Try to let go

📰 News

• How to do a Camino-style pilgrimage on a £50 budget

• Cornwall’s very own Camino: walking the St Michael’s Way

• Pre Camino jitters - What do you wish you had worried less about?

👍 Recommended Gear I Used This Last Year

This month’s Camino Hacks gear tip may seem a bit obvious because it’s such an easy lightweight addition to your pack. But, on the off chance you don’t know this gear hack.

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the humble:

Yes, that’s right, a simple clothes peg.

On a morning, you might use your travel towel to dry your face, but that leaves you with a wet towel you don't want to pack away damp. Simply use the clothes pegs to fasten the towel to your backpack and it'll be bone dry before you know it.

I've also tried using this method for drying socks and pants while walking, though I did get a few odd looks from pilgrims as I passed with my drying pants hanging off my backpack 😂

You only need to take two clothes pegs with you on Camino, which will add zero weight to your pack.

A pack of 24 pegs cost $5.50 US (£4.39).

Some options also come with a portable clothesline, should you be staying somewhere that doesn’t have one.

Or, take 2 from home and save yourself some more pennies.

🏡 Camino Accommodation Recommendations

Albergue Cidade de Barcelos – Camino Portuguese

This donativo albergue is situated in Barcelos on the Portuguese central Camino, which is around 2 days walk from Porto.

Despite an unassuming exterior, I was pleasantly surprised upon entering. Inside, this little albergue had everything a pilgrim could need.

There are 3 dorm rooms to choose from, a central reception area, bathrooms, showers*, and a patio area with a kitchen at the back that’s perfect for whipping up a quick meal.

Let me share a cautionary tale about this albergue's showers, so you don't experience the same embarrassment I did. The windowless shower room has a motion-sensor light – a not very sensitive sensor it turns out. Imagine the scene: I'm mid-shower, lathered up, and then... it's pitch black! Panic sets in as I blindly wave my soapy arms about, hoping to trigger the sensor. It felt like a lifetime to get the lights to come back on and my composure along with them. My tip - wave your arms about occasionally, or get in and out quickly 😂

This albergue is a donativo and pilgrims contribute what they can afford for their overnight stay. Donativos are vital to the spirit and magic of Camino, and to ensure their survival, a reasonable contribution from each guest is important. Please remember, "donativo" doesn't mean free.

You can book a bed, but rest assured they keep half of the beds back for walk-ins on the day.

Letting go on Camino

Have you ever strived for something, a big goal you’ve set yourself, a new job or maybe a relationship with a particular person, only to fall short and be left disappointed?

The Camino is littered with moments like this, from the minor inconvenience of finding all the beloved bottom bunks have been taken to debilitating injuries caused by the reckless pursuit of a desired destination.

Don't despair and cancel your plans just yet. Wanting a desired outcome is natural. The human brain is a prediction machine, working out the odds based on previous experience and calculating what you need to do to achieve your goal.

But by desiring a rigid outcome, you run the risk of being disappointed if life offers you an alternative  – you can be left feeling like you’ve failed, when there really wasn’t anything to fail at.

The pursuit of goals is not a bad thing, goals can give direction and help focus you on what matters most. On Camino, you could only have a set number of days to reach Santiago, or limited funds to live off. Distance and spending goals in these instances are helpful guiding lights. However, every day on the Camino will present moments where what you want and what you get differ. What matters in these instances is how you react when the outcome is not what you aimed for.

To not be ruled by goals, you must first loosen your grip on a set outcome. If the thought of letting go seems too difficult a task, know that the Camino is the perfect arena in which to test these new waters.

Some days on Camino will be easier than others to let go of things.

Your tummy rumbles as you yearn to find fresh pastries at the town's café, only to be greeted by yesterday's stale offerings. Disappointing, but you’ll get over it. You walk 30+ kms to a town with only one albergue, and it’s full. Now you have another 5+kms added to your journey. You must try to greet them both with acceptance, and in this acceptance, you can then work out what is best for yourself. To eat the stale croissant or turn your nose up and move on. To see the completo sign and walk onto the next town, to rest or grab a taxi.

When you're open to change on the Camino, it can often lead to unexpected, beautiful outcomes. The next albergue you walk to has an old friend you’ve not seen on trail in days, someone you would have missed had your plans not changed. You turn your nose up at the stale pastry, walk to the next café, then are greeted by a kind owner, so pleased to see a pilgrim.

Many experienced pilgrims will tell you ‘The Camino provides’ and I’m inclined to agree. Be open to all the possibilities the Camino provides you, even if they weren’t what you originally planned for.

Buen Camino