Monday 17 October 2011

My Camino from St Jean Pied-De-Port to Finisterre took 32 days, it was about 800 kms (548 miles) and I had no rain and no blisters! The way is mostly well marked and in fact contrary to most published info the way from Santiago de Compostela to Finisterre is marked better than most parts. Overall, the route is pleasant although the 3 days either side of Leon are less attractive owing to the flatness of the terrain and the industrial areas. The 3 days to Finisterre were probably the best for scenery and I would recommend the hike from Santiago to Finisterre to anyone. It can be done in 3 longish days but 4 is better and it can also be extended to include Muxia and its coast and if for this stretch you want better accommodation than the albergues de perigrinos (AdP) you had best book first. (For Santiago De Compostela try Maria on 981 582 362 who speaks English and has apartments with kitchens, showers and washing machines - all for 20 euros). For the camino I used the John Brierley map book which lived up to its task. It is just the maps and a small commentary. There are others available by this author that give more info but the maps works for me. In general the AdPs are fine and we only found 1 with bed bugs. However, there are plenty of very good alternatives including better standard private AdPs as well as Pensions, Rural Casa, Hostels and Hotels. Info about the AdPs themselves is sparse and sometimes you can arrive to find that they have been closed for a year. During the camino I found a site in Spanish that had more info and that was at - http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/albergues/ -. My pack weighed about 10 to 11 kilos inc water which proved fine for me. That said I still had more than I needed. What I actually used was - 2 tee shirts, 2 pairs shorts, 2 pairs of socks and underpants, 1 jacket, my Meindl walking shoes and my flip flops for the showers and the evening (I did take trainers as well but in future would replace both my trainers and flip flops with a pair of 'walking' sandals. I also had a water sac with a drinking tube (which is a must). Beyond that I just used my washing stuff (with 1 bar of fairy soap for everything) and a small medical kit. On the medical side the Compeed stick and some soft tubes designed to protect toes was all I needed. However, many people needed the Compeed plasters as well and they all felt they were very good. On the memory side of the camino the best memory is definitely the different people I met on the way. Other than that I would have to list the prime memories as Smell - Cow poo! Noise - Either the crunch of shoes on gravel or dogs barking! Accom - at between 5 and 10 euros a night no real complaints. Food - Mostly OK some great and a little poor, but for about 10 euros each night for a 3 course meal inc wine it would be churlish to complain. Shop - The amount of fresh fish in every town. Would I do it again? Not the same hike but I would definitely consider another long hike. However, we were spoilt on this one both because of the facilities but also because we had no rain at all. People on the way often asked if I got what I expected out of the camino. My answer was yes - a long walk. BUON CAMINO.

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