Europe Post 17: Camino de Santiago

When we first started putting together the outline of what our trip around Europe would look like, one of the first (and really one of the only) adventures we locked in was the Camino De Santiago across the month of May. As someone who has done a few multi-day hikes, I’d first heard of the Spanish hike/pilgrimage route years ago, described as one of the world’s most epic hikes, and we were both really keen to give it a go. We then watched the movie “The Way” (an American film centred around the Camino), before leaving Australian shores, which only cemented in our minds that we wanted to experience this epic adventure for ourselves.

Of course, several months of whirlwind travel then hit us, and eventually spat us out in the French town of Saint Jean Pied de Port, one of the most popular Camino Frances starting points, on the 30th of April. As a result, we arrived only somewhat prepared, and with very little idea of what the next 34 days and 790kms of walking that would take us across almost all of Spain from east to west would look like…

First, some background (much of which we only learnt along the way): The Camino de Santiago, or “The Way of Saint James” in English, is actually a series of historic pilgrimage routes that wind their way all over Europe – all terminating in Santiago de Compostella, where according to tradition, what is left of Saint James is interred in the cathedral there. These routes first became popular some 1000 years ago, with the “Camino Frances” or “French Way” one of the most popular routes then and now for Catholics to make their way to honour Saint James. It reached peak historical popularity in the Middle Ages, travelled by kings and poor alike, and was revived as a modern pilgrimage in the second half on the 20th century.

Today, hundreds of thousands of people traverse it every year (can confirm, it is super busy) and it is a massive tourist attraction for Spain, attracting people from literally all over the world. Each pilgrim generally carrys a credential, which gives them access to pilgrim facilities and is meant to be stamped at each stopping point, and a shell attached to their pack, which depending on who you ask, signifies the many routes to Santiago (the pattern of the shell looks like many paths leading to one destination) or represents Saint James himself. On each day, these pilgrims treck, cycle, or even ride on horseback anywhere between 5 and 40 kilometres from one town to the next, staying in Albergues (like super cheap hostels but only for pilgrims). The broader organisation of the Camino is pretty loose – credentials are given out by volunteers, and all Albergues are run independently, either by the local government, private operators, or the local church. Being religious is certainly not a requirement of doing the Camino, and we met many people of all different religious persuasions, but Catholic symbolism and churches are an ever-present theme of the Camino – what else would you expect on a pilgrimage?

We set out at around 6am on our first day, after an poor night’s sleep in a completely full bunkroom – this time felt ridiculously early as it was only just getting light, but would soon become normal for us! We had got the hot tip that the weather was going to be bad this day, and that we should therefore take the so-called “lowland” route through the Pyrenees, rather than the more popular moutainous route. It was pouring rain, and I think we were both starting to question what exactly we had got ourselves into – but with a huge number of pilgrims starting on May 1 and extremely limited beds available in the first major stopping town, we had no choice but to get to it.

We made our first Camino friend inside the first hour (John from Leeds) – chatting with him was a great distraction from the challenge of the trail, but he eventually outpaced us, and it was just us, the driving rain, and the ever-increasing uphill as we made our way through the Pyrenees. By the middle of the day, we were really, really struggling – Charlotte was soaked through, the rain had turned to snow, and I was essentially pushing her up the hill. We were both carrying way more weight than most (18kg in my pack, around 15kg in Charlotte’s) and there was nowhere to stop, rest and get dry. Thankfully, we somehow finished the 23 kilometres and 1000 metres of elevation gain at around 1:30pm, and were some of the first to make it in. We heard many, many different stories of this first day and its horrendous weather, and what it did to people on the highland route: anecdotes of low visibility, 30cms of snow, broken legs, mountaintop rescues, and hypothermia. The Camino does lend itself to stories getting more dramatic over time, but it was a tough day in anyone’s language, and we are still glad we made the call to take the lowland route.

I could very easily launch into 34 days worth of blogging our journey day by day – but it would take a long time to read, and even longer to write. So instead, I’ll give a bit of a sense of what we saw and experienced – and for those who are really keen, you can find my very basic daily log at the bottom of this post.

