In September 2021 I travelled the Camino de Santiago. A 580 mile walk across Spain, starting in St. Jean Pied-de-Port and finishing at the end of the world, Fisterra.
A journey I had to postpone twice due to Covid and I have been so fortunate to have undertaken. An experience I will never forget as I walked in the footsteps of history along a trail millions of pilgrims have travelled to the tomb of St. James. It has changed my views on life and the world. The person who took his first step in St. Jean is not the same as the one who took his last step in Santiago. Once a pilgrim, forever a pilgrim.
I have put together a short video of my adventure that can be found here: https://youtu.be/iTusI5NsoGk
The Journey is the Destination
Roncesvalles
My sleep was almost non-existant last night. The window was closed forming a hot box and I had my first encounter with the dreaded snorer. This was also coupled with my excitement for starting the Camino. At 0700 I jumped from my top bunk to get some breakfast. I ended up chatting to a chap…
Zubiri
I remembered the earplugs this time and used my snood as an eye mask. The only bathroom for two dorms was accessed through our dorm. Throughout the night the door to the hallway was in constant use, flooding light over us weary pilgrims. Just before 7, everyone was up packing their bags. All the activity…
Pamplona
With only my traveling companions sharing the dorm, I slept mostly through the night. Waking a couple of times due to my legs being a little sore. We had breakfast then hit the trail. The temperature was cool as the sun was still hiding behind the hills, which made pleasant conditions. The path skirted around…
Puente la Reina
There was thunder and rain throughout the night. At 6 am the lights came on prompting everyone to get ready. I checked the weather forecast and at midday there was more thunderstorms. Today we will be reaching another iconic milestone, the ‘Alto de Pardon’. The problem is it sits on top of a hill. This…
Torres del Rio
We were up by 7 and Brian made us all breakfast, perfect to fuel us for today’s walk. Unfortunately Sandra’s feet were no better, so she decided to take a rest day in Luquin. We all gathered outside the albergue to say goodbye. It was hard to say our farewells as our Camino family became…
Ventosa
It was another stuffy night and outside it was very humid. Leaving Logroño in the dark was not as troublesome as previous cities as the route was well marked. The way follows inner city parks that act as an obstacle course with the automatic sprinklers spraying in every direction. The path eventually splits to the…
Santo Domingo de la Calzada
I could have done with an extra hour in bed after last night’s festivities, but by 7 am we were back on the Camino. Sunrise was not for another 45mins and the air was cool; perfect for walking. We climbed a small hill giving us views of vineyards and the town of Najera in the…
Villafranca Montes de Oca
Me, Dirk and Marcus set off at 7am leaving behind Sandra. She took a rest day as her feet had worsened. My Achilles in my right leg this time was very sore, with the 6km to Granon being very uncomfortable. There was a lot of pilgrims on the way today as we started at a…
Cardeñuela Riopico
As today would be only 24km, a short day, we had a lie in. We had breakfast at the albergue where the waiters would give Laurel and Hardy a run for their money. After 8am we left into then cold morning air. It was jumper weather, but thankfully we had a big hill to climb…
Burgos
It was a short walk today through the fog into Burgos; it was also very cold. We left as the sun was rising giving some fantastic photo opportunities before we were enveloped by the fog. It was all road into Burgos and the outskirts were uninspiring. Once in the city the fog had lifted and…
Boadillo del Camino
After a quick breakfast at the albergue we hit the road. I decided to take my time and amble along; soon I fell behind on my own. It was nice to listen to the birds, see the sunrise and enjoy the peace of the Camino. The path followed the valley and the road so it…
Carrion de los Condes
The word of the day is ‘Rain’ because that is all that it has done until 2pm. Right from the go, it was ponchos at dawn. We had a sluggish start, but at sunrise we left. The route out of the village joins the ‘Canal de Castilla’ and follows this into Fromista. The path eventually…
Terradillos de los Templarios
Greatfully the rain stopped over night, however a mist hungover Carrion de los Condes as we left the albergue. The route out of town joined an old Roman road. This was 17km of a straight gravel path, cutting through farmland and nothing else. No towns, water stops or points of interest. Just one straight endless…
Bercianos del Real Camino
To our disappointment the albergue wasn’t serving breakfast, so it was a walk for food. Only slithers of dawn light dimly illuminated the way when we left. Many pilgrims had their headtorches on as they continued onwards. After 2km or so I reached Moratinos. At the edge of the village, there are what looked like…
Mansilla de las Mulas
