This year I have thought about making some changes to my kit and Camino habits. It just occurred to me that I am so close to the ultimate kit and way of doing it – for me, I hasten to add – that I have perhaps forgotten or neglected to try out different things. Things … More Changes and challenges for my September Camino
Denise Thiem, an American woman of Chinese descent, was last seen in Astorga on April 5th this year, when she told a fellow pilgrim she wanted to look around a bit and then move on. Neither pilgrims nor her family have seen or heard from her since. The police have searched for her in the local … More The disappearance of Denise
I was recently reminded of my first typical camino breakfast, which was in albergue Orisson: white bread for toasting, butter and preserves/jams. Café con leche, of course. Orange juice. We could also buy a bocadillo – more white bread, and lots of it, so sharp it will cut your mouth inside and out – with … More Top pilgrim tip: The tostada
I am going back again this September. All booked and planned – well, as planned as I like my two week top-up caminos to be: flights and buses so I know when I get there, then the first and last nights’ accommodation to make sure I will get on the flights and buses. I have also … More To repeat or not to repeat?
In September 2014, on a brilliant walking day – warm, not too hot, the odd cloud giving a little shade – L and I were walking, as usual, side by side, laughing and talking. A few days earlier I had suggested to L that she empty her heavy pack and really have a look at … More The lady who laughed (but didn’t get the last laugh)
The PCB is a serious, dreaded and yet sometimes oddly cherished pilgrim affliction with no known cure. It tends to hit people who have walked one or a combination of caminos in Spain for anything between a week and several months. The severity of the condition does not seem to increase with the time spent … More Post Camino Blues
When people think back on the culinary joys of the Camino, they tend to think of chorizo, manchego cheese, pulpo, bocadillos, cerveza, vino tinto … but I have a very special favourite: The Clara. Sometimes called Clara con Limón, sometimes ready mixed with its own tap in bars. So what is it? A Clara is, … More Top pilgrim tip: The Clara
Another Camino staple item that deserves a bit of praise is the sarong. Or scarf. Or wrap-around skirt or whatever you call it: shemagh, Palestine scarf, lava lava or whatever. Square, rectangular, cotton, silk, man made fibres, single colour or patterned. It can be used as a cover-up after the shower, a spare towel, a … More Top pilgrim tip: The sarong
I thought I’d heap some praise on some forgotten, undervalued or misunderstood Camino fixtures and features – let me start with the top bunk. People either hate it or don’t love it. Most try to avoid it. It sometimes has no ladder, if it has one it tends to be uncomfortable or even ill devised for … More Top pilgrim tip: The top bunk
I recently got very excited about a new gadget which sounded really good for travel, hiking and therefore the camino: The Scrubba. It has a ‘flexible washboard’ with little nobules on the inside, and a small valve to let the air out before agitating the laundry in the bag … but essentially it’s a drybag … More Experimental laundry
Somewhere Slowly 