Over the following days, we settled into a much better pattern: an average day started with getting up, packing up, and getting walking in the early morning, stopping for a mid-morning breakfast of Tortilla (Spanish Omelette), finishing our walking around lunch-time, getting set up in our albergue (which after our bed race on the first day, we would either book or at least investigate the number of beds available the night before arrival), relaxing, chatting and eating for the afternoons, then in bed by 8pm. We walked and chatted lots with John, and later with a group of younger people who hadn’t met each other before the Camino but became firm friends (the Camino is most popular with retirees these days, or at least that was our experience, so solo younger travellers often tended to band together). The mountains of the Pyrenees gave way to rolling hills, then eventually to the endless high plain of Meseta (described in grim tones to us by other pilgrims as a flat desert, but likely because of the weather and time of year, we found it a beautiful week of plains and valleys of endless grain crops).

It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows – we spent plenty of days trudging through the rain on tired feet, and quietly cursing the crowded rooms, implausably large number of snorers, and inconsiderate behaviour of other pilgrims (singing in a dorm room at 5am? Really?). I managed to get some truly epic blisters, and Charlotte had some rough luck with injuries – a chronic hip issue re-emerged during our time on the Meseta, and resulted in us slowing down significantly and taking some rest days. Silver linings abounded however – we got to experience a Catholic festival for a local saint in the town (named after said Saint) Santo Domingo, where we would never otherwise had stopped. The festival was a glorious, confusing blur of dance music, serious, ornate processions (donkeys and cows featuring), large amounts of alcohol, and many references to the origin story of Saint Dominic, which involved bringing a chicken back to life.

Spectacular churches, crosses, and monuments are unsurprisingly most of the standout attractions and sights on the Camino – their remarkable beauty and opulence at times almost clashing with some of the very poor towns they were situated in. That being said, the Camino has in recent times brought incredible life and economic growth to some of these towns – new buildings, beautifully restored old buildings, and construction projects along the way made it clear just how much of a difference the Camino and its pilgrims (many who have deep pockets and steep thirsts/hungers from all the hiking) have made to the economies of this area.

One of the constant tensions and topics of conversation we heard throughout our hike was just how many pilgrims there were, and how few beds were available for them. This led to constant moralising about who “the right type of pilgrims” are – solo pilgrims walking every step with packs complained about groups, those without bags, and those who take taxis taking their beds, all walkers complained about those on bikes, and pretty much everyone looked down on those on e-bikes. It was easy to get sucked into this, but the reality is, the Camino means different things to everyone, and it was pretty comical hearing people complain about groups of Spanish Catholic schoolchildren being loud and taking up beds – if they’re not the “right type of pilgrims” who is? Despite all of this, we found a bed every night without having to take a taxi, and were very grateful for it.

After the Meseta and Leon, the foothills turned into steep mountains and deep valleys. It was on this stretch we felt we had adapted to walking life, and got into a really good rhythm. It was also during this part that we saw some of the most spectacular natural sights – I’ve always been a sucker for mountains, and these were some proper mountains. As is the tradition of the Camino, our earlier friends had moved at different paces, and we made new friends on this leg. Sometimes it would just be a dinner or a day of walking, others we stayed with or crossed paths with for days – the sense of shared experience and openness for meeting new people is definitely one of the highlights of the Camino. On one memorable morning, we crossed the some of the highest peaks of the Camino with a Dutch friend, and enjoyed surreal sunrise views over seemingly endless valleys.

As we were warned, things got much, much busier after Saria – In order to earn a “Compostella” (basically a pilgrim participation certificate), you must do at least 100kms of walking into Santiago – which conveniently lines up with Saria. We put on the afterburners from this point, and smashed out the remaining kays in 3 and a half days. Indeed, we did the last 315 kilometres in 11 days, which especially given some of the elevation we faced, was a remarkable achievement. As a result, we ended up seeing a whole lot of people we hadn’t seen since the first week or two over this period – our slow middle-stretch had given them a head-start, but we unexpectedly caught them in the end.

