By tradition, the Camino de Santiago is a Christian pilgrimage to the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostella. It has origins dating back to the 11th century. Today, El Camino welcomes pilgrims from all walks of life (pun intended), with the quietest periods from April to June and September to October.

There are multiple paths of the Camino. Some as long as 1200km and others as short as 100km. I did a combination of Caminos. The first was the 820km path from St Jean Pied de Port (France) in the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostella (Spain, aka Camino Frances) in northern Spain. The second took me 120km from Santiago de Compostella to the coast at Cape Finisterre (aka Camino Finisterre).

The Basque and Rioja regions at the start of the Camino Frances were a highlight for their red soils, mountain vistas and vineyards. As were the snow capped mountains and quaint villages around the town of Foncebadon. I thoroughly recommend the John Brierley Camino guidebooks as they detail elevations, distances and accommodation options. I referred to mine multiple times each day.

As far as downsides go, there are a couple. Like most cheap food, cheap Spanish food is pretty rubbish and doesn’t sustain you over a month of walking. Unless you intend on camping along the way (which is possible), you’ll want ear plugs for the snorers. Also, if you are used to more remote walks be prepared for some walking along ashphalt roads on the Camino. Be prepared too for the emotional lows that come with physical fatigue, processing of the past and dreaming up the future. These things will come up on a walk like this.

The highlight is being able to live the simple life. At it’s core, the Camino offers people an opportunity to live simply for about 5 weeks. By simple I mean spending time walking everyday, in an ever changing landscape, carrying only a few possessions, picnicing with people from all over the world and having time for reflection and conversations.

Length – 940km over 33 days

(apologies but we could not find a workable map)

by Rachelle Jones

2016

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