Footwear - What shoes to wear on the Camino

Footwear - What shoes to wear on the Camino

My idea of hell on earth is ill-fitting walking shoes or boots when walking The Camino. Whether you go for walking boots or shoes is really a personal choice. You can walk the Camino in anything ranging from walking sandals through to heavy duty hiking boots. As long as they are comfortable and appropriate for the weather. Saying that, when I walked part of the French Camino – from Saint Jean de Pied de Port to Logroño in the month of July one year, one of my walking companions happily walked the whole stretch in a pair walking sandals. I don´t think my feet would have handled that but his were very happy apparently. I personally tend to go for the walking shoe – in the middle, not too ridged, not too flimsy, hardwearing and comfortable. But you can go for a more flexible trail shoe or sturdy around the ankles hiking boot – whatever your feet and ankles prefer. There are no rules here, though I think the trail shoe is gaining ground as the dominant footwear you´ll see walkers wearing on The Camino. Do pack a plan B in your suitcase so if you´ve had that day from hell you can swap over for the next day. If you´re lucky and it´s dry for the whole of your Camino and your footwear is comfortable enough, you´ll be in the same footwear for the whole journey. But if you are rained out one day and your footwear is drenched and hasn´t dried out by the next day you´ll be glad of that second pair of whatever it is. I can tell you from experience that even waterproof shoes and boots will be squelching wet in a downpour.  The year I walked from Hondarribia along the Camino del Norte the rain came down so heavily my feet were swimming in my walking shoes by the time I´d reached San Sebastian. It was impossible for them to even vaguely dry out overnight. As it was due to rain the next day too, I went for a nice pair of fresh walking socks rather than get my plan B footwear wet too. Which brings me on to socks. Don´t skimp on your socks. In the same way you have done with your footwear, take your time to choose good quality well fitting, merino wool mix socks. Your shoes and socks are an item, so buy one to be in harmony with the other as they will work together as a team to keep your feet comfortable. With the inevitable blisters I opt for cleaning my needle with an alcohol swab, puncturing the blister, popping a good dollop of antiseptic cream on and then a plaster. When I get to my destination, remove the plaster, have a shower, pop a good dollop of antiseptic cream and leave the blister exposed and walk around in flip flops or walking sandals. The next day, antibiotic cream and plaster again and keep repeating until healed.  

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