Walking the final 100 kilometers of the Camino de Santiago through Northwestern Spain is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. For many women, it marks a personal milestone—spiritual, physical, or simply an opportunity to slow down and immerse in a different rhythm of life.

Like any meaningful journey, it’s one that requires preparation.

Over the course of eight days, you’ll walk 10 to 12 miles per day through the Spanish countryside. It’s not a race, but it is sustained effort. And while this part of the Camino isn’t mountainous, it is hilly and uneven in places. Preparing your body with steady, consistent training helps ensure that you’ll enjoy the experience rather than endure it.

Here’s how to train in a way that builds your endurance, prevents injuries, and gets you ready to walk with confidence.

The 5×5 Goal: Five Miles, Five Days a Week

About two months before your trip, the ideal goal is to be walking at least five miles a day, five days per week.

These walks don’t need to be fast. You should be walking at a pace where you can hold a conversation. What matters is consistency. Your body needs to adapt to walking for 1.5 to 2 hours at a time (with coffee and lunch breaks in between) for multiple days in a row.

If five miles feels like a lot right now, that’s fine—start with shorter distances and build up gradually.

Progressive Training: Build Over Time

In your first few weeks, focus on walking 2–3 miles a day. Increase your distance incrementally. By the halfway point in your training, aim to be walking 4–5 miles several days per week.

As your trip approaches, try to include at least one or two days where you walk longer distances (6–8 miles) and ideally on back-to-back days. That’s the best way to simulate the rhythm of the Camino, where you’ll be walking daily.

Vary your terrain as much as you can. The Camino route includes gravel roads, cobblestones, forest paths, and rolling hills—not steep climbs, but not flat either. If you live in a hilly area, make use of it. If not, try to include stairs, inclines, or trail walking as part of your weekly routine.

You’re Not Backpacking—But You’re Still Walking

On a Bold Spirit Travel trip, you won’t be carrying a heavy pack. Your main luggage will be transferred each day, and you’ll walk with just a light daypack for water, snacks, and extra layers for weather.

That said, we recommend training with your daypack so that you’re used to it. Even a few extra pounds can feel heavier over time if your body isn’t accustomed to it.

Break in Your Shoes and Socks (and Do You Want Poles?)

Footwear is critical. Choose supportive walking shoes or trail runners that you’ve worn for at least a month and taken multiple long walks in before the trip. Avoid hiking boots unless they’re lightweight and broken in—heavy boots aren’t necessary for this route.

Use the same socks you’ll wear on the Camino during your training. That way, you’ll catch any potential friction or discomfort well before the trip.

Trekking poles are optional but can be helpful, especially if you’re concerned about knees or stability. Some women on our trips find they help reduce fatigue and improve posture over long days. Practice with them at home to see if you’ll need them on the Camino.

Try a “Mini Camino” Weekend

A great way to build confidence is to simulate the experience. Choose a weekend and plan two consecutive days of walking—ideally 6 to 8 miles each. If possible, stay overnight somewhere in between. This will help you test gear, pace, recovery, and how your body feels the next morning after a long day of walking.

Supportive Practices Beyond Walking

Don’t underestimate the value of stretching, yoga, or strength work for core and leg muscles. These can help with joint stability, posture, and overall comfort on the trail. Hips, knees, and ankles all work together to keep you walking safely.

Prioritize hydration, and take rest days when needed. Soreness is part of building endurance. Sharp or persistent pain is not—listen to your body and adjust when necessary.

What the Walking Days Are Really Like

Most of your walking will take place between breakfast and mid-afternoon, with breaks throughout the day for café stops, photo opportunities, or simply enjoying the scenery.

You’ll arrive at your destination by early evening, with time to shower, rest, and enjoy a local meal. We stay in comfortable inns and manor houses—no hostels, no bunk beds, and no camping.

This daily rhythm—walk, rest, eat, repeat—becomes a powerful part of the experience. It’s not about pushing through. It’s about presence and pace.

You Don’t Have to Train Alone

If walking alone isn’t your thing, enlist a friend or join a local walking group. Some women decide to train and travel together, helping each other with accountability and consistency even if they don’t live near each other. Training doesn’t need to be intense—it just needs to be steady.

And if you’re traveling solo, know this: the Camino has a way of bringing people together. You’ll have companionship on the trail when you want it, and the support of a guide and a positive, encouraging group of bold women like you.

The Bottom Line

You don’t need to be super fit; you do need to be prepared. The Camino is accessible to many women in their 50s, 60s, and 70s—but it’s more enjoyable when you’ve built up your stamina ahead of time.

Start walking. Stay consistent. Test your gear. And trust that the Camino is beckoning you because you’re capable of this!

Ready to start training? Reserve your spot here.

Regina Winkle-Bryan is a writer, educator, and avid globetrotter based in Seattle, Washington. She founded Bold Spirit Travel to help women connect and create community while exploring our vast and beautiful planet She leads all-women, small-group tours to Italy, Costa Rica, and her corner of the USA, the Pacific Northwest. She lived in Spain for a decade and loves to take guests along the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route, as well as curated trips to Barcelona and the Costa Brava. Learn more about where you can travel next with Bold Spirit Travel: www.boldspirittravel.com Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.