# Camino de Santiago



## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

I'm curious if anybody has done the walk?


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## Jumar (Mar 14, 2012)

Haven´t walked it but last year did it by mountain bike. What do you want to know about it?


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

Not sure -) 

How do people go back? Fly? Train? Bus? Walk?

Seems the various stops are close enough no need to carry weeks of food but I guess a light sleeping bag would be good?

Any chance of charging my camera battery? Cellphone.

What's the weather like mid/late June?


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## neilmac (Sep 10, 2008)

Himy wife intends to do the part from Tui - May or in the autumn. If you google Camino de Santiago you will find there is loads of info - maps, forums, etc.

If you decide to do it enjoy the experience!

If you want some inspiration - The Way starring Martin Sheen is a lovely film!


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## Jumar (Mar 14, 2012)

We hired a car because we had to transport the bikes back to Roncesvalles where we had left our car, thus incurring a one-way drop off fee. Without bikes it would be easier to get other forms of transport. There is a good forum about the Camino de Santiago where they can answer all your questions.

Charging appliances depends on your choice of accommodation. Even in the albergues it is possible to plug in and charge (but keep an eye on things), although we had no problems. If you book a room in a Hostal/Hotel there are no such problems. There is no need to carry any food, except maybe a sandwich or a snack bar (but carry water). Many bars and restaurants along the route do a Pilgrims menu (similar to menu del dia).

We took a lightweight sleeping bag (late April/early May) and were glad of blankets in some of the albergues. We had very wet weather last year. Potentially June should be much warmer, but the Camino is in the very northern part of Spain and anything can happen to the weather.

This May we are intending to ride the Via de la Plata and hope we have better weather.

Anything else ask again.


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## Guest (Mar 12, 2013)

The Camino de Santiago leaving Gijón in Asturias passes by our home. I actually saw a few folks making the pilgrimage last week while I was out taking a walk in the rain... a rare event... making the pilgrimage during Winter.

I had a friend who started in Santander last Summer and walked the Camino to our home here West of Gijón... next year she'll start from here... she's making it in short journeys. Her only complaint was that there were so many people and everyone knew there were so many people, that the albergues emptied out very early in the morning so people could get a place to sleep that night... some nights she had to sleep outside. She felt the pressure to rush to the next night's accommodation made a dent in her expectation of having a contemplative journey.

Here's a Spanish language video that covers to towns on the Camino in Cantabria, Asturias & Galicia:


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

neilmac said:


> Himy wife intends to do the part from Tui - May or in the autumn. If you google Camino de Santiago you will find there is loads of info - maps, forums, etc.
> 
> If you decide to do it enjoy the experience!
> 
> If you want some inspiration - The Way starring Martin Sheen is a lovely film!


I found one website with Google maps which will be perfect with the smartphone GPS.

At times I do wonder about how current the info is.

The other issue you have the fact we're all different. One thread I saw the person was 100% sure that two pairs of socks was the right number. Carrying three pairs and you'd breakdown like a rented mule


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

jaws101 said:


> Charging appliances depends on your choice of accommodation. Even in the albergues it is possible to plug in and charge (but keep an eye on things), although we had no problems. If you book a room in a Hostal/Hotel there are no such problems. There is no need to carry any food, except maybe a sandwich or a snack bar (but carry water). Many bars and restaurants along the route do a Pilgrims menu (similar to menu del dia).


Do you know if there is a list of accommodation? 

I've got a water sleeve for the backpack so water should be okay.

Is there something you'd suggest a person take that most forget?


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## Jumar (Mar 14, 2012)

There are lists of albergues which you can find on the Camino forum with recommendations by previous pilgrims. There is also a good internet guide produced by Eroski which also gives info about accommodation. 

I don´t have any suggestions for something people might forget but I would certainly suggest a small tub of vaseline for your feet as blisters was a topic of conversation most nights by a lot of the walkers. The biggest problem we could see was that people were off-loading items as they were carrying too much.

Anything you forget can be purchased on the route as it passes through some big cities (presuming you intend to walk the Camino Frances which is the route most people think of as being the Camino de Santiago)


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

We did part of the Camino de Santiago in 2007 at Easter, but we called it El Rio de Santiago because it rained and (even snowed on the first day) non stop. We were up to our ankles in water and mud and parts of the camino were closed due to flooding. It slowed our progress down somewhat, but were proud to do Roncesvalles to Los Arcos I think it was, in 6 days. 
It's pretty cheap and can be nice, but not always. There are bits that go along the road for example, but people do beep and wave to you to encourage you. Some of the "official" hostals, are pretty dire too, but in a way that's the "fun" of it and you meet a lot of people that way. I did feel a bit bad using the hostals/ albergues as I could have afforded a cheap 2/3 star hotel too and I wasn't doing it for religious or moral reasons either, so if I do do any part of it again, I think that's what I'll do. There also wouldn't be any pressure to get the hostal/ albergue by 15:00 either which is what we had to do to get a place. We got up at 6:00 and walked until 3'o clock, which is what everyone was doing more or less. You had to be out of the hostal between 6:00 and 7:00 anyway. 
There are people doing the walk in all different ways - going to luxury hotels and walking during the day, with a back up car, etc.
It was fun, and parts were very attractive, but unless you're doing it for religious reasons I think there are prettier places to go walking.


