Thank you so so much for this video, I been planning my camino to celebrate my 55 year old birthday on it, it will be on April 2025, I am going by myself and I was starting to get a bit anxious about several things that you included on this great informative video, I truly appreciate it.
Thanks for the info. One thing Americans think it is more like the long remote hiking trails like Appalachian trail which you bring everything you need - including a tent to sleep - and don’t see towns for several days. That is why the Camino are much more accessible to folks because there are places to sleep and if you need a few days off, hotels are there too. I am hoping to do it while my health allows.
I’m hoping you get the chance too Betty 😊 Oddly, I’m hoping to triple crown the AT, PCT and Continental Divide in a few years time (if I can afford it 😂) 😊
Hi Nick, it's Grace. The video was very informative. Thank you. It is nice to have some concerns left by the wayside with common sense and experience. Have a good day 🌞🌻
Looks you were one of the lucky ones with bedbugs, as are most! Some of us are not, I was bit 3 times on the camino by bed bugs this summer. …and no they don’t close them down
So sorry to hear that, you are the first person I’ve ever met that was bitten. I’ve had the occasional mosquito bite but I imagine they don’t even compare. Hopefully the rest of your Camino was wonderful though 😊😊
Haha. I’m in the Algarve mate. Just did the tiny bit beautiful 7 hanging valleys trail yesterday which is like a prelude to the Fisherman’s Trail. It’s quite expensive here on the south but I hear there are some bargains to be had North of Porto. Have a brilliant Camino mate. Have you decided which of the variants you will do? I’ll be watching.😊
@@NickLivingLife Sounds lovely, mate. Will you do the Fisherman's trail or have you got another route lined up? I saw Nadine did the fisherman's trail not long ago and it looked lovely. I was in Portugal last year and the food is good and not too pricey, although the good old pilgrim menu is harder to find. I'm going to do the coastal and spiritual variant, looking forward to taking the boat for the last stage of the spiritual. I've still got 4/5 days of Ingles and Finsiterre footage to edit, so you may be waiting a while 😄 Be good to grab a beer at some point, mate. Keep up the good work, loving the drone footage.
I’m out of time now mate due to Brexit. I think I have about a Week left until November 🥹 I absolutely want to do it though. I’m charmed by the rugged coastlines.
Thanks Ian. It’s edging closer. Oddly, I’ve just got to budget to buy some of the cheaper gear to review as I only seem to have the expensive stuff. 😂 I’m thinking of trying out a few things on a rainy day in England to compare waterproofing to start. 😊
They are all signposted all the way either by yellow arrows, scallop shells etc. As long as you know the town you want to start in, it’s quite hard to get lost. If you do, just go back on yourself and find the signpost you missed 😊
Hi Nick, thank you for the video. I am going to walk the Frances starting this September 11th and flying out on October 15th. My two biggest questions are should I take my sleeping bag and puffy jacket. I will have a liner and a hooded pullover made from Alpha Direct 90. I just don’t really understand how cold it will get during the time I am on the path. I will have a rain shell, a collared shirt, a sun shirt, and a merino t-shirt. Not worried about being warm while walking, as the sun-shirt/Alpha Hoodie/shell combo can keep me warm to about -2C. Would really like to save that weight, but I also don’t want to be cold when I am not moving. I understand everyone is different and the weather can vary, but in general, during the time period I am walking, would you recommend the sleeping bag and puffy, or do you think I can leave those items at home?
Hi. As long as there is no freak weather coming in from Antarctica or something, you are all sorted for walking. The alpha direct is a big favourite of mine and with rain shell you are sorted for almost anything. It does get colder in October and also it’s colder and wetter anyway in Galicia for the last week or so. Personally I have never taken a sleeping bag and only ever had 2 nights out of about 600 or so on Caminos where I felt cold enough to put extra clothes on. I have used a puffy jacket a few times like the nights above when it was colder, and for eating outside or sitting outside with friends in the evenings (alpha works great when moving but not as good as a puffy when sitting for a few hours). Overall, if your puffy is super light (under 300g) I would take it, if the sun shirt has a collar then you could swap the other shirt for a really light synthetic running shirt and then just a sleeping bag liner. I use a silk one but anything is fine. 😊 Not long to wait now, you are going to love it. Buen Camino!! 😊😊😊
@@NickLivingLife Thank you again! My puffy is under 300g and my sunshirt is an BD Alpenglow Pro Hoody. The shirt with the collar, I guess it is also a sunshirt, but one that looks nice and like a "normal" shirt. I will leave the sleeping bag and bringing the puffy. If I get too cold at night I can sleep in the puffy or the alpha d hoodie. My plan is to hike in the DB hoody and layer if cold, with shorts on. Then change to my light weight hiking pants and the collared shirt once I get to my accommodations and shower. I have the Sea to Summit Silk Blend Liner that does add a little warmth. I think I am just nervous in general about the trip and what it will be like. Thank you for the support and encouragement.
