I have been working through my previous Caminos, creating content for my YouTube channel (plug, plug!!) and I have just finished creating a video from my Camino Finisterre in 2016. I can’t believe that was 4 years ago. Fun fact – I actually planned to walk this in May 2016 but I broke my toe the previous November which caused me to postpone my flights for a few extra months. And this was the first time I walked in September – I haven’t looked back since.

Even though it is such a short Camino, it is beautiful in it’s own right. Many pilgrims walk to Finisterre in 3 days and myself and my brother did this in 2019 (although 4 days is probably more advisable). In 2016, I walked over 5 days as I wanted to stretch the experience out.

The highlight of the Camino for me was reaching the plateau before Cee. I had climbed for almost 20 minutes and was beginning a desent of 1000 metres. I arrived at Finisterre the next day and watched the sun set that evening. I received nothing but friendliness, smiles and good wishes from the Galician people.

Please watch the below video and consider subscribing to my channel as I will be uploading more content in the future.

Read my daily dairy from the Camino Finisterre 2016 here

16 days to go. Blimey!

Is it right to not be prepared with such little time? This is Camino #6 now so I should really be a veteran at this stage? I look at my rucksack….empty..and my gear lying on the floor. The said gear should be in the aforementioned rucksack. Also, I have a number of questions whizzing through my head. What should I do when I arrive in Santiago? Am I fit enough? Am I walking this for a particular reason? Meh..I’m a worrier..I always have been..maybe a few hours sitting in Muxia will sort that out, who knows?

The flight leaves Dublin at 1.00pm and I arrive in Santiago at 4.20pm Spanish time (Damn you Europeans..why do you steal us Irish of an hour?!) A quick bus trip will leave me at Praza de Galicia and after a slow 5 minute walk, I arrive at my base for the first night, Hospideria San Martin Pinario (google maps). San Martin Pinario is an pretty unique albergue in the centre of Santiago. It caters for tourists and pilgrims alike. Pilgrims rooms cost €23 per person including breakfast. Plus, it is right next to the cathedral. Ideal.

After I fling off my pack, I will take to the small winding streets of Santiago, while bagpipes play around me. Plaza de Obradoiro and the Cathedral is a must (google maps). If you hang around here for a while and take in the surrounding, you will meet pilgrims finish their own Caminos. There’s a great sense of joy and accomplishment when you reach Santiago. Many pilgrims will decide to return home to their respective countries the day following or soon after, while others will walk further westwards to the coast like myself. My next port of call will be Cafe Casino on Rua do Vilar (google maps), a place I have been to twice before. It serves a fab cerveza, vino or tapas. That said, there are so many different places to eat and drink in Santiago that you are spoilt for choice. Other recommendations include Café Literarios on Praza da Quintana de Vivos and A Taberna do Bispo on Rua Franco. The good thing about Hospideria San Martin Pinario is there is no curfew so there is no rush to return before the doors are closed (it has nearly happened before!!)

I will be carrying 2 scallop shells with me this year. One is for Denise Thiem. While I won’t be walking the route for her, I will have her in my mind. You can drop in shells to The Pilgrim House on Rua Nova (google maps) where Faith & Nate can take it from you and deliver it to a monument outside of Astorga. The second shell is for my uncle who recently passed away. I hope to leave it in Muxia. He had great interest in my Caminos and often asked if I had plans to walk in the near future. So in a way, these few days will be dedicated to him. Other than that, I aim to better my Spanish and enjoy the culture, although in Galicia not many people speak Castilian Spanish.

The question of being fit enough has been answered long enough. No! I laugh when I say that. (hashtag lazy!) I don’t think I have walked more than 10kms since I returned from Molinaseca in May 2015. Actually, no…I walked 26kms in March of this year. That said, I am happy with my gear, especially with my shoes and once I get going, I should be fine. I love that optimistic attitude I have 🙂

I arrive back to Santiago on the 7th and hope to see a little more of the city, and meet some friends hopefully. The great Alameda Park (google maps) deserves a visit again, while there is a Mass in English in the Cathedral at 10.30am. That’s something that I may do. On the other hand, I may just return to my favourite haunt, the Cafe Casino and read up on Camino #7.

So my Camino Finistere has been planned – the flights have been booked – I have an idea where to stay where I arrive in Santiago on the 1st of September. I’m getting the hang of putting a Camino together, eh? But I always find putting together the packing list the most fun part. I mean you could have walked 10 Caminos, but you will always have the temptation to try something new. If it works, excellent! If it doesn’t, so be it.

With 5 months to go before my short trip, I can’t see what I will carry changing drastically. I am keeping the same backpack. I have bought a new sleeping bag with next year’s Camino Ingles in mind and I have a new Montane wind jacket which works a treat. I have however made a few changes bearing in mind that I am not checking in my backpack. So I will need to abide by the 100ml liquid rule. I hope to have a lighter pack this time around as I will be away for 8 days. My previous trips have exceeded 2 weeks. So during the Easter break I bought a few things taking into account the 100ml rule and where I will be walking.

• Dr. Bronner’s All Purpose Soap Bar

Since I decided not to check my bag in, I knew that I would need to replace the Lifeventure liquid soap that I had been using for the last 3-4 years. Now 50ml (pictured) would be too little to carry for washing your body and clothes, but Dr. Bronner’s soap bar, cut in half, is perfect. Now, I just hope the smell is not overpowering!

• Bart’s Basic Beanie

The weather in Galicia throughout the month September is unpredictable to say the least. You could be on the tail end of a rainstorm, while the sun could be super-nice to you the next day. So I will bring along a beanie. This only cost me €10. This is a departure of sorts for me as I have always been a fan of the traditional baseball hat along with a buff around the neck. I think I’ll pass on them for this trip but the next time I’m wandering over the meseta I’ll go back to the baseball hat.

• Adventure Medical Kits Blister Medic

Ok, so some of you may think there is not much of a difference between the Medical Kit and the Compeed brand. And you may be right! However, I have been unfortunate enough to receive blisters in 2012 and last year. Compeed has never worked for me, so I’ve moved onto Plan B – Moleskin. If this doesn’t work, it’s back to Compeed. However, I feel confident enough that I won’t get any. And this leads me to my next purchase.

• Smartwool Men’s Hike Ultra Light Crew

Aha, the dreaded sock conundrum! I have tried every brand known to man at this stage, but I seem to have issues – whether it be blisters or pains in the ball of my feet. After May of last year, I wanted to move away from the 1000 mile sock, so I chose the well-recommended Bridgedale Speed Demon ankle sock. I thought “ok..I’ll try these” but after a 20km walk, I had a lot of pain on the base of my feet. It could be a shoe problem though? Possibly! So I decided to by a pair of Smartwood socks to find out if it is. Maybe I just need more protection on those protection points?

• Osprey Washbag Carry-on

And lastly (but probably not the last before I leave in September), I added this handy wash bag to the kit. In the last 4-5 years, I have usually put my toiletries in a dry bag along with my quick dry towel, and you can generally get away with that. However, as I will carry on my backpack, I want to be a little more organised. So I would recommend this.

So that’s it for this shopping spree. Time to put the credit card away for a little while longer. In the next few weeks, I hope to talk about packing lists in more detail.