gregdedman
Active Member
I've been mulling over writing this post for a long time now, weighing up both the plus and negative points, as far back as November when I found myself in the middle of my second Camino Frances, just three years after my 1st.
What prompted me to begin scribbling notes, details, thoughts and photographs was a deep, ingrained belief for this magical path that enriched my life so very much back in the summer of 2007 and the desire to provide a little handful of balance to the hundreds of rightly positive postings on forums like these.
Please don't take me for a moaner, groaner or somewhat grumpy fellow, but I feel with the WHOLE story, others are able to make informed choices and maybe positive actions can be discussed and implemented to rectify what has become a major issue on this particular route.
So please do take a few minutes of your day to hear my thoughts and feelings and I apologise for the length in advance!
If you are a little squeamish then I would warn you to read with caution, and if at any point you begin to feel a little uncomfortable with what you are reading, then maybe you have, at some point, in some tiny way, contributed to this problem.
In 2007, sure, there were a fair few stand-out negatives, but that is normal with any trip. What I do not recall were the mountains of litter, decescrated ancient ruins and religious artifacts, pointless graffiti and pile upon pile upon pile of human excrement complete with used toilet roll.
From the beginning of the Camino Frances all the way to Santiago, the aformentioned became an unfortunate constant and the more I saw this complete disregard for others, the more upset and angry I became.
What I want to do is to firstly lay out, in plain speak, what I saw at different points along the Camino and provide photos of these issues. With these photos, please don't assume I've chosen the 'worst case scenario', the photos I've uploaded are typical of what I saw. The photos show no exageration or 'set up'.
Litter
Throughout the 800km of the Camino Frances litter was a constant eyesore.
Theres a whole other argument here for some people regarding whos responsibility is is to clear litter. Numbers of pilgrims in the peak months are sky high and waste bins are few and far between, what bins there are are sometimes woefully overflowing. However, on a very basic level, walking anywhere in the countryside, should mean that you 'take out what you take in' or 'take only photos, leave only footsteps'. Whatever happened to that mantra?
For information a glass drinks bottle will take around 2 million years to decompose.
A metal drinks can will take anywhere between 1-1000 years to decompose.
A plastic bottle will NEVER decompose.
Even a banana peel will take a month.
The beautiful Meseta, before San Bol.
Toilet litter beside the beautiful canal before Fromista.
The utterly disgraceful scene in a ditch beside the wooded path after Gonzar.
A wayward celebration (one of three bottles) 100km before Santiago.
The Camino passes through hundreds of small villages, towns and cities for pilgrims to dispose of their rubbish properly. Many places now have recycling facilities right on the path which should ensure there is no excuse to just drop it when you feel. You are never far from a place to dispose of litter so please pack it away (you packed it in the first place) and carry it out.
The truly stunning woodland out of Portomarin was where I chose to start counting. I walked several kilometers counting how many drinks containers I could see just from the path (sad man I hear you say). Not including what went unseen, and the various other types of litter, In just 1km (between km posts 88 and 89) I happened upon 226 plastic water bottles and drinks cans. It may not sound a lot, but add that up over 800km and its a hefty sum! (181,000). This was a random section I chose to count but the figures spoke for themselves. What made it worse was in these places there WERE half full litter bins dotted along the path!
Graffiti
Now graffiti is someti seen as an art form and on the Camino there are indeed wonderful works of art adorning the walls of underpasses, houses and albergues but for most people it is seen as anti-social. The hard fact of the matter is that graffiti is illegal vandalism in the eyes of the law and if you feel the desire to get creative then there could be a better time and a better place.
What I did see thoughtout, especially on official Camino signage were 'Tags', names of people passing by and also, from time to time even notes to fellow pilgrims on where to meet in the town ahead. Seriously, if you need to leave a note for someone behind you, try writing on a piece of paper and placing it under a rock, if no-one picks it up, its classed as litter, but surely its better than scribbling on someone elses property?!
If anyone wants to come forward and identify themselves as 'Sergio' or 'Denis and Ocean', I felt like I really got to know you.
Did you ever catch up with them Laura?
Human excrement
I saved the worst for last. I am at a loss to explain simply WHY I and every other pilgrim who walked the Camino Frances after this summer had to be witness to such a disgusting site, time after time. One pilgrim said she read a forum post somewhere (not necessarily here) that advised going to the toilet in the outdoors and not worrying about it as the waste decomposes...ill come back to this in a moment.
On day two of my Camino, between Roncesvalles and Larasoana I could not find a nice spot off the track for lunch. At every single break in the brush, I nipped through to find piles of used toilet roll and human excrement. I darent sit anywhere nearby for the urine soaking the grass.
This was a constant problem the whole way along the Camino, watch out behind bales of hay in particular. Before Los Arcos, there is a little stream, small bridge and a large pile of bales, lovely spot out of the wind for a rest....but for the excrement.
On the Meseta things took a turn for the worse. Yes, villages are more spread out here but still, if you do hear the call of nature there are proper ways of disposing of the waste not only to make the way prettier, but also to prevent disease to your fellow pilgrims and other living creatures. As for the toilet roll, come on guys!!!
