable experience. You can be alone as you want or walk with new friends. I found that I loved walking alone but enjoyed talking to fellow pilgrims once I got to my albergue.
I agree Rob,every day on the camino is enjoyable for me but all my hard day's were on account of the weather,rain especially and the last day of any camino is so tough mentally for me.
Buen camino! My nephew and his girlfriend are heading to Pamplona today; I’m virtually walking it with them! They’re loving it! I want to do it myself one day but it’s a time issue for me .
The physical . . . So far I’ve reached San Martin del Camino. The Pyrenees probably bits of Galicia when I get there. The emotional . . . For many people I think home sickness kicks in around Sahagun getting beyond the 2 week holiday block. My view . . . If you’ve completed the Pyrenees you will overcome the physical challenges ahead. The emotional. . . Easier with mobiles and apps. Send images, message home and fellow pilgrims etc. plus if you’ve passed Sahagun it’s nearer the end than the start! Thanks Rob, enjoyed your channel and enjoy the via del la plata.
I notice the comments on how difficult the climb was to O'Cebriero. It was in fact one of my most exhilarating days. I had been intimidated by the often quoted difficulty and steepness of the climb, plus I was experiencing the recent heatwave conditions in Spain. It was 38 c when I stumbled into Cacabellos! I thought I would have to get a taxi to O'Cebrieo or hire a horse. So I walked two short days from Cacabellos, then set off in the cool of the early morning from Las Hererrias. I stormed up to La Faba and thought the remainder of the walk was a "walk in the park". I arrived in O'Cebreiro in time for a triumphant breakfast. I felt on top of the world. Ditto with the decent to Tria castella when I kept wondering when the terrible steep part would commence but realised I was already down. Neither the ascent nor descent were 1/2 as bad as I had built up in my mind. My worst day was in Sahagun. Wondered why I wasn't lying on the beach in San Sebastián or Biarritz. Hated the walk into Santiago. I was tired, wet, hungry, cold and dehydrated, exacerbated by a 30 km walk to OPedrouzo the previous day in the cold rain. Luckily my accommodation was about 10 metres from the Square. I had a hot shower, ate and slept. But so many highlights, the Pyrenees, San Millan de La Cogolla, Eunate all to myself, Burgos, the first few days on the Meseta of green fields and poppies, Astorga, Valle de Seo, O'Cebreiro (early morning, no crowds and pleasantly cool after the heatwave), Samos. I found that the quality of the accommodation and level of hospitality could very much "colour" the experience.
When I did the CF the worst day was into Estella. I had to stop walking for a few days. It turned out I had tendonitis. I wasn't using sticks down the Pyrenees and I wasn't drinking enough water. I recovered and then every day was different, and all were good. You can't be depressed on the camino.
I pulled a groin muscle on my first day as I was so excited I went too fast without stretching so that was a slow painful day. Also the last day too for me. The walk into Santiago just went on and on and it was such an anticlimax in some ways.
A good lesson. I stretch every day before starting, after every break and at the end of the day. Legs, feet, back...... Otherwise I stop working ! Or at least it gets painful... 🙂
Rob. On my first Camino now. A 76 yo male. USA. The Camino now is so full that it is a necessity to prebook my days and many times the hostels are already full. I have had 2 really hard days where I pushed well beyond my limit to reach my lodging. It is also frustrating to spend part of my evening finding a lodging. I would rather be visiting than busy with details. As I mentioned I am 76 and that does limit how far I can walk. Love your videos. Don
Sorry to hear you are having difficulties Don. Are you on the Camino Frances? Sounds like we are back to normal, as May is usually one of the busiest months. Here's a couple of ideas that might help. (1) Stay in some of the smaller 'intermediate' villages/towns along the way, rather than the more popular places that are typically the 'end of stage' towns/villages shown in guidebooks. As you know, there are no formal stages. Just a suggested day's walk shown in guide books. (2) As you are doing, prebook a day or two ahead. booking.com makes this easy, or email/phone ahead. (3) If you feel you are in a 'wave' of pilgrims, maybe drop off the back of the wave by taking a rest day? (4) You could jump ahead to get off the wave too. But not in last 100 kms... (5) Depending where you are.........you could also swap to another Camino. Just make sure you walk a contiguous 100 kms in to Santiago. (2 stamps per day on final 100 kms) I hope things settle down for you Don. Buen Camino.
