First timers: Sarria - Santiago.

[Sparticcus]

Wife and self walking last 113klms 8th - 16th October. All comments welcome, esp. weather, food, clothes drying and (from other's postings)... bed bugs!

M&M

 

[seagull]

Hello Sparticcus, great to hear you and your wife walking 8th oct to 15th. I am walking with small group, 4 in total and we are all first timers! We are starting in Sarria on the 7th until the 15th. We have various fitness levels and also some health issues! We will be taking it very slowly starting out so no doubt we might cross paths. Im planning to travel very light, couple tshirts, shorts, long trousers, fleeces, poncho, hat, sleeping bag liner, boots and sandals. Layers of light clothing so can adjust according to the weather. Morning and evenings I am told can be chilly but daytime quite warm. Looking forward to seeing some replies too! Am considering trekking poles to help with the knees but have never used them before ......hmmm

 

[cher99840]

Expect rain. Quick drying clothes are helpful--no cotton. Ask for newspaper or carry some to stuff in your shoes/boots when you reach your daily destination. Then if very wet, change out the papers after a couple of hours. I walked that section in 2013 from Oct 17 to Oct 21. It rained at least part of every day.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Wife and self walking last 113klms 8th - 16th October. All comments welcome, esp. weather, food, clothes drying and (from other's postings)... bed bugs!

M&M

Hi, you are in Calicia that means probely rain. Wish you both happy trails and a Buen Camino, Peter.

 

[Mike Savage]

Welcome and Buen Camino Sparticcus!

 

[Mike Savage]

Welcome and Buen Camino Seagull!

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Hello Sparticcus, great to hear you and your wife walking 8th oct to 15th. I am walking with small group, 4 in total and we are all first timers! We are starting in Sarria on the 7th until the 15th. We have various fitness levels and also some health issues! We will be taking it very slowly starting out so no doubt we might cross paths. Im planning to travel very light, couple tshirts, shorts, long trousers, fleeces, poncho, hat, sleeping bag liner, boots and sandals. Layers of light clothing so can adjust according to the weather. Morning and evenings I am told can be chilly but daytime quite warm. Looking forward to seeing some replies too! Am considering trekking poles to help with the knees but have never used them before ......hmmm

Hi, I think a bit of training with the trekking poles is a smart thing to do.
For the rest enjoy yourself and have a good time.
Wish you all well and a Buen Camino, Peter.

 

[jefferyonthecamino]

Wife and self walking last 113klms 8th - 16th October. All comments welcome, esp. weather, food, clothes drying and (from other's postings)... bed bugs!

M&M

Lovely last stretch you're walking. Weather can get very wet and cold (no snow), pack accordingly. It can also be warm and sunny (throw in those shorts and tshirts too). Regarding food, the usual suspects: octopus in melide, aguardiente in portomarin, cheese in arzua, its autumn, lots of mushrooms. I would also try to stay at the albergue in ribadiso da baixo. Buen Camino!

 

[Tim Gerlitz]

Wife and self walking last 113klms 8th - 16th October. All comments welcome, esp. weather, food, clothes drying and (from other's postings)... bed bugs!

M&M

We just returned from this exact route the end of July. We used a service, though, which transported our gear each day to our next hotel, so we didn't stay on the road in tents or in hostels. We are in our 50's. Both of us are avid hikers and backpackers so I was surprised when I ended up getting blisters starting day 3. My girl did much better foot-wise than I did. However, it was clear from our 6 days on the Camino that many, many people were in trouble with their feet. Anything from a blister or two to massive foot infections and knee injuries. In fact, we were surprised with "Camino Taxi" numbers posted alongside the trail but in fact more people call a camino taxi than you might think. My theory is you don't just walk on a country dirt trail. You pound on cobblestone, pavement, rocks, gravel, soft dirt, hard pack dirt, and more. Those surfaces kind of tricked me and I ended up using a lot of moleskin and also discovered "Compeed", a gel moleskin, which you can find in most villa pharmacies. So make sure your hiking boots are in good wear, try to toughen your feet as much as you can, and consider using a walking stick or trek poles. We took our time and enjoyed each day on its own. The younger crowd was bent on hauling to their day's destination and by the afternoon, we usually found the trail quiet and usually found ourselves hiking for a few hours never seeing another pilgrim. We stopped at most forest and roadside cafes, and as soon as noon hit, we switched from coffee to the great Spanish tap beer. Grab plates of octopus (pulpo) when you can! More than anything, enjoy.

