New Year and New Joint

Saw the consultant on 28 Dec 2012 6 weeks after the operation to replace my right hip joint and he confirmed that all was well.  All restrictions lifted - so I can drive again and start bending past 90 degrees.  Had a 3 mile walk today 1 Jan 2013 as it was the first sunny day for weeks and all feels good.  Should be playing golf again very soon and the consultant even said that it would be Ok to run again in the future!  Now I must start planning my next Camino!  Happy New Year and Buon Camino!

It's done!

Went into the Nuffield in woodingdean near Brighton at 0700 this morning. Got through all the processing fairly quickly and finished with the anaesthetist who told me she usually uses an epidural for this op. Fine by me as it is what I would have chosen. Went into theatre at about 0830 having had 'something' to help me relax and an epidural. Turned out that the anaesthetist knew the northern part of Spain well so my last recollection was of talking about the Camino Norte!  Woke up at 0950 in the recovery ward feeling surprised that it was all done (and very relieved). It's now 1330 and I have had some water and a sandwich as well as the all important tea. Feel fine but the sensation is only just starting to come back into my legs so still to feel the pain. Have oxygen in and a drip but no drain in the wound. Trying not to drink anymore until I can fully feel my bottom half as a side effect of the epidural can be that you pee yourself as you can't feel anything! Would prefer to avoid that if possible. The hospital has wifi but unfortunately no sky sports - was hoping to while away a few hours watching some golf!

That was a surprise!

Been having a problem with my right hip for about a year and have been taking anti inflammatory tablets to manage the problem.  Thought it was a tendon problem as it was really only a problem when I crouched down a lot or after playing golf.  Felt mostly OK throughout the 900kms of the Camino and had hoped that 5 weeks without golf and no crouching would help my hip recover.  However, it was not significantly better so I booked to see a consultant.  Result - hip replacement on 16 Nov 2012!!  Hope it OK for next autumn.

Back Home

Back home and now time to reflect on my Camino Norte. For me there is no doubt that the Norte is tougher than the Camino Frances. This is in two senses - firstly because the frequency and heights of the climbs are greater and because the walking stages tend to be longer. The stage are longer in part because of the relative scarcity of inhabited places in some parts but mainly owing to the paucity of available accommodation at times. The currently available UK publications are poor and we used a guide published by the Spanish tourist board which came with an accommodation guide that is updated yearly. Unfortunately, although the guide was mostly ok the accommodation info was often inaccurate, with places closed and many places not mentioned at all. As has often been said on the forums the German guide appears to be the most comprehensive but it was by no means faultless. We had mostly good weather with only two days with drizzle during the first part of the Camino. However, the last week was overcast and the last two days had heavy rain. In fact the final 20km were walked in torrential rain with rivers of water at our feet. No real problem for the hiking itself and the poncho I bought was excellent. I would certainly take it again as it both kept me and my rucksack dry and because it is long the rain only dripped onto my waterproof leggings. 

Notwithstanding the relative toughness I thoroughly enjoyed by Camino and I liked the relative scarcity of other pilgrims. I think the most I saw at any one time was about 20 and that was in one AdP. For many days we often saw no others hikers and often spent time in AdPs with less than 3 other people and twice we were the only two in the AdP. In general, the food was better on the Norte in part because few places catered especially for pilgrims so we most had the standard 'menu of the day'. However, the almost total lack of vegetables was again a common theme. My impression is that there is more road work on the Norte but overall I think the general scenery was better. Especially, if like me you love to see the sea. It was good to get to Santiago de Compestella again and the extra day there gave a good opportunity to explore the city. My best discovery being the market that is about 500m behind the cathedral where not only are there a large range of stalls but also what looked to be a lovely fish food restaurant. Unfortunately, we had just had lunch so did not try it and it was not open in the evening. Despite the number of pilgrims and tourists in SdC there are plenty of places to stay especially if like us you don't want to stay in another AdP. In fact booking.com appeared to be as good a way as any to find a hotel and we found that it was no cheaper going to the hotel direct. However, there are many places that do not feature on the booking websites which is fine if you want to trudge around the city. Did some tourist shopping at the end and found one stand out place that sold high quality items and artwork called  Rosario Rey . It's not a cheap place but certainly a little different. I found one item that is a wooden ball cut in half. The are lines cut in each half so that when the ball is placed back together it would read 'otro camino interior' which means 'another internal path'. I liked this a lot as it really called to me, however, it was a little expensive. Notwithstanding this I went back again later and after some discussion I bought it!

