I'm not Catholic. Can I walk the Camino? While the Camino de Santiago is based in Catholic lore and tradition, one does not need to be Catholic to walk. Indeed one does not need to even be religious or spiritual. About the only time this will be a question is in the Oficina de Acogida de Peregrinos in Santiago when you appear to obtain your compostela. You will be asked your motivation for walking and those who do not state "religious or spiritual" as their reason for making the pilgrimage will be offered another document, a certificado, to commemorate their having completed the Camino. While many will walk the Camino for out and out religious reasons, others will look on it from a more secular viewpoint. A pilgrimage, after all, is not necessarily religious. Consider the throngs who take a pilgrimage to Graceland!
How difficult is it to walk the Camino? Every peregrino will have a different answer for this question. The Camino is not a Himalayan expedition, but it is not a Sunday stroll through the park either. On the Camino francés, the terrain from St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago will include crossing a lower ridge of the Pyrenees, walking on farm roads through areas of rolling vineyards and across the meseta, the high, flat plains of Castilla-León, climbing and descending several mountain passes with altitudes of up to 5,000 ft (1,500 m) and finally traversing the forested river valleys of Galicia. Weather varies according to the season and the local climate zone, and can range from extremely hot and dry to cool and wet to cold and snowy. Camino veterans will say that physical preparation is absolutely necessary. It is one thing to take a hike of 25 km on a nice afternoon, but it is quite another matter to repeat this hike day after day for a month. Those who have had previous camping, backpacking or hiking experience will be a step ahead. That said, there are still multitudes of pilgrims who begin their Camino without having done any physical preparation at all. Carrying a pack will pretty much be a necessity but because there are support services all along the way—places to stay and eat—carrying a large pack is not at all necessary. In fact, packing light may be the most important ingredient for a successful Camino.
How easy is it to follow the route? In Spain, especially on the Camino francés, the entire route is extremely well marked with yellow arrows. Sometimes these are crudely brushed onto a wall or post, sometimes they are 'formally' created signs. You will always encounter them at division points or intersections in the road or path. Following the Camino through the larger cities is probably the most problematical issue, as the arrows can tend to get lost in the clutter of other signs and sometimes you may walk straight ahead for many blocks after which there will be one arrow pointing left or right. Still, if you go astray, usually a 'local' will quickly straighten you out. And you can always use "¿Dónde va el Camino?" ("Where does the Camino go?") or something like that.
Which route should I follow? There are many routes, many Caminos, to Santiago de Compostela. In the Middle Ages, pilgrims began their pilgrimage from their front door, whether that was in Jaca or Sevilla, Paris or Ostabat, Brussels or Vienna: there were as many routes as there were pilgrims. The best known route today, the one that most people mean then they talk about "the Camino", is the Camino francés, which crosses the north of Spain from the French border through Pamplona, Burgos and León all the way to Santiago. But many other routes have been marked and are available to modern pilgrims, starting both inside Spain and beyond its borders. Inside Spain, other well known Caminos include the Vía de la Plata which begins in Sevilla and passes through Mérida, Cáceres and Salamanca; the Camino primitivo which begins in Oviedo and passes through Lugo before meeting the Camino francés shortly before Santiago; the Camino del Norte which begins in Irún at the French border and follows the northern coast before turning inland near Ribadeo. There are now also recognized and well marked routes in France, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria … almost everywhere in Europe.
Where should I start? Once you have decided on which route you wish to follow, you will have to choose a starting point. Yes, you can start anywhere you want. In 2009 on the Camino francés, about 20% of the pilgrims who eventually arrived in Santiago began at the French-Spanish border, at either St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France or Roncesvalles in Spain. Another approximately 20% started at Sarria to just fulfill the 100-km requirement for the compostela. But no matter which route you follow, remember that the Camino is, in essence, just a long path, and aside from the 100 km requirement for a compostela, you can walk any part of any route that you wish.
How long does it take? There is no simple answer to this question. Whether on foot or bicycle, how long your pilgrimage will take will depend on many variables, such as what kind of terrain you will be crossing, how much you want to travel each day, how many rest days you wish to take during the pilgrimage and, naturally, your physical abilities. The hilly countryside near Le Puy, France, may limit walkers to 15 or 20 kilometers per day, while the flat expanses of the Spanish meseta will allow some to walk 30 or more kilometers per day. You may choose to finish your day’s walk early in the afternoon, or you may prefer to continue walking until late in the day. The distance you travel in a day will depend on your pace, as well as on how often you stop to rest, to visit cultural attractions and to talk to people. You may wish to take a day off from time to time, or you may prefer to walk every day.
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