30/06/2025
👣 Some time ago, I shared these notes in a group. I hope it helps someone 😊👇🏼
…..
A month now that I finished my Camino from Saint-Jean, I feel like sharing a few notes about my experience.
1) Yes, I had a wonderful time;
2) Preparation:
a) having back/neck problems, I have been doing Pilates for 2 years, with great results. Absolutely no pain during the trip, even carrying my 7 kg backpack everyday;
b) I was used to walk 3 times a week, but only 7km, at a “high speed”, during one hour. 5 months prior to the start I began walking longer distances, reaching the maximum 20km. Kept doing 10-15km sessions once a week.
c) Bought my Osprey Kestrel 48L backpack 2 months before the beginning, and started practicing with it, carrying everything. Also practiced with the “final” shoes, socks, clothes…, to feel if anything would bother me. When using my Teva sandals, I realized I would have some hotspots and started covering the same spots with bandaid/any tape, even when using my trail runners (spoiler alert: didn’t have any blisters)
About the size of my backpack, some would say it was too large, but for me it was perfect, loved the little extra space - I didn’t have to play Tetris organizing and squeezing everything.
3) Speaking of shoes, used a ON Cloudventure. Super light, good cushion and grip. Perfect for me.
Only downside was that sometimes a little rock would get stuck on the sole, but was easily removed with my poles (minor downside).
Get a half or 1 size bigger. And learn how to do a “runner’s knot” - it will keep your feet more steady inside the shoes, reducing friction.
4) Blisters
a) took some bandaid/plasters with me (plenty available there), and always covered my “potential hotspots”. During the trip, when I felt any hotspot coming, I stopped and started covering the new one.
Also rubbed some Vaseline every morning around the plasters and between my toes.
Some people would see my feet and think I had blisters, but my bandages were there for PREVENTION, and that’s a key word. Think about blisters before you have it, not after.
Saw a loooot of people struggling with them, having to stop for days and even dropping the Camino because of those “little” problems.
I won’t give any advice on how to heal them, because I didn’t have any experience to share (I had a “diabetic” needle (sterile) to drain it and the proper plaster to cover if necessary, according on how bad it would be - with or without the skin cover, for example. And no sewing thread - it’s an infection hazard, my wife is a nurse specialist on this);
b) Most of times when I had a break (coffee or lunch), I took my shoes and socks off and massaged my feet, giving them some air;
5) Pain
a) My weak spot was my feet. Even before starting. I did some long days and paid the price - had to deal with it. Every night and morning (and at some breaks) I used a tennis ball 🎾 (my best friend) to massage them and relieve/avoid getting worse. I Had to pass some anti-inflammatory cream sometimes.
It was worse between days 3 and 10, after that the problem faded, but I kept doing the massages (and stretching at night) as prevention.
b) Biggest problem for me was a kind of shin splints/tendinitis at the top curve of my foot, THE DAY AFTER some long descents (getting to Zubiri, to Molinaseca). Using that part as a brake, forces it a lot. I didn’t realize that that was the problem until after Molinaseca. Putting a lot of ice 🧊 after arriving solved the problem, but to AVOID it, I began putting some ice sometimes during the walk, and even jogging a little bit on descents with a better terrain (don’t recommend it to everybody, just go much slower and put less force on the “braking system” if you feel you might have the same pain problem);
5) Walking poles
a) Great to have them. Is it mandatory? No…but having them is obviously a smart thing to do.
Almost mandatory at some descents with aaaaawful terrain, they give you a lot of stability and help as a braking system (my ankles would have “died” witouht them 😅, and provably my knees). I used them ALL the time. Why not having less energy spending, right?
b) Don’t bother taking them from home (airline issue). Just buy there, in any bigger city or in Saint-Jean (super availability, for a good price);
6) Accomodation
a) I booked the whole thing. Yes, I’m a planner 😬.
For 2 reasons: I wanted to stay at private rooms with bathroom (less available), AND, didn’t want to rush or worry about it during the day. So, I just took my time to arrive, having lots and long stops if I wanted to.
Downsides of doing it? Yes, and I was aware of that. Sometimes I had different plans than my new friends, and we would go to different places. Once in a while I would have stopped in a different town…
Well, almost everything has pros and cons.
I wouldn’t book again next time, but I would stay again in private rooms (knowing that, by not booking, I might have to stay sometimes in a bunk bed, whose main problem is the sleep quality, something that really mattered for me);
b) Most of my fellow pilgrims/new friends stayed in the albergues, specially the municipales and Parrish ones. From May 24th to June 28th, they rarely had any problems to find a bed, even when arriving in the middle of the afternoon (at most, they called some private Albergue before lunch to secure a place - it was not an issue);
c) Staying in private places didn’t stop me from hanging with people that stayed in shared rooms in a different building. You meet people all the time, and you bond with them during the walk or a coffee/meal/beer anytime, including at their own albergue, as a visitor. I’m kind of shy, but even me could find pleeeeeenty of opportunities to start new friendships (some lasting until now, and surely for a long time to come);
7) Spendings
A bed would cost from 7 to 15 euros. A private room averaged 40 euros.