For information on how to properly toilet outdoors see this link
http://www.survivaltopics.com/survival/proper-outdoor-defecation/
Ironically, before my Camino this time, I jokingly posted a link to a document that light-heartedly addressed this issue.
http://www.caminodesantiago.me/board/el-camino-frances/topic9487.html
For information...
It can take 2-3 years for toilet paper to decompose (they are designed to decompose quicker in septic tanks, hence putting them down our toilets)
The time it takes human faeces to decompose can vary drastically!
What is for sure is that it doen's magically disappear.
One hard and fast tip I'd suggest if you just must go is BURY IT away from the path! Animals sometimes prefer this method, its a shame some pilgrims don't.
On the Camino Frances before San Bol. Fields both sides, however, this pilgrim thought they'd leave a present for all behind them. Thank you.
Inside the beautiful old stone toll house along the Fromista canal.
The smell of urine in here was overpowering!
This photo was taken at the base of the beautiful red cross that stands just before San Bol. Not even sites like these escape some pilgrim's disrespect.
So there we have it.
I apologise if my post has bored you or offended you, I have attempted to write it as I, and my fellow pilgrims saw it during the months of November and December 2010. I have been scarcastic in places but I never felt like I wanted to be light hearted about a subject that I passionately feel needs addressing.
There seems to be millions spent on new albergues or refurbishments along the way but if anything, there were less litter bins than 2007 and speaking to several locals I gathered that funds over the years had been woefully spent in places...even wasted.
I am willing to start something to get a solution rolling but I need your help.
whatever skill or situation, I believe we can all make a difference.
This path we get attached to, the path that teaches us and gives us so much has taken a severe battering this holy year and if something is not done soon, it will deteriorate even further.
I would love to hear from anyone who feels like they would like to help with some sort of clean-up and firstly people who can speak other languages to help translate these issues and to post them on foreign forums to get the message spread further.
Always wanting to hear both sides of the story, I also welcome those who know they have littered or defecated and left remains or drawn graffiti to comment on their reasons why and if they would like to help or are they a new breed of pilgrim who never frequent forums like this?
Let us all remember....
The Camino de Santiago is a 'European route of cultural importance' but the disrespect some pilgrims are showing this sacred route beggars belief.
I don't want to start a revolution but I do want to hear your opinions, thoughts and ideas on what we can do as a collective.
Please spare a thought for those who follow. You are not the only person in the world and when you drop a piece of litter, use the toilet or draw graffiti won't you please THINK...the path will remain the way you leave it until someone comes along and cleans it up.
What prompted me to begin scribbling notes, details, thoughts and photographs was a deep, ingrained belief for this magical path that enriched my life so very much back in the summer of 2007 and the desire to provide a little handful of balance to the hundreds of rightly positive postings on forums like these.
Please don't take me for a moaner, groaner or somewhat grumpy fellow, but I feel with the WHOLE story, others are able to make informed choices and maybe positive actions can be discussed and implemented to rectify what has become a major issue on this particular route.
So please do take a few minutes of your day to hear my thoughts and feelings and I apologise for the length in advance!
If you are a little squeamish then I would warn you to read with caution, and if at any point you begin to feel a little uncomfortable with what you are reading, then maybe you have, at some point, in some tiny way, contributed to this problem.
In 2007, sure, there were a fair few stand-out negatives, but that is normal with any trip. What I do not recall were the mountains of litter, decescrated ancient ruins and religious artifacts, pointless graffiti and pile upon pile upon pile of human excrement complete with used toilet roll.
From the beginning of the Camino Frances all the way to Santiago, the aformentioned became an unfortunate constant and the more I saw this complete disregard for others, the more upset and angry I became.
What I want to do is to firstly lay out, in plain speak, what I saw at different points along the Camino and provide photos of these issues. With these photos, please don't assume I've chosen the 'worst case scenario', the photos I've uploaded are typical of what I saw. The photos show no exageration or 'set up'.
Litter
Throughout the 800km of the Camino Frances litter was a constant eyesore.
Theres a whole other argument here for some people regarding whos responsibility is is to clear litter. Numbers of pilgrims in the peak months are sky high and waste bins are few and far between, what bins there are are sometimes woefully overflowing. However, on a very basic level, walking anywhere in the countryside, should mean that you 'take out what you take in' or 'take only photos, leave only footsteps'. Whatever happened to that mantra?
For information a glass drinks bottle will take around 2 million years to decompose.
A metal drinks can will take anywhere between 1-1000 years to decompose.
A plastic bottle will NEVER decompose.
Even a banana peel will take a month.
The beautiful Meseta, before San Bol.
Toilet litter beside the beautiful canal before Fromista.
The utterly disgraceful scene in a ditch beside the wooded path after Gonzar.
A wayward celebration (one of three bottles) 100km before Santiago.
The Camino passes through hundreds of small villages, towns and cities for pilgrims to dispose of their rubbish properly. Many places now have recycling facilities right on the path which should ensure there is no excuse to just drop it when you feel. You are never far from a place to dispose of litter so please pack it away (you packed it in the first place) and carry it out.