The was no breakfast again at the albergue and it was 8km to the next town. We set off again in the darkness with a great view of the stars above us. Very little light pollution on the meseta. I had a good pace due to the need for breakfast. Once fuelled up at El…
Villar de Mazarife
It was another frigid 5 degree morning and I think I may have a cold coming on, as I’ve had a sore throat for the last two. Probably because I hadn’t packed for such temperatures. It was a late start as I hung around Leon waiting for the pharmacy to open. Due to it being…
Murias de Rechivaldo
The Night Walk. It had been discussed numerous times over the last week, whether to under take a night walk. It had been something I read about and thought it would be good experience. You get to see the Camino differently underneath the stars. At 3am me and Dirk set off into the dead of…
Rabanal del Camino
Today was a sort day after having a lie in. 8.30am I was up, the latest in the whole journey so far! We set off calling in for breakfast at Santa Catalina de Somoza. This is when I heard the rumours everything is full from this point on. I wanted to stay at Foncebadon on…
Ponferrada
There was Camino Magic afoot last night, the municipal albergue had a wood burning stove that kept the cold away and there were no snorers! The route was up hill to Foncebadon. This was once an abandoned village inhabited by wild dogs that hounded pilgrims, however as the popularity of the Camino grew, the town…
Trabadelo
We hit then road about 7.30 with route taking us through parks and suburban roads; it was like a rabbit warren, I totally lost my sense of direction, but I had full faith in the yellow arrows that are present on curbs, lampposts, walls and road signs. They led us out following a quiet road…
Fonfria
The weather forecast was rain and it was correct. Soon after starting the day the ponchos were out. The way followed a road that was once the main route through the valleys, before they built flyovers that criss-crossed overhead, spoiling what would be a very scenic section. We stopped at a panderia at Vega de…
Sarria
There was cloud cover as we left into the darkness at 7.30am. I had to use the headtorches as the path had loose stones causing a trip hazard. We were still high up and as we rounded a corner, dawn was breaking giving a wonderful view of the mountains range and valleys. Mist hovered over…
Vilacha
It was good to be walking again. I set off at 7.20am with my headtorch on due to the cloud cover blocking out the moonlight. The route today was country paths, a refreshing change from the roads. It’s amazing how rejuvenated you feel after a rest day. I was racing past the peregrinos. I entered…
Vendas de Naron
I hung around the albergue waiting for Sandra to catch up. She had set off from Sarria in the early hours. By 11am she had made to Vilacha! It was great to meet up as we last saw each other in Santo Domingo! Her feet had not been troubling her, meaning she covered 30+km days…
Lavacolla
It was a cold and misty morning when we set off. The headtorches were on and the pace was fast to warm up. Our challenge for today was to get as many stamps as possible, as our albergue will be 10km short of Santiago. We checked every church on the way, stopped for multiple breakfasts.…
Santiago de Compostela
We started our last 10km into Santiago once the sun was up and finishing off last night’s pizza. We took our picture at the 10km marker before continuing. We mainly walked in silence just in our own thoughts. It wasn’t long before we entered the outskirts of Santiago. We had missed the Monte do Gozo…
Pilgrims Reunited
After getting out of bed at 9.30am, a very long lie in. We tried to book the room again for another day, however the hotel was full. We managed to get into another which meant hanging around until 3pm. We met up with Ignacio from Venezuelan for a breakfast; while on the way we found…
Negreira
Although the pilgrimage is to Santiago which is the end for many. The true finish point is the end of the world, the Atlantic Ocean. This will be my destination. Reluctantly I got out of bed at 7.30am, regretting going to the discotheque the night before and rocking up at the hotel in the early…
Olveiroa
It had rained during the night so it was misty again. The route climbs out of Negreira through woodland paths. Soon we were above the mist and greeted with a scenic picture of the lights of the town below. It was a steady climb for most of the first 10km where we stopped for breakfast.…
Muxia
Last night the rain was relentless and didn’t stop until the early hours. I was having flash backs to the West Highland Way! The forecast predicted it to continue raining in the morning so we planned to leave at 8am once the sun had risen. Today the route was undulating especially the last 10km or…
The Journey End
We left Fisterra behind by taxi passing by pilgrims entering the town. I felt as if I should still be walking. It is an hour by car journey back to Santiago, a distance that took me 4 days to cover. Watching the countryside fly past in a blur that crawled by the last week, emphasised…
Follow Me
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
Stu's Camino 