Twenty-seven and a half miles. Blog article finished.
No, now seriously: the question can of course not be answered in a general way, how could it?
Experienced hikers will surely know their workload, for all others I will try to create orientation values here.
A note in advance: the following statements are based on my experiences and conversations with other pilgrims, I do not take any responsibility for the correctness and of course I cannot make any statement about your personal fitness.
What is the minimum number of kilometres per stage?
Most of the stage suggestions on the various websites and in the books are between 15 and 35km long.
And under normal circumstances you can always do the 15km, even if the stage is very steep, it is very hot or you are really unathletic.
I talked to an 81 year old pilgrim who was carrying a huge backpack and said she would run between 12 and 18km per day.
Another pilgrim, who weighed an estimated 15o-170kg told me he would do about 15km a day.
And also with me it is so that even on days when it is 35 degrees and the body is screaming for a break with every step, 15km is feasible. Then just take it slowly and with an extended lunch break.
What do average pilgrims manage per day?
The perfect stage for me is about 25km.
If it’s too short, I arrive much too early and if there’s not an exciting city at the finish, but only a small town with three houses, I wonder why I didn’t just keep walking.
If it is too long I fight my way through the last few kilometres and get in a really bad mood.
To this one must say that I am quite good on foot, but otherwise absolutely unsportsmanlike.
That means that the 25km I prefer for sporty people are probably already too boring and underchallenged.
In addition it is not only physically but also mentally a question of type. If you love to go to your limits and to exceed them, then you can plan your stages a bit longer.
On the other hand, if you block and despair when you are overstrained, it is better not to plan to your limit.
What is the maximum number of kilometres you should walk per day?
An experienced French pilgrim, who used to be my roommate, told me that she likes to walk 35 to 40km per day, because only then she is really tired in the evening.
If you are very sporty, I think 30-35km could be a good length for you. Maybe not for every day, but as a guideline.
In such a case the daylight is rather the limiting factor than the fitness.
Conclusion
I was surprised how quickly my fitness improved on the road.
As there is not a suitable hotel at every milestone anyway, the stages always vary in length and that is a good thing.
Just to get over all the impressions you should take it easy and take the afternoon off with a short stage.
But those who like challenges can also plan (let) a stage in between that will bring one to his limits.
For average fit pilgrims I recommend stage lengths of 20-30km per day, which can be longer or shorter on individual days, depending on the destination.