First Aid

This info is complied from a couple of good hiking websites:

Hopefully you won't need any of the below but worth a few minutes reading...

Major injuries from hiking are rare. Walking doesn't tend to break bones or kill people. But, there are a whole bunch of smaller injuries and ailments that can make your day miserable. Being ready for the majority of them will make your trips more enjoyable and may help someone else that was not prepared.

First Aid Guidelines
If a member of your hiking party is injured, you need to follow three guidelines. The highest priority is first, followed in order by the other two:

• Stay Alive - yourself, others, and the victim. Especially yourself. If you are unable to help, then no one gets out alive.
• Stabilise Injury - stop the injury from doing further damage to the victim. Stop bleeding, remove them from the cause.
• Start Recovery - make the victim better. Fix the injury or ailment as much as possible.

You always have to keep yourself safe. Then, you need to ensure the survival of everyone else. This means getting the group to warmer shelter if one person is becoming hypothermic rather than having everyone stop to help that one person. This means running out of the way of a rockslide rather than jumping into it to save someone falling. If someone is injured or sick, you need to check that every action you are taking follows one of the three guidelines. If it does not, then it is probably not a necessary action.

Prevention
It is so much easier to provide first aid by preventing the need for it in the first place. Easily the biggest hazard for hikers is the environment - changes in weather or ill-prepared hikers get into the most trouble. Make sure everyone in your group has the necessary abilities to successfully complete the planned hike. Make sure they have proper clothing, plenty of water, and extra food. Everyone should have a small personal first aid kit and there should be one more complete kit for the group.

Before you go hiking in a new area, find out about poisonous plants, snakes, insects, dangerous animals, and other possible hazards.

First Aid Kit
You can easily buy a ready-made first aid kit and there are some very good ones available.
You may be able to save space by making your own, or by replacing some parts of a purchased kit. It is important that you know the purpose of and how to use every item in your kit - otherwise it's just extra weight.
You won't have much time to read a manual while administering to an injury.

Be sure the kit is easily accessible and everyone in the group knows who has it.

The following is a list of items commonly agreed on as being essential for a first aid kit:

• Waterproof container - a strong zip-loc bag or plastic-lined kit bag. If it isn't waterproof, it will be a mess.
• Elastic roll plaster
• Adhesive bandages, assorted sizes
• Gauze pad
• Triangular bandage
• Blister protection
• Antiseptic wipes
• Other Gear:
• Mirror, small and unbreakable
• Safety pins
• Scissors
• Tweezers
• Drugs:
• Antacid
• Antihistamine (Benadryl, etc.); allergic reactions, insomnia
• Anti-inflammatory (Ibuprofen); inflammation, pain
• Hydrocortisone cream (soothes allergic skin)

Sprained Ankle

A sprained ankle can be painful. But the speed of onset and the severity of the pain can vary greatly.

Sometimes, the pain can be delayed – and at other times it's instant. The level of pain isn't always a measurement of the extent of the damage. Some people hear a 'pop' in their ankle. This could suggest a torn ligament. The twist is followed by swelling of the area.

Rapid, significant swelling usually indicates severe damage has taken place.

The swelling is caused by bleeding of the damaged tissue, and the resultant bruise or discolouration is a result of gravity pulling the blood downwards.

So, the swelling is often situated a small distance away from the actual damaged site.

What are the danger signs?

After a sprain you may feel that your ankle is unstable, you may have problems controlling it, or you may have balance problems when standing on the affected foot.

In these circumstances, it is essential to get advice about appropriate physiotherapy treatment and exercise.

If you have persistent pain and a feeling of instability, you may have sustained damage other than a sprain. These symptoms need further assessment by a doctor

Treatment
Injuries of this kind should receive first aid treatment following the RICE principle. This stands for: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.

Cooling the injury as fast as possible will reduce the swelling and pain.

Rest

The injured foot must be rested for the first 48 to 72 hours to prevent any further injury. Avoid heat treatment during this period.

