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I don’t think there is a maintained pilgrimage route, but St. David’s in Pembrokeshire is a pilgrim destination. There is a retreat centre nearby, St. Non’s. The cathedral is lovely. And the Pebrokeshire Coastal path is beautiful and goes on for miles.
I have heard good things about St. Cuthbert’s Way in Northumbria which goes to the lovely Lindisfarne. Also, there is a rather short one in Cornwall which I have heard is a nice route.
It wasn’t my understanding or experience that the goal is to get to Santiago as quickly as possible. Just as well as I am a bit slow. I can understand wanting to go ‘off piste’ and not miss some of the places not on the path. I think it is not uncommon to go further afield. As an older woman...
No knee jerk reaction. I've been following this thread for quite a while and do feel there is a lot of judgmental post which surprised me. I sent my pack on transport quite a bit due to physical problems and it made it possible for me to finish I think I was most disappointed to read that...
I think less is probably more when it comes to gadgets on pilgrimage walks. I realise that some people are on an artistic quest, but a bit of discretion would be good. I remember feeling it was quite invasive when people walked by with loud boom boxes on the trail. Happy trails.
Yes, I needed all my layers, my gloves and my hat at the end of April the year I walked it. It was snowing and incredibly windy at the col. I would still recommend this as the views are usually amazing.
I recommend booking to stay at Refuge Orisson on the way up. I think it is a lot to do in one day ?1200 metres up and about 1,000 down, 26 km distance if I remember rightly. Especially if you aren’t used to climbing with a pack. I do walk in the Pyrenees, but I wouldn’t usually do that amount...
It is a lovely time of year to walk the Camino Frances. I did need my gloves and all layers in the Pyrenees - it was snowing the last week in April 2017. In May it went up to 35 degrees Centigrade for a couple of days. Otherwise, great weather. Not too much rain or storms. The flowers and...
I never encountered this, but heard that some albergues wouldn't accept bag transfer. Maybe they weren't manned in the daytime. I can't imagine making assumptions about people based on whether or not they carried a backpack. Most of us carry more stuff in them than many pilgrims would have...
Thank you, that's helpful. I have some called 'breathable' waterproof socks, but feel reluctant to wear them in summer and will try them out in winter.
Hi, I just was curious about your take on waterproof socks. They are popular here in Britain where we get the odd drop of rain. I haven't worn them enough to know if I would pack them for a long walk. Have you worn them?
I did forward my backpack quite a bit as I had a knee problem and it relieved it to walk with less weight at times. However, I am so glad I stayed in albuerges as it was often where I met so many interesting people, had a sense of being alongside my fellow pilgrims and not just on the trail.
Thanks, I might try this. Do you know if all the Salomon GTX trail runners have rock plates? Alternatively, I might try New Balance again as they always fitted me well in the past. I would like to lose some of the weight of the boots, but the soles on these boots are amazingly comfortable on...
I walked in the lightest salomon boots which were great. I have Salomon trail runners ( I like non-goretex as they are cooler) and they are great for shorter walks. However, I found the surfaces of the Camino quite hard and was grateful for the extra protection of the boots' soles. I would...
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