Remaining updates for Sutton Coldfield “ Rambleros”.
“ To Be A Pelegrino “
Update VII

“ Miles Away, But Closer Every Day” – with no thanks to Iberia Express!
CHANGE TO FLIGHT DETAILS
Thanks and well done to you all for reacting to the flight change alert. Hopefully, the only glitch we have to overcome ! 😇
Thanks to Rob Halley for making me aware of it.
We shall need to take the 07.00 Airport bus from Praza de Galicia, in S de C @ 07.00. A ten minute walk, on 13 th June.
An 800 metre walk, so suggest we leave San Martin de Pinario no later than 06.40. And for an unhindered departure, check out the night before.
Breakfast after check-in, at the airport?
Medication and First Aid
Caterina has suggested that anyone with any “ condition”, makes her aware,by contacting her on “ccattel@gmail.com”.
This would be totally confidential between you and Caterina.
More on First Aid, in the next update.
Short, evocative video of the Camino.
What it’s really like.
“There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more”
-George Gordon Byron
Always walk your own Way!
TIP I
Make a photo copy of your passport main page, as ID may be required in some hotels – I have found my “ copy” to be acceptable 99% of the time ) – this means that you have the security of keeping your passport in your own, safe place. Generally , the hotel receptionist will accept just the passport of the the person making the booking i.e me….if not
then we have to go along with however many they request.
DINNERTIME
I am proposing that we book these meals ahead, in our hotels, where applicable. In a couple of places the hotel will be the only feasible venue; in the others,I have checked on their websites and “ reviews” of their provision – they all provide good, Galician Fayre.
A lot of pride is taken in their regional cooking.
I think this would save the bother of having to check out local restaurants, and/or assessing the viability of catering for 25 people.
Not something one wants to do after a day on the Camino.
Plus, the prices are very good value, ranging from €13 – €15.00, which usually includes a starter, main, dessert and drink.
I shall send out a Proforma for meal choices, separately, later this month, as the hotels need to know these, in advance of our arrival.
( Need Hannah’s expertise here! )
If, for whatever reason, anyone would prefer not to be included, please let me know ASAP.
Hopefully, we shall have arrived at our hotels, in plenty of time for recuperation,a walkabout,locally, as Vigo, Pontevedra, Caldas de Reis and Padron are all very interesting and totally different places.
When we reach Santiago, I am thinking of a group meal the first night,
in the atmospheric refectory in our hotel.
Second night,suggest going out for “tapas” – you can’t easily do that in groups of 25!
Last night, hopefully an early dinner 🥘.!
LUGGAGE TRANSFER WITH THE CORREOS-SPANISH P.OFFICE
Thanks to Penny, my sister, for organising this.
Great price of € 20.00 each for all transfers.
Bags must be at each hotel reception, by 08.00.
At the foot of this update is an attachment – the Correos luggage label . Plus a copy of mine – ignore “ money in envelope”.
Print it off and have it ready to attach to your case/bag on the morning of the 5th June – Please write our booking ref. on the top.
Booking Ref. VIL050618SAN01x25
Swimming Opportunities en Route.
06/06 Santo Apostolo – 10 minute walk to beach
08/06 Balneario Acuna- Pool and Spa opportunities
09/06 Hotel Scala – Swimming Pool.
Now that most of us have watched,or heard of,” Pilgrimage;The Road to Santiago”, BBC 2,there is still time to send to me your reasons, expectations and hopes for your camino – anonymity guaranteed – Go on, express yourself!
Benefits of Nordic Walking..( or any walking with poles )
Badges and Patches
Pipes being played near Cathedral, where we are staying – hope the weather’s better!
Walking Poles
A study by academics at Northumbria University has shown for the first time that trekking-poles help hikers maintain muscle function while significantly reducing soreness in the days following a hike.
In the study, 37 physically active men and women were split into two groups of equal fitness and asked to hike up and down Snowdon, the highest mountain in England and Wales.
One group was issued with and trained in the use of trekking poles while the other group made the climb unaided. Each group ate the same evening meal on the night before; they ate the same breakfast, carried similar weight in day packs and took the same scheduled rests during both the ascent and descent.
The participants’ heart rates and their personal perceived exertion ratings were recorded during the hike. Then, at the end of the hike, and at 24-, 48- and 72-hour intervals afterwards, muscle damage and function were assessed through a variety of tests.
The results showed that there was significantly less muscle soreness in the group using trekking poles. This group demonstrated a reduced loss of strength and a faster recovery immediately after the trek compared to the control group. Self-rated soreness peaked at 24-hours in both groups but was significantly lower in the trekking-pole group, both at this point and at the 48-hour point. In addition, levels of the enzyme creatine kinase (which indicates muscle damage) were much higher at the 24-hour point in the non-pole group, while the trekking-pole group’s levels were close to the pre-trekking levels. This shows that the muscle damage they were experiencing was negligible.
Pole manufacturers have suggested that trekking poles can reduce forces on lower-limb joints by as much as 25 %. However, the existing research has been restricted to the laboratory or to non-mountainous outdoor settings, such as running tracks, and has only focussed on biomechanical investigations into stress on the ankle, knee and hip. This is the first documented study into the effectiveness of trekking poles in the environments for which they were designed.
“The results present strong evidence that trekking poles reduce, almost to the point of complete disappearance, the extent of muscle damage during a day’s mountain trek,” says Dr Glyn Howatson, who conducted the study.
“Preventing muscle damage and soreness is likely to improve motivation and so keep people enjoying the benefits of exercise for longer. Perhaps even more advantageously, the combined benefits of using trekking poles in reducing load to the lower limbs, increasing stability and reducing muscle damage could also help avoid injury on subsequent days trekking. It is often the reduced reaction time and position sense, associated with damaged muscles that cause the falls and trips that can lead to further injury in mountainous or uneven terrain.
“These findings have particularly strong application for exercisers wishing to engage in consecutive days’ activity”.
Nb This is using TWO poles.
Book Recommendation
This is free on Kindle, for the next couple of days; walked with the author, last year – lovely guy.
“I think I may have missed the boat, for this..”?
Fitness Special—Hike Forever: Age 50-65 – Backpacker
This is a beautiful film
The first 156 Km of the Portuguese Camino, from Porto.
I have walked this and it brought back some great memories.
—————————————————————————————
Less than two months to departure time.
Hope everyone is looking forward to it.
As always, get in touch on any matter, large or small; or
anything I may not have covered.
Ultreia!
Regards and best,
John
Correos Luggage Transfer Label
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Penultimate Update ( 🤞🏽)
Beloved Iberia
The latest information:
If you have not already done so, you should open your most recent Booking Reference ( 10 th April or thereabouts).
Scroll down to the bottom of the page.
Ring 02 036 843 774 to “ regularise the issuance of your ticket”.
Insist that you want to talk to an agent.
Quote your booking reference and it should be quite straightforward.
We were also told that you could check in & print off a boarding pass, online, 24 hours before departure.
MENU CHOICES
Because we are a relatively large group, we need to give some of the hotels our menu choices, in advance.
Please indicate your choice of 1st and 2nd courses, and return to me by Friday, 25 th May.
Nb You cannot “ mix n match “ between choices.
Thanks to Hannah for making the following attachments.
HOTEL COSTA VERDE