Ice

The damaged area must be cooled by using an icepack or a packet of frozen peas. The ice must never have direct contact with the skin or the patient could get frostbite. A cloth should be placed between the ice and the skin. Ice can be laid on the affected area for up to 20 minutes every hour, but for no longer than three hours in all. Ice treatment has been known to be effective for up to 24 hours after the injury occurred.

Compression

The compression must be firm but not too tight. It must not be allowed to affect the blood circulation. An elasticated bandage from the toes to the middle of the lower leg would be ideal.

Elevation

The foot must be elevated above heart level. It is most comfortable to lie down and elevate the limb with a few pillows.

If you are sitting down, the legs can be raised on a chair or a table. This elevation should be maintained for a few days
 

Hiking at High Altitudes

As you climb ever higher, you need to understand the added risks and problems with higher altitudes. You will find yourself needing to breathe deeper and more often to keep enough oxygen circulating to your muscles. Every breath has less oxygen, so you need more breaths. There are more special preparations for higher altitude hiking:

• Slower Pace - If you are not expecting the lack of oxygen, you will find yourself needing frequent rest stops to recover. But, by slowing your pace as you gain elevation, you will keep your body working without overexerting.
• Even Rhythm - Maintaining a breathing/stepping rhythm is even more important at higher elevations than lower down. It will help keep you from overexerting yourself.
• Deep Breathing - when you first notice any breathlessness, start thinking about your breathing. Take deeper breaths and smaller steps until you have a sustainable pace again. On steeper sections, deliberately placing each foot and taking a breath may be the way to go.
• Sunscreen is critical because the sun is more powerful higher up. Snow, light-coloured rocks, cool temperature, and no shade above treeline also contribute to easy sun burns.
• Sunglasses will help prevent squinting and headaches. Snowblindness and sunburned eyelids are real problems. Use side guards on your glasses for more protection.
• Extra Clothes - long sleeves, long pants, hats, and gloves to protect from the sun, wind, and cold. Weather can change in a heartbeat, easily dropping more than 30 degrees in 1/2 hour or less.

Ignoring the risks of hiking at higher elevations will ruin your day. If you're lucky, you'll just be wiped out, but there's a good chance you can get yourself in deep trouble.

Altitude Sickness

Everyone needs to breathe more when they are at altitude. But, some people become sick when they hike too high. It just happens.
The biggest problem with hikers is that they want to reach their goal and may not accept that they need to stop when problems occur. Being honest enough to stop and possibly turn back can be a very difficult step to take.
There are many factors that come into play when altitude sickness hits, but taking some steps will help minimise your risk:

• Acclimatize - The biggest contributor to altitude sickness is climbing too fast. That means the person in good shape has a good chance of getting sick since he tends to push harder and hike faster. People that reside at lower elevations will experience a greater change at lower heights. To acclimatize:
• Rest and relax for 2 hours for every 1000 feet the trailhead is above your normal elevation.
• Climb slowly and steadily.
• Check how you are feeling every hour. Nausea, lack of hunger or thirst, headache, dizziness, difficult breathing, lack of coordination are all warning signs.
• On multi-day hikes, sleep no more than 1500 feet higher than the previous night. You can climb higher during the day, but come down to sleep.
• Expect It - Any height over 8,000 feet should make you be on the alert. Every hike is a new experience and by being on the lookout for symptoms, you will catch problems early on.
• Hydrate - drinking more water helps reduce the symptoms. Drink even if you do not feel thirsty.
• Reduce Exertion - the harder you push your body, the greater your risk of getting symptoms.
• Eat Well - eat a high carbohydrate menu, and don't forget to drink water.

Extreme cases

• Disorientation - confusion, hallucinations, irrational behavior can all be caused by edema, which is swelling of tissue and can be caused by higher elevation.
• Loss of Coordination - someone stumbling or dropping their water bottle should be signals. If you suspect someone may be experiencing this, test them:
• Have him walk heel-to-toe in a straight line.
• Have him stand straight with feet together and arms at sides and then close his eyes. He should be able to balance for at least 15 seconds.
• Lassitude - similar to exhaustion, just being tired out. After eating and drinking water and resting, exhaustion should go away. If it does not get better, do not go on and keep resting. There will be no energy to eat, talk, or do anything as the situation worsens.
• Headache - there are many causes for a headache, from bright sun to altitude sickness. If a headache does not go away after food, water, and rest, then suspect altitude sickness.
• Nausea - upset stomach and loss of appetite.

