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It was a very long time ago now... but serves as a great memory of Lee & Shelley dancing together!

Cheers Ciaran! I am planning to walk the Camino Finisterre next year with my eldest daughter (aged 9), just to she how she copes with the distance and hills. A 3/4 day walk might take her 7! 😅 After that, I'm aiming to do one of the Portuguese routes from Porto - ideally all in one trip if I can!

@@ColmMcCann ah brilliant. Happy planning and cheers again👍

Thank you very much! No, I live near Belfast in the north - though everything here is within a 7hr drive at the most! 😄

TOTALLY soaked to the skin - but at least the clothing was light so it wasn't much added weight being wet!

This was late-August 2023! Very, very dry and weather warnings for the heat too!

Sometimes I still need convinced that I did actually walk it all... it feels like it was someone else taking all the steps westwards! 😟

@@ColmMcCann Yes, it is incredible to think what we achieved: what we can do when we have a goal and are focused.

I know what you mean! Thankfully this was in March so darkness came very early! Still one of my favourite cities on the Camino!

😂 it is a walk/hike across Spain! Religion can have everything or nothing to do with it depending on your personal views! (There may well be a few Cults along the route too! 😅)

Cheers Justy! You'll enjoy it! Take it easy, relax into it. Stop when you need to, eat when you can and enjoy the vino in measures amounts! (Walking with a hangover wouldn't be fun!)

@@ColmMcCann thanks Colm Then we'll do one together

@@justincurranofficial5351 sounds like a plan in the making!

The variety of fauna along the way is amazing if we take the time to notice and are both quiet and gentle enough.

It definitely has! And it made it ever sweeter... despite it being my first arrival into Santiago, I felt like an old Pro who'd already walked 5 or 6 Caminos! I guess I learnt a lot about long distance walking, my own body (and how to look after it) across the years it took to complete this journey. Hopefully I can take that learning and use it to make future Caminos more enjoyable! 😀

@@ColmMcCann About a family trip. Wouldn't the last 100k be just right? From Sarria? Getting a Compostella and all.There are also child friendly campsites with cabins, pool and playground etc.

@priskawillumsen1333 We're looking at doing the Camino Finisterre, starting from Santiago. It will likely take my eldest daughter the full week to walk what would normally be a 3 or 4 day distance!

She'll still get a certificate at the end of it too! 😃

@@ColmMcCann Well and that's just the beginning....the first walk. Buen Camino for many more 🌅

A short one - The Camino Finisterre - but likely with at least one child in tow. It may mean a hike that should only take 3/4 days becomes 7! 😅

🤣😂🤣 once I start it can be hard to shut me up! 🤣

There are a number of "alternative" routes that you can take while walking the Camino Francés. Some are longer / shorter than the 'traditional' route, some will lead you to particular churches or religious places, and some are just more of a challenge for seasoned/stronger hikers.

In this case it was a route out of Boadilla del Camino where there are a couple of options - walk along the main road, walk along the overgrown side of the river, or take the farm road that runs parallel to the riverside path. The main road is longer (not sure by how much but would esitmate about 8 or 9km), and I would guess that the riverside and farm path routes are roughly the same at just under 6km.

@@ColmMcCann thank you, I can see in the map that is before Fromista. buen camino!

No, not really! But it does help to pick up a few phrases or at least know some key words as older Spaniards may not speak any other language. But there have been many evenings where I've enjoyed a meal which has had the conversation made up of bits and pieces of a whole range of languages - Spanish, French, Italian, Croatian, Russian, Chinese, Korean... and English. But knowing how to ask for a coffee in the morning does help! 😁 And some short phrases will become familiar as you use them everyday (Buen Camino / Buenas Dias / Café con leche etc). Don't let not having Spanish put you off doing the Camino!

No, not from Lidl 😆 but still only around £20 as I've always had them taken off me when flying out of Madrid - but this time I flew out of Santiago and they went through Security without and issue at all! I was only flying with handluggage.

@@ColmMcCann Great stuff. Cheers👍

Obrigado novamente! Ultreya et Suseya!!!

Thank you for this! I know from other vlogs that the route does change or gets redeveloped over the years (I've often wondered why the early pilgrims would have taken some of the more difficult terrains when simpler, more direct routes were visible)! I do recall hearing about one-off incidents along the Camino - scary and disturbing nonetheless for those planning to walk.

Obrigado!

Cheers! The secluded location of it really helps to set it off! It was also a very pleasant surprise for it to be as nice as it was. I can't wait to go back and be able to spend more time at some of the places I have passed through!

​@@ColmMcCann I stopped at the Samos Monastery Pilgrim accomodation a month ago and it had a bed bug problem. Found out through the volunteer looking after it. The monks at Samos had just told her to spray a bit of fly spray and reopen.

@steveclayton4249 REALLY glad I didn't think of staying there then! I always hoped doing the Camino so early in the season would significantly reduce the chance of encountering those little devils!