And just like that, 34 days after starting, we were done. We spent a little time taking in the famed church and the surrounding square and buildings, then trudged our way to our accommodation. Santiago is a surreal place – the end destination of so many pilgrimages, it a distinctly Spanish city in terms of architecture and feel, but it is full of pilgrims/tourists from all over the world, covered in varying levels of sweat, hiking gear and suntans. Anywhere you go in the centre of the city, there are pilgrims laughing, crying, taking photos, and catching up over drinks.

It was an incredible experience – one that I would recommend to almost anyone. It may not be easy, but you learn a lot about yourself, see so much of Spain, and meet such a diverse range of people.

At various points during our hiking, we toyed with delusions of doing the Portuguese Camino route in reverse on completion of the Frances (French way) – but a night in a proper bed, and the soreness that came on with finally stopping after 315+kms in 11 days killed that idea pretty much instantly in Santiago. It truly was an amazing experience, but I guess we also learnt a lesson about how it is also important to know when to let things end. Instead, we stayed in Santiago for two days, and caught up with Camino friends who were already in town or made their way in during our stay, with lots of banter and goodbyes. We took advantage of the spare time to attend a Pilgrims Mass in the Santiago Cathedral, which was pretty awe-inspiring – a completely full massive church, six priests from across the world in full robes running mass, an incredible female singer leading the hymns, and familiar faces everywhere.

We also hit the internet, looking for the cheapest combination of last-minute travel and accommodation we could find for 2 weeks of beachside recuperation. We thought this would be Portugal, but the result ended up being a Spanish town by the name of Algarrobo Costa, which is just outside of Malaga. This has been our home away from home for the last 10 days – good food, and daily pool and beach swims have accelerated our recovery, and we’re both feeling pretty fit. Another couple of days here, then the slow time is over, and it is off to Barcelona to meet up with my family for a few weeks of whirlwind travel. While we still have plenty of time left in our travels, it definitely feels like this is the end of the middle, and the beginning of the end of our trip – which sounds sad, but is actually a pretty positive feeling after such a long time away from home.

Next Stops: Barcelona, Marseille, Genoa area of Italy

Camino Daily Log:

Day 0: Paris to Saint Jean Pied de Port Took the overnight train from Paris. Slept on surprisingly comfortable, if a little small, beds in a 6 bed compartment. Arrived in Saint Jean tired, sore and a little overwhelmed. We got our pilgrim’s credentials and some helpful info from the local pilgrims office. Managed to get a bed at the municipal albergue. Sent our ridiculously heavy bag of unnecessary additional stuff to Santiago in the afternoon. Weather was beautiful, so managed to get some sun and some recovery time in.

Day 1: Saint Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles A brutal first day. We got up and left just after 6am. Constant driving rain, temperature reaching a maximum of 10 degrees (colder as we got higher). Did some 26 kilometres, with last 5 being brutal uphill climb. We basically didn’t stop for 7.5 hours, arriving in Roncesvalles at 1:30pm. My body held up surprisingly well, but really had to push Charlotte both literally and figuratively to get her up the hills as she was exhausted and soaked through. Scenery was beautiful and a little mystical with the clouds over the valley, waterfalls, rocky mountains. Arrived in time to get a bed – suspect the Albergue sold out in the next half an hour after we arrived. Enjoyed a amazing pilgrims dinner of soup, chicken, cake and wine – helped to take the edge off a big day. (later note: pilgrims dinner/meals are cheap, very filling multiple course dinners that many restaurants sell along the Way – delicious and great for getting energy back in, though the bottle of wine that comes with them likely undoes a fair bit of the good exercise done by pilgrims on the trail)

Day 2: Pamplona to Zubiri Got away at a much later time – as we had got a booking in Zubiri. Had a relaxed day walking through beautiful hills and small villages. Because of the time of leaving, we saw many more pilgrims on the track across the day. Finished walking for the day with brutal downhill over loose rock coming into Zubiri. Got into Zubiri mid afternoon, and got some great quiche for late lunch. Made pasta for dinner, spent time sitting by the river and chatting to other people in the hostel.