When walking the Francès after having started from further away, I'd say the three hardest days physically are (in geographical order) SJPP > Roncesvalles ; Carrión de los Condes > Calzadilla de la Cueza etc ; the O Cebreiro stage, regardless of where you start and finish that day. You're right though that the first and last days have their own strangeness ; though I'd say that if you're starting from home, there's a peculiar day during week 1 when you cross over the borderland between "close to home" and "far from home" that has its own difficulty. Each longer Camino has its peculiars of course -- the most difficult part of starting from where I live now is getting through or around Nice, as it has an absolutely massive urban & suburban area, so that walking through it is 2 to 3 days of urban hiking, whereas walking around the city is 3 to 4 days of some not so easy mountain hiking with some suburbia for extra measure. On my Paris Camino in 1994, I'd say the most difficult part of that was week 2, though week 3 had its own difficulties ; but on the Chartres variant, the first day after Chartres was difficult on its own. Day 1 was easy, as half of it was on the basic training route that I'd been using for months. A great priest gave me an amazing late lunch, as the lady who had cooked their lunch had prepared far too much of it, so I got a full plate and a glass of wine just as they had been finishing theirs, which was incredibly encouraging. The other priest who gave me a bed that night was rather dubious, and even somewhat shocked as I was the first Compostelan foot pilgrim he'd ever seen, even though the place he was running was a hostel for religious retreats and was full of beds. As to day 1 from here, for me it's always just the local short & easy pilgrimage route from home to the Sanctuary at Laghet ; and regardless that it's also the crossing from this side of the Alps (Italian) to the other (French), physically it's almost as easy as crossing over the Pyrenees from Cerbère to Portbou, and shorter than crossing them at the very easily hiked Perthus pass. Uphill, it's about as steep here as the first stretch out of SJPP and as the climb up to the Somport, but it's much shorter than both. IIRC, first time I did it, I simply trotted off out the front door after my lunch and after a final work shift on my computer, at about 2-3 PM. Not at all the same thing as a Day 1 starting from some faraway location in a foreign land !!
@@KiwiPilgrim Not "impossible" -- but the surface cargo ship crossing to European land would make it extraordinarily expensive, as you need to pay $$$/day on such journeys rather than just a flat travel price. It's "easier" to do from North America, as the crossings are shorter, and so less expensive.
Interesting question. Agree with your answers. I would say the hardest day for me in a direct answer was O’cebreiro. That climb and the. The cold crowded alburgue. The tourists. It was just deflating. More abstract the hardest days are when you have a bit of an injury or get a little sick and worry you won’t be able to finish. Or when you get fed up with aspects such as hostel living or other people. Or I had some lonely days when I stayed in alburgues where no one spoke English. Or days when I had a poor feed the night before and had no energy. But the Camino- every day has its own lesson.
How do people walk the daily journey? That is, do you do it in two chunks with an hour lunch in the middle OR three/four chunks with several breaks so making it a longer but possibly easier day?
