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  1. Kanga

    Steep up hill - downhill like Alto de Perdon?

    Having just climbed the steep hill out of Punta La Reina to Mañeru I think I may have misled the OP…. I’d either forgotten or my old body is not in good shape!
  2. Kanga

    Steep up hill - downhill like Alto de Perdon?

    I'd pick the descent from after the Crux de Ferro down through El Acebo, Riego de Ambro and on to Molinasecca as the worst! It is beautiful but steep, goes on for ages, and is rocky. I pick my way down very carefully. There is a road alternative that is much easier but also much longer, and...
  3. Kanga

    Steep up hill - downhill like Alto de Perdon?

    You are not alone in finding the descent from the Alto del Perdon difficult. It is not only the slope, but also the rolly, pebbly surface. There is nothing that difficult between Uterga and Logroño, either up or down.
  4. Kanga

    LIVE from the Camino Struggling with doubt on the Camino Frances

    On my first camino when I got to Najera, I walked into a telephone booth (this was the days before mobile phones) and telephoned my brother in Australia, crying my eyes out. "I can't do this" I sobbed. "Yes you can", said he, the athlete who had climbed impossible mountains in the Himalayas...
  5. Kanga

    Asphalt and other trail types on Camino Frances

    Yes, I have to agree about the CP from Porto. I found the board walking on the Literal quite exhilarating but otherwise lots of road walking.
  6. Kanga

    Asphalt and other trail types on Camino Frances

    A very useful tool, at outdoor active, it it works properly. I think I purchased the app some time ago but don't use it anymore, I shall have a look. It certainly would appeal to me, as the actual walking surface is something I find very important. I, like @peregrina2000, mourn the loss...
  7. Kanga

    Cash vs Credit or Debit

    @Smash123 and @littlegreen60 your own bank will charge much less than the ATM bank. So you need to withdraw in Euros, and say "no" when it asks if you want the (local) ATM to do the exchange. It can be tricky, because the machines, I think, are deliberately set up to deceive! Also, different...
  8. Kanga

    Very impressive walk for a peregrino but I wonder if his companion thought it was a good idea

    A few years ago I met a family, walking to Santiago with two donkeys - parents and two small children, ages I think about 2 and 4. Each donkey had a side pander - a deep basket in which a child could sit when not wanting to walk. The donkeys also carried a tent, but did not look at all...
  9. Kanga

    Is pre-booking accommodation the new normal?

    Me. Getting close to or on arrival at the place I'd like to stay, if I have not come across somewhere just by walking up, I'd get on the phone and ring around. The exception is the night before walking into Santiago. There is a particular place I like to stay - sorry, not giving it away!
  10. Kanga

    Roncesvalles and Mansilla seem to be the bed crunch trouble spots

    Laura was the hospitalera in Mansilla when I was there in either 2001 or 2003. She was younger than me, but pretty amazing if she is still there!
  11. Kanga

    Getting Great Mileage But Missing the Jewels

    I once walked a "Disneyland" camino with a friend who was experiencing great grief and sadness following a bereavement. All I wanted was to show her that laughter and joy was still possible. We did indeed have the best time. When she was looking back at the photos the other day she commented...
  12. Kanga

    Backpacks only policy in Albergues: A common restriction?

    Rebekah does not say anything about the Diocese of Santiago. She, like the rest of us, has her own sense of principle. I live with self judgment and what I require of myself. Whether I accept someone else's judgement is my choice. I do not chose to let my choices impose unrewarded...
  13. Kanga

    Finding albergues in the winter

    I might book ahead for the first few days - I see that @Bradypus mentioned that the only open albergue at Zubiri was nearly full. It always seems busiest in the first days after SJPDP.
  14. Kanga

    Warm clothing for a late April departure?

    I second the recommendation for warm gloves (I have merino/possum) and something warm for the head. If my head and hands are warm, then the rest is usually fine.
  15. Kanga

    Finding albergues in the winter

    The Route Napoleon (from SJPDP to Roncesvalles) is closed until 1 April, so that is the date that I think of as "open season". Until that date pilgrims have to use the historic route, via Valcarlos. From the information provided by @Bradypus and others who have been walking during winter, it...
  16. Kanga

    Is pre-booking accommodation the new normal?

    My answer is to continue to carry my own pack, to generally avoid pre-booking, but to walk shorter distances every day. Of necessity that means walking the more travelled routes, where there is the infrastructure that allows for short days.
  17. Kanga

    Albergue de Peregrinos Emaus in Burgos

    I loved my stay in this albergue, some years ago now.
  18. Kanga

    What time is mass in Roncesvalles?

    I am very pleased that I attended the mass on my first Camino and went forward for the pilgrim blessing. It remains a special memory. I am not Catholic, but felt it so moving to be part of a centuries old tradition.
  19. Kanga

    Advice on getting two beds at San Anton convent

    Yes, I think about then.
  20. Kanga

    Advice on getting two beds at San Anton convent

    When I stayed there last I arrived early. We had stayed the night in Hornillos and intended to walk to Castrojeriz, but when we peeked into San Anton at about lunch time we found the hospitalero was a friend from Australia so how could we walk on? We had a fabulous night.

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