 

[Sparticcus]

We just returned from this exact route the end of July. We used a service, though, which transported our gear each day to our next hotel, so we didn't stay on the road in tents or in hostels. We are in our 50's. Both of us are avid hikers and backpackers so I was surprised when I ended up getting blisters starting day 3. My girl did much better foot-wise than I did. However, it was clear from our 6 days on the Camino that many, many people were in trouble with their feet. Anything from a blister or two to massive foot infections and knee injuries. In fact, we were surprised with "Camino Taxi" numbers posted alongside the trail but in fact more people call a camino taxi than you might think. My theory is you don't just walk on a country dirt trail. You pound on cobblestone, pavement, rocks, gravel, soft dirt, hard pack dirt, and more. Those surfaces kind of tricked me and I ended up using a lot of moleskin and also discovered "Compeed", a gel moleskin, which you can find in most villa pharmacies. So make sure your hiking boots are in good wear, try to toughen your feet as much as you can, and consider using a walking stick or trek poles. We took our time and enjoyed each day on its own. The younger crowd was bent on hauling to their day's destination and by the afternoon, we usually found the trail quiet and usually found ourselves hiking for a few hours never seeing another pilgrim. We stopped at most forest and roadside cafes, and as soon as noon hit, we switched from coffee to the great Spanish tap beer. Grab plates of octopus (pulpo) when you can! More than anything, enjoy.

Thank you so much for your honesty and candour. Must admit have no idea what moleskin is, but shall now set about finding out. We too are in our 50's and will not (hopefully) be resorting to taxis. Presumably the advance booking of hotels / accommodation is a must?
Again thank you so much for your thoughtful comments.

M&M

 

[Sparticcus]

Hello Sparticcus, great to hear you and your wife walking 8th oct to 15th. I am walking with small group, 4 in total and we are all first timers! We are starting in Sarria on the 7th until the 15th. We have various fitness levels and also some health issues! We will be taking it very slowly starting out so no doubt we might cross paths. Im planning to travel very light, couple tshirts, shorts, long trousers, fleeces, poncho, hat, sleeping bag liner, boots and sandals. Layers of light clothing so can adjust according to the weather. Morning and evenings I am told can be chilly but daytime quite warm. Looking forward to seeing some replies too! Am considering trekking poles to help with the knees but have never used them before ......hmmm

Hopefully we will cross paths somewhere on the journey - if not, then hopefully at journey's end. We must keep in touch in hopes of sharing a meal or perhaps a beer, en route..
Buen Camino!

 

[LeAnn Blackert]

Thank you so much for your honesty and candour. Must admit have no idea what moleskin is, but shall now set about finding out. We too are in our 50's and will not (hopefully) be resorting to taxis. Presumably the advance booking of hotels / accommodation is a must?
Again thank you so much for your thoughtful comments.

M&M

Apparently moleskin might be a North American item. It can be cut to surround a blister, adding protection. Compeed works well on hot spots. Vaseline can be used to lubricate the feet. Just pay attention if your feet develop sore or hot spots. I ended up changing my socks every 2 hours or so to keep the feet dry. Worked wonders. Buen camino!

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

We just returned from this exact route the end of July. We used a service, though, which transported our gear each day to our next hotel, so we didn't stay on the road in tents or in hostels. We are in our 50's. Both of us are avid hikers and backpackers so I was surprised when I ended up getting blisters starting day 3. My girl did much better foot-wise than I did. However, it was clear from our 6 days on the Camino that many, many people were in trouble with their feet. Anything from a blister or two to massive foot infections and knee injuries. In fact, we were surprised with "Camino Taxi" numbers posted alongside the trail but in fact more people call a camino taxi than you might think. My theory is you don't just walk on a country dirt trail. You pound on cobblestone, pavement, rocks, gravel, soft dirt, hard pack dirt, and more. Those surfaces kind of tricked me and I ended up using a lot of moleskin and also discovered "Compeed", a gel moleskin, which you can find in most villa pharmacies. So make sure your hiking boots are in good wear, try to toughen your feet as much as you can, and consider using a walking stick or trek poles. We took our time and enjoyed each day on its own. The younger crowd was bent on hauling to their day's destination and by the afternoon, we usually found the trail quiet and usually found ourselves hiking for a few hours never seeing another pilgrim. We stopped at most forest and roadside cafes, and as soon as noon hit, we switched from coffee to the great Spanish tap beer. Grab plates of octopus (pulpo) when you can! More than anything, enjoy.

Hi Tim , you only use Compeed when you don’t have blisters. When you have a blister you have to tape it.
Wish you well, Peter.