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  1. Mike Wells

    Some help with a survey about motivations, sharing and preparation

    I started to complete your questionnaire but came to a full stop after the third question...What is the weight of your backpack? Most cyclists don't use backpacks and those that do soon regret doing so as their centre of gravity is too high and balance is made harder. I read on and it became...
  2. Mike Wells

    When was your first Camino?

    I first went to Santiago in 1972. In late June/early July I had three weeks to kill between completing a graduate traineeship and starting my first 'proper' job. Deciding to take my little Mini on a drive to and around Spain, I collected some literature from the Spanish tourist office in London...
  3. Mike Wells

    Leon Hotel Closures?

    It is easy to get overconcerned by news like this. The truth is that while 20% of businesses may go bust the buildings and infrastructure will remain and after the current crisis is over most if not all will be bought from the liquidators by a new generation of hoteliers and restaurateurs. It...
  4. Mike Wells

    February 2021

    I am a traveller, I make my living from the travel trade by writing guidebooks and escorting worldwide tours. So anything that restricts worldwide travel is anathema to me. Or at least it was until I contracted covid in December (my own fault, I attended a football match during the two weeks...
  5. Mike Wells

    Parador(s) detour from Sarria?

    Don't despair, if you are looking at prices for Oct21 there are a lot of things that can happen between now and then. Paradores use dynamic pricing where room rates rise and fall depending upon demand. With 2021 being a holy year and a huge number of visitors originally forecast for Santiago...
  6. Mike Wells

    New Low-Cost High-speed train company in Spain

    The trouble with RENFE's AVE high speed trains (indeed all long distance trains in Spain) is that they have no provision for carrying cycles. Ouigo are no better, indeed in France they charge extra for any but the smallest piece of hand luggage and do not carry bikes. They are like the cheap...
  7. Mike Wells

    Parador(s) detour from Sarria?

    Over the years I have stayed in many Paradores, including those along the various Caminos. Most of the establishments listed in this thread are on the CF. From the architectural gems in León (hopefully still so when it fully reopens) and Santiago to the smaller modern hotel in Villafranca del...
  8. Mike Wells

    Romanesque architecture for beginners

    When I wrote my guidebook to cycling the Camino Frances, my publisher asked me to include an appendix describing the various architectural styles to be found along the route and an aide memoire to recognising them. Here is what I wrote about the Romanesque. Romanesque (known in Britain as...
  9. Mike Wells

    Getting better, but still ways to go

    I see the rats in Santiago are not in lockdown! At 03.09 a very bold little critter emerges from the grill outside the Parador and passes behind Ivar. I like to stay in the Parador when I am in Santiago. Perhaps I should choose somewhere 'rat-free' next time!
  10. Mike Wells

    Did the pilgrims 1000 years ago walk on or next to the Roman roads?

    The authenticity of many so-called pilgrim routes is open to question. Here is an example of very dubious heritage. In southern England the 'Pilgrims' Way' from Winchester to Canterbury follows the line of a hilly ridge know as the North Downs. It is a journey made famous by Geoffrey Chaucer's...
  11. Mike Wells

    Seriously!?

    I appear to have slept right through the winter and woken up on the first of April.
  12. Mike Wells

    OBSOLETE COVID THREAD Medical Insurance while traveling in Spain

    The key is not whether the policy covers coronavirus either medically or for travel related risks, rather it is if the policy covers you at all. Condition 11 on p14 of Trailfinders policy document is very clear. You will not be covered if you travel to a country where your home government has...
  13. Mike Wells

    The Beauty of Ruins

    I was going to add St Anthony's abbey just before Castrojeriz, but that has been covered a few times already. So instead my contribution is not just a ruin but two ruins in one which are seldom visited even though they lie only 70m off the route of the CF between Portomarin and Palas de Rei. The...
  14. Mike Wells

    Industrial site museums on the caminos de Santiago

    I am only aware of two true industrial museums on the CF. First there is the Museum of Energy in an old electricity generating station passed by the CF as it leaves Ponferrada, reflecting the fact that Ponferrada is the only industrial city passed through by CF pelegrinos en route to Santiago...
  15. Mike Wells

    News Related to the Future of Credencials

    The original article says this is a joint venture between the cathedral authorities and the junta (government) of Galicia. As the remit of the junta does not extend to other regions, I assume that the QR system of virtual sellos only applies to those obtained in registered establishments in...
  16. Mike Wells

    New entrance into Santiago from Monte de Gozo for cyclists?

    It may surprise you, but I entirely agree. Indeed I point this fact out in my guide to Cycling the Camino Frances. There are even places where to travel the medieval Camino would mean following the central reservation of the A-12 motorway! The trouble is large numbers (probably the vast...
  17. Mike Wells

    New entrance into Santiago from Monte de Gozo for cyclists?

    I am aware of route proposed by Eurovélo for EV3 and have studied it closely. Like most Eurovélo routes, at this stage much of the route is wishful thinking. Initially it is a road route from the Ibañeta pass, mostly following the old national N- roads that evolved from the Roman via Lactea and...
  18. Mike Wells

    New entrance into Santiago from Monte de Gozo for cyclists?

    I am intrigued too. The only place on the Camino where such a sign may be necessary is where the track crosses the N-111 by bridge between Viana and Logroño. I did not see one, but I was not looking. I am guessing here, but as the old sign on the descent from Monte de Gozo does not show a bike...
  19. Mike Wells

    New entrance into Santiago from Monte de Gozo for cyclists?

    I assume they perform the same purpose as half barrier chicanes where cycle tracks reach roads; that is to slow cyclists down. Personally I hate such artificial obstructions, but I do see that they serve a purpose and have safety benefits for walkers and cyclists alike. More evidence that this...
  20. Mike Wells

    New entrance into Santiago from Monte de Gozo for cyclists?

    I first cycled the CF in 1995. After following the road from SJPdP over the Ibañeta pass, I then went off-road through the Pyrenean foothills from Burguete to the Alto de Erro. It was horrendous. Unbridged streams to ford and mud everywhere. I had to stop every few minutes to free cloying mud...

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