Another new kid on the block!

[GypsySoul]

Hey everyone,

I'm Britt, a 21year old looking for my next big challenge, Camino Frances May 2011.
Just thought I'd introduce myself as I'm in the stages of planning it all and I'm sure I'll need some expert advice.
Love to hear from anyone doing Camino around the same time as I'm travelling it alone and look forward to meeting lots of new people.

Talk soon =)

[Gazza]

GypsySoul, welcome to the forum. I have English rels from around Manchester.

I did the Camino in July last year (2010) & found this forum to be a wealth of knowledge & help. Search the various conversations & topics & you shpild find the answer to almost all yr questions. But do not hesitate to ask as there are some very experienced Caminoists on this site whose knowledge is invaluable

Happy researching, its all part of the wonderful experience

Gazza, from downunder

[HuskyNerd]

Hi Britt, and welcome to the Forum. I agree with Gazza that you'll find most everything you need here.

I'll be joining the Camino in mid-May at SJPP along with my sister and I hope we'll meet. I did the Camino Frances in 2008 and the last 200km of the Via De la Plata last year. There's nothing like the Camino for learning, meeting people, and doing soulwork during the daily long walks. My 21 year old son did the Camino Frances in 2009 and had a super time. I'm sure you will, too.

Don't hesitate to ask questions as they come up. All the best to you as you plan.

Buen camino

[GypsySoul]

Hey guys,

I've booked my flight to Paris! Whoohooo it's all happening.
I'm looking to buy a sleeping bag and I'm just trying to get an idea what the temperature it will be in Spain around late April through to May. From what I've read it should be around 10oC- 20oc during the day. How cold does it get in the evenings?
I've looked through the forums but can't quite the info I'm looking for.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
=)

[HuskyNerd]

It depends on the weather patterns and on the region. To take Pamplona as an example, the average low temp is 5C in April. In late May of 2008 I froze in Atapuerca at probably 5-10C overnight (fortunately the albergue had quilts). I also was cold in August at O Cebreiro at about 10C with wind. Each camino I've carried an REI light down sleeping bag -- rated at 45F -- and 99% of the time that's all I've needed. Buen camino!

[adelphi]

Hello Britt and anyone planning to walk the Camino as a first timer!
I finished the Camino in Santiago in Nov, 2010 but have really needed some time to process the experience so have yet to post! woo hoo I finished - starting in Oct at St Jean Pied du Port. The following tips I learnt along the way - many from experienced trekkers.
Firstly, as a woman going it alone, it is absolutely fantastic starting out on your own and at no time did I feel unsafe...despite some days choosing to walk alone through isolated parts of the camino where I may only see one other pilgrim during the day! you will meet so many people along the way and there really is a palpable sense of protection over the camino path..
Don't shower in the morning...soft feet get blisters;
Take well worn Boots (or really comfortable walking shoes), take a pair of thongs (flipflops) or sandals and take ANOTHER pair of shoes...either thin soled sneakers (new barefoot technology nike brand are unreal and very light), trekking sandals etc or just a light pair of joggers - much of the walk is on hard dirt OR bitumen and you will thank me here. Also your feet change shape (bizarre but true and as a woman IF you suffer PMT your feet will swell for a few days and the boots (despite all that training in them) will be squashed...another blister takes shape.
I carried a small 40 litre pack that weighed less than 8 kilos...it can be done (wear icebreaker brand or like layers....you can live in them for weeks without washing with no smell!)
Think about taking a sleeping bag.....it was cold at night in Oct and might be in May...I found one out of two albergues did not provide blankets and most if not all did not provide sheets.
Take a pashmina/or sarong - amazing how handy they are..and you will use it all the time as some bathrooms are unisex...you only have a small trekking towel and it is impossible to put back on sweaty clothes.
Take tampons. It is nigh impossible to find anything but applicator tampons - which come in large boxes...far too many and too bulky!
soap/moisturiser/toothpaste and other personal hygiene products (necessities!) are cheap in spain. Take little bottles and just buy as you need (really keeps the kilos down!) I have long hair and took no shampoo.
TAKE A REALLY GOOD (read expensive) poncho available from trekking stores. They are fantastic - I was the only one left completely dry and the really good ones are long, roomy, breathe and do not pick up in the wind. This was after all other experiments in wet weather and despite the gortex brand jacket!
Wi fi is seemingly everywhere so if your folks will worry a smartphone is the go to stay in contact for no cost.
I walked with a vegetarian and we found it reasonably easy to find vegetarian food options everywhere along the walk.
Re the snorers - choose beds furtherest away from aged 45 + men (esp those of wide girth - sorry guys but is is true and by the end of 35 days of sleep deprivation despite earplugs I feel I am in a position to express myself here!)
Take a good supply of the usual - bandaids, tea tree oil or other antiseptic VITAMINS are a really good idea especially C and magnesium. Pain killers, voltaren cream and the like...but again all these items are readily available along the walk.
lipbalm....a must. Oh and a headlamp torch was really useful. Lastly I refused to take trekking poles, I fell in a deep pot hole whilst talking to a cow on the third day, injured my ankle, which later resulted in a torn a tendon in my shin and walked like a duck for over 200 km....eventually a lovely Spanish man saw my limp, recommended I try his poles...THEY WERE AMAZING...he gave them to me (god bless him) and they were fantastic...got rubber tips for them so I didn't annoy my fellow walkers...unreal. Think about taking some, they made the walk soooooo much easier. The vino tinto will help with any foot pain in any event...I met people who were walking for the camino for the 2nd, third or 4th time, and others who has already walked approx 1000 km before I started. Everyone I met had some physical challenge...feet issues, muscle strains etc...basically everyone had some form of pain so be prepared. No one seems to mention this on the forum. I met alot of people along the way, and no one was immune.
Have fun, most of all have fun.

