With the thought of Hadrian’s Wall constantly in my mind, the packs have been brought out of the cupboard again and put on the famous two-seater packing settee. The Scouse Spouse and I each have a kit box, a large plastic box with lid, where we are supposed to keep our travel and walking stuff. Clever, … More An abundance of minimalist gear …
I guess lots of pilgrims have playlists with them, whether it’s on music players, in their mobile phones or just in their heads. The Radio You is more or less constantly broadcasting, I find, and some tracks are repeated more often than others. I thought I’d actually make a camino playlist this year, dedicated to … More Tentative playlist
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
Here’s what I posted on the Camino forum (linky on the side of the main page) one Friday evening: I’m sitting here on a Friday night, watching TV and wishing I was sitting in a brown bar in Northern Spain with tired legs, full tummy and what’s left of a bottle of vino medicino, sharing … More My Virtual Camino
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
At the moment the Scouse Spouse and I are planning on a quick holiday walking Hadrian’s Wall in the North of England, but it’s early days – Do we want to go westwards or eastwards? Camping or B&B-ing it? What time of year? How busy is it? – so for now I’ll be posting links here that … More Hadrian’s Wall planning
When people say they want to ‘walk the camino’ they tend to mean the Camino Francés or The French Way, so called because it comes from France. The favourite starting point these days seems to be the small French hamlet of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, right by the border. It involves starting your first day with a very … More Choose your Camino
One of the most important tools you will have before you start packing, is a kitchen scale or something to weigh your kit on. Carrying too much can ruin your Camino, making you miserable, increasing the risk of injuries and the temptation to quit. So whether you can afford to buy ultralight gear or use … More Packing well
Here’s my un-packing list after my September 2014 walk from Astorga to Santiago (2 weeks) with weights and revisions. This is an all-in, from-skin-out (FSO) list, so everything I wear or am carrying is included. Osprey Aura 35 L – 1100g (new pack Osprey Tempest 30 L 850g) Down sleeping bag in drybag – 680 Altus … More Camino Un-packing list
Somewhere Slowly 