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I remember this sandy, rather treacherous hill with gorgeous views, both while ascending and descending. Lucky for me I was with my son, who walked just ahead of me, then would turn around and gave me his hand to help pull me up those huge "steps". One of my scariest sections on the Norte, but also one of the most beautiful ingrained in my memory.Read this as well this morning and thought it was an accident just waiting to happen.
El Bursco, as this hill is called, is made up of a lot of sand and requires huge steps (I'm short!) to go both up and down. I had to take by backpack off to climb up at some point, and sit in some places on the way down.
The article doesn't say if he was going up or down, but he was lucky to only break an ankle. If you were to fall backwards while ascending, you'd be joining the many ant size surfers in the ocean below after a long fall down the cliff.
When I think of all the useless detours on some sections of the Camino "for safety reasons" and then think of this place where there are no barriers to prevent a fall, I shake my head.
The only other difficult and potentially dangerous spot for short legged people was also on the Norte, leaving the monastery near Guetaria, bit steps have now been installed.
There is a way to walk around the Brusco. If it's not marked on your map just pop in at the tourist kiosk as you get off the ferry in Santona. My guide had us going around the Brucso ... it was the girl at the kiosk who suggested the uphill route.
Looks like it was muddy and slippery, and a French pilgrim fell and broke his ankle. Had to be rescued by a helicopter.
Be careful, peregrinos on the Norte! That is a very nice coastal segment, but as I remember (Anemone can correct me if I'm wrong, she has a much better memory than I for these things) the descent to the beach is a bit steep.
http://www.radiocaminodesantiago.com/rescatado-peregrino-frances-por-un-helicoptero-en-cantabria/
You can absolutely purchase medical insurance for your Camino. You can go online and type in travel insurance to compare the various policies. I live in the U.S. and purchase my travel insurance thru CSA. Make sure whatever policy you buy has medical evacuation coverage. I pay approximately $100 US to cover my Caminos.I've been meaning to ask, is there such a thing as a Medical Insurance policy on the Camino? and who paid for the helicopter? ... we don't have that kind of healthcare in the U.S.
Based on what happens when people need rescuing on the Napoleon route, when it is open, I would guess that rescue operations are free but medical care would be billed. At least for an non EU citizen. This man is French so he should have his hospital bill taken care of automatically.I've been meaning to ask, is there such a thing as a Medical Insurance policy on the Camino? and who paid for the helicopter? ... we don't have that kind of healthcare in the U.S.
This may be going off topic, but I think it bears repeating. If you are from the US, you should be careful to read the fine print of any insurance policy you are thinking about buying. This is from another thread, from a while ago, but I think it bears repeating. A friend of mine, with much more patience than I, did a deep dive into the fine print.
One company's policy "provides for repatriation of remains" or "provides for medical evacuation," but when he read the fine print he saw that what that means is that they will take it upon themselves to find you a company to bring your body home or to evacuate you, but you will bear the actual cost of transportation. So, "provides for" means -- "finds you a service provider" not "pay for the cost of service."
I have medical insurance that covers emergency medical expenses abroad, and a credit card that will pay a fairly high sum to bring me home, so I have decided that I am not going to buy additional travelers' medical insurance. I know there are many people who do buy it, and if it's a once in a lifetime trip it's probably worth the few hundred dollars for peace of mind, but if you go every year, you might want to reconsider.
Hope the peregrino is ok.Looks like it was muddy and slippery, and a French pilgrim fell and broke his ankle. Had to be rescued by a helicopter.
Be careful, peregrinos on the Norte! That is a very nice coastal segment, but as I remember (Anemone can correct me if I'm wrong, she has a much better memory than I for these things) the descent to the beach is a bit steep.
http://www.radiocaminodesantiago.com/rescatado-peregrino-frances-por-un-helicoptero-en-cantabria/
You can extend the duration of your credit card insurance.Re insurance: I had been planning to just use the insurance that comes with my credit card until I found out it is only good for trips of 15 days or less. So read carefully! For north Americans, Costco has cheap travel insurance with broad coverage - including dental work ( which is the only thing I have ever needed while travelling ) and, if I remember correctly, physio.
Last October I had a pretty serious medical problem on the Florence to Rome Camino.
The bill was about $9,500.
(It would have been $50k plus in th U.S.)
I had travel medical insurance and it was all paid in full
What policy did you purchase?
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