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)
I‘ve been sick many times with food poisoning: Syria, Turkey, Afghanistan, India . . . An experience never to be forgotten, humbling, and to be feared. Blessings on all survivors.
Carry less than 10% of your body weight. Start slow, very slow, ease into shape. The Camino is not a race, and shouldn’t be. Use hiking poles for balance, to ease the weight on your hips, To take weight off your feet. Have fun!
Oh, yes, take with you or buy in France/Spain a good pair of hiking poles to ease the weight on your knees and back. I used Pacer Poles, orderable from the UK, which are great hiking poles.
Maybe you’re overthinking things. The food in Spain is readily available and very fine. Lots of shops and grocery stores. Charming bars and restaurants. As to clothes, why not buy what you want for a change of pace and use Correos to transport your extra clothes to Santiago? Anyway, you will...
I walked my Camino 11 months after having a bilateral knee replacement. I was 75 and my pace was slow and steady, but the Camino and its scenery was, of course, extraordinary and uplifting. I’m a realist, too, and I’d urge you not to give up on being able to actually walk every step of the Camino.
It goes without saying that shoes should be test driven to ensure sizing and comfort are satisfactory before starting the Camino. I vividly remember one peregrino I met who discovered while walking that his boots had been defectively sewn so that one foot was being rubbed raw by some errant...
A male volunteer at the Camino office in St. Jean assured me with great authority that I could not walk the Napoleon route on my chosen start date because there would be stormy, freezing weather that day. Later, I talked to another, different volunteer who checked the weather report on the spot...
the Volunteers at the pilgrims office vary in terms of the knowledge and accuracy they have regarding conditions on the Route Napoleon. It is best to talk to several volunteers, other pilgrims, and to check weather reports. The weather varies, so make an effort to inform yourself from several...
Yes, on the Camino I was surprised and frightened several times by speeding bikes on the trail that did not slow down at all or announce themselves as they came near me while passing. I have seen a few people run down by bicycles in accidents. The resulting injuries and shock can be serious. The...
There may be a few people on the Camino who have feelings of superiority and scorn for how others make the trek, but really that is not the essence of the spirit on the Way. It is very much a live and let live world. It is far better to be on the Camino in the way that is possible for you and...
I have had custom made orthotics (ghastly expensive), and they solved my crippling foot problems. Along the way, one of my podiatrists gave me as a temporary fix, some white, semi-hard foam orthotics that I have bought more of and used for years in all my shoes. They cost about $25 for a pair...
A couple of thoughts— the insoles in trail runners are pretty much never glued in the shoe. Or, if they are, the glue is minimal and the insole can be safely pulled out and replaced in the store. Yes, try on shoes with your orthotics and follow all the good advice from Dave Bugg. Do remember to...
My wife and I both found walking the Camino to be a spiritual experience that we welcomed and embrace. Neither of us is religious in any formal way. We do not attend church or see the world through a lens shaped by dogma. But the Camino, with its millennial history, its extraordinary beauty, and...
This is excellent guidance. Two specific things I would add: I was disappointed to see how much graffiti there is along the Camino, including defacements on kilometer monuments, walls, and stonework. I include in this category the “inspirational” encouragements spray painted along the way. My...
On my Camino I used the inexpensive, moldable silicone earplugs that shut out/muffled most of the noise at night while sleeping. They were comfortable and resisted getting dirty. I carried a spare pair that switched to using about midway on my Camino.
I found that being an older, extraordinarily slow walker meant that I was able to have a lot of time alone on the Camino without having to worry about strategies for having some solitude. I usually had some quick, refreshing conversation that cured my momentary loneliness, and then we said our...
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