 

Recovery Position

 

If a person is unconscious but is breathing and has no other life-threatening conditions, they should be placed in the recovery position.

Putting someone in the recovery position will ensure their airway remains clear and open. It also ensures that any vomit or fluid will not cause them to choke.

To place someone in the recovery position:

• Roll a person on their side with their arms and upper leg at right angles to the body to support them.
• Tuck their upper hand under the side of their head so that their head is on the back of the hand.
• Open their airway by tilting the head back and lifting the chin.
• Monitor their breathing and pulse continuously.
• If their injuries allow you to, turn the person onto their other side after 30 minutes

Spinal injury

If you think a person may have a spinal injury, do not attempt to move them until the emergency services reach you, unless their airway is obstructed.

If it is necessary to open their airway, place your hands on either side of their face and gently lift their jaw with your fingertips to open the airway. Take care not to move their neck.

You should suspect a spinal injury if the person:

• has a head injury, especially one where there has been a large blow on the back of the head, and is or has been unconscious
• complains of severe pain in their neck or back
• won't move their neck
• feels weak, numb or paralysed
• has lost control of their limbs, bladder or bowels
• has a twisted neck or back

If you must move the person (for example, because they are vomiting, choking or in danger of further injury), you need someone else to help you roll them.

One person should be at the head and another along the side of the injured person. Work together to keep the person's head, neck and back aligned while gently rolling the person onto one side.

 

 

 

 

Feed me

I feel this Blog is turning into a hopefully ‘useful’ noticeboard, I am not even going on this trip but the Camino bug (not bed bug) has bitten me, I am constantly searching for information to share.. which may or may not be of any help..

This article is about food and really should be written by the celebrity chef travelling with the group, Richard of Come dine with me fame.

Breakfast is an important meal when you are walking 25 to 35 kilometers a day. Many pilgrims skip breakfast, but they usually suffer as a result.

A lot of hostels provide breakfast, but it is often over priced for what you get. One recommended is the hostel in Estella, where it is provided for free.

The best thing to do is buy something small and calorific the night before (all but the smallest towns have a suitable shop but they will never be open early for when you leave). A lot of pilgrims would stop for a coffee break after a couple of hours. Most cafeterias will be able to make you something small to eat.

These are some typical things you can order for breakfast from a cafeteria on the Camino de Santiago:

·         A croissant or sweet pastry. (They'll be on the bar for you to point at).

·         A slice of Spanish omlet (tortilla). Again, likely to be on the bar. Note that the earlier you are, the less likely it is fresh. Still, one-day-old tortilla isn't too bad.

·         A freshly made 'normal' omlet (tortilla francesa). You can often get ham (jamon) or chorizo added.

Freshly squeezed orange juice (zumo de naranja natural) is common, though usually quite expensive

 

Lunch in Spain is typically served between 1pm and 3pm. Unfortunately, most pilgrims will still be walking at this time. Many stop for a large lunch, determined to walk another couple of hours afterwards, but then found themselves too bloated to walk any further (lunch in Spain tends to be big).

Another solution is to eat a little picnic on your way. Most towns and villages have somewhere to buy bread, but your choices of filling are limited. Cheese doesn't last long in the heat, but some sliced chorizo (spicy sausage) or ham will do fine. Alternatively, buy a jar of chocolate spread or peanut butter (crema de cacahuetes). You might want to bring the latter with you, as peanut butter is hard to find in Spain.

However, if you can finish your day's walking in time for lunch, do so (get up early). Your body recovers better from exercise when you are properly nourished - waiting until the evening for your main meal of the day is not the best option for your body.