A good question but really hard to answer. 1. It depends on how far you want to walk each day. 2. How fast you walk. 3. If youbwant to carry snacks etc. But most importantly 4. Which camino you are walking. So for example, on the Frances i might ealk a couple of hours , stop for coffee, walk another couple of hours, stop for a snack, all depending on the spacing of the villages of course. Then on the VdlP for example, where I am now, most days i have to carry all the food and water I need for that day. But ultimately, let your body decide. Today for example i walked 27 kms on a warm day, that ended up being 27C. I had many short rest breaks for a small snack. I had one long break to lie down and raise my feet, change my socks etc. I sipped water all day..... i'm blogging day on robscamino.com
I notice the comments on how difficult the climb was to O'Cebriero. It was in fact one of my most exhilarating days. I had been intimidated by the often quoted difficulty and steepness of the climb, plus I was experiencing the recent heatwave conditions in Spain. It was 38 c when I stumbled into Cacabellos! I thought I would have to get a taxi to O'Cebrieo or hire a horse. So I walked two short days from Cacabellos, then set off in the cool of the early morning from Las Hererrias. I stormed up to La Faba and thought the remainder of the walk was a "walk in the park". I arrived in O'Cebreiro in time for a triumphant breakfast. I felt on top of the world. Ditto with the decent to Tria castella when I kept wondering when the terrible steep part would commence but realised I was already down. Neither the ascent nor descent were 1/2 as bad as I had built up in my mind. My worst day was in Sahagun. Wondered why I wasn't lying on the beach in San Sebastián or Biarritz. Hated the walk into Santiago. I was tired, wet, hungry, cold and dehydrated, exacerbated by a 30 km walk to OPedrouzo the previous day in the cold rain. Luckily my accommodation was about 10 metres from the Square. I had a hot shower, ate and slept. But so many highlights, the Pyrenees, San Millan de La Cogolla, Eunate all to myself, Burgos, the first few days on the Meseta of green fields and poppies, Astorga, Valle de Seo, O'Cebreiro (early morning, no crowds and pleasantly cool after the heatwave), Samos. I found that the quality of the accommodation and level of hospitality could very much "colour" the experience.
Well done on the climb to O Cebrieo. Indeed depending how far you have walked that day, (where you start from) it's not that bad. Last we started at Ambasmestas, and after a slow walk up were in O Cebrieo for lunch. I think we all have have different perspectives. It depends on so many variables. Fitness, health, how far you walked that day, weather... Yes, the walk into Santiago can be a bit of an anti climax. On my first Camino I took a bus out to Muxia and sat on the rocks watching the ocean. A much nicer ending.
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If you've walked the Camino Frances, what was your hardest day? Or if you are still to walk a Camino, what day worries you the most?
I walked from SJPDP to Los Arcos this past June. For me the hardest day physically was the descent into Zubiri from the Alto El Erro. The so called “Outrock Crops” were downright dangerous and certainly nothing like what was described in the guidebooks.
On the emotional side, I met an Australian man with whom I became friends with and we walked together for several days. Sadly, one morning he didn’t wake up and was found deceased in his hotel room. This was tough on me and has changed my outlook on life. Live today since tomorrow is not promised.
R.I.P. Sean Reggie McNeill, 6/20/23.
Yes that descent into Zubiri is tough, the last bit anyway. Sorry to hear of your fellow Pilgrims passing may he RIP. Sadly it's not that uncommon. A NZ Pilgrim died on the VdlP when I was walking it this year. He was a day behind me, but the Camino 'telegraph' brought the sad news. Same as I understand. Just didn't wake up.
@@robscamino Thanks for the prompt response. I wanted to let you know that I used a lot of the tips and advice I got from your videos. I have enjoyed some of the recent videos you’ve posted. I must say the “Camino Bug” has bitten me. I am planning on returning in 2025 with my teenage nephews and completing another segment of the Frances. Thanks again. Buen Camino!
@@reyvaldes611 The Camino 'bug' is hard to avoid!
1. Start from Jean Saint 2. Climb to Ocbreiro 3. Downhill from Cruz de Ferro. Also in 2 days from Santiago de Compostela to Finisterre (2x45km) was pretty tough.
