This will not be the first time I have set foot on the most famous Camino of them all, the Camino Frances (or French Way). I have actually been on the Camino twice before, completing just a third.
The first time was from St Jean Pied de Port to Santo Domingo de la Calzada. I was only planning on doing part of the Camino and I admit that I didn’t quite get as far as I wanted.
The second time I picked up the Way again in Santo Domingo, I had intended on finishing the whole thing, but alas a very sore ankle meant I only got as far as Fromista, from where I caught train to Madrid.
I remember hobbling into the town, still with the intention of pushing on to an Albergue, but there in front of me was the railway station. Before I knew it I was sitting in a hotel in the Spanish capital.
This time my original plan was to go back to Fromista and pick up the trail again, but while working out the logistics of getting to Spain and then to Fromista, I decided on a whim to start again in France, and set out with the determination to do the whole thing in one go.
This time, I believe I will be in a better state of mind for the thru hike. I have no time constraints, and with a portable job, I could in theory take as long as I want.
I also plan on making video diaries of the trip, with the intention of documenting my journey, with an angle on camping.
Very few pilgrims camp on the Camino, and why should they, with so many good Albergues, guest houses, pensions and hostels to choose from. The fact remains that some people like camping, they like the privacy of ‘sleeping alone’, they enjoy being in the outdoors, and carrying a little extra weight doesn’t perturb them.
I will be carrying a little extra weight, but my tent is 800 grams, as heavy as 4 smart phones.