The truly stunning woodland out of Portomarin was where I chose to start counting. I walked several kilometers counting how many drinks containers I could see just from the path (sad man I hear you say). Not including what went unseen, and the various other types of litter, In just 1km (between km posts 88 and 89) I happened upon 226 plastic water bottles and drinks cans. It may not sound a lot, but add that up over 800km and its a hefty sum! (181,000). This was a random section I chose to count but the figures spoke for themselves. What made it worse was in these places there WERE half full litter bins dotted along the path!
Graffiti
Now graffiti is someti seen as an art form and on the Camino there are indeed wonderful works of art adorning the walls of underpasses, houses and albergues but for most people it is seen as anti-social. The hard fact of the matter is that graffiti is illegal vandalism in the eyes of the law and if you feel the desire to get creative then there could be a better time and a better place.
What I did see thoughtout, especially on official Camino signage were 'Tags', names of people passing by and also, from time to time even notes to fellow pilgrims on where to meet in the town ahead. Seriously, if you need to leave a note for someone behind you, try writing on a piece of paper and placing it under a rock, if no-one picks it up, its classed as litter, but surely its better than scribbling on someone elses property?!
If anyone wants to come forward and identify themselves as 'Sergio' or 'Denis and Ocean', I felt like I really got to know you.
Did you ever catch up with them Laura?
Human excrement
I saved the worst for last. I am at a loss to explain simply WHY I and every other pilgrim who walked the Camino Frances after this summer had to be witness to such a disgusting site, time after time. One pilgrim said she read a forum post somewhere (not necessarily here) that advised going to the toilet in the outdoors and not worrying about it as the waste decomposes...ill come back to this in a moment.
On day two of my Camino, between Roncesvalles and Larasoana I could not find a nice spot off the track for lunch. At every single break in the brush, I nipped through to find piles of used toilet roll and human excrement. I darent sit anywhere nearby for the urine soaking the grass.
This was a constant problem the whole way along the Camino, watch out behind bales of hay in particular. Before Los Arcos, there is a little stream, small bridge and a large pile of bales, lovely spot out of the wind for a rest....but for the excrement.
On the Meseta things took a turn for the worse. Yes, villages are more spread out here but still, if you do hear the call of nature there are proper ways of disposing of the waste not only to make the way prettier, but also to prevent disease to your fellow pilgrims and other living creatures. As for the toilet roll, come on guys!!!
For information on how to properly toilet outdoors see this link
http://www.survivaltopics.com/survival/proper-outdoor-defecation/
Ironically, before my Camino this time, I jokingly posted a link to a document that light-heartedly addressed this issue.
http://www.caminodesantiago.me/board/el-camino-frances/topic9487.html
For information...
It can take 2-3 years for toilet paper to decompose (they are designed to decompose quicker in septic tanks, hence putting them down our toilets)
The time it takes human faeces to decompose can vary drastically!
What is for sure is that it doen's magically disappear.
One hard and fast tip I'd suggest if you just must go is BURY IT away from the path! Animals sometimes prefer this method, its a shame some pilgrims don't.
On the Camino Frances before San Bol. Fields both sides, however, this pilgrim thought they'd leave a present for all behind them. Thank you.
Inside the beautiful old stone toll house along the Fromista canal.
The smell of urine in here was overpowering!
This photo was taken at the base of the beautiful red cross that stands just before San Bol. Not even sites like these escape some pilgrim's disrespect.
So there we have it.
I apologise if my post has bored you or offended you, I have attempted to write it as I, and my fellow pilgrims saw it during the months of November and December 2010. I have been scarcastic in places but I never felt like I wanted to be light hearted about a subject that I passionately feel needs addressing.
There seems to be millions spent on new albergues or refurbishments along the way but if anything, there were less litter bins than 2007 and speaking to several locals I gathered that funds over the years had been woefully spent in places...even wasted.
I am willing to start something to get a solution rolling but I need your help.
whatever skill or situation, I believe we can all make a difference.
This path we get attached to, the path that teaches us and gives us so much has taken a severe battering this holy year and if something is not done soon, it will deteriorate even further.
I would love to hear from anyone who feels like they would like to help with some sort of clean-up and firstly people who can speak other languages to help translate these issues and to post them on foreign forums to get the message spread further.
Always wanting to hear both sides of the story, I also welcome those who know they have littered or defecated and left remains or drawn graffiti to comment on their reasons why and if they would like to help or are they a new breed of pilgrim who never frequent forums like this?
Let us all remember....
The Camino de Santiago is a 'European route of cultural importance' but the disrespect some pilgrims are showing this sacred route beggars belief.
I don't want to start a revolution but I do want to hear your opinions, thoughts and ideas on what we can do as a collective.
Please spare a thought for those who follow. You are not the only person in the world and when you drop a piece of litter, use the toilet or draw graffiti won't you please THINK...the path will remain the way you leave it until someone comes along and cleans it up.