Lunch on the Camino Blog also a really good blog with lots of info click the link

http://caminosantiago2.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/lunch-on-camino-santiago.html

Dinner Most pilgrims wait until the evening to get their main meal of the day on the Camino de Santiago. Usually at least one restaurant in town will do a 'menu del peregrino' (pilgrim's menu), with two courses, a dessert and a drink for under 10 euros. These can sometimes be quite basic, at others they are excellent meals at any price, let alone this cheap.

However, night time is not the best time to have your main meal of the day if you've been walking all morning. You should really try to have a bigger meal at lunchtime and just have something small in the evening.

The water is safe everywhere except the few places where is specifically labelled as "non potabile."

 Useful Spanish ~

If you say "hay comida?" (do you have food?) they will soon let you know. Pronounce "hay" as "high" and all will be well.

Please - complacer

Thank you - igracias

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stretch those muscles

Backpacking and hiking are two recreational pursuits that can be greatly improved by a little stretching. While a pre and post hike stretch might not fix all possible aches & pains, they certainly will not hurt. Here are some tips and ideas for backpacking and hiking stretches.

While 'bouncing' at the end of a stretch is common, most experts say that this should not be done. A stretch should be taken short of the point of pain and held for about 30 seconds. Remember to start you hike slowly and end it slowly to produce a 'warm up' 'cool down' period

WARM UPS AND STRETCHING

Make every walk a complete workout by including these elements, and following the correct sequence. Neglecting to do so will make walking more difficult, and increase the risk of injury.

1) Warm up
2) Flexibility exercises
3) Walk
4) Cool down
5) Stretch

1) Warm up - Warming up is exercising at a lower intensity in order to get the blood circulating and let your body know that you are preparing for exercise. For many of your walks it will only be necessary to warm up about five minutes.

2) Flexibility exercises - These exercises are part of your warm up and should be done after you have warmed up with 5 to 10 minutes of easy walking. The faster you plan to walk the more time you will need to dedicate to flexibility exercises. There are many different exercises in this group. Here are a few to try:

Toe points -- Stand on one leg and lift the other foot off the floor. Gently point your toe and hold for a few seconds. Next flex your foot pointing your toes up. Do this five or ten times on each foot.

Ankle Circles -- While standing on one leg lift the other foot off the floor. Gently point your toe and rotate your ankle. Do about ten circles in each direction. This exercise can be performed while standing, sitting, or lying on your back with leg raised.

Overhead Reach -- Stand with your feet hip distance apart. Reach up with one arm and then reach over your head and to the opposite side. Keep your hips steady and your shoulders straight. Relax and repeat with the other side.

While standing on one leg lift the other foot off the floor. Gently point your toe and rotate your ankle. Do about ten circles in each direction. This exercise can be performed while standing, sitting, or lying on your back with leg raised.

The Twist -- Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your arms straight out, parallel to ground. Keep your lower body stationary while swinging your arms from side to side. Do this several times to loosen up your waist, back, and shoulders.

Arm Circles -- Hold your arms straight out to your side parallel to the ground. Make small circles going backward, gradually getting larger and larger. Rest for a second and do the same thing in the forward direction.

Neck Relaxer -- Turn and look over your right shoulder and hold. Repeat on the left side. Don't hyper-extend the neck, or tilt it backwards.

REMEMBER to cool down with stretches after your walk.

For more information on stretching you might refer to one of the following sites.

Stretching for Knee Strength - Exercise and stretches for knee strength and flexibility from The Walking Site

Brad Appleton's Stretching and Flexibility

Important rules for stretching:

1) Never stretch cold muscles. The best time to stretch is after your walk. If you have problem areas they can be stretched prior to your walk, but only do this after you have warmed up.

2) Do not bounce. Go into a stretch slowly and hold gently. Stretch to the point of feeling a gentle pull, but never to the point of pain

3) Hold each stretch for 30 to 40 seconds. If you have problems with a particular area stretch that area twice. (hold for 30-40 seconds release, then stretch again.)

Tootsie update

 Protect problem areas and hot spots with Leukotape, a nonstretch sports tape with a strong zinc oxide adhesive.

