sillydoll
Veteran Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- 2002 CF: 2004 from Paris: 2006 VF: 2007 CF: 2009 Aragones, Ingles, Finisterre: 2011 X 2 on CF: 2013 'Caracoles': 2014 CF and Ingles 'Caracoles":2015 Logrono-Burgos (Hospitalero San Anton): 2016 La Douay to Aosta/San Gimignano to Rome:
There are a number of new members to the Forum so I thought it might be an idea to resurrect the Top Ten tips again. Besides advising you to learn some Spanish, go light, train etc, here are my top 10 tips.
1. Make copies of all your documents as well as a list of passwords you might need for online banking, forums; instructions for your camera etc., Email them to yourself. If you need them you can log on and print them.
2. Wear old, throw-away clothes to travel in to Spain. You can donate them to a shelter or leave them in your hotel room.
3. Try not to follow the guide book daily stages. Smaller refuges in out-of-the-way villages are often less crowded.
4. The bed closest to the bathroom is the noisiest!
5. A little spiral immersion heater, plug for Spain, and a camping cup are most useful for making your own tea/coffee, cup-of-soup etc.
6. Take 8 Plastic pegs, 6 large safety pins and a 2m-nylon cord to use as a wash line.
7. Take a shower hook or 2 large suction hooks to hang clothes in the showers. There are never any clothes hooks inside (very few outside)
8. Plan moderate distances – 20 to 25km per day - if you do manage to get ahead of schedule you can take a trip to Finisterre
9. Take as many photographs as you can – you can always delete them when you get home but may not have a chance to go back.
10. 112 is the Europe-wide emergency number. It works even if you have no money in a pre-paid mobile phone or even if your supplier has no network. It works 24/7 365 days - and the operators speak many languages. The number for the Guardia Civil in Spain is 062.
And, a few simple ideas for souvenirs:
1. In 2002 I brought back a little bit of camino soil in a plastic bottle. I added this to a planter and each year I grow poppies in the planter to remind me of my spring camino.
2. Collect a pebble at the start and at the end of your walk to add to the framed certificate.
3. The Spanish 0.05 cent piece has the Santiago Cathedral on the back - makes a nice 'medallion'.
1. Make copies of all your documents as well as a list of passwords you might need for online banking, forums; instructions for your camera etc., Email them to yourself. If you need them you can log on and print them.
2. Wear old, throw-away clothes to travel in to Spain. You can donate them to a shelter or leave them in your hotel room.
3. Try not to follow the guide book daily stages. Smaller refuges in out-of-the-way villages are often less crowded.
4. The bed closest to the bathroom is the noisiest!
5. A little spiral immersion heater, plug for Spain, and a camping cup are most useful for making your own tea/coffee, cup-of-soup etc.
6. Take 8 Plastic pegs, 6 large safety pins and a 2m-nylon cord to use as a wash line.
7. Take a shower hook or 2 large suction hooks to hang clothes in the showers. There are never any clothes hooks inside (very few outside)
8. Plan moderate distances – 20 to 25km per day - if you do manage to get ahead of schedule you can take a trip to Finisterre
9. Take as many photographs as you can – you can always delete them when you get home but may not have a chance to go back.
10. 112 is the Europe-wide emergency number. It works even if you have no money in a pre-paid mobile phone or even if your supplier has no network. It works 24/7 365 days - and the operators speak many languages. The number for the Guardia Civil in Spain is 062.
And, a few simple ideas for souvenirs:
1. In 2002 I brought back a little bit of camino soil in a plastic bottle. I added this to a planter and each year I grow poppies in the planter to remind me of my spring camino.
2. Collect a pebble at the start and at the end of your walk to add to the framed certificate.
3. The Spanish 0.05 cent piece has the Santiago Cathedral on the back - makes a nice 'medallion'.
