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Nothing much to add. After the first few days, you’ll figure out how things work and that it’s all pretty easy.
Except don’t worry too much about ‘drinking before you’re thirsty’! The body has an amazing tool to ensure that you drink enough - called ‘thirst’. It’s been refined over...
I found this section really interesting and enjoyable to walk - compared to the many kilometres of rather boring paved footpaths and roads on the rest of the French Camino!
And last year - from the Information Centre (turn right at the ramp that goes up to the castle entrance, and follow the moat around for 50 metres or so) - I got a really lovely little free, illustrated map of the Camino that folds out like a credential. A lovely keepsake on nice heavy weight...
Just walk slowly past them without making much noise and avoid sudden movements or big gestures. Same advice for cattle anywhere.
Edit- I grew up on a farm - with cattle!
I took the bus from Astorga to Ponferrada- it was convenient and cheap. If you are staying at the municipal albergue in Ponferrada, you can get off at the ‘University’ stop (a stop as you come into town) and walk to the Albergue from there (I think you can get that stop as a destination on your...
I think the OP is talking about a mattress protector under the sheet, whereas the albergues (at least on the Frances last year) had a polypropylene ‘disposable’ sheet only rather than a mattress protector & a sheet. (The waste every day from those non-recyclable ‘disposable’ sheets broke my...
I don’t think blisters on your calves are a ‘thing’. Just bring the macabi skirt and the compression tights that work for you. The macabi skirts are very airy so shouldn’t e too hot. Or roll up the skirt - this is a macabi shirt feature.
In the long-term (after the Camino) why not have the...
The plastic box is overkill. Purchase a pack transport cover (Decathalon sell them) or transport inside a stripey polypropylene bag - I don’t use tape - I just zip it shut and padlock the zip to the small fabric loop near the top of the zip.
Or sew a fabric bag large enough to cover the pack.
As others have said, consider your shoes. Are they long enough and wide enough?
I highly recommend injinji synthetic liner toe socks underneath wool mix hiking socks (in roomy shoes - I wear hiking shoes that are 2-21/2 sizes bigger than my street shoes (to accommodate the socks and some arch...
Do they still have ‘stretch’ in them or have they thickened as well as become almost impossible to stretch width-ways? Do they soften up on wearing?
They may have ‘felted’.
This happens to my socks if I use water that’s more than lukewarm - or if they get spun in the washing machine.
If the...
That section was fine in early April 2023 - in dry weather. One needed to check feet placement at times, but nothing too bad - just a short section of rough, rocky trail with some ruts. But I’m an experienced back country hiker.
If your previous experience is mostly on well-graded trails then...
Blisters are caused by ‘shear’between the skin layers so a couple of layers of socks can really help by moving the ‘shear’ to between the socks.
I highly recommend injinji synthetic liner toe socks. They have ‘coolmax’ which wicks away moisture from the feet. Pair them with a wool mix hiking...
Though from what I’ve read, research doesn’t back the ‘showers cause blisters’ belief at all. And correlation (I had a shower in the morning and I got a blister so it must be due to the shower…) isn’t the same as causation (I tripped and hit my arm so got a cut)!
The Correos website says the Paq Perigrino can be held at the Post Office for up to 45 days. https://www.elcaminoconcorreos.com/es/envio-maletas
The Correos website says the the Post Office in Santiago de C. is open every day - Monday to Sunday - from 1 March to 30 November (even though others...
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