Tag Archives: Camino planning

Camino accomodation, Camino del Norte, Camino gear, Camino hiking

Camino del Norte – Day 2 San Sebastián to Getaria

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Life is full of moments that are opportunities to share and smile – La vida está llena de segundos que son oportunidades para compartir y sonreír.

Date: 15th October, 2021

Section: Donostia – San Sebastián to Getaria

Region: The Basque Country

Distance: 27 kms

Average temp: 25°C

Time walking: 6hrs

Ascent: 827 metres

Decent: 804 metres

Staying: Getaria

Hotel Itxas Gain – a small hotel. Everything else is closed.

Double room, shared with Fi €60 for the room.

Recommend, yes ✔️nice clean, great location, everything is close, your own bathroom so walking around in whatever is acceptable!

Instagram: Link to extra photos and daily caption.

Today:

We set off around 8am this morning and grabbed a coffee and croissant at a cafe on the way. The cafe was also serving the smartly dressed locals on their way to work, such a contrast. A harmonious contrast. The camino paths are a part of Spain’s essence and as such its people. They hold space for us as we wayfarer through their towns, soaking in the pleasure of our experiences along these ancient paths.

I walk a different pace than Fi so we decide to walk our own walk today and meet along the way, or wherever we land at the end of the day. This is the beauty of a walking a camino the with someone who has also walked one. We know the drill, how to find our own way.

Two people can walk a camino at the same time and the camino will be walked and experienced differently. We are all here with different intentions, pace and way of doing and being. To me this is one of the most important and respectful things to ‘get’ about a camino. There is no right or wrong way. We all get to be us and that’s rather magical as we can learn from each other. Learn about ourselves and others.

The Camino del Norte thus far has long, long stretches without towns, which means no coffee stop for hours. I was glad for the 2L platypus water bladder I have on my back and the additional 1L platypus soft bottle. (Gear tip: these are light, packable, reusable and easy to use – info below.) Of course drinking so much means a lot of toilet stops. The camino is not great for public toilets at the best of times, let alone these long stretches. So FYI future walkers, you do have to be ok with finding a tree or a shrub.

After what felt like a long, physical, yet blissful time walking without a soul in sight I entered the small port town of Orio. In the piazza on an outside table in the sun I found Peter and Jenny. We enjoyed some lunch together. When in Spain and when on the coast I’m going to eat seafood, so it was calamari for me. Peter and Jenny had the traditional tortilla de patatas, a Spanish potato omelette. I had wondered if we’d meet again. They were up and gone earlier than us this morning. Perhaps I will meet them again, perhaps not – as is the way of the camino.

After refuelling, Jenny and Peter were on their way again. I sat a little longer and pondered how mesmerising a camino day can be. It brings you to so many places: small towns, kind locals who leave a first aid kit open for pilgrims, tests of your stamina, your resilience, connections with others – your fellow pilgrims/hikers, time for you.

I set off again with another water taxi ride to continue along the trail across the inlet. Then a Camino del Norte treat arrived, coastal walking, which meant walking with shoes off and my feet in the sea. WOW. How is that for something magical on a unplanned Friday afternoon in October.

I arrived in Getaria after taking the high path rather than the coastal road, I had the energy. It was well worth it. However, by the end I was spent and ready to put my pack down and feet up. This was proving a little tricky. The albergue had not reopened since covid closures (common in this time) and the recommended pension was closed for a family celebration. Ooops. There was no way I was walking on, nor was I going back so I decided to find a hotel room and hope Fi would be ok with it.

If I am honest I don’t mind a private room. My sister and I ended up booking private rooms a lot along the Camino Frances. These were often attached to private albergues so not much more expensive when travelling with two. Fi was having trouble with her phone and would only randomly get sms texts from me when in range. In what is usually a hyperconnected world we were often without contact.

Our walk has become a walk where I walk ahead and hope I make a destination and accommodation decision that works for both of us. To be sure, I prepared a sweetener for her arrival. I popped down to the supermarket and stocked us up with a picnic for her arrival. Aquarius (the classic camino hydration drink), fruit, chocolate, some salt (crisps) and nuts for tomorrow. Lucky! She was delighted with both, the hotel and the picnic 🙂 Ph-ew.

Along the last 5kms of her walk today Fi met Jo from Belgium. I think she is better at meeting people along the way than me. I am always so focussed on walking and walking past people. I do walk fast and I do like to be at my accommodation earlier in the day. I can then take a long stop there rather than lots of little breaks. It’s the same with airport departures, I just need to get to check in. It doesn’t mean I miss things. I am usually solo so I see it all. I take photos, I think a lot and I breathe it all in, deeply. I still flow. I just do it my way.