Cheers Ciaran! There were 9 beds (8 as bunk beds and 1 single) in our room which was set above the bar/restaurant. It was a normal albergue price of around 12-15 €uro. There was only 1 male and 1 female bathroom to cater for 2 rooms of pilgrims which wasn't as bad as it could have been. The food was a restaurant menu, so not a group meal, but it was very tasty! Hardest part was drying washing as it is so high up in the hill that things just didn't seem to dry properly. I was glad I stayed there and didn't force myself to keep going on to O'Cebreiro which was a bit of a disappointment to pass through so early in the morning.

@@ColmMcCann Thanks. No, I might be back there again in a couple of yrs and that'd be the place. I'm heading back to SJPdP in sept with a couple of friends for 3 wks and if it goes ok, we could be back to finish it in 2025. My wife and I did St. Jean to Logroño in apr. 2022 and spent last sept going to Santiago. We generally got a private room but not every night. La Faba didn't fit into either category I'm afraid. No lock on our door, cold water in the 1 single bathroom. That said, the food was great, but I'd rather not be going back😊 Best wishes and looking forward to your remaining journey. Buen Camino👍

It is on here too! ruclips.net/video/qESYZWepcbE/видео.html I didn't stop in Astorga but rather opted to keep walking from Santibañez to Castrillo de los Polvazares! 😁

Ah! I see what you meant now! Apologies, it wasn't listing correctly in the Playlist but is hopefully fixed now! 😁

@@ColmMcCann Great, thanks and happy days on the trail (o:

Cheers Liam!

Cheers Justy! Very different to the planned shoots I normally have but still fun to edit!

I prep by doing the little things... cut out as much sugar from my diet as I can, do little stretching and strengthening exercises for my ankles and calf muscles, and keep an eye on the weather patterns. I don't really walk long distances for 4 or 5 hours or anything as I don't have the time with a young family and work. With your hikes with the dog, you're probably as ready as you'll ever be to do it!

I hope it lives up to expectations! Thankfully I will make it to Santiago by the end of this batch! (Still editing them all!)

It is a long slog uphill. But the views are worth it if it is a clear sky!

Thank you April!

I would agree with you but I am biased! 😆

We all know there will be! Just need a time that suits everyone and to book the weather again!

Thanks Sean! Yes, I guess the one benefit from doing it bit by bit is that I have been able to learn and prepare better to avoid problems, like blisters, or deal with them effectively early on. I am excited to finish this route in June and I am already eyeing up my next Camino! I do consider myself addicted!

I think that is a clear message we're just getting older! Haha! I can't wait to walk it all again and see how things have changed (or not) and if I can manage it better!

I think we were driving that fine line between the two counties! I think the drone was in one county while I was standing in the other! 😅 Happy to be corrected! Still a beautiful part of Ireland none the less.

Fair enough... just moved to a cottage by Glenade Lake so maybe I am sensitive about the borders :) you are a very talented videographer@@ColmMcCann

It was surprisingly enjoyable even though it was a long hard day of walking. I think, as humans, we sometimes need monotony to help us truly switch off our brains and look inside ourselves. That can be hard when we are so easily distracted and always looking for the next thing... but long stretches of safe, traffic-free paths can help us to stop concentrating on the physical Camino and give us time to think about the greater Camino we are all on.

@@ColmMcCann Totalmente de acuerdo contigo. Un 👋

I totally agree with you! There are quite a few places I wish I had spent longer in, and I hope to do so when I walk the whole of the Camino Frances again. It just hasn't been financially viable to take the journey as slow as I probably should to truly experience everything the route has to offer, and to check out all the detour opportunities. Simply means I HAVE to go back! 😁

@@ColmMcCann I totally get you. I have to do it in 2 week chunks also but St. Jean to Logrono I'd do over and over again. I 'm totally besotted with Navara.

Colm, you mentioned doing the Camino del Norte. When?

PS. I, along with my brother, completed our Camino on the 26th of September last year. Were you on the trail at this time? Thank you, Colm for your beautifully produced videos.

@johnnicholson405 no, unfortunately I wasn't, I was only able to get back in late August for a week (during a heatwave) but it was worth it. I have plans in place to reach Santiago this year but want to go back and continue walking to Finisterre and Muxía too before I start another Camino. It is great to have family or friends join you and for them to understand the draw of the experience!

Hi Peter! Great to meet a fellow pilgrim! I will definitely pop over to your channel as I hope yo do the Portuguese Way next with my eldest daughter who is dying to do a Camino. I hope to get back to Spain at some point in 2024 - hopefully long enough to at least get to Santiago, but I won't consider myself finished until I've continued to Finisterre and Muxia. Bom Caminho to you!

@@ColmMcCann Fantastic. The Portuguese Way is much quieter. I loved it. The Frances appears to get crowded in sections from what I see in videos. I am doing the Portuguese Way is sections since I don’t have enough time to walk it all in one shot. I’ve now completed the sections from Lisbon to Coimbra and also from Coimbra to Porto. I’m thinking of doing the relatively unknown Algarve Way section from the most Southern tip of Portugual next, then my final section will be from Porto to Santiago. I hope to complete these two next year. Keep on walking my friend. You’re Camino is never finished even when you get to Finisterre and Muxia… there is always more Camino’s to walk. Bom Camino!