Day 3: Zubiri to Pamplona Started with bad nights sleep due to creaking beds. Left super early as woke up early – got out about 6am. Fantastic weather all day – great hiking. Charlotte had issues with boots – too small so her feet are really sore… bought new boots tonight. Walked with John from Leeds and Jean-Pierre from America. Smashed out our hiking of some 22 kms by 11:30am. Spent rest of the day relaxing in the german albergue in Pamplona, and exploring the town. Had a very pleasant pilgrims dinner in local restaurant – 3 courses and wine for 11 euros. Lovely little albergue – 25 beds, managed by 2 german volunteers. Pamplona is a very pleasant city with a beautiful old town.

Day 4: Pamplona to Puente La Reina Made a later start after having breakfast and playing guitar in the German Albergue. A little rain around in the morning but nothing like day 1. Through the suburbs of Pamplona then a big climb in the middle of the day – beautiful views from the top though. Came down through multiple small towns, slow going at the end as Charlotte had sore feet but overall made good time. Had a shared home-cooked meatball pasta for dinner at the albergue with a group of younger pilgrims we have befriended + John from Leeds who we met up with again.

Day 5: Puente La Reina to Estella Got an early start from Puente La Reina and made good time throughout the day. John left us in the dust and put in a big day – won’t see him again (later note: John finished the Camino Frances in 27 days, which is just absurd). Ate pilgrims lunch instead of dinner. Spent a fair bit of time exploring Estella. Estella is a beautiful small town – mountains all around, river running through the centre, gorgeous churches, town square had children playing everywhere while the parents chatted in the cafes and bars in the evening. Need to come back here for day hikes to local gorges and caves and swimming spots!

Day 6: Estella to Los Arcos Got away from Estalla at a more relaxed time and grabbed a pastry before heading to the famous wine fountain 2kms out of town. Filled up my water bottle with wine, took all day to finish it! Got in at a decent time still, and spent the afternoon drinking Sangria and chatting with pilgrims in the town square – a hard life! Amazing church in town, one of the most impressive I’ve been into, especially for such a small town. Made burritos for dinner with the younger (our age) pilgrims gang – so good. Albergue was 1 room with 50 beds, a pretty rough night.

Day 7: Los Arcos to Logrono After a brutal night in a tightly packed Albergue, today was a long but flat 29 or so kilometres – our longest day so far. Not much shade but thankfully a cool day. Walked the full day with our Camino gang of other younger pilgrims – Jamie, Jack, Teresa, Chloe. Stopped in a couple of cute towns for coffee and a snack. Stayed in an airbnb for the night which was lovely – a break after a week on the trail. Logrono is a fun place – big town with a huge number of pinchos bars. Would love to come back here. Stayed out much later than usual due to the pinchos bars – sleep-in incoming.

Day 8: Los Arcos to Navarrete Started very slow, enjoyed the Airbnb facilities. Tried super green kombucha, very weird. Left at 11:50am, smashed out 12 kilometres in less than 3 hours to get to Navarrete. Lots of urban and side of road walking. Went past a lake and saw a bunch of weird fish and a squirrel. Quite warm in the middle of day sun (mid 20s) so we were glad to arrive. Town is cute, small but with a bit of life. Made meat wraps for dinner, and had some pinchos as a snack. Took a look inside the church and around town. Nice to be in a small albergue off the guide book route, no trouble getting a bed.

Day 9: Navarette to Azofra Got away just before 7am. Walked a bit with Larry from Australia today – had pinchos with him by the river in najera for lunch. Got hotter as the day went on, and with a brutal hill climb it was a hot morning. Made it into Azofra a little before 1pm (check in time) and took advantage of the foot pool that was available. Cold but so nice. Azofra had a great albergue – only two to a room! Had a great evening talking to other pilgims and relaxing.

Day 10: Azofra to Santo Domingo Started day early, on the track by 6:15. Quite an exposed day, not many towns. Walked through a half abandoned housing estate in one small village, very weird. Charlotte’s hip was very sore so we finished the day earlier than expected in Santo. We met up with Sophia who had taken a rest day (young American woman we had met earlier) and explored the festival that was coincidentally happening in town, celebrating a local Saint. There was dancing, parades, free food and lots of music! Slept in the massive municipal albergue – slept well despite the party continuing outside.

