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Love The Hat...call or text them for a better price than thru Booking ( fluent English speakers available to help). The location is good for shopping, access to the Apple Store, and transportation links. The staff is amazingly helpful and the atmosphere is very friendly. I try to stay here both...
From Irun to Bilbao the camino goes up and down quite a bit. It can be a rough start if you haven't done a lot of training on hills. Nevertheless it is also beautiful and can be done if you simply train, listen to your body and are patient with yourself.
Another option is to start in Bilbao...
I stayed at Finca El Capricho last year when I walked the Lana. The place was amazingly beautiful & peaceful, and the hospitality provided by Dennis and his wife was beyond wonderful. After a great breakfast I simply walked out of their front door and back to the Camino even though they had...
Look in the bike equipment section of your local sporting goods store. They frequently have a variety of adhesive reflective tape.
The pack cover doesn't require a lot of sewing skills - I simply cut a large oval a bit larger than my pack and add extra to account for the depth. Then I sew a...
I love my Xero (Z-Trail) sandals as they weigh less than flip flops, they don't flap as I walk, they can double as shower or beach shoes, and they can be used in the evenings for walking around town. Check them out.....
I'd add a swimsuit or make sure some of your clothes can double as swimwear....maybe your running shorts and a sports bra that can dry quickly. I loved the beaches on the Norte and many albergues are within walking distance. You might also want to consider a hat that will offer a bit of shade...
I've done them both. The Levante ('17) had a few pilgrims that I ran into periodically but on the Lana ('18) I never met another pilgrim except for the times it paralleled/joined the Levante. The Lana also had some areas of marked out signs and questionable route markings. The Levante had more...
I made a very simple neon/dayglo color pack cover and sewed some reflective tape on it. (There are some really bright colors and great lightweight as well as waterproof fabrics available in fabric stores when hunting season is just around the corner...and after that they go on sale!) This helps...
North Face has great customer service. If your pack fell apart due to construction or materials they will replace it ...mine was replace a couple of years ago. Call North Face or drop by one of their stores. If it can't be fixed they may also offer you a gift certificate towards a new pack. It...
I try to steer away from harsh chemicals like Permethrin. Instead I carry a small vial of real lavender oil and a small empty spray bottle I got from Target/WalMart. Mix three to four drops of oil with a couple of tablespoons of water in the bottle...shake well (oil & water don't stay mixed )...
It was long and at times a bit lonely - almost no one spoke English so my conversations with locals were limited by my Spanish which is good but not exactly fluent....arriving in Burgos to find all of the pilgrims walking the Frances was welcome jolt. All in all it was an incredible journey!
How quickly I can answe is a function of WiFi availability which is poor to nonexistent in many of the small towns on the Lana. This is why I love Galileo Pro - it works very well offline. It is a gps program similar to Google Maps but from my experience you need a good internet connection to...
The gps app I use is Galileo Pro. I think there was a small fee - a few dollars - not much. I’d truly be lost without it. In some places the Lana is very well marked . In others you may only see 4 arrows a day and that’s if you are really looking. Most towns have no arrows at all or they just...
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