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  1. MKalcolm M

    To Karin, who left her stick in Santiago...

    On August 9th, I passed through Santiago, en-route to Leon, where I planned to start walking the Camino San Salvador to Oviedo. I wanted a stick to walk with, and so went to the pilgrims office and asked if I could take one from the pile left by pilgrims who had finished their caminos. I choose...
  2. MKalcolm M

    Walking Distance

    My daughter and I recently walked the Portuguese camino, and she was very keen to know our distances, so we both downloaded the "pedometer" app onto our phones. This quickly demonstrated its unreliability, in that we walked side by side, but the same app would often vary by several kilometers on...
  3. MKalcolm M

    Shoes or Boots?

    Congratulations on signing up and heading off on your first camino. I would definitely suggest walking in well -worn in boots, and if your weight capacity allows it take your lightweight shoes or a pair of sandals as well. This means after a long day of walking, when you arrive at your...
  4. MKalcolm M

    Trekking pole/s or traditional staff?

    The first alberge I stayed in had a pile of bamboo poles going free to pilgrims, so I chose a sturdy one and loved walking with it. It got slowly shorter as I walked on, and after a couple of weeks I replaced it with another longer bamboo staff which I cut from a fallen bamboo grove. The second...
  5. MKalcolm M

    To headlamp, or not to headlamp?

    I was usually too drunk to find my pack, never mind my head lamp at night, and way too hungover to look for things before daylight, so it was a totally redundant piece of equipment in my case.
  6. MKalcolm M

    What do you recommend for footwear and sleeping bag that will not break the bank

    Tincater, No offense taken, I had my own business for many years, specializing in hand made, fair traded items and faced constant competition by large companies manufacturing in sweat shops and simultaneously being undercut on'line. I am currently employed retailing specialised, eco- friendly...
  7. MKalcolm M

    What do you recommend for footwear and sleeping bag that will not break the bank

    Find out what goods you want, try shoes on in retail shops, then go home and check whats available cheap on line via Ebay, Gumtree, Craigslist, etc. I bought a new pair of Keen shoes at half price, good hiking shorts for virtually nothing, waterproof trousers at a fraction of their full retail...
  8. MKalcolm M

    2 shoe/sandal related questions

    I too walk in Keen shoes, primarily because they fit my banana shaped feet, but I find that the two layers of the soles separate quite easily, and this can be a real nuisance when walking. I would suggest buying another pair and break them in before you go.
  9. MKalcolm M

    Hanging things off of pack

    "Check my socks" became a catch phrase of my camino family, precisely for the reason listed above.
  10. MKalcolm M

    Wearing a Shemagh on Camino?

    I wore a bright red shemagh all along the camino Norte and it was invaluable, it protected me from sunburn, kept my neck warm on days of wind and rain, gave me something to carry my gear to the beach in, made a curtain when hung on a bunk bed, etc. I met other people wearing shemaghs without...
  11. MKalcolm M

    June camino from Irun - will a sleeping bag liner be sufficient?

    It all depends on the weather. If you hit a period of rainy days then the temperature gets lower and you feel cold in a municipal alberge or monastery dorm without heating. At this point a warm sleeping bag is indispensable. For the extra kilo or so to carry it is well worth it. I remember a...
  12. MKalcolm M

    Do I need a phone? What's your experience?

    I made the decision to walk completely unplugged, no tech at all, I didn't even take a watch. It was great. About once a week I'd get access to the internet to check all was well at home, and it was all that was needed. Next camino I walk I will do the same. Absence from high tech creates a...
  13. MKalcolm M

    Trekking poles

    I found a bamboo pole at the alberg when I first started walking and it worked really well for me, I tried using my companions trekking poles and they never felt right, so each to their own. The bamboo pole got slowly shorter as I walked so I finally gave it to a fellow walker, and cut another...

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