» Clean and dry. Wash socks daily (inside and out; no soap or low suds) in order to prevent grit and organic matter from abrading skin. At least once a day, take off shoes and socks to let feet dry and air out. In the evening put on a clean, dry, and warm pair of socks, which help feet recover, so they can withstand another day of abuse.

» Manage moisture. At night after wet conditions, after feet have dried out, coat the bottoms with a hydrophobic balm such as Hydropel. This remoisturizes skin and serves as a water sealant. Wear thin socks and non waterproof shoes made of low-absorption materials, which do not retain as much water as thick socks, conventional boots or “waterproof” footwear. They also dry much faster.

Get the best fit
In the store, take the time to walk around in order to make sure you feel no pressure points, and use an incline board to check for toe bang and heel slip. The fit should be secure in the heel and roomy in the forefoot, allowing plenty of room for trail swell.

Downsize
Choose the lightest, most breathable shoes that are appropriate for the conditions. They’ll reduce sweat and put less stress on your feet.

Wear gaiters
Sand and grit increase friction—hence blisters. When you get debris in your shoes, stop and empty them.

Tie shoes correctly
Use these methods to help solve problems like heel slip and too-low volume.
» Heel lock Keep your heel securely in place to eliminate rubbing, especially on hills. Thread laces vertically through the top two eyelets, creating a loop on each side. Cross the lace ends to tie, running them through the loops you created.

» Custom volume Need more space in the middle without loosening the toes or cuff? Thread laces vertically through eyelets where you need extra room, with an extra wrap in the laces on either side to maintain tension above and below the loose spot

The Walking Club

We've been upgraded.. No longer just on training walks for the Camino.

This Sunday we met in the morning in Palm Bay, the two girlies together with Mark and Geoff and also joined by John, it was good for Geoff and I to meet the chap at the end of the emails !

We walked to the far side of Ramsgate again, this time stopping at the Stanley Grey for a lite bite as they say and yes we did have beer and wine, John tried to lead Linda and I astray with a second glass but we held firm and stuck with one, worried about staggering home.

This is where John upgraded us to a The Walking Group, brought on by the chat about continuing our walks into the summer to include picnics.

Pictures are taken at Stone Bay on the outward journey.

the round trip was around 16 miles.


Note our mad wind blown hair and trust me it did get worse as the day went on!

 

 

******************

Its now 9am Monday morning... I don't actually have any aches pains or blisters, just a general all over fatigue !!!

Don't let the bed bugs bite !

Pilgrims traditionally sleep in albergues or refugios, low- or no-cost volunteer-run dorm-style hostels provided for those who walk, bike, or ride horses along the Camino. Bed bugs have surely been present since the pilgrimages began. But with a worldwide resurgence in bed bugs, they are surely flourishing now more than they have in the last fifty or sixty years.

This is the same problem hotels and hostels face, but worse. Think about it: the nature of the pilgrimage route means that the same people are going from hostel to hostel, day after day after day. They’re bringing backpacks or sleeping sacks, and clothing, and their laundry and washing facilities are more limited than those of the typical urban backpacker.

With reasonable precautions, namely shaking out your sleeping bag outside at regular intervals you should be able to prevent the worst problems. And perhaps most important: check your sleeping bag, clothes, and rucksack before leaving Spain, to avoid bringing any bed bugs back with you.

• Learn to search a mattress and bed frame for bed bugs, carefully before putting your stuff in the room.
• Try not to store belongings on or near beds. Though bed bugs can live elsewhere, beds are the most likely spots.
• The best idea to keep from spreading bed bugs is probably to dry everything in a machine on hot before leaving a known infested premises, and before going home. (If items are dry, this takes less time, but if things are dirty, it’s best to wash them first and dry for a very, very long time. Sleeping bags may make it easy for bed bugs to harbour even during a wash or dry.)
• Carefully inspect items that can’t be dried.
• Learn what bed bugs and their signs look like.
• And don’t assume that if you do not have bed bug bites, you were not bitten en route (a sizable percentage of people do not react allergically to bed bug bites, and so will see and feel nothing).
• 
   The most important thing---if you encounter bedbugs---make sure you immediately remove your things and wash and dry everything---do everything you can do to not bring along any stowaways after a bedbug encounter. I know this sounds completely inconvenient, but you would be surprised at how many pilgrims have recounted stories of hospitaleros lending them clothing, washing all their things, etc. We pilgrims don't want bedbugs and nobody else does either.
  This has become a significant problem, so be aware and take precautions.
  
