Walking the Camino de Santiago in March 2024 / St. Jean Pied de Port - Santiago de Compostela
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 เม.ย. 2024
- Love and respect to all the friends we made on the road -
from Spain, Ireland, Denmark, Korea, Canada, America, France, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Sri Lanka, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Mexico.
Also to the hospitaleros in all the albergues who were so friendly and welcoming. Particularly the ones who really try to preserve the true spirit of this pilgrimage.
Also to the people working in the bars for all the coffee, pastry and tortillas to keep us walking and happy.
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Yesterday? Walking.
Today? Walking.
Tomorrow? Walking.
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pack list
- Karrimore Jura (cheap option) / Berghaus arrow (better quality option)
- backpack rain cover
- carabiner clips x2
- packable tote bag
- Trail runners
- Barefoot sandals Xero genesis or primark flip flops(Lighter than crocs/havianas)
- 1x nylon drawstring bag (for sandals so pack doesn’t get dirty inside)
- Rain poncho (sea to summit one is lightweight and packs small)
- Suncream in travel size bottle
WASH KIT
- Lightweight wash bag
- Lightweight towel (S2S one the size of a tea towel is super light and adequate to dry you)
- Wash soap
- Dry bag for soap
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Shaving razor
- Nail clippers
- Travel wet wipes
- Hand sanitizer
- Shower cap
- Hairbrush
- Vaseline
STUFF POUCH
- Lightweight stuff bag
- earphones
- Phone charger cable
- EU plug with USB (lighter than adapter)
- Ear plugs + spares
- Sewing needle/thread
- Duct tape in a small roll
- Lightweight cord
- Ziplock bag for first aid items
- Safety pins
- Zinc tape
- Safety whistle
- Dressing
- Plaster
- Antiseptic wipes
- guidebook or A4 print out
- Phone
- Glasses
- Tissues
- Lightweight wallet
- Passport
- Credit card
- €50 notes
- Credidential
- Cash wallet
- small coins
- Pack liner or large dry bag
- S2S thermolite liner
- Wool top for bedtime
- Wool leggings for bedtime
- Small wool bedtime socks
- Cotton trousers lightweight
- Cotton undewear
WALKING CLOTHES
- Big drawstring bag
- 3x thin trainer socks
- 1x quick dry t shirt
- Light/thin Fleece
- 1 down puffer
- dry bag for down puffer
- 1x quick dry shorts
- 1 leggings for walking
- 1x underwear quick dry
- Wool hat (thin)
- Merino buff
- brimmed hat
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Notes on gram counting
I made a spreadsheet and counted every gram. it’s a good way to see where excess weight can be cut. The weight creeps in where you least expect it.
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Less support - lighter weight
If you keep it light you don’t need things that are heavy but provide support.
Bulky shoes, walking poles, rucksacks with waist support/airflow back - all are only necessary if you’re carrying more weight.
With more weight you need to drink/carry more water, more snacks, more changes of clothes
You create a positive feedback loop - and before you know or you’re carrying 8kg. Without all this unnecessary and expensive equipment - I think Phoebe and I carried around 4kg and this enables us to be very light on our feet.
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Notes on rucksack choice
Berghaus Arrow is 750g lighter ish than similar size packs with waist support/air flow. That’a a huge weight saving and it’s cheaper/less cumbersome.
30-35liters is plenty of space - I had room to spare.
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Notes on water
I bought plastic water bottles as I went - I never needed to carry more than 500ml as there were many fountains/shops along the way.
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Notes on socks
I like thin trainer socks - they are light. You can handwash them in the evening and they’re dry by morning.
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Notes on sleeping bag/liner
We walked through the month of March - it was cold some nights - mostly it was too hot with my Snugpak jungle bag so I used it like a quilt.
Phoebe had a lightweight 3 season sleeping bag that was always too hot.
The albergues that were colder always provided blankets.
If I was doing it again I’d take a Sea to Summit reactor extreme - it’s light weight and compact - and isn’t noisy.
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Notes on packliner
I always wanted my sleeping stuff/wool clothes to stay dry.
Pack liner is so noisy, when you fill your bag it rustles. I had to shove everything into my tote bag and pack my bag outside because it was too noisy. A dry bag might make less noise.
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One change of clothes?
As soon as you’re walking your clothes will get smelly and dirty. At the end of the day you can wash them (almost every albergue had lavadoras or hand washing sink) and they’ll be dry and clean for the next day.
Most days I didn’t feel I needed to clean my hiking clothes anyway.
Your evening/bedtime clothes ( wool and cotton fabrics) won’t smell because you keep them clean and don’t exercise in them. I often went a week or so without washing these.
No one said we were smelly. At least not to our faces. - ภาพยนตร์และแอนิเมชัน
Ah…walking sans talking…footsteps on stones and pebbles, dirt and snow…birds and wind and raindrops…church bells…sun flash days, overcast skies and cloud-covered hills…bundled up and sometimes sleeveless…just as I’ve pictured my Camino. Thank you for taking us along on yours. 🤙🏽
En voilà un super film, court, silencieux avec de beaux cadrages, juste ce qu'il faut pour réveiller des émotions passées. Des sauts dans l'espace, et beaucoup de vérités, la longue descente vers Ponferrada, le matin tôt en quittant O Cebreiro...merci.
