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Roaming Charges and How to Avoid Them - UK Pilgrims

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New Albergue Opens in Ferrol - Camino Ingles

A brand new Municipal albergue has opened in Ferrol, it has 70 beds and costs 8 euros a night. This is an important addition to the Camino Ingles and will no doubt boost pilgrims numbers on a route that is growing in popularity.

Ferrol Albergue

Spanish Public Holidays

It can be handy to keep an eye out for Spanish public holidays when walking a Camino in Spain. Shops are often closed during a national holiday…bars and restaurants stay open though, so all is not lost! Here’s a link to a handy holiday date tracker:

Spanish hols

10% Discount at a Great Santiago Based Albergue

Camino Accommodation Recommendations

Albergue Seminario Menor - 24 euros for a single room

Since I found a discount for it, I thought I should tell you all about this lovely albergue.

The reception staff are super helpful and beds are available from 1:30pm onwards. They also have details of the bus to the airport (which is super cheap at 1 euro) in reception, with the bus stop not far from the albergue.

A bed in the dorm room is 20 euros, or for 4 euros more you get your own private room. The communal bathrooms are single sex and thankfully there are enough to go round.

Single rooms are basic, but clean and come with bed linen and your own sink and mirror - private pampering time ahoy!

There is a communal kitchen and shop downstairs in the basement, plus a seating area where pilgrims tend to hang out.

For me, this is a must-stay albergue that is a perfect place for solo travelers. The only slight drawback is the 00:30 curfew. So if you want to stay out late in Santiago post-Camino, you may want to find an albergue with a later curfew.

Santiago can get busy, so I prefer to book ahead with this albergue. It can be booked direct via their website or through booking.com, but it is always best to check their own website first as they have more rooms available there.

Camino Reflections - Facing Your Fears

In the run up to my recent Camino Ingles trip, life away from the Camino had been busy, work, preparing to move home and rushing to post another long form YouTube video before I departed.

Due to these frenetic weeks leading up to my departure date, the normal pre-Camino nerves hadn’t materialised. I started to wonder if I’d finally hit the magic number of Caminos and the nerves had gone for good?! Could I now look forward to nerves being replaced with a serene, nirvana like calm. Anxiety free me could now show up as Super Chilled Pilgrim Man, oozing confidence, unfazed by bed races or murmurings of bed bug outbreaks 😎

Cut to me in bed, night before I fly, brain firing into action as I try to sleep, ‘have I packed a travel adaptor? Where do I get my first stamp in Ferrol, remember that time you forgot to get a stamp in St Jean! What if I don’t like this route? I swear I’ve forgotten something!’

On and on, and round and round it churned inside my head, until I finally drifted off into a fitful sleep. I awoke with a start before my alarm…thinking about that damn travel adaptor! Side note, I had forgotten to pack it 😂

Why did I decide to write about my nerves and fears, shouldn’t I be over those now I have a Camino YT channel and write a newsletter? Me of old, pre-Camino discovery, would have used that as a stick to beat myself with ‘How can you talk about Caminos to people if you still get nervous before you go? And why are you writing about it and sending it off to people’s inboxes!?’

Well, here’s why. We all get nervous, some more than others. The beauty of the Camino, especially when compared to other long-distance routes, is that it attracts a wide cross section of people. Some come with miles under their belts, oozing confidence, and hard-won experience, whereas others arrive scared and unsure if their bodies will be able to carry them all the way to Santiago. The Camino welcomes all, and that is why I have such an affection for it and encourage everyone and their dog to try it.

Young, old, the fit and not so fit, can all be found walking on Camino. This diversity leads to encounters with all sorts of interesting, beautiful people. I would also argue that the unknowns of the Camino often place us in a vulnerable state, which can lead to deeper conversations and connections. I’m yet to find alternative walks/trails/pilgrimage routes, that deliver this kind of deep connection with others.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that nerves before a trip aren’t a sign you can’t do it. Like Susan Jeffers famously wrote, ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’. A Camino calls on us to face our nerves and doubts, and overcome them…one step at a time.

Think about the nerves you experienced before you started a new job, went on a first date, or decided to start something you thought would be oh so bloody difficult. It ain’t a nice feeling, is it. But it doesn’t mean you don’t do it…even though at the time you may fantasise about being free of it forever! Next time you walk, look at the faces of your fellow pilgrims on the first day, you’ll see the collective nerves and excitement - seeing this should help you realise you’ll never walk alone on Camino.

The beauty of a Camino is that you get to experience so many emotions, a bundle of positive ones, but also occasional tough ones. For the new pilgrim you’ll be hit with a multitude of unknowns, which can be daunting. Fears about connecting with others, and not finding a bed and having to sleep under the stars. Conversely, the experienced pilgrim can be hit with different fears, will this finally be the year my Camino experience isn’t as special, what if I don’t meet amazing people again or is this the year those pesky bed bugs finally take a bite out of me and hitch an unwanted ride in my gear 😱.

Fears are a part of life, and having spent years trying to sidestep them, I thankfully know they are not a sign I should stop lacing up my boots and walking Caminos.

You’ve got this far, so here’s my final ten pence worth, should you want it. Be brave and lean into the experience, embrace the vulnerability, and try to show your authentic self if you can - both on Camino and when you get home. Some days will be easier than others, and that’s okay. Just keep putting one foot front in of the other and you’ll get there when you get there

Buen Camino.