sarria to santiago

[Mamó]

Please help... I will be walking the last section of camino frances in june 2016. I suffer from chronic pain and have difficulty finding comfortable footwear because of plantar fasciitis . Could anyone let me know what the terrain will be like and also I have heard that this section can be very wet. Is this true? Advice on footwear, terrain,weather and rain gear much appreciated

 

[jefferyonthecamino]

Probably not 'very' wet in june but most likely two or three days of rain/drizzle. Terrain is quiet country roads and dirt paths. Almost all of it rolling hills.

Good luck!

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Please help... I will be walking the last section of camino frances in june 2016. I suffer from chronic pain and have difficulty finding comfortable footwear because of plantar fasciitis . Could anyone let me know what the terrain will be like and also I have heard that this section can be very wet. Is this true? Advice on footwear, terrain,weather and rain gear much appreciated

Hi, as stated it's a rolling terrain.
Just take a stap at the time and you will be fine. Go with the flow and take care.
Wish you well and a Buen Camino, Peter.

 

[Tingeling]

Hello - I guess you have already gotten the advice to have insoles custom made for you (a model of your foot is made and then the insole is made - they will correct the pressure to protect the harmed area). I strongly advice that. You need some weeks to get used to the soles and you can have them adjusted if needed. Expensive, but worth it.

Tingeling

 

[joe g texas aggies]

Please help... I will be walking the last section of camino frances in june 2016. I suffer from chronic pain and have difficulty finding comfortable footwear because of plantar fasciitis . Could anyone let me know what the terrain will be like and also I have heard that this section can be very wet. Is this true? Advice on footwear, terrain,weather and rain gear much appreciated

I strongly recommend that you consider Merrell Moab Ventilators. They are non waterproof, but will dry quickly if you get them wet. REI sells them in the US. Buy at least one size larger than normal. Your feet will swell and you should be wearing merino wool socks with silk liners underneath. My shoes were a full size larger.
I, too, have suffered from plantar fasciitis and now the pain well. I substituted my custom orthotics in place of the stock insoles. I don't think I would do that again. I would use the insoles provided by Merrell unless I could find a soft substitute that would absorb some of the load on my feet.
I don't have specific recollection of the CF from Sarria, but in general, I recall that the CF was very rocky. I had more trouble with my feet than any other part of my body on the 800km. My trainer told me later that each foot has something like 152 muscles and the muscles in my feet may not have been strong enough. I should have trained and exercised those muscles more. I see that you are female, so you probably will not be putting the load on your feet like I did.
In regards to rain gear; no umbrella, no poncho, just have a good light jacket that will serve as a rain coat. I don't think you will see too much cold weather in June, but check the historical records. Keep your pack weight to a minimum.
I don't recall the terrain being too rigorous from Sarria. BTW, there is a very nice albergue about 5 km outside of Sarria. Sorry, I do not recall the name, but you should be able to find it in the guidebooks.
Hope this helps.

 

[Kanga]

I wear sandals all the time on the Camino Frances and am fine. Sarria to Santiago is not so long that you need to depart from your normal, most comfortable, walking footwear. Just go with the footwear that is most comfortable for you.

My only hesitation is that if you are currently suffering from plantar fasciitis try to get that fixed before you walk. I had it severely many years ago but thankfully it responded to orthotics, which I no longer seem to need.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I know some advise sandals, but you need to determine that they are suitable for your feet. Finding out that they do not work while you are on the Camino is the wrong time!

 

[Kanga]

I hope I never advise a particular type of footwear. Everyone is different. I can only tell my own experiences in the hope that people realise there are alternatives. Buying expensive footwear and carrying it 800 km is a bit of a downer. Particularly if it gives you blisters.

 

[joe g texas aggies]

I hope I never advise a particular type of footwear. Everyone is different. I can only tell my own experiences in the hope that people realise there are alternatives. Buying expensive footwear and carrying it 800 km is a bit of a downer. Particularly if it gives you blisters.

I think you will note that I recommended that she strongly consider the Merrells. Since you are a regular on here, you are more than likely aware of a lengthy post a number of years ago in which a pilgrim from the UK, who worked at the equivalent of REI, recommended Merrells. I greatly appreciated his remarks and followed his advice. I took the Merrells to my podiatrist who whole heartedly concurred with my selection.

 

[Kanga]

Oh, @joe g texas aggies I was not having a go at you. I was responding to Falcon. My husband tried Merrell Moab Ventilators on my suggestion, when he thought his Jacoforms would not work on the Norte. I suggested the Merrells because they are so favourably reviewed, and he liked them around the house and at home. Unfortunately, once we were on the trail, they did not work for him, were too narrow in the toes, and he chopped off the tops to try to give himself more room (didn't work). Which does not mean they won't be good for others, they obviously are. But it just goes to show that one size (or brand) does not fit all.

 

[joe g texas aggies]

Hi Kanga, apologize for my incorrect inference of your remarks. Sorry that your husband had problems with his Merrells.
In his same post where Merrells were recommended, the author recommended that one purchase shoes that are least one-half to one-size larger. This is due to the two pair of socks and the fact that one's feet will swell on the Camino. Actually, I had more swelling in my lower legs than I did in my feet, but my feet swelled also.
One thing I forgot to mention is that my custom orthotics were hard on the foam padding inside my Merrells. Thank God for good ol duct tape and the German-run albergue that gave me some to wrap around my poles.

