El Camino

Having got lost in open farmland in the UK, we were nervous about navigating El Camino in Spain. We had no cause for concern. El Camino is so well marked that neither map nor guidebook was required, at least not until the last 1000m.

Another notable feature of the El Camino is the name. It translates in English to The Way. We think that is wrong, and it should be The Very Long Way. As Mary noted on one particularly gruelling day: "It's no longer about the journey, it's about the destination".

When planning the walk, it sounded very easy. About 20km each day, strolling from one quaint village to the next, while a courier moves the bulk of our luggage to the next hotel. And indeed, it is in fact a beautiful walk, most of which is through beautiful rural and woodland settings. 

It is also in summer. In Spain. 

This was on our first day which topped out at 35 degrees with clear sunny skies. 

Don't get me wrong, it was a fantastic experience with stunning scenery and charming villages, an experience that well deserved its place on our Bucket Lists. It's just that we should have trained for the physical exertion. 

What we didn't need to do was carry lots of water, a mistake we only made on the first day. The section we were walking has numerous cafés, bars, restaurants, and even vending machines. Keeping hydrated and fed was delightfully easy. 

Other highlights included most of the other walkers, an eclectic and friendly bunch, which even included some furry pilgrims. 

Not so enjoyable were a few noisy groups so a few times we made strategic stops so they could get well clear. We couldn't understand why anyone would think it appropriate to walk in serene countryside with loud music blaring from large Bluetooth speakers slung around their necks. 

The only other glaring oddity has a back story: Pilgrims are given a 'pilgrim passport' which one gets dated and stamped at various way points. At the end, if you have walked enough you get a commemorative certificate. 

We were at a café next to a tiny country lane when a taxi pulled up, a woman got out, put on a day pack, and strode to the stamping table. She stamped her passport, got back in the taxi and drove off. 

Half of the genuine walkers at the café made comments such as "What a cheek!", and the other half "Genius! Why didn't we think of that?" 

Perhaps she had succumbed to the graffiti temptation :

In parts the track has been worn down well over a metre by the millions of pilgrims over the last 1000 years. Many millions. According to the historical sites I researched, it's claimed that in the Middle Ages up to 250,000 pilgrims were making the trip every year. That's astounding, given the lack of tourist facilities in those days... 

Anyway, we pressed on through beautiful countryside, quaint villages, and the occasional scruffy industrial area until finally reaching Santiago de Compostela! 

Navigating from the outskirts of the town was the only part with no reliable track markers. Initially we simply aimed for the cathedral spire, but that was lost from view in the veritable maze of the Old Quarter. However a quick check with locals, and we found the magic post showing 'remaining distance to destination':

After cleaning up, we were off to a lovely tapas bar where, as well as serving the best food we had in Spain, they also only sold sangria by the litre! 

An absolutely awesome achievement! 

We were feeling very smug having walked 117km, until we met 2 Canadian women at breakfast the next day who had walked over 800km this time. Yes, 'this time'. Not only had they walked over 7 times our distance, they had also walked the Camino before via a different route, also over 800km. And were planning their next trip. 

Hmm...