Ultreïa !
Merci beaucoup pour votre réponse réfléchie. Ultreia!
Mine was solo at 63, 2 years ago. A simple but great video bringing back happy memories, thank you!
Thanks for sharing your winter adventure! Years back I also walked in late winter. Not so many other peregrinos then.
Last time I biked from Germany to Santiago from August to October. And although there were so many people on the trail then, no-one seemed to stop off at Manjarin. Glad to see you did and that little Chico got some cuddles 🐕 😊.
Buen Camino from
KaterOnBike
Haha gotta love that little chico …Thanks for your comment!
I began at the tail end of March and only experienced one day of slushy snow at the top of the mountain before arriving at Roncesvalles. I do remember hearing about the many peregrinos who chose not to start during semana santa because of the bitter cold weather. Your video was great. Still very fresh in my mind. As you walked, I was right there with you just a few weeks later. The Camino is something I will never forget. Thanks for sharing. Me ha encantado!
Thanks for watching and your comment. I think if I was doing it again I’d choose late March/early April - I think that would be ideal.
This video is pure poetry, this video is pure.
Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it.
Wow! I felt as if I were walking besides you. Beautifully done. Your video is a beautiful little story. God bless you for sharing it.
Thanks so much for your comment. That’s exactly what I hoped this video would be.
Your packing list is so helpful! Thank you. I’m preparing for hiking and camping trip to the Canadian Rockies soon.
Glad to be of help! Thanks for your message and good luck with your trip, it sounds exciting.
Enjoyed your video. Also, thank you for sharing your packing list and name of backpack.
Glad to be of help, thanks for your comment.
Did this April 2019, great memories, Ulteria et susseia
Thanks for letting be on the Camino with you without chatter and commentary. Buen Camino.
Thanks for joining us 🙏
Absolutely great video. Thank you so much for sharing :)
Thanks for watching - I'm really glad you enjoyed it.
Absolutely amazing. Nice sound. I recommend you visit the himalayan mountains k2 and Nangaparbat view point. Whenever you start a short solo trip of 4-5 days, Moses Peak is a must. It is a 5300m height۔ from the top of moses pea which you can see the views of the K2 world second highest peak in the world, Nangaparbat, K6 k11 and K 12 views in one frame. best time from May to October. This is a family tracked.its open Zone, one did not need a trekking permit or have to pay Royalty fee to climbed this Mountain tower
Congratulations! That time of the month has to be very hard. 👍🏻
Nice video and thanks for sharing all the packing info. What were the dates that you began and ended your journey?
Thanks for watching 🙏 we left SJPDP on 5th March - arrived in Santiago on the 2nd April.
I thought that was Loki at the beginning
I just returned home to the Central Coast of California , We were on the Camino at the same time, well done but never crossed paths with you. Pilgrims need to speak out about all the Rubbish/Garbage/Basura that hikers are throwing right on the trail! along the sides of the trail! It is DISGUSTING! Cigarette Boxes everywhere! Beer Cans Everywhere! Toilet Paper Everywhere! Kleenex/ Snot Paper! Everywhere! Empty Water Bottles Everywhere!The villages leave huge colored garbage containers EVERYWHERE! What's going on between the ears of these Filthy Careless Walkers!! All I can say is it is SHAMELESS! and Pathetic! After leaving Santiago towards Finisterre the garbage was almost ZERO!! Please this issue needs to be addressed or the locals will start taking action against everyone not just the Polluters! I will be returning next year in April to finish a section I had to pass on due to an injury, Leon to Sarria, other than that I am thru with the France and only hope the Portuguese and the Primitiva are not as cluttered with garbage from thoughtless, horrible people .
It’s a pity we didn’t cross paths. You’re absolutely right about the rubbish on the trail.
We met a few people who were carrying bin bags to pick up rubbish along the way, I wish I had done more of that.
But the change has to be with the people who are littering of course. The Frances is so popular I think people get away with a lot of bad behaviour.
I expect you’re right about the other routes, people hiking those will probably be more conscientious.
Did Camino Portuguese Central Apr 16-29 and was very pleased with how little trash there was. It is not near as popular as the Francés, which may be why it is cleaner.
I've heard there are more and more vending machines, advertisement murals painted on buildings, nonsense graffitti on signs, such a shame to ruin the Camino.
Agreed a lot of these things can take away from the experience.
I have to say though, this particular vending machine after Roncesvalles saved our lives. It was very early in the morning, freezing cold and no cafes were open… that little 1euro coffee was so welcome it tasted absolutely amazing and thus became a highlight of the trip for me haha!
I do take your point though. I imagine some of the other Camino routes may be less popular and therefore a little less ‘commercial’ feeling than the Francés can be at times. On the whole though none of these aspects were enough to ruin the trip for me I still think it’s an amazing route.