For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)
Oh I remember well zigzagging down that hill.
Loved, loved, loved that part of the Camino, including the preceding 12% climb. One of my favourite days (of the admittedly not all encompassing section of the camino I've covered so far from Logrono to Leon).
Yep, can't wait to get to those chairs and what they promise on their label by the time you reach that final slope.... I also think that bar accounts for 90% of that albergue's custom, though it does close at 10pm!
There is a small shop indeed in Carrion, but I'm not sure how good it is for shoes - I seem to remember they were good for clothes and bits and bobs. But Carrion is a pretty large place in Camino terms, and you may find more shops if venture into the area used by locals. However, I do remember...
Calzadilla de la Cueza, the private albergue. Dreadful bathrooms.... could say more but will leave it at that. Apparently, the municipal one is much better maintained, but doesn't have that swimming pool in the back...
Tell me about it! It was one of the most challenging sections without a doubt, second only to crossing the Alto Matagrande after Ages/Atapuerca, which, with those rough rocks and lack of shade, I found a true walk of penance in the afternoon heat - I'm not religious but I thanked God when I...
I think the answers you're going to get will be quite idiosyncratic. I know I would need a proper sleeping bag not just a liner, but then I know I feel the cold. You may not be the same. I would definitely try to find a lighter sleeping bag if you can (again, I'm a weed when it comes to...
..not all of them are using vinyl encased mattresses. Only about half of them, in my experience, if that! But I think I agree that perhaps taking an external bag to put your pack in would be a good idea. I used my internal liner partially as protection against the rain (which never happened, in...
Yes, this forum was definitely the most helpful planning resource for me, and I've just donated. Should have probably done so before leaving but for various reasons couldn't. Excellent resource! Thank you for making it available!
I think definitely got some bites which I would put down to bed bugs on my recent camino. I used a pack liner inside my backpack, which I always sealed with one of those food clips you get from IKEA, and I mostly kept the pack away from the bed and didn't lean it against it if I could arrange...
Some people suggest olives as a good snack on the camino, as they're high in salt (though sodium is not the only mineral you lose) and fat (an alternative to carb-based energy). I did use some mineral salt powders, too, in the first days, so hopefully if you've got those they will help too...
Things I forgot/would bring next time:
One obvious thing, which I simply left behind by mistake when walking out of the door: my fleece! Thankfully I travelled in August so I was just about alright without it, but that, or a warmish top/jacket, is definitely an item that it's worth taking no...
I thought I'd report back what I ended up doing having now actually been out on my cut down first Camino. First of all, thank you very much, Dancing Rain, for your recommendation. I had actually had a room booked for my first night, but as things rarely go to plan in my life these days I not...
This site is run by Ivar at in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon