Nature call on the Camino

[Ho ming chan]

Please let me know the protocol. Is inside washroom z must ?

 

[Marbe2]

Not sure exactly what you are asking?

 

[Ussasx]

Hi, my first Camino is coming up (24th April) so I cant talk from experiance.. I'm guessing you are asking if you desperately need to go number 2 whilst walking and there are no facilities around?

I'm hoping this doesn't happen to me but you never know! I plan to carry in my very small first aid kit, a couple of Imodium tablets (Diarrhea relief) along with a Combat Wipes trowel. I carry a few wipes in my pack anyway and a few ziploc bags. If you cant make it to the facilities, dig a small hole, do what you need to and carry away your papers / wipes in a little baggy for disposal at an appropriate location. Do not leave paper / wipes on the trail or bury them.

I have one of these that only weighs 17g, but there are plenty of options.

Combat Wipes 20g Ultralight Compact Backpacking Shovel Trowel Multi Tool Made from Military Grade Aluminium | Essential for Hiking, Camping, Festival and Survival Bags : Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors

Shop Combat Wipes 20g Ultralight Compact Backpacking Shovel Trowel Multi Tool Made from Military Grade Aluminium | Essential for Hiking, Camping, Festival and Survival Bags. Free delivery and returns on all eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

Whatever happens, don't just leave everything there for some poor pilgrim to step in.

 

[good_old_shoes]

Yes, inside bathroom is best. There are bars and cafés all along the way in convenient distances (on the Camino Francés at least). If you want to use their facilities, buy a coffee or other small item (not expensive) and combine the necessary with a nice little break

If nature calls and there's nothing closeby: step away from the path. Also, don't use someone's garden as a toilet. A poncho can give you some privacy (there are not always bushes).

Carry a ziploc bag or dog poop bags with you, and put your waste into that bag including toilet paper/tissues. Carry it with you to next town and put into a garbage can.

Sounds gross, but it's necessary. There are many pilgrims walking, and most of the time you're in civilization, not the wilderness.

Just as people are expected to clean up what their dogs leave behind, a pilgrim should clean up after themselves ;-)

Happy planning and buen camino!

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Please let me know the protocol. Is inside washroom z must ?

Please use the washrooms where available but yes, Pilgrims do crap in the woods.

You don't say which gender you identify as and I appreciate it's a bigger nuisance for ladies - investigate gadgets such as the She-Wee if you sit/squat rather than stand.

After recent events it will probably be the cleanest year on the Camino for ages but normally you'll find every field entrance and gap in the hedges is a repository for used toilet paper - don't add to the problem if you can avoid it.

A friend once remarked that a seeing-eye dog could trace the Camino simply by following the smell of ammonia/urine from SJPP all the way to SdC.

Buen Camino

 

[Caomhin O Fearghaill]

If you are caught between cafes just make sure you find a secluded area with plenty of foliage and you will find relief...although if the area is particularly secluded there may have been previous visitors, so tread carefully.. Seriously, this is an important issue for many people some with health problems or just embarrassment. I bring a small "toilet bag" (separate from ablutions) with hand sanitizer, wet wipes and tissues, include what you feel is necessary. For ease of access make sure its at the top of of your pack or on your person if you have a large pocket. I agree with a previous contributor make sure you leave nothing personal exposed on the earth when you resume your pilgrimage....

 

[Larry Gordon]

Yes, inside bathroom is best. There are bars and cafés all along the way in convenient distances (on the Camino Francés at least). If you want to use their facilities, buy a coffee or other small item (not expensive) and combine the necessary with a nice little break

If nature calls and there's nothing closeby: step away from the path. Also, don't use someone's garden as a toilet. A poncho can give you some privacy (there are not always bushes).

Carry a ziploc bag or dog poop bags with you, and put your waste into that bag including toilet paper/tissues. Carry it with you to next town and put into a garbage can.

Sounds gross, but it's necessary. There are many pilgrims walking, and most of the time you're in civilization, not the wilderness.

Just as people are expected to clean up what their dogs leave behind, a pilgrim should clean up after themselves ;-)

Happy planning and buen camino!

Well said

 

[motero99]

As others have said, be discreet. One of my favorite memories of the CF is walking along a path next to a canal. There was a woman standing off the trail in the high weeds. I greeted her with the traditional "Buen Camino." As she responded in the same manner, two other women who were hidden in the weeds popped up. As they were pulling up their pants, they both greeted me with a "Buen Camino."

 

[Sue127]

Please, please take your litter, personal and tissue type with you in a bag as suggested previously. The one complaint that I had about my first camino in 2020 was the amount of tissue paper along the trail, usually just before a really beautiful spot. It doesn't take much to scoop up as you would (I hope) after your dog!

 

[Juno]

Please use the washrooms where available but yes, Pilgrims do crap in the woods.

You don't say which gender you identify as and I appreciate it's a bigger nuisance for ladies - investigate gadgets such as the She-Wee if you sit/squat rather than stand.

After recent events it will probably be the cleanest year on the Camino for ages but normally you'll find every field entrance and gap in the hedges is a repository for used toilet paper - don't add to the problem if you can avoid it.

A friend once remarked that a seeing-eye dog could trace the Camino simply by following the smell of ammonia/urine from SJPP all the way to SdC.

Buen Camino

A friend once told me that at some point I would have to go in the wild as I never would on short walks at home. There aren’t any toilets in the wild especially on rural Camino’s and so I take nappy sacks which are incredibly light weight and I dispose of my tissues in one of those , tie it to my rucksack until I find a waste bin. I’ve seen so many tissues in the bushes over my time on the Camino and I find it sad that despite all the green movement, it doesn’t seem to apply to some pilgrims. I’ve even seen pilgrims pushing tissues with walking poles under hedgerows. Bag it and bin it please.

 

[David Tallan]

[Speaking to the more Caminos I've walked, the more popular routes of the Camino Frances and the Portugues. I can't speak to the significantly less traveled routes.] The think to remember is this is not a wilderness hike. You are walking village to village, generally passing through villages on the way. In my experience, the key thing is to make sure you go before you leave in the morning and pay attention as you pass through villages as to whether it might be wise to stop in a bar to use the washroom (and pay for a refreshment). Most people, if paying attention to these kinds of things, are okay. I never needed to go outside a washroom in any of my Caminos (although once it came awful close!). If you do need to go and there is no washroom for kilometers, be discreet and leave nothing behind (so take what is needed to take things away).

 

[Sue127]

I totally agree with the bag it and bin it ethos - unfortunately I think we're preaching to the converted and it's the thousands of others who are less careful and respectful of green spaces.

 

[Juno]

[Speaking to the more Caminos I've walked, the more popular routes of the Camino Frances and the Portugues. I can't speak to the significantly less traveled routes.] The think to remember is this is not a wilderness hike. You are walking village to village, generally passing through villages on the way. In my experience, the key thing is to make sure you go before you leave in the morning and pay attention as you pass through villages as to whether it might be wise to stop in a bar to use the washroom (and pay for a refreshment). Most people, if paying attention to these kinds of things, are okay. I never needed to go outside a washroom in any of my Caminos (although once it came awful close!). If you do need to go and there is no washroom for kilometers, be discreet and leave nothing behind (so take what is needed to take things away).

You haven’t tried the Camino del Norte or VDLP and I use the word wilderness because unlike the French and Portuguese Ways, it can seem like that. No coffee bars, no supermarkets and definitely no toilets.

 

[MichelleElynHogan]

Imagine an 800 km path that has been used by us humans for over 1,000 years. We have walked in the footsteps of hundreds of thousands if not millions and yes, they get caught off guard, at times, and must do what they must do.

The next step is what defines us.

If we walk our dog, even in the forest, it is best to bag it and carry it out. The Camino is much more a public street / road, than a forest so bagging poo and carrying it out is proper protocol. Yes, on my first Camino, I packed a small hand shovel, but never used it.

So, take some puppy plastic bags and wipes (Zip Lock is preferred), and a designated bag to carry it in until you reach a safe place to dispose of it in town.

 

[David Tallan]

You haven’t tried the Camino del Norte or VDLP and I use the word wilderness because unlike the French and Portuguese Ways, it can seem like that. No coffee bars, no supermarkets and definitely no toilets.

I haven't (yet). I'm looking forward to trying the Madrid as my next new route. It is probably also much shorter on infrastructure than the routes I have taken. It is precisely because of my limited experience that I limited my observations to the popular routes and acknowledged that they may not be applicable to other routes.

On the other hand, chances are better than even that the OP who asked the question is likely going to walk the CF or CP as their first Camino.

 

[Ho ming chan]

Hi, my first Camino is coming up (24th April) so I cant talk from experiance.. I'm guessing you are asking if you desperately need to go number 2 whilst walking and there are no facilities around?

I'm hoping this doesn't happen to me but you never know! I plan to carry in my very small first aid kit, a couple of Imodium tablets (Diarrhea relief) along with a Combat Wipes trowel. I carry a few wipes in my pack anyway and a few ziploc bags. If you cant make it to the facilities, dig a small hole, do what you need to and carry away your papers / wipes in a little baggy for disposal at an appropriate location. Do not leave paper / wipes on the trail or bury them.

I have one of these that only weighs 17g, but there are plenty of options.

Combat Wipes 20g Ultralight Compact Backpacking Shovel Trowel Multi Tool Made from Military Grade Aluminium | Essential for Hiking, Camping, Festival and Survival Bags : Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors

Shop Combat Wipes 20g Ultralight Compact Backpacking Shovel Trowel Multi Tool Made from Military Grade Aluminium | Essential for Hiking, Camping, Festival and Survival Bags. Free delivery and returns on all eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

Whatever happens, don't just leave everything there for some poor pilgrim to step in.

thanks for sharing.

 

[Ho ming chan]

thanks for sharing.

 

[Ho ming chan]

Yes, inside bathroom is best. There are bars and cafés all along the way in convenient distances (on the Camino Francés at least). If you want to use their facilities, buy a coffee or other small item (not expensive) and combine the necessary with a nice little break

If nature calls and there's nothing closeby: step away from the path. Also, don't use someone's garden as a toilet. A poncho can give you some privacy (there are not always bushes).

Carry a ziploc bag or dog poop bags with you, and put your waste into that bag including toilet paper/tissues. Carry it with you to next town and put into a garbage can.

Sounds gross, but it's necessary. There are many pilgrims walking, and most of the time you're in civilization, not the wilderness.

Just as people are expected to clean up what their dogs leave behind, a pilgrim should clean up after themselves ;-)

Happy planning and buen camino!

Like I always did in the wilderness to avoid tempting animals. Good sharing.

 

[Ho ming chan]

Yes, inside bathroom is best. There are bars and cafés all along the way in convenient distances (on the Camino Francés at least). If you want to use their facilities, buy a coffee or other small item (not expensive) and combine the necessary with a nice little break

If nature calls and there's nothing closeby: step away from the path. Also, don't use someone's garden as a toilet. A poncho can give you some privacy (there are not always bushes).

Carry a ziploc bag or dog poop bags with you, and put your waste into that bag including toilet paper/tissues. Carry it with you to next town and put into a garbage can.

Sounds gross, but it's necessary. There are many pilgrims walking, and most of the time you're in civilization, not the wilderness.

Just as people are expected to clean up what their dogs leave behind, a pilgrim should clean up after themselves ;-)

Happy planning and buen camino!

Mainly for #1 as I often drink a lot b4 breakfast. I need to adjust this habit on the Camino. Try not to pee too often. I carry imodium, so #2 should not be necessary, touch wood.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Mainly for #1 as I often drink a lot b4 breakfast. I need to adjust this habit on the Camino. Try not to pee too often. I carry imodium, so #2 should not be necessary, touch wood.

As this article and the research that it refers to says, urine can be just as destructive to the environment as faeces.

Deluge of dog pee and poo harming nature reserves, study suggests

Urine and faeces creating nitrogen and phosphorus levels that would be illegal on farms, scientists calculate

www.google.com

 

[Ho ming chan]

As this article and the research that it refers to says, urine can be just as destructive to the environment as faeces.

Deluge of dog pee and poo harming nature reserves, study suggests

Urine and faeces creating nitrogen and phosphorus levels that would be illegal on farms, scientists calculate

www.google.com

Good to know.

 

[Walton]

For those of you packing a trowel for hole digging, if you are travelling during summer or autumn, it would be much better to carry a battery operated jackhammer because the ground generally is rock hard.

These days you can buy a battery operated portable jackhammer that weighs less than 1.7 kilogrammes excluding the battery. You can also chisel and drill holes if you have the attachments.

The other sensible thing is to carry a ziplock bag and appropriate tissues and carry your droppings discreetly with you to the nearest bin as you would with doggie droppings.

And if you must go, it would be nice for you to wander 80 to 100 metres off the Camino to a suitable spot so no-one has to bear witness to your passing a motion in any way, shape or form.

This applies especially to some cyclists and walkers who prefer to pee off piste, half a metre or less from the track. Oink Oink.

Buen Camino

Graham

 

[trecile]

For those of you packing a trowel for hole digging, if you are travelling during summer or autumn, it would be much better to carry a petrol operated jackhammer because the ground generally is rock hard.

 

[Icacos]

……There was a woman standing off the trail in the high weeds. I greeted her with the traditional "Buen Camino." As she responded in the same manner, two other women who were hidden in the weeds popped up. As they were pulling up their pants, they both greeted me with a "Buen Camino."

Your eyes should not be casting about looking for pilgrims standing or popping up out of the weeds. Assume that such persons are attending to their business and keep your eyes straight …. pilgrim code of conduct

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Your eyes should not be casting about looking for pilgrims standing or popping up out of the weeds. Assume that such persons are attending to their business and keep your eyes straight …. pilgrim code of conduct

This would probably work well.

 

[Ho ming chan]

For those of you packing a trowel for hole digging, if you are travelling during summer or autumn, it would be much better to carry a battery operated jackhammer because the ground generally is rock hard.

These days you can buy a battery operated portable jackhammer that weighs less than 1.7 kilogrammes excluding the battery. You can also chisel and drill holes if you have the attachments.

The other sensible thing is to carry a ziplock bag and appropriate tissues and carry your droppings discreetly with you to the nearest bin as you would with doggie droppings.

And if you must go, it would be nice for you to wander 80 to 100 metres off the Camino to a suitable spot so no-one has to bear witness to your passing a motion in any way, shape or form.

This applies especially to some cyclists and walkers who prefer to pee off piste, half a metre or less from the track. Oink Oink.

Buen Camino

Graham

 

[Viva Terlingua]

Without being too graphic, if somebody has to go urgently it is probably not something that can be scooped up and put in a bag. In that case a trowel would be the best option.

 

[pepi]

Above all, avoid these tempting big straw-stacks that offer convenient privacy. Never think that you are the only one being tempted......

 

[Becky 59]

Seen in Galicia on the Francés.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Seen in Galicia on the Francés.

Looks like guys can wee, just not poo...apparently gals can do neither.

 

[kiwi-couple]

Many times on my 2019 Camino Frances from St Jean Pied de Port I came across men standing on the pathway and urinating on the edge of it. Wasn't pleasant

 

[Ho ming chan]

Looks like guys can wee, just not poo...apparently gals can do neither.

All my trail running mates do both in the wilderness, all genders.

 

[David Tallan]

All my trail running mates do both in the wilderness, all genders.

A difference is that the Camino is generally not through wilderness.