Tips från andra...
Gear:
"A far better book [than Brierley's original guidebook], in my view, is Brierley's Camino de Santiago Maps. It is far lighter than his Guide and has none of the spiritual witterings and detailed descriptions of monuments and churches that take up so much space and add so much weight. If you just want to know the route and the main sights to look out for, go for the Maps. And don't be a slave to Brierley's recommended daily distances - going another few kilometres often results in plenty of available albergue space."
"Whatever you do, DO NOT PACK COTTON. It takes forever to dry and stinks to high heaven."
Health:
"To prevent blisters, liberally coat your feet in Vaseline every morning. While you're walking, stop and take your socks off every few hours for at least ten minutes to dry out your feet, and then apply even more Vaseline. Once I started doing this, I never got blisters again."
"Stretch in the morning before your walk. Basic stretches. Hamstring. Knees. Achilles tendons. Upper body. Start your walk slow so that muscles warm up, and loosen. "
Journey:
"Racing over hill and dale, the fit pilgrum can make it in 33 days. But I recommend lingering a bit. Staying an extra day at Logroño to attend the festival of San Mateo, for example, or trying some of the 4-star tapas in Pamplona. Or spending a day in Burgos to study its cathedral."
"By all means it is YOUR Camino and the beauty of it all is that you can walk as long or short days if you want. I personally do not follow the Brierley guide because lots of people choose this option. Result: crowdy and possible rush for beds. I preferred to stop in between stages and had the best experiences in the small villages / hamlets. "
"Please do not follow the Brierley stages. All you do is re-inforce the tour-guided nature of the modern Camino and help to emphasise the hot-spots and leave the non-head-line villages wondering where all the pilgrims have gone. The next Albuerge at Brierley's stage end is not a target, it hasn't been selected on the quality of its mattresses, plumbing or Caldo de Gallego. It's just there, where Brierley thinks you should stop walking every day.
Every off-stage Albuerge I encountered was a revelation: some wonderful, some less so, but they were never full of puzzled pilgrims comparing Brierley and reality.
Start slow, go faster and further when you and your body want to and never listen to the go-faster goblins. There will be a bed, you will find some food: the Camino is not a race."
Every off-stage Albuerge I encountered was a revelation: some wonderful, some less so, but they were never full of puzzled pilgrims comparing Brierley and reality.
Start slow, go faster and further when you and your body want to and never listen to the go-faster goblins. There will be a bed, you will find some food: the Camino is not a race."
"There is nothing wrong with wanting a long hot shower (hot bath if you are lucky) and a full uninterrupted night sleep. There are plenty of small hotels with continental breakfasts. Or at many Albergues just ask for a "single room with a bath" if you don't want to sleep in a room full of Pilgrims and share a shower. Also in some places there are national owned Albergues in historic buildings, like former Monasteries converted into hotels that are quite impressive at a moderate to high price. I stayed a night in a converted Monastery with a giant room, king-sized bed, large bath tub, and a great continental breakfast for only 65 Euros/night. After my third sleep deprived night in an Albergue I tossed my sleeping bag into the "lost and found box" and started paying a little more for a good night sleep in small hotel at a low to moderate price of 25-50 Euros/night. I use booking.com for reservations a day or two ahead. "