Tips and advice for the Way of St. James

Do not set off on the Way of St. James without training beforehand: Take long walks during the weeks leading up to your departure. Gradually increase the length and difficulty of your training walks

  • Plan the stages and organize them to suit you. Adapt the route to your physical abilities and aims. Regulate your effort and go at your own pace. The Way of St. James is not a race. The journey is as important as the goal.

  • You will need to warm up and do stretching exercises throughout the entire route. Pay special attention to your calf muscles.

  • If you’re doing the route by bicycle, the stages should be 60–100 km long. Ride with a companion. Be especially careful of vehicle traffic and pilgrims on foot. The optimum time of year is September (the weather is pleasant and the days are still long).

You will need to warm up and do stretching exercises throughout the entire route

If you’re doing the route by bicycle, the stages should be 60–100 km long

  • Your footwear should be broken in and adapted to your feet. Do not wear new shoes. Hiking or walking boots are your best choice. They should have thick soles. Also carry sandals or flip-flops for rest periods.

Your footwear should be broken in and adapted to your feet

Your backpack should be suited to the shape of your back

  • Your backpack should be suited to the shape of your back, allowing you to maintain correct posture. The weight should be carried close to your body’s axis. Carry only the essentials. Your pack should weigh no more than 10 kg.

  • The knees, tendons and feet are our week points. Sprains and tendinitis are the most common injuries. You need to take care of them right away (an analgesic for the pain, anti-inflammatory ointments, compression bandages or massages).

  • Proper socks are essential: preferably cotton and seamless. If you wear boots, add another pair of wool socks. They must be kept clean at all times.

    • Don’t forget to carry a small first-aid kit with the basic items you need to look after your feet and protect your skin (hypodermic needles, gel dressings, plasters, bandages, small scissors, sun cream and moisturizer).

    • Your diet should be light and include lots of carbohydrates. Stay hydrated: you need to drink liquids before, during and after each day’s walk. Be sure to get about two litres of water a day.

    • Don’t walk at night, either before dawn or after sunset. The route has been laid out and signed for daylight travel.

    • Galicia is a moist, fertile soil, with rain for much of the year. This is an attraction that feeds and gives splendor to the landscape, but it is also a determining factor we must foresee. Temperatures are never extreme: between 25 and 30 degrees in summer warmer days (July and August),  and a minimum between 0-5 degrees in specific inland and mountain areas.
    • In an emergency, you can call the emergency telephone number: 112. The number is free and operates 24 hours/day, 365 days/year. Staff can handle any urgent matter or emergency.

    One final recommendation: Don’t leave any litter on the route. There are bins in every town where you can deposit your rubbish. Look after the ancient route extending before you and protect it.

    Your diet should be light and include lots of carbohydrates

    Don’t walk at night