@hoffmandarren You are very welcome. I can tell you know your stuff and have a lot of nice gear. Most of the time now I would start the day and walk in just shorts and a t shirt and I warm up within 10 minutes. I used to layer up and then stop to get undressed again almost straight away so I just walk now. It’s not normally any colder than 10C in the mornings and warms up fast (I don’t normally leave until 8-8:30 ish as I walk pretty fast between coffee shops 😂). Average temperature at night inside most of the albergues is about 20C with only a few very very basic ones lacking heating but a bunch of weary people all sleeping in the same room has a warming effect anyway. Without my UA-cam camera gear, drone etc my entire backpack with 500ml of water is 3.4kg which shows you can get by on a LOT less than you originally think and if you desperately need something you didn’t take, there is a big town within a few days where you can buy it 😊. My main tip would be in the last week before you go, and you get the idea to add something into your pack “just in case” …..don’t do it 😊😊
September is a busy time so there could be a few pinch points where it’s worth booking ahead, although things are much easier if you are not staying in the guidebook towns. It’s worth booking St Jean and possibly Roncesvalles or Burgette if you can walk 30 minutes more after Roncesvalles. This would mean you can then possibly manage to walk past Zubiri which often becomes fully booked. The last week after Sarria can also be challenging at times. There are no issues in the middle as long as you don’t stick to the main stages all the time. 😊
I picked up a graph this year showing the number of pilgrims leaving st jean, passing g through Leon and lastly getting a compostela in Santiago. Something has changed in the last few years where May and September have really spiked (up by +30%) each year. There are a lot of tours coming from Asia which account for some of that, and many of those are pre-booking months and months in advance.
@@NickLivingLife Hi Nick, the Pilgrims office issues good stats through their web site. The numbers of Pilgrims arriving to SdC in 2023 has reduced by 25% July over June. Might be that visitors are diverting from the Camino due to heat and/or fear of the influx of Spanish. The number of Spanish do pick up in July; Spanish pilgrims increase by 20% while non-Spanish decrease by 54% (July over June.) Anyway, I will not walk in Spain in the summer months. My preference is Sept / Oct, and historically not that crowded. certainly, something i can deal with. Cheers, Buen Camino
That’s interesting, so it looks like many are starting in St Jean in May but not making it to Santiago unless they are now counting that in the June figures? Huge tours from South Korea are occurring in May and September as culturally people from there do not like the sun and it’s effects on the skin. In early May Roncesvalles was full with many people outside confused what to do. It was easy though as a short further walk to Burgette or in my case Espinal revealed plenty of bed options. I continued walking through June and into early July and it got quieter and quieter. In late June I was walking the Meseta in reverse so I could see almost all pilgrims for that day as they passed me, but of course I wouldn’t see anyone that skipped the Meseta by bus or train. I also start walking a little bit later too so if it is busy, they are generally a good distance ahead of me for most of the day so it’s nice and quiet 😊. Hoping you have a beautiful Camino 👍😊
Thank you so so much for this video, I been planning my camino to celebrate my 55 year old birthday on it, it will be on April 2025, I am going by myself and I was starting to get a bit anxious about several things that you included on this great informative video, I truly appreciate it.
These are the comments that inspire me to make the videos. I’m so happy I could help 😊😊.
See you Nick 😎
Very very informative. Thank you
Very welcome. I’m glad it was helpful. 😊
Thanks for the info. One thing Americans think it is more like the long remote hiking trails like Appalachian trail which you bring everything you need - including a tent to sleep - and don’t see towns for several days. That is why the Camino are much more accessible to folks because there are places to sleep and if you need a few days off, hotels are there too. I am hoping to do it while my health allows.
