My rucksack weighed 14kg at the airport. After three days it was 10kg, which was still too heavy. Shampoo went in the bin, soap would do. The mosquito net was given away and not missed. Several books were left in hostel libraries. I cut my towel in half and the sleeves came off my tee shirts. I saw people tear pages from books - once read they were just extra weight. As well as the surplus from my rucksack I lost 8kg, which was a pleasant surprise on returning home.

I was hiking the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage route dating back to the 9th century. The main route, the Camino Frances, starts at St Jean Pied de Port, situated in the foothills of the Pyrenees. The route is a well trodden path across the north of Spain to Santiago, a whopping 760km.

The official hostels are amazingly cheap (usually about