We ran into Fi’s new mate Jo as we hit the laneways for dinner and together we spend a few cozy hours of sitting, chatting, nibbling pinchos and sipping a glass of white wine. How absolutely perfect. A great day of hiking and this, an unexpected evening of great company and story sharing. We enjoyed it all amongst the vivacious Spanish way of living in this traditional, picturesque fishing village. Spaniards will usually move from bar to bar, whereas we, with our tired feet and grateful souls were happy to sit at the one that had a free outside table and just chill. While the camino is about the walking, it is also about this, unexpected connections and foodie experiences. I will sleep happy.

Highlight:

All the different elements of this unplanned day. The beautiful long uninterrupted walk, beginning to meet up with people, barefoot walking along the ocean and the joy of having a great mate to share this week with.

Ho hum:

As I wander through farms and countryside I begin to wonder do I still dream of this kind of life? A country life. Do I have it in me? Another reinvention or has time, this unplanned, unexpected year of pandemic life changed things, changed me? Who am I now?

Handy gear tips:

2L Platypus soft water bladder.

1L Platypus soft bottle.

Camino packing, Camino planning

Camino Packing – My Camino Shower Kit

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Where I last left the Camino del Norte in Santander I dipped in the ocean for a salty cleanse at the end of a long, hot day/week of walking. Pure luxury! As is the shower you take when you arrive at your accommodation each day. Heaven.

As I am currently packing my shower kit and trying new things here is a post for those of you who are also planning your camino. Toiletries are the achilles heel of my packing. What can I say? I, unashamedly, love a product. I like to keep my face cleansed and my skin moisturised! Oh and I wash my hair every day on the camino, hours of walking and sweating I can’t not! However, I do want to get more minimal and I want to be as sustainable as I can and avoid throw away plastic.

So this is what I will go with …

  • 1 x Lush soap bar that also moisturises in tin
  • 1 x Lush shampoo and conditioner bar in tin
  • 1 x Lush face cleanser bar in tin
  • 1 x Bottle of face rose-hip oil
  • 1 x Deodorant
  • 1 x Razor
  • 1 x Comb plus spare hair tie
  • 1 x Toothbrush, floss and mini tubes collected from hotels and flights
  • 1 x Quick dry towel (140 grams) because I am doing or aiming to do Albergues
  • 1 x Fold away mini pack (50 grams) to use to go to the shower (also used on plane or when out and about after a day of hiking)

Camino Tip! Wear your clothes in the shower and wash them first then take them off and wash yourself. Or you can do it in the wash sinks if provided. I prefer to do it as I shower and then it’s done and I can get my feet up and resting.

My Camino Shower Kit

Weighing in at 400 grams

Other essentials: i.e. sunscreen, tiger balm I pack in My Camino FirstAid Kit which weighs in at 300 grams.

It is basically 1kg of my packing weight! Plastic bags have been suggested for the soaps but I really want to avoid that kind of convenience. The plastic ones I use for my sandals and the towel have been reused many times! If I use some for soap I am not sure they will go the distance. Any thoughts?

I may also pack a lipgloss and some mascara for the city stay at the end!😉

All Camino routes (resources), Camino pilgrim stories

Which Camino Route, Which Section? Endless Options!

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If you’ve started your camino research, it’s likely you’ve realised that your camino options are endless. You can find almost 300 listed caminos criss crossing countless countries. You can choose from any one of these routes, walk the entire route, choose a section of a route, bus some or even come back next time to where you left off. Mountains, oceans, forests, inland, coastal and urban trails, wine regions, tapa regions, quaint villages, farmscapes, popular or more desolate paths. The options are endless. Traditionally, a pilgrim began their camino from home, some pilgrims still do!

While walking the Camino Frances I met Miriam from Amsterdam. For the past 14 years she has set off for two weeks in April to walk her camino. Each year she picks up where she last left off, each time getting a little closer towards Santiago and to gaining her compostella. Funny story, she also lived most of her life in the same village we currently live in. We had trained walking in the same forests. A classic camino/travel coincidence! This was back in 2018 in Cirauqui, one of the quaint hilltop Spanish villages along way to Santiago de Compostella. I guess she has walked into Santiago by now.

Perhaps Miriam will even walk back to Amsterdam from Santiago!?! This is also not completely uncommon. Last year along the way I met John, an American who had learnt Spanish during the covid lockdowns. When the camino opened again he decided to walk it to practice his Spanish. John, a retiree with time on his hands, decided upon his arrival in Santiago to turnaround and walk back to St Jean Pied de Port (SJPDP). Naturally, he is fluent now. Clever John, I did not learn a language during lockdowns! I am trying again now though John. Meeting these characters and hearing their interesting stories is one of the reasons I keep going back. You never know who you will meet and who will inspire your life along the camino.

The most popular camino with its brilliant pilgrim infrastructure is the Camino Frances and the most beautiful is thought to be the Camino del Norte, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Camino Primitivo is the most challenging and the Camino Ingles is where the English and Irish pilgrims would traditionally begin after crossing the channel into Spain. Or, perhaps walking the Portugese coast interests you. Walking your camino is now more popular than ever with 2022 recording the highest number of pilgrims in the past decade. A camino, it seems is high on many people’s ‘wish to experience in life’ list.

