I need to buy a new pair of shoes soon as my current pair are a little run down. I embark on the Kerry Camino in May. And there is no better place for hiking shoes/boots than the Great Outdoors on Dublin’s George’s Street. I usually buy shoes at the start of the year and they last me 12-18 months.

My preferred brand is Salomon. I have worn shoes from North Face, Colombia, Meindl, and Merrell, but Salomon X Ultra GTX is the most comfortable for me so far. There are people that can walk a full Camino with a pair of €20 tennis shoes or even sandals(!) however I would prefer not to take my chances having experienced blisters and sore muscles on previous Caminos.

Here are just a few tips before you consider buying a pair of new shoes/boots:

1. Be sure what you need. What is the type of terrain of the route you are taking? Is it flat or rocky with ascents and descents or a mixture? Are boots really needed?
2. What season will you be walking in? If you are walking in March or April, you may need to choose boots instead of shoes. If you are walking in Summer, boots might be too heavy.
3. Practice, practice, practice. When you buy your shoes/boots, wear them as much as possible, break them in, get used to them. They will be your best friends on the Camino.
4. Buy a 1/2 a size extra. On the Camino when you walk, your feet will expand due to heat so the extra space is helpful.
5. Talk to an assistant in the store and have your feet fitted. Listen to the advice. Try on as many shoes/boots as you can. It’s probably a good idea to buy insoles with them too. Superfeet is a good brand.

So have you any stories or advice you want to share about buying footwear? Let me know in the comments!

So now Christmas and 2013 are both well and truly over, we can look forward to 2014. Four days into the new year, I haven’t come to terms with that one extra digit after 13 and when writing dates, I am still writing 04/01/2013. I’ll get used to it soon.

Anyhow, today was a good day. Ever since I made up my mind of going back to Spain, I have been quietly planning but today I visited town and bought a few things. The Great Outdoors is a fab store to visit if you want to buy clothes, accessories and footwear to wear outside of the home for walking, trekking, or whatever. They have some great staff too. Receiving vouchers over the Christmas period was enough for me to pay a visit. I haven’t walked down Grafton Street in a while but it is still crowded, filled with people taking advantage of the post-Christmas sales. 

I bought a decent pair of shoes, Colombia Peakfreak Enduro. Not the shoe I was looking for but I was tempted into buying them based on the fit and also from advise from a guy working there who happened to walk the Camino twice before. I just need to get used to them and break them in. My North Face Hedgehogs have served me well over the last number of years but I needed to say goodbye to them. 

I also bought a lightweight Snugpak sleeping bag, another brand I was recommended. The bag I brought in May was far too big and very awkward to put in it’s sack in the early hours of the morning. Hopefully this will save some space.

I booked my flights to Biarritz and from Bilbao on Thursday and all I need to do now is find some where to stay in St Jean Pied de Port. I think I will wait until I arrive there as I hear the small town is not short of cheap rooms, bed and breakfasts and albergues. Next on the list is to get walking again.

Before I finish up, I spotted this man on Grafton Street on my way home. Quite a few people were looking on, scratching their heads in bemusement, including myself for a while.

There is a secret behind this levitation. You can read up how he conjures up this “magic” here.