Camino To Be Continued

[Jon100]

Hi there

I would l like thank the members of this forum for their help and input.

I started my Camino from Ferrol on the 10 th of January . It rained very heavily
at times but i got through it and arrived in Pontideume many hours later with badly blistered feet.
I stayed at Restaurant Luis for the night ,great place after a long day, nice people and very cheap at
15 Euros a night and 10 E for dinner with wine. The second day was tough on my feet the blisters
had got a lot worse by the time i arrived in Betanzos pilgrims alberque . The albergue was
cheap at 6 E and had it to myself . My feet made the decision for me , i could not carry on walking.
On the third day (fri) i booked into a hotel and pampered my feet i rested all day in my hotel
room. On the Saturday i made my way to Sigueiro where i had already booked the pilgrims
Hostel via booking .com.

Now this hostel is nothing short of being great. It was cheap at 16 euros the owners where very
friendly and helpful , infact the lady owner patched up my feet . So on Sunday morning i made
the decision to walk the last leg into Santiago De Compostella my feet lasted out and i finished
on a high . I managed 3 days out 5. more than half way .

The reason for the blisters is two fold ,too much weight in my backpack and far too much
road walking. I am an experienced walker i have done many multi days hikes so this came as a
bitter disappointment not to complete my camino. I hope to be back to finish off the other
two legs in a year or two.

Again many thanks for your help.

Jon

 

[trecile]

Hi there

I would l like thank the members of this forum for their help and input.

I started my Camino from Ferrol on the 10 th of January . It rained very heavily
at times but i got through it and arrived in Pontideume many hours later with badly blistered feet.
I stayed at Restaurant Luis for the night ,great place after a long day, nice people and very cheap at
15 Euros a night and 10 E for dinner with wine. The second day was tough on my feet the blisters
had gotten a lot worse by the time i arrived in Betanzos pilgrims alberque . The albergue was
cheap at 6 E and had it to myself . My feet made the decision for me , i could not carry on walking.
On the third day (fri) i booked into a hotel and pampered my feet i rested all day in my hotel
room. On the Saturday i made my way to Sigueiro where i had already booked the pilgrims
Hostel via booking .com.

Now this hostel is nothing short of being great. It was cheap at 16 euros the owners where very
friendly and helpful , infact the lady owner patched up my feet . So on Sunday morning i made
the decision to walk the last leg into Santiago De Compostella my feet lasted out and i finished
on a high . I managed 3 days out 5 more , than half way .

The reason for the blisters is two fold ,too much weight in my backpack and far too much
road walking. I am an experienced walker i have done many multi days hikes so this came as a
bitter disappointment not to complete my camino. I hope to be back to finish off the other
two legs in a year or two.

Again many thanks for your help.

Jon

I'm sorry, but the title of your post is incorrect. What you described is not failure, but triumph!

 

[C clearly]

You should change the title of your post to "Unfinished Camino."

(I just crossed posts with @trecile. Her answer is better!)

 

[Marbe2]

Jon, so sorry that you had such difficulty with blisters. Glad you made it to Santiago! I have done a lot of hiking on various mountain trails over many years. Walking pavement and roads is much harder on my feet and really take a toll on them. So now I do half of my walking preparation on roads at home. We walk in the winter and frequently use the roads as a sometimes safer alternative- depending on the weather! Glad you plan on returning!

 

[Jon100]

Trecile and C clearly ,your both correct , i was being negative. Changed .

 

[natefaith]

Jon,
Welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing your experiences. I walked the Camino Inglés in July and it is HARD at some points! I never could have walked Ferrol to Pontedeume in one day. (I stopped in Neda.) The fact that you did it in heavy rain on your very first day was a grand adventure I'm sure. Keep us posted on when you'll walk those last two stages and Buen Camino!
Faith

 

[Mary Baldridge]

Jon,
Welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing your experiences. I walked the Camino Inglés in July and it is HARD at some points! I never could have walked Ferrol to Pontedeume in one day. (I stopped in Neda.) The fact that you did it in heavy rain on your very first day was a grand adventure I'm sure. Keep us posted on when you'll walk those last two stages and Buen Camino!
Faith

I am thinking of doing the Inglés with some friends this summer and I'm in charge of the planning. What are the lodging options in Neda? I don't think we want to kill ourselves the first day to make it to Pontdeume. We have plenty of time.

 

[Jon100]

Hi Mary there is a albergue in Neda i believe.just after you cross the bridge.
I did not stay in Neda i carried onto Pontedeume . I am sure someone else will
help you on that front .
Jon

 

[mylifeonvacation]

@Mary Baldridge There is a comprehensive guide to the Camino Ingles that would be extremely helpful to you in your planning. See this thread for a link to it:
www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/changes-to-the-camino-ingles-guide-supplement.51825
For more general route info, I like the Gronze or Eroski sites. Buen Camino to you!

@Jon100 I completely understand your disappointment at not being able to complete the route as planned. But it truly is an achievement to have persevered through it as you did ... and as you said, you can always go back! The Camino isn't going anywhere.

 

[jsalt]

Hi Jon, well done on your arrival into Santiago against all the odds.

The reason for the blisters is two fold ,too much weight in my backpack and far too much
road walking.

Not sure I agree with you there, though I am sure the backpack weight and the road walking didn’t help.

It rained very heavily
at times but i got through it and arrived in Pontideume many hours later with badly blistered feet.

There’s your problem for the blisters. Wet socks will cause friction, which will cause blisters.

And because it’s raining people don’t stop to do anything about it.

It is imperative, as soon as you get a hotspot, to stop and fix it, whatever the weather.

Stop under a tree, or wherever, take your boot off, and put something, anything, between the offending wet sock and the hotspot.

At the first proper dry shelter, stop again, and fix the hotspot more permanently. Dry your foot thoroughly, then put on moleskin, or a large bandaid, or duct tape, a bandage, etc.

You can put your wet socks back on again. There is no point putting dry ones on as, in the pouring rain, they will also get wet.

You must keep at least one pair of dry socks in your pack, especially in winter, to put on when you get to the (possibly unheated) albergue.
Jill