2. Revised packing list and lessons learned for the Camino de Santiago France 

Wow, thank you!!! That might be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. You've made my day. xxxxx

Thank you, so good to know it's been helpful. Well done on the training and hope you get to camino soon.

Hey Theresa, thanks so much for your kind words. Can't believe four years have passed since I recorded that video. Hopefully, things haven't changed too much and the advice is still relevant. Good luck.

Assuming that one has no time limits to finish the route, did you come across people who only did average 10km per day and finish in 2months rather than 1 month. Do you have to walk 25-30km per day before you can reach next albergues?

Thank you for writing this. I'm 50 and questioning myself about if it's really reasonable for me to try to do the Camino in a year or two. I needed this inspiration!

@@phrenchphried I will be 62 next year and am planning to walk the Camino with my wife (and hopefully recently rescued dog). Spend time researching footwear first, make sure you try the boots/shoes on wearing the socks you intend walking in. Prepare by walking increasing distances with increasing loads and as Stells said, find some serious inclines to walk up (Jacobs ladder in the peak district is a good example). Buen Camino

Hi Albert, this is such excellent advice. I think, covid permitting, if I do the Camino again, I'll do as you suggest and start from the beautiful town of Pamplona.

@@kay-jv3hz Sorry to be so late replying to you. Absolutely no restriction on the amount you walk every day. So long as you can find a hostel and you have the time you can take it at as slow a pace as you wish. Lots of the guidebooks assume you need to get through it in a hurry. Many of the hostels discourage people staying for more than one night but if, like me, you have the luxury of not having to rush home, you can go at any speed you choose.

I do sympathise with your choice of travelling without a cell phone but, for me, it saved me so many times. Compass app, navigational apps, checking reviews on hostels, booking hostels (because I was slow many times hostels would have filled up before I arrived) and maybe most importantly, keeping in touch with the many Camino companions you will undoubtedly meet along the way. One of the most enriching things for me was making friends and although we went at often very different speeds we were able to arrange to meet up again hundreds of miles down the trail. Oh, and this was very personal for me, I loaded dozens of audio books. So soothing when sleep was evasive in crowded dorms in the middle of the night. I wish you well. Let's hope the world will return enough to normal to enable us to be able to Camino before too long. xxx

Thank you. Sorry for not replying earlier.

Can't you do a shorter leg on the first day ?

Hi there, Yes, you may stay at Refuge Orisson or a couple of hostels in the area. That would mean you have circa 16 K next day to Orreaga/Roncesvalles. Cheers

I think there's a bus that will take you as far as Orisson @@ladlcb3611

Thank you.

Thanks Claire, I guess it depends on the time of year. Yes, sleepingbags are heavy and take up a lot of space in your backpack. I set off in early September and finished mid-October. There were many nights, particularly in the higher altitudes of the Galicia region when, even in my sleepingbag, I was a bit chilly. There were lots of opportunities along the way to purchase one, and other warmer clothing, if you're still undecided.

You are most welcome. Pre-covid and a bit out of date now, but hopefully, some of it is still helpful.

Thanks for the encouragement. A bit embarrassing meeting a real friend on YT. And I was thinking about you when I mentioned the camino family. xx

Hi Nagnag, I recorded it and hated it. Will try and do it all again. Sorry to take so long.

Thanks for your kind words. Difficult to guess how busy the Camino will be this year. I'm wondering if concerns about Coronavirus will reduce numbers? Although in September 2018 the Trail became noticeably busier once we went through Sarria, getting a bed for the night, if anything, became easier as there were far more hostels. I'm certainly not fond of snoring but after all that strenuous exercise in such beautiful scenery in fresh air, with the use of good earplugs I slept like a log and didn't hear a thing. But if you have the budget and would prefer to sleep in a private room then load the booking.com and airbnb apps on your phone. I saw lots of people pairing up into room buddies so they could share the cost of a private twin-bedded room. Most people were only having to book one day ahead so you can still be reasonably spontaneous. Enjoy!

Hi Dick, thanks, finished on 21 November. Yes, weather was getting much cooler and unpredictable. Experienced a hard frost one morning. Shortening days were more of a problem. Wasn't really getting light enough to walk without a torch until 8am towards the end.

Thank you. Good tip on the Lush bag, thanks. The skirt was soft cotton. Goodness, chafing? The skin on my legs soon became like tough old leather boots after being battered by all that Spanish sun and wind.

@@stelladessoy They are not specifically from lush they are made for all solid shampoo bars and solid toiletries... I was thinking more of skin on skin on the inner thigh area lol x

@@tijay8507 Oh, okay, understood. Ah, inner thigh, The skirt came with an inner shorts-type lining. I was baffled and cut it out. Now I get it. I lost so much weight nothing to rub. ;0)

@@stelladessoy I would prefer a skirt too but having the inner short defeats the object of easy weeing and keeping cool etc but even at my lowest weight i had a small pad of fat in that area and although it doesn't rub often it has done a handful of times x

Hi Teresa, yes, it's a skirt but has a stretchy inner lining. I cut out the lining. I found it hot and fussy. Sizing, as I remember was pretty accurate. It has a drawstring which is handy as you're probably going to lose weight. ;0) www.decathlon.co.uk/nh100-womens-navy-id_8382870.html

Thank you. Hope you manage to one day.

Thanks for your kind words. I'm afraid, not being an Apple user, I'm not in a position to offer advice on an alternative app. Maybe your message will be viewed by someone who will be able to help. I did a quick google search and a couple, with high star rated reviews came up. Hope you find one. Good luck.