For me the Caminos are a physical and mental challenge that I enjoy whilst giving me time away from life's normal demands. I am a competitive person but this is primarily against myself as I will always set myself challenges whether they be as simple as "climb this next hill without a stop" or "complete another Camino".  Lucky, I again stayed healthy with only a few minor aches and pains and only 1 little blister! Buon Camino till next time! 

O Pedrouzo to SdC 21 km and the end! This time!

O Pedrouzo to SdC about 21km Got here! Rained most of the way which gave me a chance to try out my new upgraded poncho that cost 10€ from the agricultural shop in O Pedruzo - see photo. Pleasant and easy stroll which was mostly on tracks just a pity the visabilty was so poor. The only bit of colour on the way was the pilgrims markers in the airport perimeter fence.  We could not see the cathedral until we were near to the centre of the city. Booked accommodation last night which turns out to  be just ok so we will look for somewhere more to are liking later. In fact having just paid 40€ for the room we are definitely off to some where better. Other that that all I have to do before we go to the airport the day after tomorrow is get our pilgrim's certificates and the Santiago flan as well as some wool for Christa.

Biomorto to O Pedrouzo about 27km

Biomorto  to O Pedrouzo about 27km and only 20km to go!

A passable night in the AdP  but had to wear shorts t shirt and socks to keep warm. Woke up to torrential rain - oh goody. Thankfully, it reduced a bit before we went out and after we stopped at the first cafe for coffee and biscuits it relented to a steady drizzle. It did rain for most of today's hike and some of it was fairly heavy. However, my 1€ poncho did its job.  Finally met up with the Camino Frances which was immediately obvious as we saw a stream of walkers cross the path in front of us.  I think we saw more pilgrims in the last 8km of today's walk than we have seen for the previous 870kms! Another change is that the first AdP was full and although the second one had beds it was in the middle of nowhere with no eating facilities.  Walked on towards O Pedrouzo with a string of people in front and behind us and it was clear that the prices were increasing with the numbers.  However, found a good little place just on the edge of town that has washing and drying service which was pretty key to today's  needs so we booked in at 35€ for a double with on suite facilities. Nice place and there is somewhere to eat next door. Off to SdC tomorrow for the final 20km and as we had a couple of longer stages then originally planned it means we will be there a day early. As the forecast for tomorrow is thunder and hail with not much better for the day after it seems like a good thing!

Miraz to Biomorto 38km

Miraz to Boimorto 38km

Got off at 0800 after tea and toast heading for Sobrado dos Monxes and had an uneventful walk which started across a dartmoor like landscape and then tended again once more to woods and pasture. The big hills are supposed to be behind us now but contrary to our guide book we still keep having to climb the occasional one but they all seem small now. Arrived at Sobrado at about 1400 and the AdP that is part of the old monastery there was not open until 1630. The monastery itself did not look well cared for and we doubted that the sleeping arrangements would be much better. Neither of us fancied cold showers and vespers at 0500 so we tried a local hotel. However, they wanted 55€ for a room so we decided to walk on to Biomorto where we had been told there was a new AdP. It was just under 10km further but the weather was ok so it seemed like a good choice, especially as Sobrado itself looked pretty grim. More of the same as far as the walk went - mostly on good tracks through forest. About 3km out there was a sign for the AdP we wanted so all looked good. It's amazing how long the last 3km always seems to take! However, got to another sign next to the road and found the AdP about 100m down the track. It was locked! It's ok though because there was a number to phone. Called the mobile number given and after some stumbling (on my part) Spanish a young Spanish girl turned up 5mins later and let us it. The place looks almost brand new (see photos) and at 1730 while I am typing this we are the only two people here. A bit of confusion before the girl left about locking of the door as it appeared they had no spare keys to give us! After she kept trying to explain to us in Spanish and our clear lack of comprehension - beyond the fact that we knew she was talking about keys and time - she eventually called someone else and then showed us that she would lock the doors but we could leave and return via a large door like window!  That will do! Off for a stroll shortly to find the bar/cafe that is supposedly close by.