Not sure what that means! 😆 if it is to do with the PromoSM platform then I'm not interested in promotion for my channel! Buy thank you for considering it worthy to bring to wider attention of the public!

I really didn't expect parts of it to be as rough as they were! Really brought me back to Alto del Perdón and the descent there that wrecked me - so this time I was very careful to take it slowly, safely and (where possible) use the flat roads despite the longer walk in some parts. BUT it also felt very adventurous, especially on the final sections leading down to Molinaseca 🤠

It certainly is, I came over in November in the poring rain , coming down that path was treacherous, like walking in a shallow stream, it took 4 hours to pick our way down , I wish we'd taken the road, but didn't know we could . Great video Buen Camino

@seanclark2085 thank you Sean!

I hope you had a great night there! 😁

Depends on what you like/don't like! 😁 The track is by a Scandinavian musician, who also has quite a following! I thought is sounded quite earthy and traditional - but each to their own! I quite like it, hence using it, and I've definitely heard a lot worse in my years of playing and teaching music.

This is a question that I have thought long and hard about... and I am not sure I still have an answer! I knew about the Camino from students and friends first and knew I would like to do it some day. But the push to actually start walking came from my wife who allowed me the time away from a young family on my own to get the headspace and take on the physical challenge... and to actually just book flights and go while I was still physically able... granted she did not realise how long it would take, but she has been great support. I do wish she would do it with me, as it is an experience that I would love to share with her, but for now she is happy to hold the Fort at home when I am away for a few days of walking each time.

@@ColmMcCann Yes Camino takes a strange hold. I was part of a group of friends who walked the last 115km in May 2016. I knew nothing about it before I started the walk from Sarria - had not read about it or seen The Way!! Not even religious. … but having done the walk and enjoyed walking so much myself and my wife have since walked several long walks/hikes in Australia, New Zealand and Argentina because walking and slow tourism is so enjoyable. Last year I walked alone from Burgos to Sarria and this year we walked from Pau in France to Burgos. So I fallen well and truly under the spell of the Camino and next April we plan to do the Portuguese Coastal. Keep on walking!! Buen Camino … Graham

I am already lining up future Caminos too! My eldest daughter wants to hike one, so I may do the Portuguese with her, or only the last 100kms from somewhere to ease her in (she is still very young). It is definitely a strange hook on the soul when it just keeps pulling you back to walk time and time again!

Oooh... a blanket under is a great idea! Must keep that in mind when I go back! I tried using compeed when I first started the Camino but they made my feet worse. For this trip I pre-bought some moleskin tape off Amazon (couldn't find it in a pharmacy in Spain - and was something that got lost in translation!) which I held in place with some KT tape - the next evening the tape came off in the shower, along with the moleskin and thread through the blister and it was done! Didn't have another the rest of the hike!

I use the plastic ones as they weigh very, very little once empty! They also contract with the pressure when I drink from the drinking tube, which would problematic with a solid container. I can also crush the plastic ones down to conserve space too. But you are right - I do need to get some form of insulation for the drinking tube at least. I tend to drink it quickly enough that the water doesn't get warm... only issue is when the water is not nice to drink, the tiniest bit of heat can make it taste 100x worse!

To be fair, sometimes places being closed on Sundays isn't a bad thing if you are able to prep but yes, at times it can be a pain! 🤣 You do get used to siestas over time, and to be honest I was literally trying to do the same thing - walk early, hide from the midday heat and get a quick nap in before dinner and an early night... didn't always work though. Can't beat home though! Even on a wet day it can still be the best place on earth!

On this journey I used only a DJI Action 4, with a foam deadcat cover I had bought for a GoPro. It didn't give me the flexibility I normally had but it is much smaller and easier to carry. The previous videos were shot on a Canon M50 with a tiny Rode mic. I edit using Premiere now as my new phone isn't capable of processing the 4K files. 1080 files would probably suffice really (and save on memory space) but I'm trying to future proof these videos so I can look back on them when I am old and unable to walk!

Always a good bit of craic! 🤣

Thank you! It truly is a gem on our doorsteps! Hopefully the Woodland Trust's work enhances the area in the year to come!

I really wish I'd found it. I'm not even sure how I missed it, or maybe there aren't really signs for it but boy did I hate that inital stretch coming into Burgos!

Thank you very much! I will be back there in August 2023 for another week - though I'm having to be careful how far I walk so as to ensure I can make it back on time for my flight. I may keep it short and only walk as far as Ponferrada which is only around 100kms, but will mean I really don't have far to go to Santiago!

@@ColmMcCann I will definitely be watching your progress on the next section to Ponferada in August. I think that 100Kms from Leon to Ponferada is one of the most beautiful - and next time you are out for the final push you will have the BEST over O’Cebreiro! I start my Camino from SJPdP at the end of August. Buen Camino

@@user-lv5il4zy7z You too Ann! Buen Camino! (I'll get more drone footage when it is safe to do so... it is illegal to fly in cities in Spain and I'm a responsible pilot! lo!)