Day 11: Santo Domingo to Granon A very short day today. We had heard great things about the albergue at Granon and Charlotte’s hip was hurting still so thought a 7km day would help. Left late, and got breakfast at a Cafe, then got into granon around 11am. We were able to check into albergue very early. Very basic place (mats for beds), located in the side of a church – surreal. 60 people stayed in total, clearly more than normal. Cooked a massive communal dinner, everyone co tributed and ate together which was super overwhelming. We attended mass before dinner which was quite an experience.

Day 12: Granon to Belorado Had a quick breakfast and got away a little after 7am. Lots of small towns to break up the day which was nice. A 16km day as we wanted to see how Charlotte’s hip would go. Unfortunately, it did not go well at all, and we struggled into Belorado 16kms later with Charlotte wincing at every step. Stayed at the municipal hostel. Rested all afternoon, did washing, ate great tapas for lunch and an average pilgrim menu for dinner.

Day 13: Belorado rest day A very slow day. Left the municipal before 9, had breakfast tapas at a Cafe, then read and relaxed until check in at a private albergue at 12pm. Rested inside and by the pool for the afternoon.

Day 14: Belorado to Ages Great to be back on the trail. Body felt good. Charlotte dropped bag off for pickup so her hip can recover (later note: there are a number of bag-forwarding services on the Camino – for those who can’t carry their bag or can’t be bothered. We were cynical initially, but very glad they existed, otherwise we would not have been able to continue for some days). Weather was quite wet throughout the morning, but despite that we made good time. Stopped to wolf down some food mid morning, then tackled a decent hill. Came into Ages in the early afternoon. Tiny town, very cute but limited food options etc. Albergue was pretty grim but we were lucky to be in smaller room. Met some lovely older Canadian ladies in our room and enjoyed some great banter. Dinner was pilgrims menu – salad and then lamb and chips – pretty good!

Day 15: Ages to Burgos Got out at about 6:30. Charlotte sent pack again. Weather stayed dry all day. A limestone ridge climb early in the day followed by the long entry into Burgos (could see the town from the limestone Ridge). Went around an airport then followed a pleasant riverside park. About 23kms in the day. Made it a little after midday, checked into the massive municipal albergue (150 beds in 3 rooms). Felt a little big and impersonal. Visited the amazing cathedral and explored the old town a little.

Day 16: Burgos to Hornillos Got away a little later than hoped after dropping off Charlotte’s bag for pickup and picking up some cash. Came out of Burgos much more quickly than we entered it. Finally made it on to the infamous Meseta – extensive high plains of rolling cereal crops. Stayed in a modern private albergue in Hornillos, great facilities and a fantastic communal dinner, complete with homecooked chicken paella (excellent). Had a great chat with some people from Portugal, Mexico, Scotland and Germany – and heard a crazy story about someone stealing shoes on the camino, and the detective work that other pilgrims did to find the culprit.

Day 17: Hornillos to Itera de La Vega A big day, around 30kms in total. Beautiful walking over Meseta – dramatic views every time we walked off the plateau into the valleys. Stopped for breakfast (as is now our tradition, had a piece of tortilla – potato omelette – for breakfast) in a beautiful small town. Had all sorts of weather – sun, cloud and rain. Made it into to Itera quite late (around 4pm) with very sore feet and were great full to stay in a place with a great communal dinner. Fell asleep at 7:45pm!

Day 18 Itera De La Vega to Carrion Got away super early (6am) as a 32km day ahead. Listened to the Crows lose to Collingwood on radio during first few hours of the day. Walked along a beautiful canal for a time. Took our first break 13km in for some more tortilla and a chat with some new younger Dutch Camino friends. Walked along a road for most of the day. Some sort of cancer charity walk on at the same time meant that we had plenty of company! Our flattest day of the camino, with only some minor hills across the day. Powered on and made remarkable time, getting in to Carrion a little after 2:00pm. Stayed the night in a albergue run by nuns – finally had a full kitchen so made ourselves spag bol for dinner. No bunk beds for once! Exciting to have no one above/below us.

