Sarria

You are probably wondering how I suddenly have time to post! Well, I´m trying to have a rest day in Sarria. I have approximately 5 days walking to Santiago and whilst I would love to explore the beaches after, I really want to go slow and catch up with those behind me. This morning we were awoken by a cd of church bells and birds tweeting. Nice touch, monks!! The sun has come back so I´m happy too. Ciao for now!

Don Elias Valiña Sampedro

In one of my photos there is a bust of a man, Don Elias Valiña Sampedro, who was the parish priest at O Cebreiro from 1959 until his death in 1989 who took it upon himself to restore the church and the ancient hospital (now the Hostal San Giraldo de Aurillac). During his studies at la Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca he wrote a thesis on the Camino’s history. He promoted this thesis at various universities across Europe and promoting the Camino de Santiago. Even more remarkable it what he did next. If you were wondering how the signs and markers that point the way on the Camino de Santiago came about then look no further than Don Elias Valiña Sampedro. This amazing man decided to undertake the Camino but found that many of the original paths had virtually disappeared, on his trip he decided to write a book and his Camino guide book was published in 1982. It was then in 1984, along with his nephews, that he started to mark the entire Camino with the big yellow arrows you see today with yellow paint he managed to commandeer from the Spanish department of transport. In 1985 he became a member of the Comisario del Camino de Santiago who were tasked with promoting the Camino and getting others involved and from this came the association known as Amigos del Camino de Santiago (Friends of the Camino). To give you an idea of just how important this man was you just have to look at the numbers who now undertake the Camino. In the early 70’s less than 10 Compostelanas were issued, in 1989 when Pope John Paul II visits Santiago over 5,700 Compostelanas were given out and it is estimated that in the holy year of 2010 over 300,000 pilgrims will have received one of these hard earned certificates.

lunes el 6 agosto

Today I wanted to go slow and I didn´t get far anyway. Leaving fairly late at 7.30 due to the fog, I descended the mountain under the mist. Nothin´ wild (!)was happening until I took a wrong turn down a country track. The route in Galicia is very poorly waymarked. A farmer on his tractor told me I was going the wrong way but I didn´t want to go back uphill so I said I´d carry on and he said okay. I sped off like a demon. It would be okay, it´s all downhill, right? Wrong!! I could see a road but I would have had to swim across a river so I told myself off and went back up. Luckily I saved face as the farmer was not about. This morning I kept criss-crossing a pair of wideboys from Madrid ' we kept laughing at how many times we were saying ´buen camino´ to each other. They were actually pissing me off at first because they were playing the radio, awful Pitbull music really loudly at 8am!! Just not necessary on a walk chicos. I stopped at a beautiful modern cafe and met a lovely woman from Montreal called Renee. A teacher, dur, but in a previous job she had a company making clothes for amputees. I have met a lot of people who have been involved in charitable type jobs. I keep bumping into people from a few days ago and it is really nice to catch up. Whilst sat on a wall at Triacastela, putting my factor 50 on, I met a girl called Salma from Columbia and we bonded over our high factor needs! She is an actress working in a theatre in Barcelona and we have just the spend the whole day together. Coming into Samos was tough, I have tendonitis (self-diagnosed) at the top of my foot and my knee is not too clever either. I blame downhills. Seeing our destino in the valley below was certainly ´vale la pena´as it was a detour of an extra 6k and some hills

. Tonight we are in Samos, staying in one of Spain´s oldest and biggest monestaries. It is donativo. We put our washing out where we could (mine on top of a bush) and sat in the sun with a fantastic meal (€9) and some Spaniards- rainbow salad, meat stew and homemade fries followed by a delicious Tarta de Santiago. Washed down with a bottle of red, porque no?! Aah it´s tough at the top. Later we took a tour of the monestary - photos on picasa. Salma went to mass and I went to the supermarket for tomorrow´s breakfast and now I´m sat in a Galician/Celtic bar with some red and free tapas. Not too shabby!!

To Triacastela

Man I´m annoyed my posts don´t have paragraphs, after painstakingly putting them in!!! Herrerias - Alto de Poio A mist hung over the mountains that I was to go over so I decided to leave a little later so there would be some light. There´s nothing like climbing 600m first thing in the morning (!) I came across a couple, him running and her on the bike with their things. I don´t know who got the raw deal there. Crossing into Galicia, I was definitely entering a very different Spain. It is very like rural Ireland, from the manure on the road, the smell of peat burning, farmers leading their cattle down the road and little dogs yapping. Ha ha. The only difference is that the cattle wear bells. The weather is cooler and I have been cursing myself for sending home my warm rain jacket. I don´t really remember walking today, my feet etc are all conditioned to it by now. I could walk about 40 every day now but I am way ahead of schedule so I´m trying to slow down. It´s difficult to stop yourself when you are flying along. The views have been worth this morning´s climb. Tonight I am staying at a very high point of the route 1337m and it´s very chilly at night without a jumper! I ate what I will call peasant food and it was delicious. I have become very lazy when it comes to ordering. Tonight i had ´meat and potatores´' I didn´t even bother to ask what kind of meat but it had obviously been stewing for hours in a great sauce. Makes a change from fried stuff. Now that I don´t have to cover up the old sunburn I want the sun to come out! I really miss some of the friends I have made along the way and I wonder if they are ahead or behind me.

The big one

Astorga-Acebo.
40km. Over. A. Fucking. Mountain. The best day so far!!

Started out under a full moon. Bumped into friendly Glaswegian I keep seeing (must be roughly at the same pace), he is walking in a kilt. I didn´t ask too many questions.

Really got ahead of the pack today, zero body complaints. Miracle. I feel I could walk on an on. And so I did. Up into the mountains where I met Jin, a SK who had studied in Nantes. We had a great day laughing about how we were turning French with our ep noises. The path was incredibly beautiful. We had lunch out in the sun with Elvis on the radio. Soo soo good. She also fixed me up with some safety pins as the zip of my craghoppers broke this morning. I tell everyone who asks that my knee needs ventilating or it will seize up. They believe it as well.
As I reached the highest point of the whole camino 1515m, I decided to ignore the cross on top of a pile of rocks until some American (from SF, claro!) insisted I go up. He was cycling from Lisbon to Frankfurt.
Onwards I went until a reached the place I wanted to sleep. I REALLY needed the loo so I dove straight into the albergue and asked for a bed. I should have looked around first as I would have realised that I should have kept on walking. The ´hippies´ running the ´shack´, as it turned out to be, laughed when I asked them ¿tiene una cama? BTW I saw about 15 flags outside, you don´t often see that so I must have been tricked into thinking I was staying in a 5* hotel. They half smiled at me and said "Nooooo.... mattresses.. I played along with the joke, even as they said "y no duchas". Thank god I asked to see the room first - they pointed to a cowshed that was partitioned - cattle on one side, mattresses on the other. No one was there either. I needed to make a quick getaway si I politely said, "No hay gente, voy a continuar" and ran off down the road. It was 4pm and 10k from the next sign of life. Toilet or no toilet I HAD to make it to somewhere better. It should have been an easy 10k but it was partly on asphalt (hard on the feet) and then on rocks most of the way down. To get me through it I began to sing, random songs, over and over such as "I am the music man..", "The Grand Old Duke of York" etc. Hmm... Seeing the town of Acebo over the ridge of the mountain was a real ´hallelujah´moment. After 11-12 hours walking I arrived about 6pm and bumped into the Glaswegian and a Swedish guy I had met earlier. So nice to see familiar faces! I have to say my dinner that night was awful. A plate of peas to start, barbecued steak covered in oil and then a tin of fruit cocktail. A SK guy I had dinner with was in hysterics as I tried to hide my feelings from the waitress. The wine was horrendous too. Anyhoo, catching up with the others, they were having a delicious dinner outside and were staying in a fancy casa rural. To cut a short story long I was NOT well after my meal and had to delay leaving as I got no sleep at all. In the morning I was really upset to not find my walking stick and as everyone else had left I was cursing the bastard peregrino that had stolen it. A real Castaway moment, Nooooo, Wilson!!! Seriously. So when I spotted him propped up at the bar where I had left him I could have cried. The first thing I saw as well was a face in one of the knots. Ha ha, I´ll get a photo to prove it. I arrived in Ponferrada on Friday (even more beautiful city - the castle reminded me of Angers) . Did about 37k. There was no way I was going to stay in an Albergue as I was still feeling rough. On my phone I booked a room at a Parador in Villafranca and it was one of the best decisions ever!! Google paradores and you will see why. This morning I ordered breakfast in my room and seriously overfaced myself!!! I had to haul ass (literally) up a mountain straight after but it was so worth it. I am staying tonight in the mountains (3k from the border with Galicia). The power has been going off intermittently and I thought I was not going to get my dinner (think Dougal getting his steak taken away from him). So I proceeded to drink vino tinto in compensation. When the power came back on and it did arrive I was like a pig at the trough jeje.

Best bits

I can´t really put into words how special this trip has been. I don´t know if it´s the physical challenge, the amazing beauty of the place, the people I am making instant friends with or what! But I feel like I am really living in the moment and my head is really clear. Best bits... When you don´t eat for hours, food tastes divine! Especially the juicy fruit which I am devouring! Finding a potential seat (even if it is just the shadow of a tractor) when you have been walkng for hours. Talking to a new friend when you have been lost in your own thoughts for an hour. Seeing a yellow arrow or a concha (shell) when you are sure you must be on the wrong path. Finding a water fountain (fuente) when you are running low. Finding a new path which is on natural ground, not asphalt! The challenge of walking uphill. Watching the beautiful butterflies and smelling the pine/eucalyptus. The cheap local wine (€1-€1.30 a pop). I will have to pack a few bottles, Ryanair or no Ryanair!! The locals coming up to you for a chat. Bumping into a friend from days ago, ones you never thought you would see again. Walking at 5am under the moonlight and actually seeing the stars. Watching the moon go down as the sun rises. I was lucky enough to see the full moon. Watching the sunset from the mountains with a glass of wine and good company. Getting a bottom bunk. Sleeping like a baby at 10pm. Pushing yourself to your physical limits. Stuffing your face on tapas. Enough said. Reaching medieval villages you would never have seen otherwise. Always finding a place to stay. Becoming more tolerant. Of flies (I don´t even bat them away now!). Of snoring. Of peregrino menus (€8). Cheap, but sometimes below the usual Spanish standard it has to be said. Taking your boots and socks off at breakfast-lunch-breaks. Dipping them into a stream. Being able and enjoying wakling 30km+ a day. Cafe con leche and pain au chocolat for breakfast no.2 at 9am. You know it makes sense! Plus the pains here are A5 size and come with cutlery. Just what the doctor ordered?! Hmm. Being free to walk as slow/fast/far as you like. On your own, as a pair, group... Not wearing a watch. And not so great... Walking downhill. A nightmare - rocks and pebbles galore so you have to go about 1km an huor. The pain in your knees.

Photo album

https://picasaweb.google.com/108778662763047991495/CaminoSoFar Fingers crossed this link works

Astorga

I was on a real mission to reach Astorga. We set off early and as I font have a watch I would guess it was 530. We walked for an hour in the darkness across cornfields. In the distance I can see an outline of the Picos de Europa.

I reached Hospital at 9, 3 and half hours walking, to have breakfast pñ a terrace overlooking a medieval bridge. Apparently it was defended by a knight who inspired Don Quioxite.

The villages past here have had a timeless feel - many of the houses are made of earth and need a new layer every year. Some have been built into the hillsides, a bit like a hobbit's place?

I flew up the hill today, overtaking everyone - I feel like I am wearing the yellow jersey. Well, a scarf at least! I look ridiculous but nobody cares.

Tbc.... I have a curfew lol

Suddenly the landscape has become very green (mmm Eucalyptus), we must be getting close to Galicia! I can see tomorrow´s montanas ahead of me but I´m really looking forward to it. In the middle of nowhere today, I came across a shack with a stall of fruit and drink. The two young hippies who were running it (giving everything away for free) live outside and have been doing this as a service to peregrinos for 3 years. I donated some money for the fruit I took. The last 3km today were extremely tough coming into the city, as usual. Walking from 5.30 - 2.30 is quite a long time! But, if you don´t walk, no-one is going to carry you. Believe it or not, there are actually no buses on the camino because most of it is off-road. Astorga is (boringly for you) yet another beautiful and historic city. Of course, these cities grew from the importance of the camino. It seems to be famous for its chocolate but I have resisted the signs for churros.

Saturday

Trying to write this blog retrospectively is really difficil, so I must make an effort to do it every day. So much happens in 24 hours, it feels like yesterday was a week ago.

At this very moment I am in a hamlet called Herrerias, a few km from the Castilla y León/ Galician border. I am making very good progress - too good and I need to slow down but it's tricky when you are enjoying walking so much.

So.. to take you back a few days.

I reached Astorga after 38km on a swelteringly hot day. I posted a photo of myself looki.g down on the city beside a cross. You may have noticed I am EXTREMELY covered up. No, it was not cold (36c), I was merely perfecting the art of being an English rose. I am sunburnt on my chest, shoulders, legs, arms... So I am wearing the silk yellow liner as a scarf.

The last couple of days

After 5 days, I hit the wall. I was only doing 17km but it may as well have been through treacle. I don´t mind telling you that I actually shed a tear over the pain!! Evil bag. Evil boots. Evil boring road.

The problem, apart from everything catching up with me physically, was that the road was endless. The only thing of note that I passed were two farms. There were a couple of wells but they had run dry and the picnic benches were attracting flies. I have been bitten to death. I´m all about stopping for a break every 2 hours!!

When I saw a church on the horizon I was sure it must be a mirage, but then as I passed over the ridge of the hill I saw an albergue woo hoo. An albergue with a swimming pool, get in!! Whilst there I got chatting to this really cool Californian dude from SF. We got talking about why we were doing the camino and to my surprise he said he was going to train as a Jesuit priest!! I tried to hide my shock of course! He said he had been working in finance for 10 years and had become sick of the race for more and more money. Some absolute gobshite from Brum kept butting in on our interesting conversation to tell us what life is really all about and what religion is etc. So patronising!! He also thought he was being hilarious to call me Shrek´s wife. Bitch please.

I slept so well and I have definitely become used to the snorers. I have trained myself to think that they are lullabies lol. The women are the worst. Animals I tell you.

This morning I wasn´t sure how far I would get but after a few stretches and a decent meal last night (including warm yoghurt a la casa, nom nom (!)), I set off under the stars. I have done 35k today and I´m so bloody proud of myself.

I have arrived in Leon this afternoon and I have noticed, again, some nasty burns on the back of my legs. I am tanning on only the back of my body, as obviously I continually facing west. I have picked up some aloe vera and factor 50 so that should do the trick. Tomorrow I am going to post home 1kg of things. Every little helps.

Leon is a beautiful city and it doesn´t even realise it! The Cathedral is pretty breathtaking inside. I got myself an ice cream (actually not a patch on Frederick´s) and enjoyed the street entertainment.

Tonight I am staying in a Benedictine Monistery, ran by nuns. They run it like an army with walkie talkies which I find hilarious. It is only €5 including breakfast. However, there is a curfew of 9.30pm.

I was walking about the old town earlier and as the albergue is extremely difficult to find, I managed to get lost. I asked some local police the way and they didn´t know! They realised I was on my own and so they gave me a ride home! I can only imagine what the nuns were thinking as I rocked up in the back of the car jejeje. I had better so as it is nearly 9.30. I plan to stay in Leon a while longer tomorrow.

Monastery 1076

Lots of monasteries sprang up along the way, as the pilgrimage took off in Europe.

To Carrión de los Condes 22k

This is turning out to be a very special trip. I have been touched my people's kindness and sheer generosity, peregrinos and locals alike. It is true that you never walk alone! *

Today I walked 22k with an Australian, Matt, that I only met at breakfast (coffee and cake is the norm in the albergues). He normally walks 40k so he kept me at a fantastic pace. It is strange how you.cam have such intense conversations with a stranger!

I was all geared up to walk with him and some other guys to the next stop, which was 17k without any water fountains/shops/roads/villages. Everyone was panicking about this stage and so most were going to do.it tomorrow. I think I.just wanted to push myself to do 37k.

So I set off slightly ahead. The mind was willing but my god the body was weeeeak! I stopped for a break outside Carrión, opposite a beautiful monastarey that had been turned into a hotel. I fantasised about staying there. Just as I sometimes fantasise about getting the bus jeje.

Further on.I.was really not in a good place after only 5k and suddenly I had a nosebleed. I realised I would have to turn back. I was absolutely gutted to lose my group as we all for on so well and will probably never catch up wirh them.

The walk back was horrendous and u realised I had been extremely lucky to have had this nosebleed! I really believe in fate and my body was just saying no.

So... guess where I am staying tonight?! Yup, the hotel! I know it's only my 4th day but I needed a proper place where I could chill, have a bath etc and I couldn't walk any further into the town.

It is only a 3* but all I can say is WOW!! See my next post for the pics.

I have loved this evening, it haa been bliss to walk around without a rucksack. I love how everyone suddenly comes out after their siesta and it is really balmy. Lush!

Ps another thing I love is that there is a real range in ages, there are no gap-yah kids on this trip.

*I was searching for a walking stick today and a friend of a friend heard and he immediately insisted I take his!

To Fromista 27km

After a strenuous climb out of Castrojeriz, it was all downhill from here. The Camino so far has been full of some very special moments and getting to the top of the mountain just as dawn broke was certainly one of them.

I wasn't to know but the Germans and Dutch ppl climbing behind me were to go on to become good friends later in the day.

Again, we descended into fields of sunflowers and it always makes me smile when they turn to face the sun.

I am typing this on my phone by the way so apologies for the poor grammar! My pet hate as well, jeje.

Next, a short pitstop at a gurgling fountain, where I befriended a British man, Richard (wow, someone from the UK at last!) And we enjoyed the view back over the plains. Unfortunately, he was to go on and injure himself by jumping over a ditch today. One mistake and your whole trip could be over.

Everyone is in some form of pain. But as they say, "it's not what's going on down there, but what's going on up here"! So true.

At the fountain there was a man selling my breakfast of fruit and cafe con leche. It was donativo, like a lot of things on the route, it was donation only. The people are full of kindness.

For my second breakfast (!), I chatted to a french man in his return to La Rochelle (he knew André's bistro!). I cannot imagine getting to Santiago then walking back!

I then met a nice Dutch guy called Jon and he introduced me to magdelena from Hamburg. We all hit it off and kept each other going for tve last 10k. I find the last k into your resting point to be the most difficult. Again, everything is psychological!

I had planned to go further than 25k but man it was hard in the end. In fact, the last 2 days I have been hobbling about like an old lady. TBH my body 'kin aches all over! Waaaay worse than a day of skiing. I couldn't even get down from my top bunk for 3 hours yesterday jajaja. Luckily I was able to chat to some lovely french ppl who were retired teachers from Nantes! They do a part of the Camino each year. This is quite common.

In the albergue (7euro) I met a really interesting dutch guy, Mel (training to be a you know what, can't bloody get away from them!), who had cycled from Holland and was heading to Portugal to learn to surf. Many ppl want to continue to Portugal. We went to a guitar concert in a church, an american guy was using his guitar to pay for his trip.

Another man.is apparently going round with a donkey and people give him money to pet it. I am going to suggest this to my uncle as he keeps donkeys.

I have been trying to get into some of the beautiful churches but they are all closed up in the afternoons. I guess priests have to have their siesta too! Also, they charge a euro to go in, talk about commmercailisation! I think in 5 years' time the Camino will be extremely busy and nothing will be donativo.

Día 3

So last night I was in Castrojeriz and I shared a room with a Dutch couple and a south Korean guy. These seem to be the main nationalities on the route.

The couple were on bike and this is something I would like to do next year as it looks a lot easier (Either that or st jean to Burgos) But then again they don't get to chat to anybody and this really makes the trip.

The Korean was a conscript in the army for 2 years, working as an officer teaching soldiers about North Korea. I have net ppl from all walks of life!

Today I did only 25km and I wanted to go further but my feet were saying no! If it's not one complaint, it's another! Feet, shoulders, knees, toes, knees and toes. However when you are walking alone it is easy to get lost in your thoughts and even forget you are walking, never mind carrying a bag!

By the way P20 is not infallible, mum! I have horrible burns on my shoulders!

Today I heard about an 80 yr old man who is going back and forth on the camino over and over, in the hope that he will die on it. The problem is he is getting fitter and less likely to die all tve time!

Primer dia

So I was all packed and ready to go. I thought I had packed light with the absolute bare minimum (7kg, 2 changes of clothes) but this was still pretty damn heavy to shoulders unused to anything!

Getting to Madrid was no problem but of course my bus from there to Burgos just had to break down in the middle of nowhere! We sat outside it for 90mins while a replacement turned up. Not a happy bunny!

I spent the next morning pottering about the city. It was 25th July so everyone was going to be celebrating the Xacobeo and I was tempted to stay on another night as it was getting late (I was also celebrating Claire's birthday!) in the day, but I had a chat with myself and remembered why I had come. To walk dammit!

So I set off after a delicious breakfast of bocodillo con queso y jamón which I have now had for 4 meals! I know I am giving too much detail for a blog but hey, you can stop reading! I am doing this as a diary.
My shoulders were already hurting as I was recovering from a deep tissue massage. It was 32c with no shade and I was starting in the hottest part of the camino, the meseta which is a kind of wilderness in the hills. Most people get the bus straight from Burgos to León. Cheats!

Anyhoo it was tough and I wondered why I was putting myself through this! A sandstorm blew up and then there was a proper storm just as I arrived at my village Rabe de las Calzados. It was like a scene from a film as I raced what looked like a twister into the centre! My albergue was ace though and I met some lovely people. I've not met any brits yet, which is great as I can practice my French and Spanish. Loving it! People presume you know nothing just because you are so white you must be English. Very satisfying to surprise them jeje!

I heard a tale of a man from Transylvania who is making his way round by cooking for peregrinos.  Apparently you can tell he is from Transylvania because he wears white sleeves. I dont remember that in Dracula.

In Rabé there was also a WEIRD albergue in the village that 2 Irish girls had a bloody lucky escape from! The woman running it was a total nutjob who had taped up all the sockets and insisted they lie in binliners and put any 'textiles' in another binliner. Very creepy house with a 3 storey high 'museum' of religious artefacts. The woman was psychotic (say this in an Irish accent, it sounds way funnier!) and insisted they join mass in the house with 3 priests.

Anyway I decided i had to get photographic evidence so I rocked up to the museo and pretended to be interested. To be honest her husband was v sweet but as soon as she looked at me I regretted making eye contact! She looked very disturbed and I felt a chill. Shudder*

She demanded to know why I was staying at a rival albergue. Was it money? Was it for something else? I tried to sidestep out but her husband had to show me a covered 8foot well in the house. As I scrambled out of there she shouted YOU STAY THERE YOU LOSE. Aaagh I ran to the bar to show my friends the photos. They are to follow.

Apart from that the locals have been extremely kind and I have been given a religious medal (!) to wear and a concha (seashell) which lets people know I'm a pilgrim.

If you reached the end of that post well done you.

Burgos cathedral

I have most of my photos on my normal camera so I hope to do a proper update soon.

The weather is glorious- but not so pleasurable with a backpack 2 pairs of socks and hiking boots on! This morning I was up at dawn about 530 to get some cool walking in. I have just stopped about 4pm and I'm in a town called castojeriz. I did about 27km which I'm pleased with as it is only my second day walking. I am sure there is such a thing as walkers high! I feel pretty euphoric- after my shower, certainly not before.

I should really have recounted my first day in my first post so I.will do that now.

What is the Camino de Santiago?

What kinds of people walk the Camino de Santiago? All kinds of people walk the Camino de Santiago! According to the records of the Pilgrims' Welcome Office in Santiago de Compostela, 145,877 people completed the pilgrimage in 2011. Of them, 83% arrived on foot, 17% arrived by bicycle and a few hearty souls rode horseback. Pilgrims came from Spain (54%), Germany (10%), Italy (7%), France (5%), Portugal (3%), the US (1.7%), Canada (1.5%), the UK (1.2%) and over 100 other countries. A little over 9% were 18 years of age or younger, 35% were between 19 and 35 years old, 50% were between 36 and 65 years old, and just over 5% were older than 65 years.

I'm not Catholic. Can I walk the Camino? While the Camino de Santiago is based in Catholic lore and tradition, one does not need to be Catholic to walk. Indeed one does not need to even be religious or spiritual. About the only time this will be a question is in the Oficina de Acogida de Peregrinos in Santiago when you appear to obtain your compostela. You will be asked your motivation for walking and those who do not state "religious or spiritual" as their reason for making the pilgrimage will be offered another document, a certificado, to commemorate their having completed the Camino. While many will walk the Camino for out and out religious reasons, others will look on it from a more secular viewpoint. A pilgrimage, after all, is not necessarily religious. Consider the throngs who take a pilgrimage to Graceland!