[GypsySoul]

I just want to say thank you very much for taking the time and effort to share that information with us all.
I'm finding it invaluable as I start to organise my packing list.
THANK YOU =)

[Covey]

Adelphi...............

""Re the snorers - choose beds furtherest away from aged 45 + men (esp those of wide girth - sorry guys but is is true and by the end of 35 days of sleep deprivation despite earplugs I feel I am in a position to express myself here!)""

There are times, as a Moderator of this Forum, as a Camino Grandfather, as a Serial Caminoist and all round Good Egg, when I have to state quite firmly that I resemble that remark!!!

This is not to admit that us more experienced fellows might not have the odd minor flaw in our character and physique which could give rise to the occasional snuffle in our Permetherin impregnated night attire.

Our days are filled with caring for those who falter along the Way, who need their feet and joints attended to with great care and gentleness, who need to be reassured that after 20 odd bad hair days you are just as beautiful as the day you stood on the platform at Bayonne, trying not to look apprehensive, and wondering why everyone else's pack was smaller than yours.

Would you begrudge us the odd snort whilst we are off dreaming of when we were young and a lot fitter than we are today. Would you begrudge us the odd smile of relief that we no longer have to rush around proving our manhood and virility, but can sit back with a large gin and tonic and watch the youngsters dashing themselves against the rocks of unrequited lust for their fellow pilgrims?

What a cruel world it really is (sic)..............

[HuskyNerd]

Covey, your are precious . . . . and very funny!

[Boston toro-head]

Just a new kid from Boston, here. I was just recently visiting Pamplona, Navarra Spain this past November.
While my wife attended a Nursing conference at the Clinica University of Navarra, I had a full week of walking travel around Iruna (Pamplona) and took a bus to Donostia (San Sabastian) for a day to climb Mt Urgull. It is quite impresive to enter a cathederal built in the 1400s, before Columbus even discovered my homeland. It lets you know how much incredible history is to be learned here.
I found this country, and the diverse Spanish people, absolutely facinating. I met many Camino pilgrims from all over the world while visiting this region. I have been reading as much as I can about the Camino, its history, and the history of the region itself.
I have decided, due to my new love affair with Spain, that I will attempt to make this journey in 2013.
Hopefully, I can do the entire length from SJPdP to Santiago. I believe I can, and will.
I just wanted to say that I am happy to have found this site, and will frequent it for all the knowledge and info that is here.
Thanks. just a bull headed guy from Boston.
Buen Camino all.

[HuskyNerd]

Welcome to the Forum, Boston. Congratulations on your discovery of the Camino de Santiago, a place of quests and dreams and friendship. You won't regret choosing the Camino and its lessons. May God bless you in your preparations and in your journey.