Day 19 Carrion to Ledigos Got away a bit after 7am, slow start packing up. Slept reasonably well, Charlotte less so. Went a little slow at the start as watching friends wedding while walking. Start of day was a 17km stretch with no towns. Stopped at a cute food van for our traditional tortilla. Continued through pretty much non stop to Ledigos thereafter. Had a fantastic lunch Sangria and flame grilled meat skewer at the albergue/bar we are staying in tonight in Ledigos – one of the best meals of the trip. We have two top bunks right next to each other – basically a double bed.

Day 20 Ledigos to Sahagun Got away quite late (around 8am) and made our way towards Sahagun. Pretty unremarkable day – passed a nice little chapel on the way in to Sahagun but not a lot else. Stayed in a massive religious albergue – which had private double rooms with private bathrooms for just 20 Euro! Was a great deal and was very nice to have our own space. We were both pretty exhausted so ate and headed to bed pretty early – didn’t hang out with other pilgrims.

Day 21: Sahagun to Reliegos Got away from Sahagun and made our way through more Meseta country. Spent the evening in another small town, in the municipal albergue ( tightly packed beds). We got two bottom bunks right next to each other – beds tied together. Lucky we’re a couple! Visited the most random but fun bar, Bar Elvis. Run by an old local with barely a word of English but a twinkle in his eye, it was half ruined and covered in pilgrim graffiti inside and out from roof to floor. The bartender played a random assortment of classic old school songs on a great sound system, served something like 4 drink options, and took selfies with a bunch of us pilgrims – totally legendary and random experience

Day 22: Reliegos to Leon More Meseta fields and fields. Lots of industrial walking in Leon to end the day, which was not ideal, but made up for it with ending in Leon at a private Airbnb, where we got a great night’s sleep.

Day 23: Leon rest day Our Leon rest day passed quickly as you would expect. Got ourselves some new barefoot sandals and a stretching band from Decathlon. Sent some more belongings on to Santiago. Got all our clothes cleaned at the airbnb. Finished the day with a relaxing visit to a cheap local spa centre – spa, massage jet pool, and different types of shower and sauna made for a nice break.

Day 24: Leon to Villa de Mazarife Started the day with lots of town and highway walking before getting off the main route and onto the alternate. Pretty warm and exposed in the sun, but luckily temperature wasn’t too hot. Stayed at a very full private albergue and enjoyed a resting afternoon out of the sun.

Day 25: Villar de Mazarife to Astorga Quite a warm day. Chatted with some Boston College students who are doing the last 2 weeks of the Camino as part of a class on pilgrimages – talk about a pretty cool uni subject. 13 in total, who haven’t got any bookings, which is an interesting choice. Stayed in a massive municipal albergue in Astorga. Really enjoyed wandering around the beautiful town in the afternoon – plenty to see. Wish we had longer here!

Day 26: Astorga to Foncebaden Started super early (walking at 6am) and wandered through the beautiful buildings of Astorga in the half light. Largely uphill day, through increasingly beautiful mountains and increasingly steep paths. Not as hard as expected. Stayed in a cute donativo in Foncebaden, had a nice communal meal and Charlotte played violin to end the day! Also met an Aussie couple and a Dutch woman and had drinks in the afternoon

Day 27: Foncebaden to Ponferada An iconic sight early in the morning started the day, as we went over the summit and visited the Iron Cross in the fog. Walked together with Zoey (Dutch) and Will and Em (Aussie) on a very steep downhill day. Stopped by the river once the downhill was over and enjoyed boccadillos for lunch. The 5 of us booked an airbnb for the night in Ponferada and enjoyed home cooked curry and Sangria for dinner. A good day!

