Our Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage following the Camino Frances route from St. Jean Pied de Port, across Northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, has been the hardest physical thing we have ever done, but also the most rewarding. Millions of pilgrims have followed this same ancient route, as well as other routes that eventually lead to Santiago de Compostela, for hundreds of years. Everyone’s Camino is different, so this post is about reflecting back on our Camino and reflecting back on what it felt like for us. We plan on reading it many years from now in our Nursing Home and think “Oh Yes, I’d forgotten about that”, and smile. We have such happy memories of this epic walk.

Warning – this is a long post… but in my defense, it was a very long walk!

Our Camino Pilgrimage started in early September 2021 and we returned home in mid-October 2021. Altogether we spent 38 days walking every step of the official French Way almost 800Km/500miles route (although according to our Strava statistics we actually walked 845Km), carrying all our possessions in our backpacks.

Reflecting back now Brian and I often think “did we really do that?” or was it just some kind of dream we had?  Often how you have imagined or expected something to be like, rarely turns out exactly as you had expected.

The Camino was like a different world, a place in which it was normal to walk many km/miles every day carrying all our belongings in our backpack, it was normal to experience daily pain, and in spite of the pain just carry on walking, it was normal that our main concern every morning was to check our feet…examining them carefully for blisters, hot spots and dealing with any feet issues before anything else. It was normal to be popping pain killers like they were delicious sweets. It was normal to talk to total strangers every day as if they were long-lost friends, it was normal to go to bed early, wake up early and step out into the marked path every morning to repeat another day of walking a very long distance.

There was a kind of beautiful simplicity in waking up every day with a purpose, a goal to reach the next destination. We knew every single item we were carrying and exactly where it was – inside which bag, inside which bigger bag inside, which pocket in our rucksacks. Never has the world felt so ordered. There were the daily reassuring routines, but also the excitement of what the road would bring. What would the path look like? Who we would be meeting along the way? Often our pace was the same as others and we would see the same faces who would be walking similar distances to us and we would all end up in the same town and even in the same Albergue for the night. We have made many wonderful friendships along the way.

Week One – The First 100 Km Are Usually The Hardest

St.Jean Pied de Port>Pyrenees(Borda)>Roscesvalles>Zubiri>Pamplona>Puente La Reina>Estella

Day one of the Camino Frances can be one of the hardest for pilgrims. Many choose to walk the 28.5km route from St. Jean Pied de Port all the way to Roncesvalles, crossing over the Pyrenees and climbing over 1,400m above sea level. We also chose this route, but we decided to split the first day and stop overnight at an Albergue (Hostel) called Borda, this proved to be the best decision we have made.

Before walking the Camino de Santiago neither of us had any idea of what it would feel like walking every day averaging 20 to 25 Km a day. We have always loved walking and would often do a 10 km hike near our home, but what we had not bargained for was the cumulative effect of walking many km/miles every day for over one month. We also fell into thinking after a 10 or 15km practice walk and still feeling good that we had done half a Camino day, so this is not going to be that tough. Mathematically that may be true, but you very quickly discover that the second half is way, way harder than the first… feet begin aching, soon hips and knees hurt, and also backpacks feel progressively heavier until all you can think about is getting to the hostel and collapsing in a heap. Whilst our cardiovascular health improved considerably, the long daily distances did not improve the health of our aging feet, knees, hips, and backs.

Every milestone is certainly a cause for celebration on a journey of 800km/500miles and completing 100 km felt absolutely great, but it also dawned on us the magnitude of this task. It took us about 5 days to complete the first 100Km of our route with many ups and downs not only from the region’s topography but also from the physical and emotional demands.

The first day stepping into the ancient route was probably one of the most memorable days of our Camino, being packed full of great experiences, starting with some of the most stunning scenery of the whole Camino, taking us over the amazing Pyrenees Mountain Range.

Little did we know then, that the relationships we formed on that very first day would become so important to us during our Camino journey. We found ourselves with lots in common with total strangers, sharing all the excitement of that first day on the Camino, sharing a meal, and exchanging life stories. Everyone was enjoying a kind of beginner’s high… we had all been planning and preparing for this moment for so long, years often, and in so many cases delayed because of covid, that to actually begin walking felt amazing. If it wasn’t so steep, I’m sure everyone would have been skipping up that road the collective mood was so high. We became a small community of people moving together, following the Camino signs. Sometimes walking together in groups, other times walking alone, but usually getting together in the evenings when we would be talking about our day of walking, our day of pain, our day of getting closer to our final destination. It was so easy to join another walker or a group of walkers along the way and just as easy to leave the group and walk alone if we so desired.

Some Pilgrims taking the route across the Pyrenees will often stop for a rest and or a bite to eat at the iconic Albergue Orison, some will also stay there overnight. We stopped there for lunch sharing a meal with Tom (from Ireland), Katrina and Matts (from Sweden), and Josh and Curt (from the US).

But our bed for the night was a couple of km uphill from Orison since we had booked a private room at Borda, a new Albergue just up the road. It also had great mountain views, it was spotlessly clean and very comfortable. The communal evening meal was a very social event with everyone introducing themselves and talking about their reasons for doing the Camino. These shared meals were some of our favorites. Here we met Stephen (from Dublin in Ireland), Cyril (from San Francisco, US), Michaela (from Prague, Czech Republic), and Carol (from Florida, US) they all became good friends with whom we have met up and socialized many times during our Camino journey.

Our second day up in the Pyrenees started early, after a simple breakfast at the Borda Albergue where we had stayed the night before.  A foggy, cool morning gave the landscapes an ethereal, mysterious feel. We followed the Camino signs, crossing over seamlessly from France into Spain up to the highest point. From there it was a few km descents into Roncesvalles and our bed for the night. From the Borda Albergue to Roncesvalles we walked about 19Km, with an elevation gain of 683m.

On the second night, we stayed at the amazing Roncesvalles Monastery, sleeping in a large dormitory with bunk beds (something neither of us had done since our 20’s). Staying at this ancient Monastery was an experience we both felt strongly about and we are very glad that we did it, in fact, it was actually better than we had expected with a comfortable bed and good facilities.

The following morning was rather surreal to wake up by a recording of Gregorian Chanting Monks at 6 am.

The walk from Roncesvalles to Zubiri was probably one of the hardest days for me, not because the terrain was particularly hard, but I guess it was a combination of factors, such as starting to walk without any breakfast, not having enough resting stops along the way and perhaps being a bit dehydrated from not drinking enough water throughout the day. We walked almost 24 km with an elevation gain of 407m and although we had booked accommodation to stay in Larrosoana (another 5 km from Zubiri) there was no way I would have made it there on foot, so Brian managed to find us a place in Zubiri instead, where I just collapsed into bed for a few hours.

Zubiri to Pamplona was an easier day for us, we walked about 22 Km, with an elevation gain of 358m. This time we made sure to have a few extra resting stops, eating nourishing foods, and plenty to drink. As we entered Pamplona we were surprised by our friends from home, Mark and Marion. They had been touring by motorhome and were on their way to Portugal. It was great to see them and also have the opportunity to purge some of the items we no longer wanted to carry in our backpacks. Thankfully they were happy to help us out. Pamplona is one of the most beautiful cities on the French Way with a fascinating historic center. Since we had visited before, we did not do much exploring, settling for hanging out with our friends.

Leaving Pamplona behind early the following day our next overnight stop was at Puente La Reina, with the main highlight of this day being the iconic Alto del Perdon a high point on this route with fabulous views from the top and the famous sculpture installation representing pilgrims doing the Camino de Santiago. The rocky terrain downwards towards Puente La Reina was hard on our knees, this was probably the hardest day for Brian with him feeling exhausted and dehydrated from the lack of shade and a very hot day. I started developing nasty blisters on my feet.

Puente La Reina was small but very pretty with the highlights being the lively Plaza de Mena, old atmospheric churches, and the old Bridge. We booked a private room just off the main Plaza and did some exploring in the evening before eating a delicious meal at a lovely restaurant with an open courtyard called La Drogueria.

Concluding the first week of our Camino journey and hitting the 124 km walked so far, we were glad to make it to Estella. A very pretty town, where we stayed at the gorgeous Hostel Agora, one of our favorite places with the most friendly reception of the whole Camino. The weather was not great with showers on and off, but we loved eating dinner at Restaurant Mundo, owned by a Dutch lady, and sharing a meal with Michaela from the Czech Republic (who we met on day one at Albergue Borda) and Derek, a 74-year-old Dutchman who was cycling the Camino. We were inspired and humbled by his spirit to take on this challenge with severe Parkinson’s Disease.

Week Two – Another 134 Km Walked and Taking A Rest Day In Logrono

Estella>Los Arcos>Logrono>Navarrete>Najera>Santo Domingo de La Calzada>Belorado

Between Estella and Los Arcos, we stumbled upon the Fuente del Vino, free wine was flowing here and although the wine was not top quality it was certainly a lovely surprise to find such generosity along the path, thank you Bodegas Irache. We walked some of the ways between Stella and Los Arcos with Michaela getting to know her a bit better, she spoke perfect English and she was doing the Camino to reflect on her life. She would have to skip a few parts of the route since she had less than 4 weeks’ holiday to do it.

The walk was along vineyards and farmlands, and we got to Los Arcos early afternoon. The main square was lively with other pilgrims and so we joined them for drinks, there was a very friendly Brazilian couple called Claudia and Marcelo. Later on in the evening we also really enjoyed sharing a meal with fellow pilgrims at our Albergue, called Hostel Abuela, and being joined by the lovely Cyril (From San Francisco, who we also met on day one) as well as other pilgrims, including a French couple in their early seventies who had already walked over 600 Km across France from Le Puy.

From Los Arcos to Logrono we walked almost 30km, making it the longest day of our whole Camino. We learned that 30km days were not a good idea for us, the long day left us feeling exhausted and my blisters were causing me a lot of pain. In spite of the pain, there was some beautiful countryside scenery to keep us distracted, with quaint little towns and vineyards along the way. We particularly loved stopping for lunch at Viana, overlooking the stunning Cathedral, and chatting to Scottish brothers Ronald and Thomas. Ronald now lives in California, so the two brothers decided to do the Camino as a way of doing something together. We were impressed with the long distances they were managing to accomplish every day

But for us long distances meant very sore limbs and feet, so we decided to have a rest day in Logrono, eat tapas, and get some chores done.  On the first night in Logrono, we met up with Stephen and Ken from Ireland, Michaela from the Czech Republic, and also Robert from California, the US who was completing his 10th Camino. It was interesting to hear his reasons for returning over and over to walk the Camino.

There was more socializing on the second night in Logrono, since we accidentally bump into Josh, Curt (whom we have met on day one at Orison), and Josh’s Spanish friend (I can’t remember his name) and therefore all going for more tapas and drinks. They had stayed an extra night in Pamplona and hence we all ended up in Logrono together.

We did not find the resting day in Logrono very successful, since it frustrated us not to be making any walking progress, so we decided that we would not be taking any more resting days, but instead, we would have shorter days whenever necessary. Before actually starting the Camino, we thought we would take rest days in the main cities and spend the day as tourists visiting the main sights, but we were quite surprised that we were just not in a tourist frame of mind, and just wanted to plod on, grinding out the miles towards our goal.

In quaint Navarrete, we stayed in the heart of the small town and enjoyed an amazing “menu del dia” at restaurant El Molino, recommended by the owner of our Albergue, the meal and the wine was one of the best we had on the Camino.

Najera was a lot of fun, there was even a festival going on with live music in the old town. We reconnected with our Camino friends Carol (from Florida) and Cyril (from San Francisco). They introduced us to Mexican Joe (doing his 2nd Camino) and Dutch guy Eric ( doing his 5th Camino). The conversation on this occasion was not your usual chit-chat, but it quickly turned towards deeper topics not often shared with total strangers…but I guess on the Camino you expect the unexpected. Don’t worry guys your secrets are safe with us.

On the way to our next destination Santo Domingo de La Calzada we meet a Canadian lady from Halifax doing her 7th Camino, she was quite an eccentric character. Walking on her own, she told us that when doing her 6th Camino she had an accident and had to return home earlier, hence now she has returned one more time to complete it all the way to Santiago and then to Finisterre and Muxia.

Talking about eccentricity on this day we also met an Italian girl from Bologna called Julia who was walking the Camino with a kitten on her shoulder. Apparently, she had found him lost on the way and rescued him. Along the Camino, we did meet a few pilgrims walking with their dogs, but with a cat was not something we would have expected to see.

Being a Sunday there were not many options of places to stop for lunch, but at the small town of Ciruena, we find Bar Jacobeo. It turns out the bar belonged to a Brazilian lady from Recife, she serves as a delicious tortilla with coffee.

Santo Domingo was lively with another fiesta and we ended the day with a lovely meal in the town square with a view of the main Cathedral accompanied by Carol, who was not feeling great and suffering from a lot of leg pain.

Week 3 – Making Good Progress and Another 141 Km Walked

Belorado>Villafranca Montes de Oca>Atapuerca>Burgos>Hornillos del Camino>Castrojeriz>Fromista

The walk from Santo Domingo to Belorado started out quite uninspiring as we followed the Camino route alongside a busy road, until joining a more scenic path. The weather was a mixed bag, with rain showers for some of the way. There was a particularly stunning viewpoint at a place called Granon. Here it became clear that we had left the green vineyards of La Rioja region behind and found ourselves walking through the fields of grains and sunflowers of Castilla Y Leon. Absolutely spectacular.

At a place called Castidelgado, we found a charming “donativo” for lunch (you can donate whatever you think would be right or what you can afford), sharing a meal with a really fun group of pilgrims from Kuwait, 3 women, and a man who have all traveled extensively and spoke perfect English. Arriving at Belorado we had booked a private room at Hostal Punto B and managed to get our laundry done for us here. The hostel also provides a lovely pilgrim meal and breakfast the next day.

From Belorado to  Villafranca Montes de Oca it was a pleasant walk through fields of grain and lots of dry-looking sunflowers. We walked alone for most of the way, only encountering another 3 pilgrims on the trail. It was just a shorter day with only 12km of walking. At Villafranca Montes de Orca we have booked a private room at Alpargateria Casa Rural. We meet up with our friend Carol from Florida later on at her posh hotel nearby for drinks at the bar. We stay for dinner at the hotel, although Carol who had already eaten decided to have an early night and a good rest since she is still suffering from leg pain and therefore we head to the beautiful dining room on our own. The meal did not disappoint.

We got up early the next morning heading for Atapuerca, it was quite a cold morning with temperatures around 9 degrees C. On the way, we come across lovely and friendly American sisters Kate and Diane from Maryland and Washington DC.

They were great fun and at the end of the day we all end up at the same Albergue in Atapuerca. There were not many restaurant options at Atapuerca, but our hostel recommends a place called Papasol and we end up having a lovely meal there.

The following day we head for Burgos which was the main highlight of this week. Although the walk into Burgos was not the prettiest we did fall in love with this amazing city with a stunning Cathedral and some of the most delicious tapas bars in Spain.

Getting into our stride now, although pain and blisters were still an issue for me. We decide to get new shoes for me in Burgos and see if alternating footwear would make a difference to my blisters. During our stay in Burgos, I exchanged messages via WhatsApp with Carol (from Florida) and learned that she had been admitted to the main hospital there. Her severe leg pain turned out to be DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis). Fortunately, they discovered it in time and she was already feeling a lot better. We arranged to meet up again further on, once she had recovered a bit more.

Leaving Burgos was not very pretty, a long hard day of walking through busy and built-up suburbs. We now entered the Meseta, a plateau region often avoided by many of the pilgrims doing this route. Many find this region flat and boring, there is little shade and it can get very hot in the summer. We didn’t want to skip any part of the Camino, and it was our goal to walk every step of the entire route. So we carried on through the Meseta and to our surprise instead of boring landscapes, we found historic towns,  farmlands, and peaceful, open spaces with horizons that would go on forever, and some of the most stunning sunrises.

Between Hornillos del Camino and Castrojeriz there was a very scenic route, but we were not alone enjoying the landscapes. All of a sudden there was a large influx of pilgrims, although we soon discovered that they were in fact “Tourgrinos” walking just small sections of the Camino and touring in a large bus for most of the way. Some had mobility issues and it was clear that they were a lot older than us and so kudos to them for finding a way to enjoy the Camino route in a way that suited their abilities.

There was also a beautiful ruined Monastery called San Anton, we stopped there for a snack and to get a stamp for our Camino Credentials booklet (we usually collected one stamp per day, occasionally two). Castrojeriz was a beautiful hilltop town, but we were too exhausted to explore it, so we decided to have the evening meal at our Albergue. Jacobus was a great old and atmospheric place, we had booked a private room with a shower with a delicious meal to finish the day on a high note.

Although most of the Meseta was a flat plateau, the hike from Castrojeriz to Fromista was not flat at all. Soon after leaving Castrojeriz, there was a steep hill taking us up a mountain with a 12% incline and then a very steep climb back down again, with an 18% decline and stunning views going on for miles.

There was even some walking alongside a canal over a gravel path with plenty of shade. Although we were really enjoying the scenic route Brian’s foot was very sore, due to a Morton’s Neuroma on his right foot which was causing him a lot of aggravation. It was getting progressively worse with every passing day and he was having real doubts about being able to even make it to Leon.

There was a hostel mishap at the place we had booked in Fromista and we ended up having to stay at a different place. But our stay was pleasant and we enjoyed a huge pilgrim meal at a recommended local restaurant called ” El Chiringuito” with other pilgrims, including Susan a TV personality from the Netherlands, Emma from Somerset and Ivan from Barcelona.

Week 4 – Are We Really Half Way? Completing Another 175 Km Walked

Carrion de Los Condes>Teradillos de Los Templarios>Bercianos del Real Camino>Reliegos>Leon>San Martin del Camino>Astorga

From Fromista to Carrion de Los Condes was a hard slog with us both feeling very tired. Arriving in town did cheer us up since it was a really pretty place and also quite a good size town with interesting things to see and good places to eat. We decided to buy a rain poncho here since we feared that our raincoat might not be up for the famous bad weather of Galicia. We actually much preferred the ponchos… most of the rain we had arrived as showers which meant either continually stopping to put rain jackets and trousers on and off, or getting really hot and sweaty by leaving them on between showers. With the poncho, it was so easy just to unzip down the front between showers and get some ventilation as we walked.

Our next destination was not so exciting, Teradillos de Los Templarios was so small, there was hardly anything there. The highlight for us was to be surprised again by our friends Mark and Marion who were on their way back to the UK after a month touring Portugal. It was great to catch up with them and once again be able to purge a few items, including our raincoats since the rain ponchos we had recently purchased should keep us dry in Galicia. With not many eating alternatives in the tiny village, our friends joined us for a “menu del dia” at our hostel.

On our way to Bercianos del Real Camino, we passed the city of Sahagun, where we officially hit the halfway mark, 400 km on the Camino. It was a major milestone for us. We celebrated the occasion by getting our “Carta Peregrina” a kind of halfway certificate. Although finding the right place to get the certificate was not without its challenges and we ended up walking many unwanted extra km to finally find the right place in the Public Library.

Our overnight stay was at the little hamlet of Reliegos where we had another pilgrim’s communal meal at our Albergue ” Vive Tu Camino”, and here we meet a very interesting group of pilgrims from the Surrey area in England. They were traveling as a group organized by their church, and every year they come and do a small section of the Camino. This time their Camino would be ending at Astorga.

Leaving Reliegos early the next morning walking towards Leon was hard going, a very long paved road with little shade. We did not have many resting stops since there were not many coffee shop options along the way to enjoy our usual “café-con-leche” (coffee with milk), it was mostly walking through a built-up area and the not very attractive suburbs of Leon. Finally, after walking about 26 km we make it into Leon. It was a great relief to arrive and we were glad to have an Albergue in the center of the action, just a few hundred meters from the stunning Cathedral. The downside to that was that the Albergue was quite noisy and we didn’t get a great night of sleep. (There were lots of young people in the hostel who were in Friday night party mood when we were in a Friday night walked all day exhausted mood.)

Leaving Leon was also hard and uninspiring, there was light rain for much of the way but we just kept going and taking a couple of breaks to shelter from the rain, enjoying some coffee and food until we made it to San Martin del Camino. We had booked a private room at the friendly Albergue Vieira, where we met the lovely Tais, from Rio, Brazil. In the evening we shared a pilgrim meal with Tais, a Portuguese man called Antonio, who now lives in Nice, France, and two Frenchmen Jean-Paul and Andreas who did not speak much English. Luckily Antonio acted as a translator for all of us and somehow we all got on very well indeed, particularly after a few glasses of wine.

From San Martin there was a scenic walk going through Hospital de Orbigo with its beautiful Roman Bridge, the morning air was very cool so to warm up we stopped for Café-con Leche at a place overlooking the bridge. Brazilian Tais was also there having coffee.

Astorga signaled the end of the Meseta and the flat terrains we had been enjoying and instead, we could see mountains looming on the horizon. Astorga is another favorite city for pilgrims doing this stretch of the route, and for good reason since it is so pretty. Here we meet up with our friend Carol (from Florida) who was now recovered from DVT, although still needing to take medication. She was in town with a big group of Camino friends, including Tais and we all end up having drinks and later on dinner together in the town center.

Later on the group (apart from Tais and Flor) decide to have a meal at another restaurant, this time indoors, since it was getting very cold at night now. At the restaurant, we also bump into someone with whom we shared a taxi from Biarritz to St. Jean Pied de Port on our arrival in France. He told us at the time that he was divorced and doing the Camino on his own, but we find him having a romantic meal with another pilgrim. The mystery woman was from the US and we will later discover that romance had indeed blossomed for this couple. Apparently, that is not unusual and the Camino is littered with romance stories, we have certainly witnessed at least 3 couples getting together on our Camino journey.

We left the town early the next morning, passing in front of the gorgeous Gaudi Palace as we leave Astorga on our way to Rabanal del Camino.

This week was not without its challenges, but we were feeling strong and managed to walk daily averages of 25km, making it the best walking week for us, somehow we accomplished the longest daily distances of the whole Camino. The mornings were definitely getting colder as we entered the month of October. Every day started with us wearing practically all of our clothing – hats, coats, fleeces, buffs, and only as the day warmed could we start shedding layers.

Week 5 – The Amazing O’Cebreiro and Completing Another 141 Km

Rabanal del Camino>Molinaseca>Cacabelos>Vega de Valcarce>O’Cebreiro>Alto do Poio>Samos

From Astorga, it was a pleasant walk to gorgeous Rabanal del Camino, a very charming little town. On the way to Rabanal, we bumped into Cyril from San Francisco, it was great to catch up with her. At Rabanal we stayed overnight at the very quaint La Posada D. Gaspar (they even have a piano here that used to belong to Frank Sinatra) and we soon discovered that Carol and Flor (from California) were also staying there, so we all end up having dinner together. These evenings of socializing with other pilgrims are some of our fondest memories of the Camino.

From Rabanal del Camino we walked to Molinaseca. It was a tough 27 km walking in all sorts of weather including rain, fog, and wind until we reached the highest point of the French route of the Camino de Santiago, the iconic Cruz de Ferro. At the Cruz de Ferro many pilgrims leave stones that they have been carrying along the way, symbolizing a burden that they leave behind, or as a homage to people, they hold dear. I carried a stone for my late mother and also a stone for a very dear friend who is terminally ill.

My stones did not symbolize a burden but rather a homage to two amazing, strong women who have been a big part of my life. Brian carried a stone for his late father. It was a very emotional place, particularly for me to reach this milestone and to leave the stones that I have been carrying from the start. Brian had always planned to leave his stone there too, but when it came to it he realized he would be much happier keeping this memory of his much-loved father with him for the whole journey. So he did.

We continued our journey towards a small town called El Acebo, the route was very steep and hazardous, but luckily the rain had stopped and the sun was shining for us. It was with great relief that we arrived at the very pretty town of Molinaseca and our Albergue for the night.

We were pleasantly surprised to find out that the owner of our Albergue was a Brazilian lady and her husband, both from SP. They have walked the Camino in 2014 and fell in love with it, deciding to buy the Albergue and move to Spain permanently.

At breakfast the next morning we discovered that some of our pilgrim friends were also staying at the same Albergue (although at the sister site up the road and hence we only met them the following day from breakfast).

From Molinaseca to Cacabelos we walked via the larger town of Ponferrada, where we stopped at the Decathlon for a spot of shopping. The weather was cooling so I bought a new fleece jacket and another pair of leggings and Brian brought a new pair of hiking trousers. We arrived later in the afternoon at Cacabelos, which was a small town with just one main road, our private room was very nice, but it frustrated us that we could not find anywhere to have dinner before 8 pm, the Spanish tend to eat a lot later than us.

The next morning we also struggled to find a place to have breakfast as there was nothing open in town. We found breakfast 2 hours later at Villafranca del Bierzo, a really nice town with many restaurant options and we wished to have stayed in this town the night before. From Villafranca del Bierzo there are three different routes; most people chose a lower, flat path along the side of a road (not a busy road) with some people doing the second route at a higher ground, called Camino de la Montana, going over the hills with a lot more ascents and descents it is also a longer route. There is a third route that includes several peaks, masses of altitude gain and loss, and is really only for the committed and very fit.

We chose to walk on the lower path.  At some point, the first two routes merged together and we found ourselves walking alongside a 25 years old from Dorset, England who was sweating profusely. He had taken the second route (by accident). We noticed that he walked slowly and had a slight limp helped by his walking poles. Chatting to him we discovered that he had a metal rod on his back, due to severe scoliosis and was doing the Camino in memory of a friend who died in a car crash. We felt like two wimps choosing the easier route, but at the same time very glad to have chosen the easier and shorter route, arriving at our destination Vega de Valcarce in the early afternoon.

Our private room at Vega de Valcarce was more like a small apartment rather than just a room. It even had a small kitchen. We had to go over the road (the baker’s shop) to get our keys. It was slightly unnerving to be under a huge bridge, but it was in fact a very quiet and peaceful night.

The following day was one of the most scenics of our entire journey, as we climbed up the O’Cebreiro Mountain range. But before starting the legendary climb to O’Cebreiro, still down in the valley at the small hamlet of Las Herrerias, we bump into our pilgrim friends from the US (Cyril, Diane, and Elizabeth). They were already mounted on horseback waiting to start the ascent since they have decided to ride a horse up to O’Cebreiro. I was a little envious of their choice.

Going uphill, we gained quite a bit of elevation, at times it was quite steep but certainly a lot easier than we had expected. We had a lot of miles in our legs by now and were definitely much fitter than our last big climbs way back in the Pyrenees. We took our time, walking slowly, stopping at La Faba for a coffee before continuing upwards enjoying the breathtaking scenery. Halfway way up the mountain, we crossed into Galicia.

The small O’Cebreiro village sits at 1300 meters above sea level. It is charming with cobbled streets and dotted with thatched stone ancient roundhouses called Pallozas.

There is also a village church where the legendary Galician Holy Grail is housed. We meet up with Cyril at O’Cebreiro and stopped for lunch together. We wanted to stay overnight at O’Cebreiro, but could not get a room, so we managed to get a room in a town just 5 km away called Piedrafita, which was not on the Camino route, but it gave us a comfortable night stay and we returned to O’Cebreiro the following morning to watch the most stunning sunrise and join the Camino route again.

Soon after sunrise, we got back on the Camino, eventually joining up with Cyril and walking together towards Alto do Poio where we would be staying overnight. We waved Cyril goodbye and she continued on to her final destination for the day at Triacastela. At Alto do Poio there was not a lot to do, so we just relaxed for the afternoon before having dinner at our hostel. It was quite a cold night, but the hostel provided some thick blankets. We left soon after breakfast the next morning, it was still dark and we had to use our head torches, heading towards Triacastela for lunch. From Triacastela we took the route towards Samos, although most people will head for Sarria. We decided that it was worth the small detour since we were keen to visit the old Samos Monastery and also stay there overnight.

From Triacastela the walk started off on a paved road until we joined a path through a wooded area, passing through small hamlets, it was very quiet with only the local farmers using the track. Within a couple of hours, we arrived at the top of the valley with views over to the stunning Monastery of San Xulián de Samos below.

We walk over the bridge towards the Monastery and spot Cyril just coming out of one of the daily Monastery tours. She tells us that there will be another tour, later on, so we go into the gift shop where we can buy a ticket for the next tour. I get chatting to one of the Monks selling the tickets and it turns out that he is Brazilian. Reginaldo had just arrived in town just 5 days ago to join the Monastery.

He informed us that there would be another Monastery tour later on at around 4 pm, he also told us that the Monastery Guest House would open at 2:30 pm and we could go to sign in. Since they only have a limited amount of beds, he advised us to be there at opening time. We grab some lunch just across the road from the Guest House and await there until the time to sign in.

The Samos Guest House was run by a volunteer who was very friendly and assigned us a bunk bed each. The room was simple, but spacious with about 10 bunk beds, there was a toilet/shower block at the side of the room. We thought the room and facilities would be similar to the place we stayed at Roscevalles, but we could not be more wrong.

Later in the afternoon, we enjoyed the fascinating Monastery tour though the guide did keep everyone on a short leash and people were not allowed to wander far from the group. Reginaldo was also there and he gave me what felt like a private tour. He told me that there were only 9 Monks currently living at this Benedictine Monastery, which was founded in the 6th Century. There were beautiful murals painted on the corridor walls and interesting religious artifacts. We also visited the main chapel.

Later in the evening, we met Cyril for dinner, before returning to the Monastery to sleep. Lights were off by the time we arrived at 9 pm and we had to use our head torches to get ready for bed. It was a surreal experience and although we were glad to have done it, I don’t think we would be in a hurry to repeat it.

Samos was shrouded in mist as we left in the early morning, soon after grabbing a coffee and pain-au-chocolate in town. We followed the river valley, passing small hamlets, corn farms, busy farmers with their tractors gathering the harvest, and little churches overlooking the fields of corn.

Week 6 – Are We There Yet? A Very Different Camino and The Last 129km

Sarria>Portomarin>Palas del Rei>Ribadiso de Abaixo>O Pedroso>Santiago de Compostela

We arrived in the outskirts of Sarria late morning and decided to go for lunch before being able to check in to our hostel. There was quite a bit of a hike up to the old town, where our hostel Pension Don Alvaro was situated. We had booked a private room with a shower which was very comfortable and in a perfect location. Cyril was also in town, so we arranged to meet up with her for dinner. It felt bittersweet to be in Sarria, knowing that we will be walking the last 100 km of the Camino from here.

Leaving our Pension in Sarria the following morning we were surprised by a large group of youngsters just outside the front door. They greeted us happily with a loud “Buen Camino” before returning to chat among themselves. We had been warned that from Sarria onwards the Camino would have a very different feel, many pilgrims start their Camino in Sarria since it is just a little over one hundred km from Santiago and the last large town with a good infrastructure from where people can walk to Santiago from and still get a Compostela. We were told that there would be a significant increase in pilgrim numbers, the Camino would not be as friendly, there might be a shortage of places to overnight and there would be overall changes in pilgrim’s behavior. We certainly experienced all of that.

But in spite of a much busier Camino, we did enjoy many aspects of the last one hundred km. From Sarria we walked 24 km to Portomarin, there was beautiful scenery with wooded areas, busy working farmers harvesting their crop or tending to their animals, little villages, a fair number of friendly, large farm dogs. We stopped to eat our lunch at a “Donativo” (you just pay a donation) run by an elderly couple who have been feeding the pilgrims here for years.

The food and drinks were varied and delicious, no wonder it was a popular place for pilgrims to stop. Another highlight of this day was to arrive at the 100 km landmark, from this point onwards it really felt real for us that we could be arriving in Santiago de Compostela in just a few days.

