hi...I am 12 years old going on 13 (I am Esperanza's daughter)and my dad and I are thinking about doing the camino de Santiago by bike next summer. I was wondering what any of you thought about a 13 year old doing it. Is it too mountainous? I would love to do it, but I am afraid that it would be too hard...

thanks
*marisa4444*

I recommend you to do it!

In 1993 I was 15 years-old, I went to Camino de Santiago with two friends (13 and 14) and our parents, though we "only" walked 110 kilometers.

The Camino de Santiago is really really great, impressive, cultural, gastronomic, incredible and any other adjective you want to apply. It is not too hard for your age if you are in a normal physical condition. Of course you will be exhausted when you arrived at Santiago, but you will also have incredible feelings, pleasure, proud for being able to complete it, and filled with the experience.

It is really worth of it, you won't regret.

Fernando

Hello, Marisa!
You don't have to do the whole Camino to earn la Compostela. In '99 I met a young couple who were proudly carrying theirs and they had just walked from Cebreiro. I took a photo of them and you can see it at http://groups.msn.com/gettoknowalittlefromSpain
(Click on Photo Album). If you do the Camino by bike, I think you are required to travel 200 kilometres in order to earn la Compostela. I'll look that up for you if you like ...

Hope you enjoyed your visit to Philadelphia

I had a great time in Philadelphia, thanks. I had always thought that you had to start off in France. Starting off in Cebreiro would be a good idea to save time, so we could go to Madrid too . I will keep reasearching....thanx!!

Marisa: I just completed the Camino in May of this year. We started in Valcarlos, which is about 3km from the French border. All-in-all, we covered 521 miles. While no picture of perfect health, I found the road to be quite challenging, and not for a "beginner".

We started with three guys in our group (all in our thirties), and one of the men bowed out about 2/3 of the way there. We had some rough weather to start (we rode in May and had rain the first three days), and things seemed steeper than the maps we had would've led us to believe. We always thought that for every uphill there was an equal and opposite downhill. That wasn't always the case.

I recommend that you consider it seriously before going the "full length". In order to get the Compostela for having completed the trek, you must ride the final 200 km (100 km for walkers). That's still 120 miles, and no leisure ride. Galicia is very hilly, even if you stick to the automobile road and off the pilgrim's footpath. We didn't see a single pilgrim in two weeks that was under the age of 18 (or at least looked under 18), and we saw nobody on their bikes that looked younger than we are.

That having been said, after having completed the pilgrimage road, I would never discourage another would-be pilgrim from making their own pilgrimage. The road is full of history, culture, and a unique spiritual feel, regardless of the faith you profess. Take the challenge, but make sure it's the right time in your life to undertake such a feat. Buen camino!

P.S. You can read my pilgrim's diary at this site which has graciously been provided for me by MadridMan!

Thank you all of my MM friends for your good and sound advice for my daughter. She and my husband are quite interested in doing the Camino this coming summer. Calibasco, I REALLY appreciate your opinions and advice. Hearing how rocky and hilly some parts really are, might make them rethink their plans. I didn't realize you could still get the pilgrim status having just gone from O'Cebreiro...that would be worth thinking about more seriously. I have been reading Calibasco\'s journal and I LOVE IT! I can picture myself there! Thanks for posting it.
Any other thoughts are very appreciated. Gracias.