I’m hoping you get the chance too Betty 😊
Oddly, I’m hoping to triple crown the AT, PCT and Continental Divide in a few years time (if I can afford it 😂) 😊
Thanks
Thanks so much Ann. xx
Hi Nick, it's Grace. The video was very informative. Thank you. It is nice to have some concerns left by the wayside with common sense and experience. Have a good day 🌞🌻
Thanks Grace. As long as it helps someone somewhere I’m happy 😊
Really informative, clear, precise and helpful Nick. Thank you🙏. That's fabulous there's Camino police. Buen Camino 🙏🌞😎
Thanks loads xx
Looks you were one of the lucky ones with bedbugs, as are most! Some of us are not, I was bit 3 times on the camino by bed bugs this summer. …and no they don’t close them down
So sorry to hear that, you are the first person I’ve ever met that was bitten. I’ve had the occasional mosquito bite but I imagine they don’t even compare. Hopefully the rest of your Camino was wonderful though 😊😊
Great info here Nick!
Thanks buddy 😊
Great video Nick, presented well with good info for first-timeers!
Thanks very much. That’s kind of you to say. 😊
Thanks Nick for another very informative video. Your love of the Camino is so obvious. 😀
I do love it 😍
Very well put together. Agree with everything you said. Not so sure about the nipple tassel though, may want to rethink that one. 😜
😂😂😂😂😂😂
I wondered what that was 🤣
Some great points made here, mate. Well done, keep up the grand work.
P.S Are you in portugal? I'll be walking from Porto upwards this Sunday. Hoping to be around when you drop another 70 euros on lunch 😂
Haha. I’m in the Algarve mate. Just did the tiny bit beautiful 7 hanging valleys trail yesterday which is like a prelude to the Fisherman’s Trail.
It’s quite expensive here on the south but I hear there are some bargains to be had North of Porto. Have a brilliant Camino mate. Have you decided which of the variants you will do? I’ll be watching.😊
Thanks mate. 😊
@@NickLivingLife Sounds lovely, mate. Will you do the Fisherman's trail or have you got another route lined up? I saw Nadine did the fisherman's trail not long ago and it looked lovely.
I was in Portugal last year and the food is good and not too pricey, although the good old pilgrim menu is harder to find. I'm going to do the coastal and spiritual variant, looking forward to taking the boat for the last stage of the spiritual.
I've still got 4/5 days of Ingles and Finsiterre footage to edit, so you may be waiting a while 😄
Be good to grab a beer at some point, mate. Keep up the good work, loving the drone footage.
I’m out of time now mate due to Brexit. I think I have about a Week left until November 🥹
I absolutely want to do it though. I’m charmed by the rugged coastlines.
Great video, extremely informative. Looking forward to your eagerly awaited expensive vs cheaper comparison video😊
Thanks Ian. It’s edging closer. Oddly, I’ve just got to budget to buy some of the cheaper gear to review as I only seem to have the expensive stuff. 😂
I’m thinking of trying out a few things on a rainy day in England to compare waterproofing to start. 😊
Good questions, good answers
Thanks very much 😊😊👍
This is a really daft one, I know but …. How do you find the Camino route and know your going the right way ?
They are all signposted all the way either by yellow arrows, scallop shells etc. As long as you know the town you want to start in, it’s quite hard to get lost. If you do, just go back on yourself and find the signpost you missed 😊
Hi Nick, thank you for the video. I am going to walk the Frances starting this September 11th and flying out on October 15th. My two biggest questions are should I take my sleeping bag and puffy jacket. I will have a liner and a hooded pullover made from Alpha Direct 90. I just don’t really understand how cold it will get during the time I am on the path. I will have a rain shell, a collared shirt, a sun shirt, and a merino t-shirt. Not worried about being warm while walking, as the sun-shirt/Alpha Hoodie/shell combo can keep me warm to about -2C. Would really like to save that weight, but I also don’t want to be cold when I am not moving. I understand everyone is different and the weather can vary, but in general, during the time period I am walking, would you recommend the sleeping bag and puffy, or do you think I can leave those items at home?
Hi. As long as there is no freak weather coming in from Antarctica or something, you are all sorted for walking. The alpha direct is a big favourite of mine and with rain shell you are sorted for almost anything.
It does get colder in October and also it’s colder and wetter anyway in Galicia for the last week or so.
Personally I have never taken a sleeping bag and only ever had 2 nights out of about 600 or so on Caminos where I felt cold enough to put extra clothes on.
