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