How difficult is it to walk the Camino? Every peregrino will have a different answer for this question. The Camino is not a Himalayan expedition, but it is not a Sunday stroll through the park either. On the Camino francés, the terrain from St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago will include crossing a lower ridge of the Pyrenees, walking on farm roads through areas of rolling vineyards and across the meseta, the high, flat plains of Castilla-León, climbing and descending several mountain passes with altitudes of up to 5,000 ft (1,500 m) and finally traversing the forested river valleys of Galicia. Weather varies according to the season and the local climate zone, and can range from extremely hot and dry to cool and wet to cold and snowy. Camino veterans will say that physical preparation is absolutely necessary. It is one thing to take a hike of 25 km on a nice afternoon, but it is quite another matter to repeat this hike day after day for a month. Those who have had previous camping, backpacking or hiking experience will be a step ahead. That said, there are still multitudes of pilgrims who begin their Camino without having done any physical preparation at all. Carrying a pack will pretty much be a necessity but because there are support services all along the way—places to stay and eat—carrying a large pack is not at all necessary. In fact, packing light may be the most important ingredient for a successful Camino.

How easy is it to follow the route? In Spain, especially on the Camino francés, the entire route is extremely well marked with yellow arrows. Sometimes these are crudely brushed onto a wall or post, sometimes they are 'formally' created signs. You will always encounter them at division points or intersections in the road or path. Following the Camino through the larger cities is probably the most problematical issue, as the arrows can tend to get lost in the clutter of other signs and sometimes you may walk straight ahead for many blocks after which there will be one arrow pointing left or right. Still, if you go astray, usually a 'local' will quickly straighten you out. And you can always use "¿Dónde va el Camino?" ("Where does the Camino go?") or something like that.

Which route should I follow? There are many routes, many Caminos, to Santiago de Compostela. In the Middle Ages, pilgrims began their pilgrimage from their front door, whether that was in Jaca or Sevilla, Paris or Ostabat, Brussels or Vienna: there were as many routes as there were pilgrims. The best known route today, the one that most people mean then they talk about "the Camino", is the Camino francés, which crosses the north of Spain from the French border through Pamplona, Burgos and León all the way to Santiago. But many other routes have been marked and are available to modern pilgrims, starting both inside Spain and beyond its borders. Inside Spain, other well known Caminos include the Vía de la Plata which begins in Sevilla and passes through Mérida, Cáceres and Salamanca; the Camino primitivo which begins in Oviedo and passes through Lugo before meeting the Camino francés shortly before Santiago; the Camino del Norte which begins in Irún at the French border and follows the northern coast before turning inland near Ribadeo. There are now also recognized and well marked routes in France, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria … almost everywhere in Europe.

Where should I start? Once you have decided on which route you wish to follow, you will have to choose a starting point. Yes, you can start anywhere you want. In 2009 on the Camino francés, about 20% of the pilgrims who eventually arrived in Santiago began at the French-Spanish border, at either St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France or Roncesvalles in Spain. Another approximately 20% started at Sarria to just fulfill the 100-km requirement for the compostela. But no matter which route you follow, remember that the Camino is, in essence, just a long path, and aside from the 100 km requirement for a compostela, you can walk any part of any route that you wish.

How long does it take? There is no simple answer to this question. Whether on foot or bicycle, how long your pilgrimage will take will depend on many variables, such as what kind of terrain you will be crossing, how much you want to travel each day, how many rest days you wish to take during the pilgrimage and, naturally, your physical abilities. The hilly countryside near Le Puy, France, may limit walkers to 15 or 20 kilometers per day, while the flat expanses of the Spanish meseta will allow some to walk 30 or more kilometers per day. You may choose to finish your day’s walk early in the afternoon, or you may prefer to continue walking until late in the day. The distance you travel in a day will depend on your pace, as well as on how often you stop to rest, to visit cultural attractions and to talk to people. You may wish to take a day off from time to time, or you may prefer to walk every day.

El tiempo

Just about ready to go...

Okay so I am just about ready for the big trip! I have everything ready apart from this blog, which is a bit threadbare. I hope I can update it as I go along. I have been told there is plenty of wifi, but I have a feeling I will be doing a big update at the end. Not ideal! In total I will be covering 586km or 364miles. This doesn't mean anything to me! I have just looked up that this is the same as Newcastle to Brighton. Oh well... there is always the bus ;) To anyone out there preparing to go, buen camino!

Route

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The Way film soundtrack