Yep. I'd certainly agree with those three! 🙂
The walk from Saint Jean the first day was quite a shock. Heavy backpack, left without eating or carrying a snack, and not enough water. I learned from that day and absolutely loved the experience. The people you meet along the way make it an enjoyable experience. You can be alone as you want or walk with new friends. I found that I loved walking alone but enjoyed talking to fellow pilgrims once I got to my albergue.
I'm a bit the same. Prefer to walk alone but it's nice to have some company in the evening.. That first day must have been hard!
I agree Rob,every day on the camino is enjoyable for me but all my hard day's were on account of the weather,rain especially and the last day of any camino is so tough mentally for me.
That last day is certainly tough 😟
Starting my 2nd Camino Frances 6 days from now in St Jean! Excited 😊
Buen camino!
My nephew and his girlfriend are heading to Pamplona today; I’m virtually walking it with them! They’re loving it! I want to do it myself one day but it’s a time issue for me .
Wonderful!
Make the time......one day.
I’m a new subscriber! I really like the way you present the information and share your insights. Well done 👍🏻
Thank you. Nice to have you join us.
The physical . . . So far I’ve reached San Martin del Camino. The Pyrenees probably bits of Galicia when I get there.
The emotional . . . For many people I think home sickness kicks in around Sahagun getting beyond the 2 week holiday block.
My view . . . If you’ve completed the Pyrenees you will overcome the physical challenges ahead.
The emotional. . . Easier with mobiles and apps. Send images, message home and fellow pilgrims etc. plus if you’ve passed Sahagun it’s nearer the end than the start!
Thanks Rob, enjoyed your channel and enjoy the via del la plata.
Very jealous that you are there Bob ! 🙂
I notice the comments on how difficult the climb was to O'Cebriero. It was in fact one of my most exhilarating days. I had been intimidated by the often quoted difficulty and steepness of the climb, plus I was experiencing the recent heatwave conditions in Spain. It was 38 c when I stumbled into Cacabellos! I thought I would have to get a taxi to O'Cebrieo or hire a horse. So I walked two short days from Cacabellos, then set off in the cool of the early morning from Las Hererrias. I stormed up to La Faba and thought the remainder of the walk was a "walk in the park". I arrived in O'Cebreiro in time for a triumphant breakfast. I felt on top of the world. Ditto with the decent to Tria castella when I kept wondering when the terrible steep part would commence but realised I was already down. Neither the ascent nor descent were 1/2 as bad as I had built up in my mind. My worst day was in Sahagun. Wondered why I wasn't lying on the beach in San Sebastián or Biarritz. Hated the walk into Santiago. I was tired, wet, hungry, cold and dehydrated, exacerbated by a 30 km walk to OPedrouzo the previous day in the cold rain. Luckily my accommodation was about 10 metres from the Square. I had a hot shower, ate and slept. But so many highlights, the Pyrenees, San Millan de La Cogolla, Eunate all to myself, Burgos, the first few days on the Meseta of green fields and poppies, Astorga, Valle de Seo, O'Cebreiro (early morning, no crowds and pleasantly cool after the heatwave), Samos. I found that the quality of the accommodation and level of hospitality could very much "colour" the experience.
I agree. I loved that walk up to O Cebreiro.
When I did the CF the worst day was into Estella. I had to stop walking for a few days. It turned out I had tendonitis. I wasn't using sticks down the Pyrenees and I wasn't drinking enough water. I recovered and then every day was different, and all were good. You can't be depressed on the camino.
Oh, I know Tendonitis only too well 🙁 But as you say, even a bad day on the Camino is a Good Day 🙂
I pulled a groin muscle on my first day as I was so excited I went too fast without stretching so that was a slow painful day. Also the last day too for me. The walk into Santiago just went on and on and it was such an anticlimax in some ways.
