Hello again
After some refreshments and a good nights sleep I´m feeling more like myself, and enjoyed the pilgrims mass today very much.
So, in no particular order, here are some observations that may or may not be useful to people planning to walk the Camino Inges.
Distances have been discussed elsewhere on the forum, but I thought it might help to know how long each day took. I have no idea how typical these times are, in general I´m a pretty slow walker, but they might serve to give you an indication...
Ferrol - Pontedeume, start 0945 arrived 1800 including around an hour of stops
Pontedeume - Betanzos, start 0900 arrived 1700 including around an hour of stops
(this day was very hot, and I decided to start much earlier the next day to make the most of the cooler morning and also to take more breaks)
Betanzos - Bruma, start 0715 arrived 1820, stopping for at least 10 mins in each hour, plus a half hour snooze under a tree at siesta time and another half hour in the bar before the hill!
Bruma - Siguero, start 0815 arrived 1830, with a lot of stops due to the rain
Siguero - Santiago, start 0900 arrived 1430, including around 30 mins of stops
Weather - you can´t rely on the summer over here. There was one incredibly hot and sunny day this week, but also a day so rainy that I was reminded of being on the Penine Way in February (maybe thats a little unfair - it was still pretty warm). Bring rain gear - it´s better to have it and not use it than need it and be without it! I was very grateful to the lady behind the bar in Cafe Porto, about 3kms from Bruma. She insisted on giving me her umbrella, even though I had a raincoat!
I didn´t carry a sleeping bag, just a silk liner. The one night I wasn´t somewhere with bedding (Bruma) I slept in my pjamas, my spare walking trousers and a jumper in the silk liner and was fine. This seemed more sensible than carrying an extra 1kg of sleeping bag for one nights use, but I don´t think I would have got away with it in colder weather.
Boots or shoes - whatevers most comfortable for you, but walk them in a lot (and in hot weather if you can) before you go. My tried and tested boots fell apart a week before I left, so I was walking in new ones (hence the blisters - now beautifully covered in compeed!)
Dogs - most houses have one, most of them are chained up, they will bark at you (its their job). I came accross one or two free ones who ran quite close to me and barked at my heels. I am a little afraid of dogs anyway, so probably was a bit sensitive to it, but found that the owners were always somewhere nearby and would come out and deal with yappy dogs if I shouted "hola".
Women walking alone - I was "helped" by well meaning men a few times this week who were eager to explain where the path went without being asked, but I never suspected them of anything other than trying to be nice (most of them were over 70). In general, people seemed impressed by my walking alone and very supportive. Use a little common sense (not accepting lifts, etc) and you will be fine. If walking in winter, I would have rearranged my walking times to not walk in the dark. I also carried a mobile phone, turned off most of the time so I don´t know what reception was like on the path, but it allowed me to check in by text with someone at home at the end of the day.
Albergues - I wouldn´t sleep in the Neda albgergue alone (its a little isolated and there is grafitti/broken windows) and didn´t see the one in Mino, but at Bruma the hostpitalero saw me walking past his house, overtook me on his bike and was opening the door to welcome me when I got there! Its clean, the matresses are comfortable and I felt safe.
In Betanzos, the owner of the fruit shop opposite the Iglesa Sta Maria told me she had read in the local paper that the Xunta de Galicia are going to turn a building in the town into an albergue in time for the 2010 holy year - it could just be a rumour, though.
Other accomodation - I didn´t book ahead anywhere and found rooms with no problem at all. I stayed in the Hotel by the bridge in Pontedeume (its 60 euros, so a little pricey, but I felt it was worth it that first night!). I stayed at the Betanzos Chocolateria in Betanzos and wouldnt recommend it, but the tourist office has a list of other options. In Sigueiro there is only one option, the hostal MIras, which is a little run down but is cheap. The bed was comfortable, and having decided the bathroom on my corridor was too mouldy to use, I simply wandered to the next floor up and found a perfectly clean one! In the Miras´favour, the food in the restaruant was truly lovely and a real bargain.
A Coruna - if you´re walking from Ferrol, spend a day in A Coruna first. It´s worth seeing! I found staying in A Coruna the night before I started the walk meant I had to get up very early to get to Ferrol. Perhaps the last bus/train to Ferrol the night before would have been a good idea?
If you´re under 30 you can book a room in the Parador in Ferrol for 52 euros for one night only (you can also do this for one night at the Parador next to the Cathederal in Santiago at some times of year - the website for the Paradors has details of this offer).
Food - take note in the guides of where you can buy food, because there are some fairly long stretches of the walk (several hours walking) with no opportunity to buy provisions. Also remember that lots of places will be shut from 2-5. On hot days, fill up your water bottle every chance you get and don´t be afraid to ask people sitting out in their gardens if they would fill it for you if needs be.
The hill on the way to Bruma is not enormous. Fill up your water bottle at the fountain at the bottom and sit down in the shade a couple of times on the way up to look at the view behind you. As with the rest of the camino, put one foot in front of the other at your own pace and you will get there! In total, it took me about 45 minutes to get up the hill including stops. Once it flattens out, about another 10 mins walking brings you to a lovely shaded picnic area with a comforting sign showing you how close you now are to Bruma!
I was very worried before I went about getting lost, but have found that between the guide and the waymarks, I never went more than a couple of minutes without realising I was in the wrong place.
Spanish - I learned a little before leaving and found it very useful (eg asking people to fill my water bottle, asking people for sellos for my credencial, saying thankyou!). Sign language and smiling have helped too!
I started the walk thinking I would add information here about things you see on the way etc but in retrospect, I think its better to let you be surprised by some of the wonderful sights that there are on the camino.
Most of all, I have been humbled by the kindness of strangers this week. Sister Carmen at the San Fransisco convent in Betanzos was inspiring (I haven´t heard anyone talk about God with such joy in their voice in quite a long time). The lady who offered to fill my water bottle at her house somewhere along the way on Wednesday made my day!
That´s all I can think of for the minute, hope its useful to someone (and that there aren´t too many typos in it).
Fran
p.s. I wonder how long it will be before I stop feeling the compulsion to follow yellow arrows?
I got to Santiago at about half past two this afternoon. It´s been a truly stunning week, and having been a little scared to set off I´m now a little sad that its over (my feet are happy to be done though!)