Day 28 Ponferada to Trabadello Quite a big day! Started around 7am with big ambitions – over 30kms in warm weather (28 degrees). Lots of walking through outskirts of ponferada, then a big sweeping valley and then foothills. Saw Jean-Pierre for the first time in some 3 weeks in a coffee shop – crazy how people come and go! Enjoyed roadside cherry trees – stole a few handfuls of cherries (they were rotting on the trees) which tasted incredible and kept us going. Had half a swim in the river in Villafranca which cooled me down, as well as a lunch break. Would love to spend more time in Villafranca – a beautiful town on the edge of the mountains. Then it was a pretty gruelling final 9kms in the heat of the day down a deep but exposed mountain valley. Stayed in the small parroquial albergue in Trabadello – which is a small town that would have been adorable before the freeway went in next to it. Had a great vegetarian curry for dinner. Saw another albergue with Aussie flag etc on it – thought this might have been one an earlier camino friend (Larry from Sydney) was volunteering at. I knocked on the door, interrupting their dinner, and asked if he was staying there. The owner went from apprehensive about being interrupted, to incredibly kind when he heard Larry’s name. Turned out, he had left just 1 day before – so close! The owner found some Vegemite packets and gave them to us with a hug – Larry is apparently a well loved friend. A nice moment.

Day 29: Trabadello to Hospital de Condesa Left Trabadello very early (on 6am) to avoid the heat going up the mountains. Walked with Zoey again. Started the day with a little more valley walking before starting an epic climb. Went through beautiful forest at a steep incline. Popped out the top at O Cebrero and had an amazing view over the mountains. Felt like I was really smashing it today – flying along despite the incline. Got lunch at a small supermarket and then finished off the day with a hilltops walk to our albergue. Staying in Hospital tonight- tiny town on top of the mountains with no bar and no supermarket – luckily we were aware of this so we brought rice, tuna, and some tinned veggies – got the job done.

Day 30: Hospital to Pintin Got going just after 6am. Walked around the valley with an incredible sunrise – truly surreal. Too some great photos. Made excellent time into Tricastella with no breaks (steep downhill at times) and got stuff to make brunch bocadillos in the town. Continued on to a brutal uphill out of Tricastella, made much slower time. Eventually, started heading downhill again, quite steep. Got into Pintin around 2pm. Stayed in a pension type place with lovely private rooms. Enjoyed a pilgrims dinner with Zoey and a German woman.

Day 31: Pintin to Portomarin Started our earliest yet – on the trail at 5:30am in the dark. Made excellent time early in the day. Got followed by a dog for a while in Sarria, hope it made it home to its owner. Ate a delicious croissant and biscuit in Sarria. Trail got much, much busier after Sarria – over 20 people around us at various points. Pleasant conditions, fair bit of up and down through pleasant forest. Nice downhill view as we came into Portomarin, looking over the lake. Made it into Portomarin at 12:40 – good for a just under 30km day. In a very average municipal tonight – crowded, hot, and kitchen didn’t even have pots or utensils. Microwave meal for dinner and early bedtime after an early start.

Day 32 Portomarin to A Ponte Campana Another early start after a very poor night’s sleep in the municipal. Got away at 6am and struggled through some early uphill. Stopped for bacon and eggs for breakfast in a Cafe, and lentil soup and empanada for lunch at another Cafe. Largely hilly, Leafy country today – quite windy at various points. Staying in a much nicer albergue tonight – recently upgraded, connected to a tavern type establishment.

Day 33 A Ponte Campana to Os Penedos Big day. Started late after a good night’s sleep. As a result, didn’t get in until 3pm. Found some familiar faces on the trail, including, unbelievably, Larry from Sydney! Walked with him for a while to catch up, and he shouted us breakfast which was lovely. Had some cherries from a market. Warm day but lots of walking under shade on wooded paths which was nice. Both of us very sore by end of day – number of kilometres is catching up with us. Staying in lovely, quiet albergue tonight- only 1 other person in the dorm. On to Santiago tomorrow!

Day 34 Os Penedos to Santiago Day started very early. Slight delay initially as I had to return to get Charlotte’s poles from the accommodation. We ploughed on through the early morning. Day got hotter and hotter, and as we were so close to the end and other routes have connected there was an amazing number of pilgrims around. Last few kilometres were a real struggle – our feet were getting super-sore, walking in heat of the day, and walking through urban outskirts. Eventually, we stumbled into the famous square at Santiago, and took in the church and surrounds in a daze. We were done! Caught up with Teresa, Chloe and Jack in the evening for drinks which was lovely, then made our way into bed, with the happy knowledge of no more walking tomorrow.