A good lesson. I stretch every day before starting, after every break and at the end of the day. Legs, feet, back...... Otherwise I stop working ! Or at least it gets painful... 🙂
Rob. On my first Camino now. A 76 yo male. USA. The Camino now is so full that it is a necessity to prebook my days and many times the hostels are already full. I have had 2 really hard days where I pushed well beyond my limit to reach my lodging. It is also frustrating to spend part of my evening finding a lodging. I would rather be visiting than busy with details. As I mentioned I am 76 and that does limit how far I can walk. Love your videos. Don
Sorry to hear you are having difficulties Don. Are you on the Camino Frances? Sounds like we are back to normal, as May is usually one of the busiest months. Here's a couple of ideas that might help. (1) Stay in some of the smaller 'intermediate' villages/towns along the way, rather than the more popular places that are typically the 'end of stage' towns/villages shown in guidebooks. As you know, there are no formal stages. Just a suggested day's walk shown in guide books. (2) As you are doing, prebook a day or two ahead. booking.com makes this easy, or email/phone ahead. (3) If you feel you are in a 'wave' of pilgrims, maybe drop off the back of the wave by taking a rest day? (4) You could jump ahead to get off the wave too. But not in last 100 kms... (5) Depending where you are.........you could also swap to another Camino. Just make sure you walk a contiguous 100 kms in to Santiago. (2 stamps per day on final 100 kms) I hope things settle down for you Don. Buen Camino.
Thk you
my pleasure
When walking the Francès after having started from further away, I'd say the three hardest days physically are (in geographical order) SJPP > Roncesvalles ; Carrión de los Condes > Calzadilla de la Cueza etc ; the O Cebreiro stage, regardless of where you start and finish that day.
You're right though that the first and last days have their own strangeness ; though I'd say that if you're starting from home, there's a peculiar day during week 1 when you cross over the borderland between "close to home" and "far from home" that has its own difficulty.
Each longer Camino has its peculiars of course -- the most difficult part of starting from where I live now is getting through or around Nice, as it has an absolutely massive urban & suburban area, so that walking through it is 2 to 3 days of urban hiking, whereas walking around the city is 3 to 4 days of some not so easy mountain hiking with some suburbia for extra measure. On my Paris Camino in 1994, I'd say the most difficult part of that was week 2, though week 3 had its own difficulties ; but on the Chartres variant, the first day after Chartres was difficult on its own. Day 1 was easy, as half of it was on the basic training route that I'd been using for months. A great priest gave me an amazing late lunch, as the lady who had cooked their lunch had prepared far too much of it, so I got a full plate and a glass of wine just as they had been finishing theirs, which was incredibly encouraging. The other priest who gave me a bed that night was rather dubious, and even somewhat shocked as I was the first Compostelan foot pilgrim he'd ever seen, even though the place he was running was a hostel for religious retreats and was full of beds.
As to day 1 from here, for me it's always just the local short & easy pilgrimage route from home to the Sanctuary at Laghet ; and regardless that it's also the crossing from this side of the Alps (Italian) to the other (French), physically it's almost as easy as crossing over the Pyrenees from Cerbère to Portbou, and shorter than crossing them at the very easily hiked Perthus pass. Uphill, it's about as steep here as the first stretch out of SJPP and as the climb up to the Somport, but it's much shorter than both. IIRC, first time I did it, I simply trotted off out the front door after my lunch and after a final work shift on my computer, at about 2-3 PM. Not at all the same thing as a Day 1 starting from some faraway location in a foreign land !!
You always have interesting perspectives, being a bit of a longer distance Pilgrim that most! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I would love to be able to walk from home but living in New Zealand makes that impossible. I enjoyed reading of your experiences.
I have the same issue living in Sydney 😟
@@KiwiPilgrim Not "impossible" -- but the surface cargo ship crossing to European land would make it extraordinarily expensive, as you need to pay $$$/day on such journeys rather than just a flat travel price.
It's "easier" to do from North America, as the crossings are shorter, and so less expensive.
Interesting question. Agree with your answers. I would say the hardest day for me in a direct answer was O’cebreiro. That climb and the. The cold crowded alburgue. The tourists. It was just deflating.
