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)
On my first Camino in 2001 I took along a cotton tote bag I'd picked up at a trade fair. It had longer than normal handles which meant I could put my head through them and it rested on my chest.
It became know, rather unfairly in my opinion, as "Jeff's nosebag".
I've taken a modified (foam...
Seems very hit and miss. Last year I went through Leon, Oviedo, Palencia, San Sebastian and Bilbao RENFE stations without having to have any scan whatsoever. Same with several FEVE stations though, to be honest, it's mainly a commuter route and many of the stations were little more than bus...
Consider the impact on Spanish landfill sites - the country has an enormous problem of their own with discarded plastics (the material from agricultural polytunnels in the south is causing terrible environmental problems) perhaps we should think twice before contributing to it? :oops:
On my last CF there was a group of 4 cars that went the whole way from SJPP to SdC supporting some European pilgrims. The took it in turns to drive/walk a few kilometres a day.
By the time we reached Castrojeriz they were even parking outside of the hostals and refugios.
On reaching SdC I...
This may seem odd but, as a short term solution, wearing a fleece next to the skin and under a t-shirt is a much warmer option than wearing the fleece over the t-shirt (tip from a ski instructor to one of my daughters).
The downside is that, if you start to overheat, you then have to strip off...
My favoured combo is a silk liner (for hygiene) and then a lightweight quilt on top, scrunched down at the bottom end to make a footbox (also stops quilt escaping in the wee small hours).
If you (or a friend) has a vacuum sealer in the kitchen then just use the heat seal section. IKEA's heavyweight bags that close with a pinch rather than a slider are quite durable - I usually seal two lines across the bottom edge just to be sure.
I've got one of these
PAPER WALLET
It holds a surprising amount of coins and opens with the flick of the wrist. Fits neatly into that little knife pocket on the right side of a pair of jeans . . . except nobody in their right mind would wear jeans on a hike.
Binder clips are SO useful, you can:
1. Keep your shower curtain from blowing in on you while showering, close the gap on hotel curtains.
2. Attach holiday lights to the edge of a shelf or bookcase, or the top of your cubicle.
3. Ditch flimsy plastic chip clips for a binder clip.
4. Keep...
I remember a time when guide books, especially those published in north America, told readers that they ought to ask to inspect their rooms and that the hotelier would be happy if not eager to take time out from their busy schedule to show them around!
We ate dinner in the Amelia (only a two star I'm afraid) last June. The dress code seemed to break down by ages:
Elderly (us included): pressed trousers, sweater/cardigan and collared shirt for men, dresses for women
Middle aged: chinos and sports shirts for men, dresses or trousers/blouses for...
On two different Caminos I've found almost new SAKs stabbed into fallen logs that have obviously been used as a seat for a picnic and left behind when the first owner moved on.
Both were collected and later gifted to other pilgrims further along the way.
Let's hope your own SAK was re-homed in a...
"A tent, above all for a solitary traveller, is
troublesome to pitch, and troublesome to strike again; and even on the
march it forms a conspicuous feature in your baggage. A sleeping-sack,
on the other hand, is always ready--you have only to get into it; it
serves a double purpose--a bed by...
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