I brought a lightweight wool sweater for the nights and this packable down jacket from REI. A rain jacket is also essential, and I wore mine for cool and breezy mornings and, of course, a rainy day in the mountains.

The terrain is definitely rocky with steeper ascents and descents so hiking poles can be handy. Some forest sections can also be overgrown so I preferred my hiking pants compared to my Dry on the Fly 7″ hiking shorts.

I also carried four pairs of wool socks. I like both SmartWool and DarnTough and carried a mixture of different styles and thicknesses. In addition, I carried an extra pair of underwear because I knew laundry would be tough to keep up with.

I was still able to fit everything in my Osprey Kyte 36L Backpack. They have discontinued this backpack but now offer the Kyte 38 L Pack or something similar is the Sirrus 34 Pack. One of the best Camino tips I can offer is to have your backpack fitted at a gear store by a professional.

5 | Enjoy San Vicente de la Barquera

Finally, do take the time to enjoy San Vicente de la Barquera. This is a lovely coastal village found on the Cantaria coast of Spain. The small fishing village boasts a fantastic medieval quarter, a beautiful hilltop church, intact castle walls, and lovely beaches made for surfers.

On a clear day, you will be able to see those iconic limestone peaks of the Picos de Europa National Park. I’ve visited San Vicente de la Barquera three times and still have not been lucky enough to see these picture-perfect views that can be seen in photos and postcards.

As this Camino route isn’t as well trekked, there aren’t really any great and detailed guidebooks. I found the Credencial has all the essential tools and information you need and is connected to the official Camino Lebaniego website.

If you don’t want to carry a guidebook, Gronze has a lot of the information and routes on their Camino Lebaniego / Vadiniense Route.

• Booking.com is an excellent resource for booking private albergues, casa rurals, pensions, and accommodations along the route. I often check the habitation review before booking.
• Maps.me is a great offline map and I used it on this route a lot more than I thought I would
• I record all my routes with Wikiloc and did find some helpful routes to export out.
• There is a Camino Lebaniego & Vadiniense Facebook Page that has some up-to-date information
• I also like to check in on the Camino Forums and search Camino Lebaniego
• WhatsApp is essential for contacting Albergues to book in advance, unless you get a Spanish SimCard before hand.