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

jaws101 said:


> Anything you forget can be purchased on the route as it passes through some big cities (presuming you intend to walk the Camino Frances which is the route most people think of as being the Camino de Santiago)


I'm sort of torn between the northern route and the Frances route. It seems the northern route has less facilities. But seems a more interesting walk.


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> It was fun, and parts were very attractive, but unless you're doing it for religious reasons I think there are prettier places to go walking.


I'm sort of using it for a long immersion in Spain. I figure after a month I'll either be able to communicate or I'll have starved


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

NickZ said:


> I'm sort of using it for a long immersion in Spain. I figure after a month I'll either be able to communicate or I'll have starved


Hmmm, don't know about that. Like I said, we did it at Easter and my husband and sil who are Spanish seemed to be in the minority. We met Bulgarian (mother and daughter team), Japanese (which included one man who seemed to have done the whole thing backwards as he filmed his friend doing everything), American (woman doing it solo) and British people... See what others say.
Whatever happens you'll more than likely meet lots of people and have a good time. Some pointers


Plan carefully where you're going to stay and have a plan B if the hostal is full (at peak times, if there a lot of people with out a place to stay, they will put you up in sports centres and the like).
We ate quite a few times in sports centres where they sometimes have a bar and a cheap menu, and they were good
Make sure you know where you're going to have breakfast. There were a couple of albergues that weren't near a bar, or the bar didn't open early enough and we had to walk an hour or so before we had breakfast


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

It's strange. Many of the forum postings mention a lack of English speakers along the way. I don't mean hikers but bars,shops etc.


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## Jumar (Mar 14, 2012)

I agree that the Camino Frances is boring in places, but on a bike they weren´t so bad, but I wouldn´t have liked to have walked the meseta after Burgos.

Most of the restaurants, bars, shops etc. are Spanish owned but most people working in them speak some English to cater for all the "foreigners" from many countries who use English. After all the Camino brings in most of their income, especially in the more out-of-the-way places.

Take a look at the Camino Norte on the Camino forum and make a decision from what people there say.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

NickZ said:


> It's strange. Many of the forum postings mention a lack of English speakers along the way. I don't mean hikers but bars,shops etc.


Well, that wasn't my experience, but it probably depends on when you do it and what section of the Camino you do.
In the bars we didn't really notice a great deal of English, but I was with 2 native speakers and I do speak Spanish. However, you don't need a lot of Spanish to survive in bars along the Camino. It's _una ensalada, un filete/ unas lentejas y un vino_. 
And like I said there were more foreigners than Spaniards walking so the conversation tended to be in English...


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

Well I'm forgetting my English to so even that will be a change.

One thing. After I take the train to the French city Pied ( I forget what it's called) is the route from the train station marked ? All the map info I've found seems to start on the trail in Spain.

Thanks everybody.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

NickZ said:


> Well I'm forgetting my English to so even that will be a change.
> 
> One thing. After I take the train to the French city Pied ( I forget what it's called) is the route from the train station marked ? All the map info I've found seems to start on the trail in Spain.
> 
> Thanks everybody.


Would that be Saint Jean Pied de la Port? 
I don't know 'cos we started in Roncesvalles, the first stop in Spain. I would imagine the town is plagued by people doing the Camino so there are most probably signs, but any townsperson will see you with your rucksack on your back and will point you in the right way.
Once you get on the Camino it's signposted with yellow arrows and shell symbols.
When are you going to do it? The week we did it someone died doing that bit of the trail as he got a bit lost and wandered off the path, so BE CAREFUL . I think I said before it was Easter and ****ty weather, but in the winter you get snow and rain and in the summer it's hot hot hot!
You do know you need a kind of passport to go to the official hostals, don't you?


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

Ya Saint Jean etc sounds right -) 

I'm thinking mid/late June. I guess that means ending some time in July. Hopefully late enough to avoid the spring rains and early enough to avoid the worst of the heat. But early mornings don't bother me .

I need to send away for the passport. Some thing else to plan ahead for.

Need to book train tickets. It ends up cheaper and quicker going via Paris so need to book a day there.

Wonder if I should start a list so I don't forget anything


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## Guest (Mar 17, 2013)

neilmac said:


> Himy wife intends to do the part from Tui - May or in the autumn. If you google Camino de Santiago you will find there is loads of info - maps, forums, etc.
> 
> If you decide to do it enjoy the experience!
> 
> If you want some inspiration - The Way starring Martin Sheen is a lovely film!


Thank you for the recommendation. I just rented and watched "The Way"... way cool!!!


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