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Grandas de Salime was a lovely town – do not miss the Museum! Grab a fellow pilgrim and wander round it's exhibits trying to work out what all the stuff was used for. Great fun and genuinely a charming and interesting place to go. It was one of the highlights of my trip (Hospitales day being the...
Not ashamed to admit that I'm sat here shedding a few tears reading everyone's lovely comments to dear John Brierley. I emailed John last summer on my return from the Frances to thank him for his brilliant book, and told him about a moment I experienced on the camino that made me decide to...
I took that bus and really regret it now – it's the only stretch of the Frances I did not walk and part of me feels like I need to go back and walk that section to truly complete it! If I ever holiday in the area I'll get my other half to drop me off in Mansilla and I will walk that part to...
Sorry if this is a silly question, but do volunteers need to speak Spanish? I'd love to do this in the future but my Spanish is basic at best despite my best efforts.
Yes way better support than Speedgoats. Foot doesn’t slide to the front of the shoe on the downhills like they did in the Hokas. The sole is firmer, more like a Salomon sole. Very grippy.
My Mutants are non-Goretex. I took a wide in Speedgoats, the Mutants are wide fitting in my opinion. They look a bit wacky but I guess but nowhere near as wacky as the SGs!
I also had issues with Speedgoats - horrendous blisters, and zero support on descents. Now use La Sportiva Mutants - super grippy, they support and hug the foot and there’s loads of room in the toe box. They also have a built in gaiter on the tongue so small stones stay out the shoe. I highly...
You could take a trip out to the bodega of Marquis de Riscal - the architecture is beautiful, designed by the same architect as the Guggenheim in Bilbao and the wine tour is fantastic- plus you get tasters at the end.
I stayed at Winederful – it was very nice as I recall, but my sleep was disturbed at 4am by a particularly selfish pilgrim who decided she would get up, clatter about in the adjoining bathroom turning on lights, and getting all her bags packed ready for her noisy 5am departure. No bother from...
Thanks for your update and lovely pictures. May I ask how much training you think is necessary for this, and on those early difficult days, how many hours were you walking for?
I had an email from the Albergue Ponte Ferreira yesterday, sadly the dutch couple are selling up due to health issues but it is being taken over by someone else.
That’s a shame, it did feel a little neglected when I went and had a strange atmosphere. The owner wasn’t too friendly and we all were expecting a lousy dinner so we were all really grateful to be treated to the amazing feast put before us that night.
The Finca Albergue! Strange place and I nearly walked away, but wow we had such a fantastic meal there, the best one of my camino. Big bowl of fresh salad, garlicky lentil soup, a tray of crispy fried eggs in olive oil, paprika ham slices, chips, bread, dessert and lovely red wine. It was amazing…
For those who've walked the Primitivo in late June/July, I'm curious about the weather and the amount of rain to expect – and wondering whether to pack warm stuff like a puffy jacket in addition to wet weather gear (Altus poncho) – I'm assuming it's cooler at altitude and mornings are cold? What...
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