More abstract the hardest days are when you have a bit of an injury or get a little sick and worry you won’t be able to finish. Or when you get fed up with aspects such as hostel living or other people. Or I had some lonely days when I stayed in alburgues where no one spoke English. Or days when I had a poor feed the night before and had no energy. But the Camino- every day has its own lesson.
I can certainly relate to that Linda. But those days that challenge us, can be the most rewarding don't you think? 🙂
@@robscamino Absolutely. There were real lesson in those moments.
Wold be nice if u can provide a video
there are plenty of videos on this channel and on my Blog. Was there anything specific you had in mind? robscamino.com/blog/
How do people walk the daily journey? That is, do you do it in two chunks with an hour lunch in the middle OR three/four chunks with several breaks so making it a longer but possibly easier day?
A good question but really hard to answer. 1. It depends on how far you want to walk each day. 2. How fast you walk. 3. If youbwant to carry snacks etc. But most importantly 4. Which camino you are walking. So for example, on the Frances i might ealk a couple of hours , stop for coffee, walk another couple of hours, stop for a snack, all depending on the spacing of the villages of course. Then on the VdlP for example, where I am now, most days i have to carry all the food and water I need for that day. But ultimately, let your body decide. Today for example i walked 27 kms on a warm day, that ended up being 27C. I had many short rest breaks for a small snack. I had one long break to lie down and raise my feet, change my socks etc. I sipped water all day..... i'm blogging day on robscamino.com
Another way of looking at is, i might take a short 5 minute break every hour at least if i see something to sit on...
Physical (Because I'm old, no so great a shape).
I can relate to that ! 🙂
Rob Not to get personal but when your hair is cut short you look 10 years younger. Thank you for another great video.
LOL. My wife is due to give me a Covid cut today 🙂
I can report a suitable haircut has taken place !🙂
Good you did something with the hair. Was thinking the same as Julie
I notice the comments on how difficult the climb was to O'Cebriero. It was in fact one of my most exhilarating days. I had been intimidated by the often quoted difficulty and steepness of the climb, plus I was experiencing the recent heatwave conditions in Spain. It was 38 c when I stumbled into Cacabellos! I thought I would have to get a taxi to O'Cebrieo or hire a horse. So I walked two short days from Cacabellos, then set off in the cool of the early morning from Las Hererrias. I stormed up to La Faba and thought the remainder of the walk was a "walk in the park". I arrived in O'Cebreiro in time for a triumphant breakfast. I felt on top of the world. Ditto with the decent to Tria castella when I kept wondering when the terrible steep part would commence but realised I was already down. Neither the ascent nor descent were 1/2 as bad as I had built up in my mind. My worst day was in Sahagun. Wondered why I wasn't lying on the beach in San Sebastián or Biarritz. Hated the walk into Santiago. I was tired, wet, hungry, cold and dehydrated, exacerbated by a 30 km walk to OPedrouzo the previous day in the cold rain. Luckily my accommodation was about 10 metres from the Square. I had a hot shower, ate and slept. But so many highlights, the Pyrenees, San Millan de La Cogolla, Eunate all to myself, Burgos, the first few days on the Meseta of green fields and poppies, Astorga, Valle de Seo, O'Cebreiro (early morning, no crowds and pleasantly cool after the heatwave), Samos. I found that the quality of the accommodation and level of hospitality could very much "colour" the experience.
Well done on the climb to O Cebrieo. Indeed depending how far you have walked that day, (where you start from) it's not that bad. Last we started at Ambasmestas, and after a slow walk up were in O Cebrieo for lunch. I think we all have have different perspectives. It depends on so many variables. Fitness, health, how far you walked that day, weather... Yes, the walk into Santiago can be a bit of an anti climax. On my first Camino I took a bus out to Muxia and sat on the rocks watching the ocean. A much nicer ending.