Camino de Santiago

one-month trekking along the French way to Santiago de Compostela

Camino Francés

Length of the route: ca. 800 km

Total Duration: 33 days (12. June - 14. July 2018)

Average distance: 24 km/day

how it started…

The first time I heard about the Camino de Santiago was during a religion course in high school when I was 18, back in 2018. I can’t quite recall the exact details of how this pilgrimage was introduced in class, but it piqued my interest significantly.

Shortly before the summer holidays began, I impulsively decided to set on the trip. I wrote to the “Pilgerstelle Bistum Limburg”, bought a small but very compact guidebook from KOMPASS and received the pilgrim’s credential shortly after. Got two weeks off under the allowances of the headmaster of our school. And here we go.

preparation

I decided to bring as little clothes as possible and, as it was summertime, I was able to bring just a couple of T-shirts and shorts, and plus some underwear, it did not add much to the weight. But I somehow decided to bring a Bible with me. Not sure what 18-year-old me was thinking about at that moment, maybe I found it to be quite spiritual back then. This heavily increased the weight that I had to carry with me, but brought me some joy on the way when I got the chance to just sit and read a few pages. I also brought a small sketchbook so I could draw some funny stuff when I got bored just walking.

It was a careless decision throughout, and it showed early enough that I should have brought a more professional hiking backpack that can help in reducing the weight on my shoulders alone by redistributing the weight a bit. The school backpack I used quickly broke away, and I had to purchase a new one. Same with the shoes. Looking back from the future perspective I have right now, I would suggest to younger me to bring a pair of sandals or crocs and just tie them on the backpack. This could come in handy for spots where you need to step through water, which didn’t happen a lot on my way as it was almost always good weather in the summer of 2018 when I walked. But I could imagine the same way being muddy and tricky to step on in a cold, rainy winter day.

where did I sleep

I didn’t give much thought to accommodations before setting out, but it turned out I had chosen the right time to walk. The route I picked, “Camino Francés,” is probably the most organized out of all the pilgrimage routes. It’s very popular and attracts thousands of pilgrims every year. If someone were to walk the same route but off-season, in winter, they would probably want to ensure securing their next sleeping spot at least a day in advance.

During the summer of 2018, when I embarked on my journey, I made no reservations nor did I call ahead to any albergues (🇪🇸 pilgrimage hostels). I always just arrived at one of the available accommodations, and it worked out surprisingly well. On average, it cost me between 8 to 15 euros per night, and some places even offered free stays and food, only requesting donations in return.

There was also a time when I spent a night under a tent set up by a Spanish couple, and another two nights alone in the forests in my hammock. But these were rather exceptional cases.

on the way for a month

I did enjoy hiking but had never undertaken such a long-distance hike before. However, I was somewhat confident that my feet could carry me over these 800 kilometers, considering the average distance one needs to cover was barely around 24 km per day. I am very slow in walking, though, and most of the time, I was among the last ones to arrive at the albergue. There were also a few days when I had to walk with blisters on my feet, which was painful and slowed me down even more.

Initially, I thought it would be a solo hike, but it turned out that I met a lot of “Camino friends” along the way. I hiked with different people, listened to their stories, and said “Buen Camino” while bidding farewell to many as well.

Following are some throwbacks to the trip that I made in 2018. I can’t find all the pictures and videos from the journey.

Day 1: Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port → Orrison

The first day was the toughest. It rained continuously, making the climb up the mountain more challenging due to the slippery conditions. Gradually, I lost a lot of body heat, as I was only dressed in a T-shirt and shorts, not anticipating the drop in temperature. Fortunately, after reaching the refuge at Orisson and having something to eat, I warmed up quite quickly. Given the adverse weather conditions, I decided to stay in Orisson and continue the rest of the stage on the second day.

Day 2: Orrison → Roncesvalles

Day 5: Pamplona → Puente la Reina

  • 16/06/2018
  • Trip Distance: 24 km

Day 7: → Villamayor de Monjardín

After a full day's hike, I decided to take a short break and ventured up the hills to explore the ruins of a small castle—Castillo de San Esteban de Deyo or de Monjardín. The view from the hills was astonishingly beautiful, especially as the sun gradually began to set.

Day 8: Villamayor de Monjardín → Viana

Ruinas de la Iglesia de San Pedro in Viana

Day 10: → Santo Domingo de la Calzada

A beautiful house door in Azofra

Day 12: →

  • 23/06/2018
  • Trip Distance:
  • Accommodation:

Day 13: → San Juan De Ortega

  • 24/06/2018
  • Trip Distance:
  • Accommodation:
He was found on the ground. That was in the heat of 30 degrees Celsius right in the middle of the path... it would have been intense if no one had seen him. A kind pilgrim wants to take him to the vet tomorrow. Hopefully, he survives!

