Some readers may have done the Camino and have their own routines, others wondering what it’s like. Here is a quick summary of the routines we have observed and adopted.
0600. Camino life starts early. In high summer, you want to walk before it gets too hot. In dormitories, people can’t always sleep well so might as well get up. We didn’t always start this early, especially later on.
0700 or a bit later: breakfast. Most Albergues and cafes will serve coffee/tea, orange juice, and toast. Some people do a few km before they have theirs.
0745. On the road. Needing a head torch now. One of the rewards for the early starts has been the sunrises.
0930. First cafe stop. Cafe con leche (hot milk), not normally my drink but very good here. With a small bit of cake if we haven’t had much breakfast.
1100. Maybe visit a church if there is an interesting building on that day’s route, and it’s open.
1200. Lunch. Another cafe, for tortilla or a roll with eg cheese and ham. Coke Zero, Kas Limon, or Nestea.
1500-1600. Arrive at the next place, and book in.
1600. Washing. With not many spare clothes, keeping ahead of the game means washing a few things every day, and hoping they get dry – here’s where there is competition for the best slots on the airers and washing lines!
1630. Refreshment. On a hot day, it’s hard to resist a cold beer. This week, it’s been coffee and cake.
1700. Showering.
1900. Dinner.
2000. Depending on where you are staying, and the weather, you can go for a stroll round the town (if your blisters or injuries don’t forbid this), or sit and read. But in the dormitories, people start to turn in amazingly early. I don’t know whether it’s tiredness or lack of other things to do, but it’s not unusual to see six people all in their bunks by 2100, having a last look at their phones before lights out, hoping to get a good night’s sleep before …
0600. Get up and do the whole thing again. And again.
Really enjoying reading your musings about your very long walk, Andrew!
Thank you. Nice to know there is an international audience, though I know my friends in the Pfalz are also reading it.
Agreed. It’s an interesting adventure to follow!
We had a very similar routine, although as we were walking in April we didn’t get up quite so early as you. I also enjoyed the sunrises – very late of course because Spain is on Central European Time but mostly west of Greenwich – so we would walk west with the sun rising behind us and our shadow stretching before us into morning mist. The thing I like most about the daily routine was the sense when you arrived at your destination for the day that you had done everything required of you that day, and you could relax completely for the rest of the day with nothing you “had” to do. I wish normal life could be like that!
Yes, I know what you mean about having done all that’s required. I think that is one of the attractions of the Camino, that you do leave other things behind. That all ends in about 24 hours time for us!