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I do hope you shall find a place. In my opinion, booking beds ahead is killing the Camino. It's a tourists jaunt now. People staring at their phone apps simply to book the next evening. No adventure, no surprises. Taking on the unknown can be very rewarding. A selfish atitude is descending upon...
Just a question.
If you are walking the same or part of a Camino you have walked before, do you stay at the same albergues as you did or try somewhere new?
I'm from the UK and use Dr. Beckmann travel wash. Comes in toothpaste sized tubes and emerges a gloopy colourless liquid. No fragrance as far as I can tell. Works fine in cold water too. Does the job but always open to trying other products. The big question for me is how long to wash the...
...and abrasions on the meshed bottle side pockets. It had aged 5 years during the flight. I think they must have played football with it on the runway tarmac. At the time I just thought, well sh*t happens and left it. Thinking back, I should have reported it. So, a rucksack storage bag next time 👍
Peter, I'm surprised at you. You obviously haven't walked distance on trails before. Probably the first cardinal rule of shoes suitable for walking is a firm sole. You are walking distance day after day, no let up. You really have to get the footwear right. There must be acres of words of advice...
I wear Marks &Spencers cotton boxer shorts and haven't had a problem. They dry quickly enough too. One thing I would say is to have different colours, otherwise you lose track of which one needs washing and can end up getting confused if you can't differentiate between the two. I bring only 2...
We are all different and we get used to things. I live in England and as soon as the summer warms, I live in shorts. For my summer months Caminos, I bring a pair of shorts and a pair of convertible trousers, so I can vary but prominently wear shorts, making sure to apply factor 50 to the tops of...
When I see a baseball cap being worn on a hot sunny day, it makes me wince. All that harmful UV on the tops of your ears and cheeks (on your face) and the unobstructed radiation to the back of your neck. And not to mention the little adjustable material strap or a plastic strap with holes, at...
Hi, everyone is different but I don't think you can go wrong with goretex shoes. I would consider a poncho with sleeves and I find goretex "gaitors" (that's what we call them in the UK) - very useful. They cover your shoe tops, up your shins and calves and finish just below the knee. They help...
Hi Waywalker, it's early here and I'm reading your explanation about your husband being reunited with his boots. Sorry, I find your explanation unintelligible - maybe the early hour I am reading it, so please excuse me. But it sounds like a happy ending. Good.
Buen Camino.
I love them too. I have well over a dozen. As a gent, the only downside is that they 'pile' on my neck beard stubble (although I wet shave every day) and start to look scruffy in no time. 🤷♂️
Buen Camino
I believe I've made a comment on this before. Probably the single most important item to get right on your Camino is footwear. I wear walking shoes, I haven't tried boots. When you go to the footwear display wall it your local outdoors shop, wear the socks you intend to wear and try for size in...
Decathlon Forclaz mountain trekking trousers MT500. Available in trousers, zip off trouser/shorts and shorts only. Peerless. Great secure pockets. Great cut. Stretch panels where you need them. Dry in no time. Great value.
I would agree with one of the other writers... you don't really need one. You can charge the phone while you eat at places and many albergues now have a power point per bed. I met a German lady on my last Camino. She had brought along a heavy 4 array solar panel charger. I'm still scratching my...
My personal concern is weight loss. Every Camino I've done, on my return people tell me "you've lost weight.... again!" I am a pescatarian and to be honest, not knowing the full range of Spanish food and only a few words of Spanish, I find it hard work to eat in Spain. I am used to filleted fish...
Spot on. Pilgrims are killing the Caminos by booking well in advance. No adventure. Go with the flow. Do as much as you feel like doing for the day. The spark of adventure. Not sure what YOLO means though!
Buen Camino to you.
Thank you Bradypus. You could never beat the presentation of John's guides. The words, the maps. My bible when I walked the Camino Francés in 2018. Now dog eared and battered but I keep it on my kitchen table to this day and wistfully refer to it from time to time - to bring back fond memories...
Yes, I agree. I did the Francés in 2018 and Madrid in '19 and as far as I can remember, I followed the signs halfway through O Pedrouzo then a right turn up through the woods.
However, I have just completed the Primitivo in May '23 and as you approach the N-547, instead of the arrows turning you...
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