Of course, it isn’t doable or even desirable for many to start from home like Miriam, or to walk to and from SJPDP like John. So it’s a choice of which route, or which section along the camino. When you come from a long way, like OZ or the Americas it isn’t always easy to dedicate the 4-5 weeks required to walk the entire length of the camino. Depending on time available or distance desired many choose to start at Sarria. This is the last 100kms point and is the distance required to gain a compostella certificate. Some, like sweet Al (above) from Canada choose to walk from a bigger city such as Leon. Or, like my mates Jenny and Piet (below) from Sydney, whom I met last year when I was walking the first section of the Camino Frances with my son, a combination is better. They started in SJPDP, walked a few weeks, took a bus through a few sections and hoped back on the trail later. Your camino is a real life ‘choose your own adventure’ story.

Personally, I have competed a full Camino Frances, the shorter Camino Finisterre and Muxia and have four other caminos on the go. Yes, four! (There’s apparently a term for that … a camino tragic.) I am nearly ready to complete the third section of the Camino del Norte. I am one section into the Camino Frances with my son. We will return later this year for the next one. Also, later this year my bestie from Oz is coming to do the last couple of hundred kms of the Camino Frances with me, or more I am going with her! And like Miriam, I also began walking from my home. My from home camino is to Rome and it follows European camino paths. lt’s a slow boiler this one, I seem to struggle to fit this camino in! I am looking forward to sharing these caminos with you in these pages.

Basically! Your camino begins wherever you choose to start! The one you plan and travel to or simply when you put your shoes on and walk outside.

Camino packing, Camino planning, Uncategorized

Camino Packing – My Camino First Aid Kit

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Yes! It is true, you can find a farmacia (pharmacy) vending machine stocked with FirstAid supplies along the camino. This did give me a giggle when I first spotted one. You will also find many farmacias along the camino to purchase all your first aid requirements. Just look for the neon green cross, if it’s on, you’re in luck.

We’re all trying to keep those packed kgs low. What do they say ‘carry less than 10% of your body weight’. BUT, if like me you like to be prepared, a little kit is a handy way to deal with any niggles as early as possible. Little niggles can become bigger problems later, and along our camino, we all want to stay healthy and keep walking. Right?!

Obviously prevention is best, so shoes, socks, training, foot care, hydration ya da ya da. However, even with our best efforts niggles and problems can occur. Over the years and many camino and hiking trips later I’ve created the kit list below that works for me. (Save some grams by not packing the packaging.)

💫 👣💫 If we don’t need to use what bring, just maybe we’ll come across someone who does.

My Camino essential FirstAid kit

  • Tiger balm (rub into feet daily after shower)
  • Small ball to roll under feet at the end of the day
  • Blister patches (compeed)
  • Bandaids
  • Electrolyte sachets (to pop in my water bottle on the big days)
  • Sunscreen and lip balm with UV protection
  • Antibacterial hand gel
  • Painkillers (paracetamol)
  • Anti inflammatories
  • Repellent, bug bite cream and antihistamines*
  • Sterilised needle and alcohol swabs**

My Camino FirstAid Kit

Weighing in at 300 grams.

* I have an allergy to bed bug bites. I know, no one wants to hear about bed bugs but they happen. I have had them in a donative, a private albergue and a pricey hotel. Not along every camino, but 3/5 of them. Being able to manage the itch and my reaction right away makes for a far more pleasant experience. I learnt the hard way after walking a whole day before finding a farmacia. I won’t share a photo but think hives, huge itchy red angry ones! Eeek. Just writing this makes me itch, fingers crossed for my next one. Oh and if I am out of antihistamines I buy them in Spain before I leave, the farmacias there are good like that.

** This is a new edition for me. How to treat blisters is controversial. I tend to go with deal with them directly as soon as you feel them by supporting and protecting them with compeed, rather than risk infection by popping them myself. Of course prevention is best. I have managed to avoid them for many caminos but the last two I was wearing a different trail runner and I wasn’t so lucky. I had a blister on the insides of my big toes and they needed the pressure removed. I waited too long and ended up with a lot of pain and losing toe nails. This time I will be prepared if it happens again. Also, I am back in my trusted brand of hiking shoe so hopefully no issues. There are places along the way to get foot care if needed and of course seeking proper care is smart and preferable. Your albergue can often help you locate where.

*** My husband (the gear freak) always packs an emergency blanket. I read recently of a few people who became hypothermic after crossing the Pyrenees in bad weather. I won’t be in any big mountains so will leave it out this time. Perhaps when I get to the Primativo camino again.

Right … digging out the silk sleeping liner that apparently those gross little bugs hate and booking in a pedicure now to be sure my toes are in top shape before I leave!

Any other suggestions?

I share my shower essentials here in My Camino Shower Kit.

Other resources: