El Camino de Santiago is a network of pilgrimages leading to Santiago de Compostela in Spain which is where the apostle St James is buried. In 2019, 347,578 people made it to Santiago. 2021 was a Xacobeo (Galician for 'Holy Year') which is when St James' Day (25 July) falls on a Sunday. Due to Covid, the Church extended this period into 2022 as well.
Much of El Camino is walked without a map and instead, pilgrims are on the lookout for shells and yellow arrows. This is the first sign for El Camino I saw while travelling through Porto. The scallop shell is an extremely recognisable symbol as it features on street signs and is even worn by the pilgrims themselves (they can be bought almost everywhere).
42% of pilgrims are Spanish, followed by Italian, German, and then then American (6%) as a result of the 2010 movie, The Way. I was surprised to see many Koreans (8th most popular nationality).
Through a family friend, I was put in touch with a group of four Aussie boys walking the French route (most popular). They started at the beginning in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, at kilometre 779 (to Santiago). Before joining them, I bought my credencial ('pilgrim's passport') from the cathedral in Bilbao. In order to receive a certificate of completion in Santiago, you must be able to prove your pilgrimage by showing stamps in your credencial for each day that you travelled; like the shells, both stamps and credencials are obtained almost everywhere.
I joined the group in Frómista at kilometre 430, right in the heat and flatness of the Meseta (central plateau). The boys had already formed a 'Camino Family' with an American mother-daughter duo. We walked on rocky paths and roads, alongside fields and villages (with populations of 50 people).
Overnight, pilgrims stay in Albergues - hostels only for pilgrims which cost 8-15€ for a night in a dorm. The photo below is from an Albergue in a former school, run by nuns. Many Albergues have kitchens, so you can prepare your own meals, otherwise, there's Pilgrim's Menus in all the restaurants which include an entre, main, dessert, bread, and wine (way too much) for 9-12€.
To beat the heat, we were getting up at 5.30am and arriving at our destination before 1pm, doing 15-30km per day.
My number one tip is to prepare for blisters! I have done plenty of hiking and had never problems with blisters, and yet, I got 5 days in before my feet were destroyed! Thankfully, we were close enough to the city of León, so I was able to go to the public hospital in order to be treated. Without Spanish private insurance anymore, or a European Health Care Card, I was unable to go to a medical centre. However, I'll be able to claim this on travel insurance. I had been wearing my amazing Salomon boots, however, as it was so flat and hot, I needed something more lightweight, so I bought some Altra sneakers and the famous Teva sandals everyone wears.
To heal my feet and have a little bit of time to myself, I decided to leave for a long weekend and head to the beach. I took a BlaBlaCar to Áviles where I met an old lady who invited me to stay with her and her husband in Salinas. They were super generous and took me out to lunch where we tried the famous Asturian cider which they pour from up high or use an Escanciador (see video) to oxygenate it.
I then went to the mountains for a night where I stayed in a little off-grid cottage with someone from Couchsurfing (a website where you stay at someone's place free of charge).
The next day, I took a bus to Ponferrada where I joined back up with the group. There was an impressive Templar Knights castle there, although, as is customary in Spain, it was closed on a Monday.
I spent the night in the donation-based Albergue which was really fun. I had picked the right time to return, as we were in wine country which was much more green and hilly than the Meseta.
Crossing the border into Galicia (famous for octopus), we experienced a massive temperature drop from 30°C to 10°! Along with the chill, you know you're in Galicia when you see a hórreo - a building to store grains and vegetables (see pic below) - outside every farm house. (Asturias also has them, but they look a little different.)
28% of pilgrims begin in Sarria - the main town before the 100km mark - as it is required that you complete at least 100km to get the certificate in Santiago. You also need to ensure you get 2 stamps per day from here on (see pic below for my completed credencial). For the last 100km, we adopted another American girl, two Aussie boys, and two Brits. There were lots of other friends I made along the way, but these ones walked, ate, and slept with us for the remainder of the trip. The traffic on the trail increased dramatically and we had to book our Albergues in advance to ensure we could all stay together.
The last 100km can be done in 3-5 days.
On one particular day, there were two different routes to choose from: we walked through Samos where there is an old monastery with eight monks. We did a tour and met the oldest and youngest monks: 95 and 22, respectively. I ended up buying a 1kg block of chocolate which fueled me for the rest of the walk (and added weight to my pack).
Making it to Santiago cathedral was awesome. We walked the 2km through town together as a full Camino Family. It was slightly anticlimactic being back in a city, however, I finally was able to acknowledge the ache in my legs. We went to the evening mass where there was a special service for the Holy Year. Priests and nuns from all over the world lead the mass where there was a giant incense contraption that swung across the central hall.
Although the official end of El Camino is in Santiago, many people walk the extra 90km to the coast of Finisterre (and also to Muxia). The Celts once believed that this was the actual 'end of the Earth'. Some of the group decided to challenge themselves by walking the full 90km in under 24 hours; they got up at 3am and made it to Finisterre before 2am the next morning! I left with them and ended up walking 25km before one of the guys needed a trip to the medical centre (another reminder as to the importance of travel insurance).
Seeing the beach finally was so eerie.
Lying on the sand, I felt completely at ease. We stayed at the hippie Albergue Sol y Luna which was so calming and friendly.
I want to say a special thank you to my Camino Family (and all the other friends I made along the way) for completing my time in Spain and making this experience meaningful and fun.
Notes:
- For any future walkers, pack light! I had a 35L hike pack, which was perfect. If you're going in summer, bring only a sleeping bag liner. You'll want two walking outfits, and two casual outfits (you'll be washing every second day in the sinks at the Albergues). Don't forget a lightweight jumper and a raincoat also. Make sure you pack your bathers if you plan on walking all the way to the coast (although, there is a fantastic nudist beach in Finisterre if you're brave).
- El Camino can be done in many different forms; after walking, the second most common is by bike.
- I would highly recommend the Buddhist Albergue in Ruialeán if your looking for something alternative, both in appearance and food.
- The flat Meseta was probably the most painful part of the experience, for this reason, I'd be keen to do the hilly/coastal Portuguese or Norte next time.
- Spain is rich with different languages/dialects. We walked through the Basque Country and Galicia where I was absolutely fascinated by the language differences.
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