  Buen camino
• DON'T BRING THEM HOME

Note to wives... Stand husband on doorstep & spray with Dettol !

 

Accommodation en-route

Mark asked me to look into reviews of accommodation en-route, I found this online, so maybe print & take with you.

Its a direct cut & paste from www.caminodesantiagocompostelo.com

Refuges and Hostals

At St Jean Pied De Port and other refuges, you can obtain a list of all the current refuges in Spain. When I obtained one of those lists I added the details to my set of "Lozano" maps. I have reproduced this list here with comments on the refuges that I have actually stayed at.
Since the beginning of 2004, a holy year, the number of refuges has greatly increased. You are more likely to find one in small out of the way places than before. Also the bigger cities and towns tend to have at least three now due to the large numbers of pilgrims which were expected during the holy year. The newer refuges tend to be much better equipped than the traditional ones and one or two very old ones have closed down either permanently or for refurbishment.

In general the refuges in Galicia are modern, built due to the visit by the Pope in 1992. However they seem to have been built cheaply and they all had problems with the electricity supply, which frequently failed leaving no cooking facilities or hot water. My cynical side says that this was so that the local bars did some extra business.

Refuges operate on a "first come, first served" basis. Preference is usually given to walking pilgrims and then to the cyclists. You cannot book a place in advance and most hospitaleros will not allow car pilgrims to stay there or allow a support car to "book" beds before hand. Quite right too, in my opinion. In the unlikely event of having a horse with you then your options are very limited unless you also bring a tent with you. When the refuges are full, which is frequent in the better months, then there are often many "hostels" or "pensions" (small private hotels or B&B) which are usually very nice and only $15 a night or thereabouts. They have the benefit of having hot water and usually a private shower and of course a private bedroom!. I used them a lot on my second Camino as the refuges were almost always full from Burgos onwards even in late May.

To stay in a refuge, you need to have obtained a pilgrim's passport or credential. These can be obtained in most of the major cities on the camino. Or from one of the camino organisations listed above or from the pilgrims offices in St Jean Pied De Port and Roncesvalles. The hospitalero will usually stamp these with their special stamp when you sign in to the refuge. Some of the stamps are quite artistic. Also bars and hotels often have a stamp and of course the Ayuntamiento (Town Hall) will also have a stamp. Finally, you need to have at least two stamps per day when walking the last 100KM of the Camino if you want to obtain the Compostela when you reach Santiago.

The following list is very old and out of date and I had removed it, but many people have asked me to re-instate it again as there seems to be no other list easily available. Expect there to be many more refuges opened, especially private ones, than I have listed here.

The best source of information on the current refuge situation is the Confraternity Of St James. They produce a booklet with the most update information, but of course it's not free like this one!