I have used a puffy jacket a few times like the nights above when it was colder, and for eating outside or sitting outside with friends in the evenings (alpha works great when moving but not as good as a puffy when sitting for a few hours).
Overall, if your puffy is super light (under 300g) I would take it, if the sun shirt has a collar then you could swap the other shirt for a really light synthetic running shirt and then just a sleeping bag liner. I use a silk one but anything is fine. 😊
Not long to wait now, you are going to love it. Buen Camino!! 😊😊😊
@@NickLivingLife Thank you again! My puffy is under 300g and my sunshirt is an BD Alpenglow Pro Hoody. The shirt with the collar, I guess it is also a sunshirt, but one that looks nice and like a "normal" shirt. I will leave the sleeping bag and bringing the puffy. If I get too cold at night I can sleep in the puffy or the alpha d hoodie. My plan is to hike in the DB hoody and layer if cold, with shorts on. Then change to my light weight hiking pants and the collared shirt once I get to my accommodations and shower. I have the Sea to Summit Silk Blend Liner that does add a little warmth. I think I am just nervous in general about the trip and what it will be like. Thank you for the support and encouragement.
@hoffmandarren You are very welcome. I can tell you know your stuff and have a lot of nice gear. Most of the time now I would start the day and walk in just shorts and a t shirt and I warm up within 10 minutes. I used to layer up and then stop to get undressed again almost straight away so I just walk now. It’s not normally any colder than 10C in the mornings and warms up fast (I don’t normally leave until 8-8:30 ish as I walk pretty fast between coffee shops 😂).
Average temperature at night inside most of the albergues is about 20C with only a few very very basic ones lacking heating but a bunch of weary people all sleeping in the same room has a warming effect anyway.
Without my UA-cam camera gear, drone etc my entire backpack with 500ml of water is 3.4kg which shows you can get by on a LOT less than you originally think and if you desperately need something you didn’t take, there is a big town within a few days where you can buy it 😊.
My main tip would be in the last week before you go, and you get the idea to add something into your pack “just in case” …..don’t do it 😊😊
Hello i will do my Camino France in September do i need to book my accommodations a head 💩?
September is a busy time so there could be a few pinch points where it’s worth booking ahead, although things are much easier if you are not staying in the guidebook towns.
It’s worth booking St Jean and possibly Roncesvalles or Burgette if you can walk 30 minutes more after Roncesvalles. This would mean you can then possibly manage to walk past Zubiri which often becomes fully booked.
The last week after Sarria can also be challenging at times.
There are no issues in the middle as long as you don’t stick to the main stages all the time. 😊
Why do you say May and Sept are peak months? Why not June July August when the Spanish are all around? I'm surprised to hear that.
I picked up a graph this year showing the number of pilgrims leaving st jean, passing g through Leon and lastly getting a compostela in Santiago. Something has changed in the last few years where May and September have really spiked (up by +30%) each year.
There are a lot of tours coming from
Asia which account for some of that, and many of those are pre-booking months and months in advance.
@@NickLivingLife Hi Nick, the Pilgrims office issues good stats through their web site. The numbers of Pilgrims arriving to SdC in 2023 has reduced by 25% July over June. Might be that visitors are diverting from the Camino due to heat and/or fear of the influx of Spanish. The number of Spanish do pick up in July; Spanish pilgrims increase by 20% while non-Spanish decrease by 54% (July over June.) Anyway, I will not walk in Spain in the summer months. My preference is Sept / Oct, and historically not that crowded. certainly, something i can deal with. Cheers, Buen Camino
That’s interesting, so it looks like many are starting in St Jean in May but not making it to Santiago unless they are now counting that in the June figures?
Huge tours from South Korea are occurring in May and September as culturally people from there do not like the sun and it’s effects on the skin. In early May Roncesvalles was full with many people outside confused what to do. It was easy though as a short further walk to Burgette or in my case Espinal revealed plenty of bed options. I continued walking through June and into early July and it got quieter and quieter. In late June I was walking the Meseta in reverse so I could see almost all pilgrims for that day as they passed me, but of course I wouldn’t see anyone that skipped the Meseta by bus or train.
I also start walking a little bit later too so if it is busy, they are generally a good distance ahead of me for most of the day so it’s nice and quiet 😊. Hoping you have a beautiful Camino 👍😊