Hi Cath, thanks for your kind words. Yes, although I think it is slightly larger than Easyjet's allowed measurements, I've taken it on many flights now on different airlines as hand luggage. I keep it on my back at the entry gate and I think because I look so comfortable wearing it nobody has ever queried it. Good luck.

@@stelladessoy fab thank you 👍🙂👌

Hi Maria, no socks. That's what makes the sandals such a much better option. Cuts down enormously on the laundry. Be sure to get used to them with bare feet. I walked several hundred kms before setting off making sure my feet were tough and leathery. Never got any blisters or callouses but I do wonder if the texture of my feet will ever again be the same.

Thanks Jacqui, my backpack was an Osprey, it's a while ago now so my exact model might be difficult to source, but try to find one that is specifically designed for women. They fit so much better on to fit on female hips. I went for the 48lt capacity. Many will tell you to buy a smaller one but I was often grateful for that bit of extra space when packing up pre-dawn, in a rush in dark dorms. The important thing is to "test-drive". Many stores, so long as you don't remove pricetags, will allow you to return. I tried several, taking them home and filling them up with heavy books, walking around the lounge to make sure I was happy before I decided on my one. The hiking skirts and silk sleepingbag liner, and so many other things, I bought from Decathlon. Their quality is great and their pricing is so much better than other retailers. They're French and you'll also find them in the larger towns along the trail. Again, on the charger, I think the technology has come on and the price has dropped since I bought. Try googling something like "portable charger, small power bank for mobile phone" and you'll find better choices. Good luck, let me know how you get along. xxx

@@stelladessoy thank you so much for all the great tips, they've been very helpful. Looking forward to more great videos. Blessings.

Hi Mog-Gyver, my sandals were Merrell Kahuna III. Yes, an occasional pebble did get under my toes but I just shook them out. It really wasn't a problem. They are still serving me well. I see some retail outlets are marking them down which makes me think that they might be soon to be discontinued. www.outdoorgb.com/p/Merrell_Kahuna_III_Womens_Sandals/?GBR&currency=GBP&country=GBR&SelectedBundle=183817&SelectedItem=675705&gclid=CjwKCAjw2qHsBRAGEiwAMbPoDM8t6JhzG23AwJHWWQ5QxnkAnIBYh30NZ0zpx_C939vQs4naPcJJ_RoCuWwQAvD_BwE

@@stelladessoy I've seen some on Amazon, very reasonable, so I better hurry up!! 😁 😁

Hi Pauline, oh dear, it was nearly a year ago, have been on other hiking trips since, much of the stuff is now scattered, lost or worn out. But can confirm that there are plenty of older people on the trail. I was one of them. I met the most lovely retired NZ nurse who celebrated her 70th birthday along the way. And another woman in her late 70s. Travel light, maybe take some help getting your pack couriered over the tougher trails, allow plenty of time for slower, shorter days and rest days. If at all nervous you might want to consider starting in Pamplona. That way you miss out those brutal first couple of trails over the Pyrenees. Hope that helps a bit. Enjoy!

Stells Solo female on the Camino Many thanks for your help

Hi Cindadel, thanks. Not sure where that statistic came from. I heard it more than a few time while on the trail. I should have said it was only anecdotal.

Hi Ingrid, I've been travelling and only realised now that I didn't answer your question. Hope I'm not too late for you. The books said you can do the Camino in 35. It took me 46. I prepped by walking approximately 10-15kms a day. But it was around the London area where I live, on mostly flat terrain and I wasn't carrying the 9ks of weight I ended up taking. It wasn't enough! Try and go on a hiking holiday(s) with some serious elevation before you set off.

Yes, I particularly want to talk about that first day which I could see lots of people were finding harder than they expected. Travelling in Sri Lanka at the moment but will put something up when I return next month. Thanks for your encouragement. X

Hi! Are we going to see this video anytime soon?

She means clothes pegs for hanging your clothes on clothes lines. There often are not enough pegs.

Sorry, only just spotted your question. Yes, clothes pegs. Carrying so few clothes means being able to get laundry dry can become a bit of a preoccupation. 😊

I heard a lot of people talk about the "Camino cough". I certainly seemed to catch a succession of colds but I wasn't the norm. Napoleon route is stunningly beautiful but totally get it why some people choose not to do it. I hope you love your Merrells as much as I love mine.

@@stelladessoy Enjoy your 1st day again minute by minute.

Sure, it's call Camino Companion, it's made by Atlas Guides. Here's the Googleplay link: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.highsierraattitude.caminosantiago&hl=en_GB And the site I bookmarked on my phone is Gronze: www.gronze.com/camino-frances My phone offered to translate it. Hope that helps.

Probably also better known as the "guthook" app from Atlas Guides. Known for many other trails!

Hi Sarah, they're Merrell Kahuna III. So many people told me they wouldn't be sturdy enough but I thought they were great. No blisters or injuries. I did quite a bit or prep with them before I set off until my feet were (not calloused) but pretty leathery. www.merrell.com/UK/en_GB/kahuna-iii/18638W.html?dwvar_18638W_color=J88800#cgid=womens-footwear-sandals&start=1

Sorry Charlie, I did a video and hated it. Will try and get something uploaded soon. Sorry for the delay

David Oden it’s listed for IOS under Guthook guides. I believe the app is free but individual guides are in app purchases, Camino de Santiago is £7.99 if you’re British, probably cheaper in any other country.

Thanks Paul for coming in and answering David's questions. Apologies David for missing your query.

www.amazon.co.uk/Altus-Mens-Light-Poncho/dp/B01CM9WVSU

Hi, yes, with pleasure. Here's an Amazon link but lots of other places selling online.