Hello from the UK!

long trails · Apr 23, 2016

I am from the UK and going to be starting from SJPDP late May this year, on my own and with a tent.

I have done part of the Camino before, got as far as Fromista and gave up due to blisters and an ankle injury.

I was going to go back to where I left off, but I am self employed and in theory, able to work from anywhere, so I don't have the holiday time constraints. Yep, I am lucky!

So I decided to start again from St Jean. This time I will be carrying a tent. I know the general feeling is why bother carrying one, but the extra weight is like 1kg, and I travel very light anyway.

I found it a little stressful before rushing to the next stop and finding a bed, so will be nice to have a little flexibility. I was always the last to leave in the morning so often ended up with less choice.

I also plan to make daily video diaries that should be available on youtube, with the emphasis on camino camping. Maybe backpacking pilgrims in the future will benefit.

I don't intend on staying in a tent all the time, it's more like another option, but will be nice to sleep 'alone' sometimes too! I am a huge fan of the outdoors and camping, so I am looking forward to seeing what options there are. I have read accounts of people camping the whole way, so hopefully it should work out ok!

Ekelund · Apr 23, 2016

Buen camino to you!

NualaOC · Apr 23, 2016

Good luck and Buen Camino!

smj6 · Apr 23, 2016

Welcome @long trails and buen camino.
Suzanne

wayfarer · Apr 23, 2016

Welcome to the forum long trails, enjoy your Camino.
Buen Camino.

Peter Fransiscus · Apr 23, 2016

long trails said:
I am from the UK and going to be starting from SJPDP late May this year, on my own and with a tent.

I have done part of the Camino before, got as far as Fromista and gave up due to blisters and an ankle injury.

I was going to go back to where I left off, but I am self employed and in theory, able to work from anywhere, so I don't have the holiday time constraints. Yep, I am lucky!

So I decided to start again from St Jean. This time I will be carrying a tent. I know the general feeling is why bother carrying one, but the extra weight is like 1kg, and I travel very light anyway.

I found it a little stressful before rushing to the next stop and finding a bed, so will be nice to have a little flexibility. I was always the last to leave in the morning so often ended up with less choice.

I also plan to make daily video diaries that should be available on youtube, with the emphasis on camino camping. Maybe backpacking pilgrims in the future will benefit.

I don't intend on staying in a tent all the time, it's more like another option, but will be nice to sleep 'alone' sometimes too! I am a huge fan of the outdoors and camping, so I am looking forward to seeing what options there are. I have read accounts of people camping the whole way, so hopefully it should work out ok!

Welcome Long trails to this wonderful forum.
Wish you a wonderful journey and a Buen Camino, Peter.

Felice · Apr 23, 2016

Hi long trails. I've just been reading Tincatinker's excallent thread 'Are we making it all too easy' and I got all nostalgic about my trips to Spain in the 1970s and 80s, when we used to wildcamp as often as we could, because lodgings were not always available, and sometimes not too nice. Most of the time we were in the Cantabrian mountains, so not quite the same as the meseta. I remember one night in particular. It would have been in the late 1970s. It was dark and we were about to turn in for the night. I was behind a bush a little distance away when a car came up, stopped and had its headlights full on our tent. It was the Guardia Civil, come to see what was going on. So there I was, hastily pulling up my trousers, fully aware that they had their guns trained on us. Not a nice experience at the time, but amusing in retrospect.

I'm sure you have read all the threads about wildcamping being illegal etc. Whilst I fully understand (and somewhat envy) those who feel the need to camp, I worry about the idea of blogging about it, if indeed you are planning to wildcamp. When something is illegal but tolerated, then discretion is the best policy. It would be a real shame if you were to be instrumental in popularising wildcamping on the CF, so that is started to be a nuisance (because some people just do not know how to behave) and thus the authorities clamped down on it. So please think very carefully about what you plan to do. Now if you are going to camp in farmers fields with their permission, that is a very different matter.

Buen camino

rometimed · Apr 24, 2016

I recommend staying in Orisson the first night. Is very fun.

Buen Camino!

long trails · Apr 24, 2016

Thanks all. Just to make things clear, I have no intention to wild camp, and certainly wouldn't consider it without permission. I believe a number of Albergues along the way allow camping onsite, this is more what I am interested in to be honest. We shall see what happens.

Devon Mike · Apr 24, 2016

long trails said:
Thanks all. Just to make things clear, I have no intention to wild camp, and certainly wouldn't consider it without permission. I believe a number of Albergues along the way allow camping onsite, this is more what I am interested in to be honest. We shall see what happens.

In 2014 I met a couple of guys walking with their dogs and they had to camp as dogs are not allowed in any accommodation in Spain. They had no problems finding places to pitch their tents, frequently they were allowed to do so at Albergues.

Without any specific listing of such places, they simply enquired each day as they walked.

Buen Camino

Davey Boyd · Apr 26, 2016

Greetings Long Trails! I am from the UK also (Brighton). I took a tent with me last year and had no problems finding places. Just ask when you arrive at the Albergue. (Doesn't work so well in the big cities though, Burgos, Leon etc, but I always walked through to the next village).

Buen Camino!