The final stretch into Portomarin was a bit challenging with some kind of gully with lots of steep steps. We got chatting with two Scottish men, Steve and Jonh who like us had also started walking the Camino a few weeks ago from San Jean Pied de Port. Together we crossed the long bridge into Portomarin, which was quite a nice little town with a few good places to eat. We had booked a private room a short walk from the town center. Later in the afternoon, we join Steve and Jonh for a drink in the town square and then end the day by meeting up with Cyril for dinner.

The following day we left early bound for Palas de Rei, it was quite a hilly hike with an elevation gain of 580 meters. A foggy start until we reached the highest point, from where we could see the fog/low cloud over the valley. We were feeling quite weary and irritated with the high number of loud pilgrims, some even listening to loud music as they walked along in groups. It was a bit disconcerting. We arrived at Palais del Rei mid-afternoon and check into our comfortable private room and in the evening we met up with Cyril to enjoy a really nice meal at a Pulperia Restaurant.

The walk next day from Palais del Rei to Ribadiso de Abaixo was also very hilly, with some pretty countryside and farmland. We stopped for a lovely lunch at the larger town of Melide and arrived in the very small hamlet of Ribadiso de Abaixo later in the afternoon. There was a really nice, small restaurant just opposite our hostel with an outdoor sitting area and we ended the day having dinner there listening to 80’s music and trying to guess the artists,  and enjoying the pleasant evening under a bright new moon.

Waking up to a cold foggy day we left Ribadiso early and without breakfast since there was nothing open at that time of the morning. Luckily we only had to walk about 3 km to the town of Arzua for our breakfast. Soon after breakfast, we meet Mary, an Irish lady from Dublin who entertained us with her many Camino stories all the way to the final stop of the day at O Pedroso. She was so funny and interesting we hardly noticed the 24 km journey.

The big day had finally arrived, the final 18 km from O Pedroso to Santiago de Compostela. The scenery was a mixed bag of walking along unpaved paths through fragrant eucalyptus forests, paved areas, and even alongside the Santiago airport. Eventually, we found ourselves at Monte do Gozo, just 5 km from Santiago with views over the city and we could even see some of the main Cathedral’s spires in the distance.

We did not linger for long at Monte do Gozo and just carried on until we reached the outskirts of the city where someone was playing the bagpipe by the Santiago de Compostela sign.

As we approached the old town we held hands to enter the Plaza do Obradoiro, again here the sounds of a Galician bagpipe made the final steps even more evocative and emotional. We looked at each other feeling quite overwhelmed with the sight of the beautiful Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in front of us. There was some sort of protest going on in front of the Cathedral, but we hardly paid any attention to that. In many ways the full magnitude of what it felt like walking about 800 km/500 miles across a country did not compute for us at that very moment of arrival, it took us some time to fully appreciate and understand what it actually meant for us.

The practicalities of collecting our Compostela from the pilgrims’ office, eating lunch, and checking into our hotel took over our attention for the rest of the afternoon.

Since we had arrived on a Saturday, we were keen to attend the Pilgrims Sunday Mass the next morning and we were hoping to see the iconic Botafumeiro in action. Cyril messaged us in the morning, telling us to hurry up since the Cathedral was filling up fast.

We sat just a few pews behind Cyril and at the end of the mass we watched in awe the Botfumeiro in action, it was certainly a sight to be held. Absolutely beautiful and a fitting end to our Pilgrimage journey.

After mass, Cyril went to collect her Compostela and we walked around town for a while exploring again some of the places we have visited when we were here in Santiago back in 2019 with our motorhome. Later in the evening, we met up with some of our friends for one last meal together. Some of them were people we had met on day one and it was so lovely that we have all made it to Santiago. We also met up again with Carol (from Florida) in town, it was amazing that in spite of DVT she made it to Santiago. What a girl!!

Meeting great people was one of the best things about the Camino, the friendships made along the way feel like one of the greatest gifts that have remained long after we have returned home.

We often say that it is all about the journey and not the destination that really matters…this saying has certainly never been more true. Arriving at Santiago de Compostela was the ultimate highlight of this last week on the Camino since it was the culmination of many weeks of walking long distances every day. But the memories that will linger the most will be certain events of everyday life in the Camino, all the amazing people we have met, the beautiful landscapes we walked through, the delicious food and wine we have sampled, the many fascinating cultural sites we visited is what has made this whole experience unforgettable for us.

Camino Practicalities And Tips

No special powers are required for walking the Camino de Santiago, just the desire and the ability to put one foot in front of the other – and yet it still feels genuinely epic. On the way, we encountered people of all ages and abilities, including a gentleman in his late seventies, with Parkinson’s Disease. Just a few tips:

• If you want to read one very good book about the Camino

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