Walking El Camino with Baby

[Tania A. Heinemann]

Hi - this message is in response to Lucy's about walking El Camino with a
baby in tow.  I emailed my friend Sarah in Vancouver whom I met on the
Camino this past Spring to ask her for some advice for you...    Some of you
walking around that time may have had the privelage of meeting Sarah.

Sarah has only one leg.  She walked the Camino with two special crutches.
She became an inspiration to literally hundreds of people along The Way.

 From Sarah, "I used a book called, Walking the Camino by Vancouver authors.
The publishing company is Pilla Press.  This book has maps that give someone
a good idea of the route, expected places to stop and rest and eat/stay.
There was a women in early May who also walked most of the Camino strolling
a baby (using the bike path)."

I hope this helps with your trip planning.

Good luck!

"Nothing in this world is impossible, if only you believe, you will
accomplish the impossible" - tr

Tania

>----- Original Message -----
>From: Lucy McCauley
>To: GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU
>Sent: July 26, 2004 9:47 PM
>Subject: Camino...w/ baby--help/ideas?!
>Hello >I'm a writer from Boston, Massachusetts and hope to do just a 3 to 5
day >pilgrimage along the Camino with my year-and-a-half old baby girl in
late >August/ early September. I'm doing this both for spiritual reasons and
to
>possibly write about it later. (I am the editor of the anthology Travelers'
>Tales: Spain, among others.)
> >I'll be a lone female w/ a baby, and my original plan was to use an all-
>terrain stroller that converts into a backpack should the need arise.  I'm
>now hoping to find a section of the trail that: >1) is a  3-5 day portion
of the pilgrimage that won't be more than a 5-8 >mile distance between
food/water supplies and logding (hostals or pensions >are fine, not
necessarily refugios or albuerges, since I know my distance >won't qualify
for the pilgrim's carnet anyway--and those places aren't >likely to welcome
a baby!). By the way, I don't feel I necessarily HAVE to >end up in Santiago
as the endpoint.>2) would be fairly smooth terrain, in case I decide to use
a regular >portable stroller rather than the all-terrain stroller (which is
rather >large and unwieldy)
> >3) preferably wouldn't require me to carry my 25-lb baby on my back for
any >great lengths (ie,no severely rocky and steep uphill terrain) >I had
hoped to walk the pilgrimage from Santiago to Finisterre, but from >what
I've read, on at least one day I'd have to walk about 15 miles between
>lodging or food/water supplies. Same with the Camino Ingles (from
>Ferrol/Coruna), as far as I can tell. Too many daily miles logged for a
>baby. >Any suggestions or thoughts would be greatly ppreciated. >many
thanks for your help  >Lucy McCauley