Distance	Name	Comment
0	St Jean Pied Du Port	Not sure what to say about this one as it is likely to be your first experience of a refuge. I found it to be ok every time I have stayed there. The town has really good restaurants.
5	Huntto	I did not stay here but talking to people who did, they said it was an excellent private refuge.
8	Orrison	After Huntto and about 8Km from St Jean Pied Du Port is another new private refuge built by the side of the road. This breaks up the journey so you don't have to walk the whole way to Roncesvalles in a single day which is a great improvement. You have to book ahead though as it's often full.
18	Roncesvalles	Be careful of this one due to the stupid rules about vacating the refuge during mass. See my diary for the reasons. I had a very bad experience here. Update: They have now dropped the rule about vacating the refuge during mass and they have moved the whole refuge into another much larger building with vastly better facilities. I can now recommend it as well as the hostal above the bar and also the "La Posada" hotel also in the village. I have now stayed at all three places. La Posada is dutch run friendly & has good reviews. ~ You may stop at Akerreta ~ you can check out accommodation
22	Zubiri	If the weather is bad, this can be one of the worst refuges on the camino as the toilet facilities are very poor and get dirty very quickly. When the weather is good it's ok. There are no curtains on a very big picture window and a very bright light outside. You may have difficulty sleeping, I did. Update: The refuge situation in Zubiri has changed considerably. There are several new small refuges, particulary on the short road from the bridge to the main road. The old refuge is still there and used as an overflow. There are also several small pensions opened up and sign for these can be seen all over the place and in the bars.
5	Larrasoaña	I finally got to meet the hospitalero and mayor in 2004. The refuge is very good, although there are no obvious shops or restaurants in the village. I say "no obvious" because this year I arrived early and waited about 4 hours outside the refuge. I observed various people driving up to a particular house nearby the refuge and walking out again, with satisfied looks, a few hours later and sometimes with silver foil packages in their hands. I can recommend the little bar right at the end of the village on the left. The owner is a real character and he sells a few pilgrim items in the bar shop. Update: The refuge situation in Larrasoaña has also changed. In 2007, there was an overflow building to the main refuge and the bar at the top of the town had re-opened again.
8	Trinidad De Arre	I stayed here on my second camino and liked this one. We had wonderful weather after a day or two of damp weather and I have never seen so much washing out to dry in the hot sun at a refuge before.
6	Pamplona	A reasonable refuge in the center of the city. It's up a long narrow flight of stairs though so it can be difficult to get up there with a backpack on and somebody else trying to come down the stairs. Update: Again, lots of changes here with the old refuge closed down but many new ones opened up. Personally I still prefer to walk on until I reach Maribel's refuge in Cizur Minor.
5	Cizur Minor	This is Maribel Roncal's privately run refuge. Over the years she has updated the facilites considerably from the origonal garden house. There are no shops in the village, so you need to buy food in Pamplona first or use the several good local restaurants. Or walk the 10KM to Cizur Major which has a supermarket. Maribel has upgraded all the facilities and there is now a second annex with excellent showers.
19	Puente La Reina	There are two refuges here, one on the way into the town and one on the hill on the way out of town. Also many hostels and two "parador" style hotels on the way in. On my first camino, the refuge had a system of triple bunks in a very dark and damp room in part of a building. Now the whole building is used and they have new but squeaky beds. The refuge on the hill is a brand new modern one with good beds and washing facilities. It also has its own restaurant. The hotel "Jueke" has an albergue in the basement of the building with also has excellent facilities. Not many people stay there though as it is not very well advertised. I only know because I stayed in the hotel this year in order to get a hot bath.
20	Estella	A good refuge on the way into town. Be careful of the breakfast though as it is a big con. Don't buy it, get your own food. Can be noisy this refuge as the hospitalero seems to like playing loud music during the day. When I was there the first time, it was the same "Enya" track several times a day!
8	Villamajor De Monjardin	A really good, Dutch run refuge. They provide an evening meal and an excellent breakfast. This was the first place I managed to find brown bread! It was freshly baked that morning, delicious!
12	Los Arcos	This main one is run by some camino group. This is the famous "massage" refuge where the guy comes in every day to give foot or back massages. It didn't try one myself as I didn't like the look of him but people I asked said they were very good. Update: There are now four albergues in Los Arcos. The municipal one and three private ones. All are fairly obvious when walking into the town. The first one I got to looked very nice inside. I didn't look at the second. The third is accessable through a garage and is next door to the municipal one. I am told by someone, who's opinion I respect, that it was very good.
10	Torres Del Rio	I stayed in this one in 2004. I found it very "cozy" although there are not many facilities there.
6	Viana	This is one of the few refuges that still have triple bunks.
8	Logroño	A very big refuge on the left down a side street after you cross one of the big bridges over the river. It had a very nice fountain/pond in the grounds where you could bathe your feet. Actually very close to the town center and the restaurants.