Day 14: San Juan De Ortega → Burgos

  • 25/06/2018
  • Trip Distance: 25.7 km

Day 15: Burgos → Hornillos de Camino

  • 26/06/2018
  • Trip Distance: 21 km

Day 16: Hornillos de Camino → Castrojeriz

  • 27/06/2018
  • Trip Distance: 20 km
Walking with @thehannahcloud together, it was a lovely day

Day 17: Castrojeriz →

  • 28/06/2018
  • Trip Distance:
Ermita de San Miguel in Población de Campos

Day 18: → Ledigos

  • 29/06/2018
"Platero es pequeño, peludo, suave; tan blando por fuera, que se diría todo de algodón, que no lleva huesos..." 🍃

Day 19: → El Burgo Ranero

  • 30/06/2018
I ended up in El Burgo Ranero... luckily, I enjoyed wonderful dancing and beautiful music... a group from León was performing in the village. The people there are very hospitable and like to talk to strangers and ask questions. Somehow, I was also invited to 'El corro' and moved around a bit haha. There were very few seats available. The older people would sit on the bench for just a few minutes and then they would ask other people standing nearby if they also wanted to sit. ❤️

Day 22: → Astorga

  • 03/07/2018
  • Trip Distance: 35 km
There's no black sheep in the flock haha. I somehow made a mistake at the beginning. Today, I walked about 35 kilometers in total... I didn't start until around 10:30 and the whole time I was really relaxed and slow haha. That's why it was already half-past nine when I finally arrived. Now, all I have to do is count the sheep. 🐑

Day 23: Astorga → Foncebadón

  • 04/07/2018
  • Trip Distance: 25.8 km

Day 24: Foncebadón → Ponferrada

  • 05/07/2018
  • Trip Distance: 26.8 km

Day 25: Ponferrada → Cacabelos

  • 06/07/2018
  • Trip Distance: 12.4 km
Beautiful view on the route from Ponferrada to Cacabelos. In the afternoon, it rained really heavily in the city, but that meant there was no heat and there was also a nice surprise :)

The sun had already set as I continued my journey towards Villafranca del Bierzo. Along the way, I encountered a friendly Spanish couple camping near Cacabelos with their adorable dog. We engaged in a delightful conversation, and they kindly invited me to hang my hammock under their spacious tent to join them. It turned out to be a warm and pleasant night, and I slept quite comfortably.

And I am sure I wrote down the date wrongly, it should have been 06/07/2018 instead on my sketchbook.

Day 26: Cacabelos → O Cebreiro

Day 27: O Cebreiro → Triacastela

  • 08/07/2018
  • Trip Distance: 22.2 km
  • Accommodation: in the wild near Cacabelos

Waking up in the hills of O Cebreiro offered an amazing panoramic view, with clouds filling the valleys between the mountains. The day was accompanied by the smell of chestnut trees. It was awe-inspiring to witness the lively 800-year-old chestnut tree standing at the entrance of the village of Triacastela, imagining all the events it has witnessed over the past centuries…

"Far over the Misty Mountains cold. To dungeons deep and caverns old. We must away, ere break of day. To seek our pale enchanted gold."

Day 28: Triacastela → Sarria

  • 09/07/2018
  • Trip Distance: 18.8 km

Day 29: Sarria → Portomarín

  • 10/07/2018
  • Trip Distance: 22.2 km

Day 30: Portomarín → Palas de Rei

  • 11/07/2018
  • Trip Distance: 24.7 km
While on my journey, I came across the stunning ruins of Castro de Castromaior and paused to sketch them.

Day 31: Palas de Rei → Arzúa

  • 12/07/2018
  • Trip Distance: 28.5 km

Day 32: Arzúa → O Pedrouzo

Day 33: O Pedrouzo → Santiago de Compostela

some thoughts…

These were some notes I took on the last day of the trip.

33日/799公里 其实地上本没有路，走的人多了，也便成了路。 就此，可能没有哪条路是全然独行之路，但每个人确有独一无二的行路方式：有人旁若无人般吟啸而行、有人似始终只于朦胧中神游，亦有人只敢于与他人同行。即便只是趋之若鹜般涌向那一张张证书，何不也为一种选择？ 自己走好自己的路便好。