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  • Users: JZA
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  1. JZA

    Overcrowded Camino Frances

    I have just arrived at SdC from the CF and have found it difficult to get accommodation but in the end always succeeded. I have friends still walking who report having to walk 30km days for accommodation. I have seen people turned away fro full Albergue. The use of the various Apps and direct...
  2. JZA

    Lightweight backpack for petite female

    I have always been a fan of Osprey. But I am the opposite of you , male and XL so I am not going to suggest a model. But work out what you want to carry, a day bag plus worked really well for my wife and I used a talon 22. My bag on the Frances is my talon 33 and I get everything in it. I am...
  3. JZA

    Feedback on packing list please

    Most people take sunscreen but I don’t. I have a hat with a wide brim, a handkerchief around my neck and a long sleeve tee shirt if it’s going to be sunny. Unless I am doing a long day I get to my destination about 2 p.m. which is before the sun gets really fierce. But I am sure medical...
  4. JZA

    Celebrating my old age

    I am 71 next month and hope to be on the Frances in April. No point in waiting 🐘🐘🐘 My wife turned 70 this year and was very down about it. So she decided to do a Camino. We walked from Viana do Castelo and about half way there she put all her concerns in a stone I gave her and she cast them...
  5. JZA

    Hiking stick instead of walking poles

    All I would add is that if you are going to use a staff then using one you have found is the way to go. When you get to SdC you can leave it at the Pilgrim Office where it will be made into winter kindling for seniors. Or so I have been told.
  6. JZA

    Feedback on packing list please

    Unless you are camping I don’t think you need a solar charger. If the spare batteries are a standard size you can buy them anywhere. Driving license? On line guides are very light, check them out and see if it is enough for you. Three shirts is a lot for a summer walk. Maybe one long sleeve and...
  7. JZA

    Frivolous debate - swimsuit vs 3rd set of undergarments

    You make a very good case for the swimsuit.
  8. JZA

    Live from the Camino - Churches are closed

    I think this is right. Not only are there fewer priests there are reducing ageing congregations, so fewer volunteers. In my village in the south of England the vicar was running four churches until he resigned (with no replacement) and ALL the church wardens are older than me, and I am 70...
  9. JZA

    To book or not to book?

    I have done a number of Caminos and have always held that booking accomadation ahead is a bad thing. It locks you in, reduces the freedom I feel walking without a schedule, etc. But…. My wife wanted to walk the Camino Portuguese from Porto to celebrate (?) a special birthday and we booked ahead...
  10. JZA

    Live from the Camino - Churches are closed

    I was referring to the number of open churches on the Portuguese Camino. Not made it around to the Pilgrim Office yet but I agree, I have found the new system fast and efficient. On this journey I have noticed a lot of churches where previously I could have gotten a stamp but now closed. The...
  11. JZA

    Live from the Camino - Churches are closed

    Just arrived in SdC. I have also noticed that there are fewer volunteers there to stamp your Pilgrim passport. It’s not just the priests that are getting fewer.
  12. JZA

    How do you carry the important stuff?

    I use a fanny pack which ever comes off unless I am in the shower. With two of you it should work even better.
  13. JZA

    Is this Valid - or would it be cheating?

    The taxi thing is OK. As others have said, you are walking the full 100k. But as an alternative, you can walk past Padron for a few Kms to reduce the final day’s distance. I have done this myself and stayed at the hotel Scala which is on the route. Padron is one of my favourite towns so do...
  14. JZA

    Hydration pack or water bottles?

    I manage 4km an hour on Camino. This includes stops which are generally short except lunch which is 20 minutes or so.
  15. JZA

    Hydration pack or water bottles?

    How much you need depends on a lot of things. Some are external eg temperature and humidity, but some are internal. I don’t seem to need as much when I am walking as long as I catch up in the evening. My wife is different needing a steady amount during the day. I read on a PCT through hiker...
  16. JZA

    Hydration pack or water bottles?

    I prefer to carry two water bottles. One on each side of the pack for balance and easy to refill at a fountain or cafe/bar. Also; I generally have electrolytes in one and plain water in the other. Fresh orange juice is a pleasure and I sometimes fill one bottle with it after buying a litre...
  17. JZA

    Checking your backpack on flights

    I put everything inside the bag, tidy up the straps and bind it with a length of paracord . I take 3m of bright yellow paracord for the purpose. The cord provides convenient handles for the baggage handlers so they don’t grab the straps. The paracord also gets used as a washing line and a...
  18. JZA

    How to pack Tilley hat (ltm6) into backpack?

    If you can damage it in any way by bad packing let the company know and they will pay you a reward. Mine has been dragged around, used as a sit mat, soaked in rivers and the sea, etc and it looks like new (almost).
  19. JZA

    "The British pilgrimage problem" - magazine article

    My last comment on this subject. One big difference between the Catholic tradition and the English is icons and relics. Appearances of the BVM are the destination of pilgrimage for example, the English just don’t have that heritage or mindset so we lack the focus on specific destinations. A...
    • JZA
    • Post #82
    • Camino de Santiago Forum: Europe
  20. JZA

    "The British pilgrimage problem" - magazine article

    I am currently on the Camino Portuguese and would update my earlier comments with some feedback from a very non scientific survey. 1. Numbers are up generally. 2. I have met more English people than ever before. But no Scots. 3. No English speaking person I have spoken to is here for...
    • JZA
    • Post #81
    • Camino de Santiago Forum: Europe

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