HOTEL RIAS BAJAS

HOTEL SCALA

Below is a table giving basic information on dates, distances,destinations and breakfast provision.

HOTEL SANTO APOSTOLO REDONDELA
Because the arrangements with the above hotel were made directly and not via Booking.Com, full payment has to be made in advance of arrival .
Our arrangements there consist of evening meal, bed and breakfast.
I have already sent a 50% deposit and shall be sending the remainder before the end of the month, as required.
Therefore, I shall E-mail Pelegrinos, individually, with their bill, as payments differ, according to single,or shared room choices.
If you could send the amount before the end of the month, that would be most helpful.
Benefits of Walking: 8 Ways Walking Regularly Improves Your Health
Today’s Tip – Carpe Diem ? No….
You don’t have to “seize the day.”
You can wait patiently with open mind and heart for all the goodness the day may bring.
You don’t have to “keep your eyes on the prize.”
You can enjoy little side trips of discovery and delight.
You don’t have to “press onward and upward.”
You can stay in the valley and rest a while, where life is lush and green and tranquil.
You don’t have to endure “pain for gain.”
You can work slowly and steadily and achieve in your own time.
You don’t have to “be all that you can be.”
You can just—be.
CAMINO ROUTES BY POPULARITY
Top Camino routes – CaminoWays.com
BACK MARKERS
Hopefully,we can share this important role amongst us,during the Camino.
FIRST AID
There are pharmacies, wherever we stop and they are usually well stocked and helpful – anything you can obtain in the UK, too, or a suitable substitute.
We shall all have items that are “ peculiar” ( if that’s the right word ) to ourselves.
A general list of suggestions, not exhaustive.
hand cleaner
Antiseptic wipes
Compeed
A tube of antiseptic cream – Eg.Germolene
A variety of fabric plasters
Paracetomol.
Ibuprofen – you can get stronger ones in Spain.
Ibuprofen gel (for strains)
Dioralyte sachets
Small pair of scissors
Gel toe cap tube protectors – to prevent nail lifting.

BLISTERS
Some tips – check the inside of the boots to see if there is a problem there that has caused the blister.
Also, blisters on/between toes are usually because the boot is too tight there. Remove the laces and put them back but not using the first two or three sets of holes, this allows the boots to open at the front and flex at the toes. Alternatively make the laces really loose until the third or fourth eyelets and tie a half hitch knot at each one so that when the boot is tightened up the front section cannot tighten but remains loose. Don’t tie your boots over-tight, and take them off two or three times a day, socks too. Allows the feet to breathe, then put socks back on opposite feet, so that any rubbing points are removed. Then not to tie them too tight again. Foot size increases throughout the day, especially so for us,all-day walking pilgrims. Folk who do their boots up tight in the morning and leave them like that all day are giving themselves grief.
If someone has right size boots, ok socks, is doing them up properly, and still getting blisters then suggest that you pop into a supermarket and buy a few pairs of ultra thin socks to wear under your normal socks – this double socking allows the foot to move without rubbing – or, use a good cream ( I always use Vaseline )and cover your feet every morning. In the evening, after showering,apply a refreshing foot cream – loads on Amazon.
Finally,best not to to shower in the morning, it removes all the oils in the feet – not good.
PORTICO DE GLORIA SANTIAGO CATHEDRAL
The Porch of Glory is flooded with colour after a restoration that lasted 10 years.
The meticulous restoration of Master Mateo’s masterpiece, in which international experts participated, is bringing to light surprising chromatic details // It will be unveiled on the 28th May.
Virtual recreation of what the Portico de la Gloria would look like when the works are finished.
Those who think ( like me ) that the Portico de la Gloria was always a grayish work will have a monumental surprise when at last we can contemplate it, after many years of work.

PS
We have another recruit to the Rambleros – my brother Matt will be flying in from Holland to join us in S de C.
Regards and best,
John


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