[Covey]

Welcome Boston

If you walk from St Jean to Santiago or even on to Finesterre, you will meet people of all ages and nationalities, people who are disabled or blind, fit or barely able to get off the couch, a mother with her baby on her back or people in their 80's, all with the dream of standing in front of the Cathedral at Santiago having completed their Camino.

I say THEIR CAMINO because it is exactly that. Some will plan on walking 40kms a day and others will just do 10kms, some will appear in all the latest kit and others will look as though they just popped out to buy a newspaper, and just kept walking.

There are no rules, except to follow the yellow arrows painted on the road or on the side of a building, or on a Way marker, and which will guide your footsteps for nearly 800kms. You decide how fast you will walk and how far. You decide where to stay and where to eat. You decide if you want to walk alone or fall in with a fellow Pilgrim or group of like minded souls. It is entirely up to you. You empty your mind of the clutter of daily life and when you get up in the morning and stick your nose outside the Albergue door, your day is a blank sheet of paper and only you are going to decide what, if anything is going to be written on it.

Buen Camino.

[drsalome]

Me too, HI All, I'm salome (dr7veils) and will be walking July into August. I've read many forum threads so far and it is all helpful. My main concern is my being solo (except for all the other pilgrims). Is this doable just book a flight from alexandria, virginia to SJPP and start walking? is that how it's done? I read there is a huge celebration in one of the spanish towns in Jearly Uly. Should I be concerned about finding a bed? Are the bed bugs really that bad? Are there any advantages for a solo traveler to book through a group?
I'll continue to read all comments and i can't believe i'm going to do a trip i learned about more than 15 years ago. thank you.
salome

[HuskyNerd]

Yes, your July 4 start takes you into Pamplona during the San Fermin festival (running of the bulls) on July 6-14. I've not been there durign that time, but I understand the place is pretty crazy with partiers from all over the world. Some pilgrims do not find this to be a pleasant experience, but others I've heard of enjoyed the pilgrim atmosphere. My own choice would be to walk through town (not stay) and enjoy the sites and sounds of the festival, then stay just outside town at the Cizur Menor albergue. That's a large albergue, a little removed from Pamplona proper and holds hope of getting a good night's sleep. Albergues are for pilgrims, so the fact that San Fermin is happening in Pamplona should not mean you'd be without a bed.

No real advantage over booking with a group than doing it oneself, except the baggage service that the group tour provides. If you're ok with carrying your own pack, you'll be fine on your own. With a July start you'll be one of well over a hundred people who head off from SJPP on your departure day, so you'll have lots of people with whom to share your journey.

Bed bug stories are many. I'm following Covey's advice this year and bringing a permethrin-treated sleeping bag liner to keep bed bugs away. This one from REI Sea to Summit Insect Shield CoolMax Adaptor Liner - Mummy at REI.com is only $55 and I believe well worth the cost and the 1/2 pound weight.

So, yes, just show up in SJPP and start walking. That's how it's done. Do stop first, though, at the office of Les Amis de St. Jacques in SJPP, where you can get your credentiale, a weather report, and a great list of albergues and distances. If you feel like you need more info before you begin, buy the latest edition of the John Brierley guide to the Camino Amazon.com: A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino de Santiago: St. Jean - Roncesvalles - Santiago (Camino Guides) (9781844091928): John Brierley: Books which will help you understand what faces you each day.

Buen camino!

[Covey]

Anyone walking in to Pamplona in the first three weeks of July has a problem!

Because of the San Fermin Festival, for the last three years the authorities have closed the main "Jesus & Mary" Albergue near the main square in Pamplona for the first three weeks of July. The 114 beds which normally house Pilgrims are given over to tourists who last year were paying €25 per night rather than the €5 the Pilgrims normally pay. Last year the other city center Albergue was closed for renovation in July which meant that there were no Albergue beds in Pamplona itself.

The Albergues at Cizur Menor were open to Pilgrims, but the removal of 140 beds in central Pamplona was causing mild panic amongst pilgrims who were trying to plan their walk between Zubiri and Puenta La Reina!!

The "Official" Albergues are usually owned by State of Local Government and are open to Pilgrims all year and I have never come across one that has been closed other than for fumigation when it was scheduled to be open.

The Catholic Church however has a habit of closing its Albergues without warning if they want the accommodation for someone else other than Pilgrims and I have often arrived in a town to find that the Church Albergue is closed for a few days or a week because the Church is using it for other things.