On April 26, 2019 we completed the last leg of an incredible journey into Santiago de Compostela. Our final destination was the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The cathedral is the reputed burial place of St James the Great, the apostle of Jesus Christ and one of only three known churches in the world built over the tomb of an apostle of Jesus. The other two being St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City and St Thomas Cathedral Basilica, Chennai in India. While sitting on our backpacks in the crowded square among fellow peregrinos and tourist, enjoying the splendor of the cathedral's architecture, we began to reflect on the long journey just completed.
The commonly agreed-upon route for the Camino de Santiago ( The Way of St James) starts in St Jean Pied de Port France. Over the next 500 miles (800 km) you walk through four of Spain's 15 regions ending at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The route travels over the Pyrenees mountains, past vineyards, by archaeological sites, some dating as far back as the Iron Age, Castro de Castromaior and through lush eucalyptus forests. The trail is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site and in 1987, the European Union named the Camino its first European Cultural Route
There are many routes to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The most traveled path is the Camino Frances and the way we walked. . Our journey began in St Jean Pied de Port in France, hiked over the Pyrenees and across the north of Spain to Santiago de Compostela. Along the way, we passed through famous Spanish towns and cities such as Pamplona, Burgos, Leon and Ponferrada and had plenty of opportunity to enjoy the unique culture of this region with the help of our good friend Alvaro who is from Madrid. The walk required traversing varying landscape from the mountainous region of the Pyrenees, to the flat plateau of Northern Spain (Meseta), the undulating hilly landscape of Galicia and finally into Santiago de Compostella.
Along the way, you meet people of varying ages and nationality and everyone has different reasons for making the trek. For some, it is a 500 mile thru hike, while other are seeking spiritual discovery or release. Regardless of your reasons for waling the Camino, it is a transformative experience.
To complete the full French Way you do need to have a reasonable level of fitness and also over a month free to give you the time to walk and incorporate a few rest days along the way. In the event you cannot take a block of time to thru hike the Camino, you divide the journey into segments over a period of time.
We can assist with booking this trip for all budgets. So do not hesitate to get in touch if you would like to find out more about completing the full Camino Frances or any of the other routes we suggest - Camino Primitivo, Coastal Way, Northern Way, Camino Portugues. We can create a personalised unique experience and provide a quote and itinerary.
Buen Camino!
