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Hi, you only need two stamps a day when you begin your Camino in Sarria .
The point to the sellos is to tell the office in Santiago that you actually walked a route to Santiago. The point to it as far as you are concerned is to have this really cool record of where you went and where you stayed. Most of the time you will get a stamp from the albuergue you stay in when you pay for your bunk - though sometimes you will walk by a little alcove in the village you are in and see a little ink pad with a sello attached with a piece of string. Other times you will see the same set up sitting on a bar when you stop for coffee or a beer. You won't spend the night in every single village you walk through. You won't even stop in most of them. So no worries.
Thanks. That is a good link.
Not really, that counts only for the last 100km.
Thanks for that Mark, I didn't know where one got the daily stamps. Everyone talks about them but not where they get them from!
Yeah, in 2014 I filled two credentials full of stamps without even really trying.
We were having our first rest day, in Los Arcos, and rang the bell of the Guardia Civil barracks to get stamps; the soldier who came to the gate looked really surprised but took our credenciales away to be stamped. Led to some interesting conversations over the next few days when the hospitaleros noticed them!
Stamps are everywhere. I became "stamp obsessed" and filled seven passports with
Stamps are everywhere. I became "stamp obsessed" and filled seven passports with over 300. There is a shop on Etsy, called Camino Estrella, that sells T-shirts with stamps. One is "generic" and is covered "all over" with very large size stamps. The other is custom made. You scan your pages, upload to them, and they put them on the shirt. It is not, however, an "all over" shirt. The stamps are on the small side in a square on the front. For an additional fee, you can opt for a second square on the back, allowing you to use double the number of stamps.
I have seen folks walk maniacally all over the towns where they stop for cafe, lunch and the evening filling their credentials full of stamps. Crazy, yes, but it is a nice way to savor your memories and share your many stops with your friends when you get home. I have a pile of 7 of them sitting next to my computer and have no idea what to do with them. That being said I already have a fresh one for this year, go figure.
We have stamps from the local police from one of the towns after Madrid. They were the ones who had the keys to the albergue.
I already have one Credencial from Ivar, but if I need more along the way are they easy to obtain??
You can get one in SJPdP at the pilgrim's office. It's a nice one as well and they will stamp it for you. You can also get another one like the one you have from the tourist office in SJPdP, and get it stamped.
I have four of them as well as three compostelas still in the cardboard tubes they provide in Santiago, sitting on a shelf above my desk. I guess I'll eventually get them framed or something.
Thanks for the info on where to get other credentials Mark.
You can get them at the pilgrim's office in Santiago when you get your compostela. I think it's a donation of one euro for the tube, but it's worth it. Protects your passport and compostela for the trip home.
Thanks Mark, I had been contemplating bringing one from home. So that's one less thing to worry about!
Also the pilgrim's office in SJPdP is just a cool place to stop in before you start your Camino. Really gracious volunteers there. They stamp your passport. You can get a shell there and they will give you a current list of albergues along the CF with phone numbers, etc and an elevation guide as well as a nice map of the two routes over the Pyrenees the first day. They also have up to date weather reports.