 

[Kerry C]

Please help... I will be walking the last section of camino frances in june 2016. I suffer from chronic pain and have difficulty finding comfortable footwear because of plantar fasciitis . Could anyone let me know what the terrain will be like and also I have heard that this section can be very wet. Is this true? Advice on footwear, terrain,weather and rain gear much appreciated

Hola, and Blessings for the courage to forge ahead,
I'm also preparing to walk with planter fasciitis. I'll be starting from Burgos, which is good because the terrain will begin gently. We leave on April 26 so I have almost two months to get ready. My plan is to start easy, walk half what I would have in the past, and walk slow, stopping to rest and stretch often. My training now is to follow my stretching and icing routine. I'm bringing a light night brace to support my most afflicted foot. I'm planning on wearing iniji toe socks with compression sleeves and chose Oboz trail shoes with my custom orthotics. I decided against waterproof boots because when I hiked the Camino last year, my feet overheated, and sweated which led to blisters. I'm bringing Keen sandals to switch out to if I need to because that worked for me last year. I also discovered smart wool socks are not good for me, but cool max socks that wick work better. I figure if I bring zip locks, I can beg ice from bars when I need to. My condition is almost healed now because of my work on it, so I'll hike to train in about one more week so I can experiment with my gear and break it in. For rain, I have a pack cover, golite raincoat, and rei rain pants.
I don't know how my plan will work, but since I'll be done ahead of you, I'll keep you posted. Buen Camino!

 

[Tracker]

Please help... I will be walking the last section of camino frances in june 2016. I suffer from chronic pain and have difficulty finding comfortable footwear because of plantar fasciitis . Could anyone let me know what the terrain will be like and also I have heard that this section can be very wet. Is this true? Advice on footwear, terrain,weather and rain gear much appreciated

¡Hola Mamó!
My wife and I hit the Sarria to Santiago portion of our Camino in late June/early July 2014 and had absolutely no rain whatsoever during that period. It was pleasantly warm but not too hot (yet), with clear skies and dry trails. If rain does happen to find you, a lightweight rain shell will work fine. As other folks have mentioned here, the terrain between Sarria and Santiago is rolling farmland with several sections of beautiful, forested trails. Be warned, though, that there are at least two sections between Sarria and Santiago that I can remember that had a couple of pretty steep uphill walks (immediately upon leaving Portomarrín, for example). Although no climb we encountered was excessively long, they were long enough to get your attention especially if you might be a little out of condition. Actually, if I recall correctly (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong here...), the walk out of Sarria is pretty much all uphill until it levels off and you start moving towards Barbadelo (just a few kms outside Sarria). This is only relevant if you're actually staying IN Sarria the night before, and not on the western outskirts...like Barbadelo. One thing I can tell you for sure about the Sarria-Santiago terrain, though, (and someone else mentioned this as well) is that it can tend to be very rocky in places. By rocky, I mean large chunks of sharp gravel embedded in the dirt surfaces that in some places goes on for several kms. After a while...just...ouch.

I agree wholeheartedly with the other folks who have replied here, and would not attempt to make any specific footwear suggestions. I have tried and worn a crazy number of boot/sock combinations over the years, and every manufacturer feels different. It's all in what works for you as an individual. The best advice I can offer in that department is to try on and/or test many boots and boot makers well in advance of your trip, and PLEASE don't make the first day of your walk the maiden voyage of your boots as well. That can only lead to injury and disappointment. Take long walks in them, and find out where the trouble spots pop up before you begin the journey. For what it's worth, REI has an incredibly generous return policy.

As for your plantar fasciitis issue, I have advocated in previous posts for people with your foot issue the use of kinesio tape, sold under such brands (in the US at least) as KT Tape, Rock Tape, Ares Tape, Strength Tape, etc. My wife has plantar fasciitis and she used the KT Tape brand for her entire camino and she swears it saved her trip. Of course I'm NOT a doctor, and my (or her) evidence is purely anecdotal, but for my wife at least the proof is in the pudding. 500 miles and absolutely no PF problems. The respective company websites, or even YouTube, has videos showing how to apply kinesio tape to treat PF. Easy, inexpensive, and at least for my wife, highly effective.

As they say, ¡Que tengas un buenisimo camino! I'm sure you'll fall in love with Spain just as we did, and you'll make MANY friends along the way. The generosity of your fellow pilgrims is one of your greatest resources out there. Don't be afraid to ask...!

All the best -

Tracker

 

[Tom Leonard]

Please help... I will be walking the last section of camino frances in june 2016. I suffer from chronic pain and have difficulty finding comfortable footwear because of plantar fasciitis . Could anyone let me know what the terrain will be like and also I have heard that this section can be very wet. Is this true? Advice on footwear, terrain,weather and rain gear much appreciated

Did this route last September. Challenging hills in some places and gravel along some paths . Negative is the trails along side of roads which is not too scenic. Plenty of cafes and small villages so food and water are no problem. I put Vaseline on my feet every morning and wore trekking footwear. Trekking poles will certainly help your PF issue . I dream about this Camino all the time now and will live in Spain next Feb./March to escape the Boston winter , so will come back for more Camino at 69 yrs.
Go at your comfortable pace and listen to your body !
Buen Camino