Everything else would go from 20 euros (if you had a few snacks/coffee stops, and a bigger meal that costs 13 euros) to 45 euros (if you had 2 meals, coffees, beers, etc).
So, your total can range from 30 to 90 euros a day, depending on what you want;
This was June 23.
8 ) Rain gear
I was reaaaaly lucky when it comes to this.
The only 3 times it rained more during the day, I was having coffee or lunch. I just waited (I knew it wouldn’t last long - just by checking the weather info).
I faced light rain 3-4 times, and I was totally fine using my light waterproof jacket and the built-in backpack cover, and my Teva sandals with socks (could be without socks, but I preferred to do this way, as I had practice before). If the rain got stronger, I didn’t have waterproof pants, but a super light waterproof skirt (30 gram), that was nothing more than a piece of plastic with a velcro system 😅 (I loved bringing it)
9) Water
Had always 2 x 500ml bottles with me (bought anywhere). It worked super fine, plenty of refilling places. Some days, a “Gatorade” like drink would give me an energy boost, and the bottle would be used again in case I lost another 500ml recipient.
10) Some places
a) I took a rest day in Pamplona, Burgos and Leon. Besides rest, the main reason is that I wanted to do some proper sightseeing and those are the most deserving places for tourism along the way (also Santiago). I mean, I was already there, right…why not an extra day in those beautiful cities?
b) Hospital de Órbigo
I wasn’t expecting that gorgeous bridge.
c) The 17km stretch after Carrion de los Condes.
Don’t worry about it.
P*e before leaving, take your water, and enjoy it.
It’s an easy walk, and most of times you will even have a food truck to pause after 9k.
d) Meseta.
If you can, DO NOT SKIP IT.
It’s only boring if you make it boring. It’s beautiful, that steep climb after Castrojeriz…and then you actually see the Meseta…LOVELY! And it’s easy to walk.
When you do this section, you will APPRECIATE when the climbs and downhills start again, because you will miss that variation. It’s like life, right? Sometimes you only appreciate something when you miss it.
So, like in life, sometimes things are not perfect, but it’s part of the journey (and come on, it’s far from being a bad experience, while we were there we didn’t even get the complaints we read sometimes);
e) Sarria and the last 100km.
Yes, there was a loooot of people. It was June 24th and a lot of groups, including children beggining their vacation, started there that day.
Did it change a little the way we were seeing/feeling things? Of course. It was nicer the way it was before getting there.
Do we have to complain about it? No. It is what it is. Like a preparation to be back in real life - more people, a bit more frustration (depending on the expectations, right?)
Do people that do the last 100km should give up doing it or feel bad about this change in the “landscape”? ABSOLUTELY not, specially because for them it is the only feel they will have, they don’t have the last 670k to compare with. So, just go and enjoy it.
But here I should add MY OPINION for you that only have 5, 7, 10 days…. -> instead of doing the last kms, do the first ones. Starting in Saint-Jean is amazing, the first week landscape is wonderful, and, most of all, you will be with the same mindset as everyone else, discovering things together.
And….you will have a good excuse to go back and finish what you have started 🙂
11) The walk
You get used to it. Of course it’s not easy to walk more than 20km, 30km…but….after a while you go like… “oh, tomorrow is easy, it’s only 21km 😄”. I’m 46 yo, and I witnessed a lot of people over 70 years old doing it. Including a 83 yo man.
About the crowd, you can walk with people or alone…it’s almost up to you.
At Saint-Jean there were a lot of people starting, those lines at the Pilgrim’s Office…but people get spread, start in different hours, even in different towns, walk in different paces... You will meet some people, of course, but you can manage to walk completely alone for hours if you want to.
12) If possible, stay 2 nights in Santiago so you don’t have to rush when you arrive (and worry about the mass, the Pilgrim’s Office, etc). This way you will have plenty of time to discover this amazing town and will have 2 days to be with your Camino family, including the ones that might arrive a day later than you.
Oh, and if you can, save some time on your planning to walk to Finisterre or Muxia. I wish I could.
And the final note - wise people say it’s about the journey, not the destination, right?
It couldn’t be more accurate. If you don’t have a plane to catch, take as long as possible. And enjoy every moment. In the first 300km you may not pay attention to every step because you still have a loooong way to go…and then….voilà, you are in the last 300km and already thinking “oh man, it’s almost over 😩”.
Before day 10 I was like “this is super nice, but no way I will do it again, I see no point in doing it twice”.
But….when I was in the second half, afraid that the end was coming closer…I began to understand who comes back at least a second time. I think it will be my destiny too.
Oh, a final final note - thanks to John Brierley, who helped me, the planner, (and a lot of others) to accomplish this journey with his maps. He died the day I got back home. May he Rest In Peace - his work will be there forever.
Sorry for the long post, hope it helps someone 👣.
Daniel Castro
P.S. Some people asked me why I never showed my face here in the page. Well, first of all I’m shy 🤣. But the main reason is because I think this page is not about me, it’s about the Camino 🤓👍🏼👣
