Walkingman

The day after arriving in Santiago, I went back to the Pilgrim Centre and go my certificate. I had two days in Santiago before my flight back to Basel. I did all the things that Camino walkers do. I went to mass in the cathedral, even though I am not a regular mass-goer at all.…

This was the last day of my journey. Today, I would reach Santiago. But after the two short days, there were almost 27km still to go. I rose early and was on the road immediately. My lodgings would not do breakfast until 08:00, and I wanted to get to Santiago as early as possible. I…

The previous day was short, but this one, the penultimate day of my route to Santiago, was even shorter. I was only going 12km. So once again, I did not rush to leave Arzua. I had breakfast at the restaurant in the main square, along with many other walkers, and with that done, I was…

Although I was tired after the long walk from Lugo to Melide, a good dinner and a good night’s sleep works wonders, and the following day, I was ready to go again. With only about 50km to go, and three days in the schedule to do it, there would be no more hard days. Melide…

Once arrived in Lugo, I was within 100km of Santiago. The process for certification of completion of the Camino is such that anyone who has walked 100km, or cycled 200km, can get a certificate of completion. Many people do this, completing a 100km walk only, and because of that I expected the trail to get…

My walking was ahead of schedule! I had allowed 21 days to complete the walk, based on my weather experiences of last year on the walk from St. Jean to Santander. But in 2021, the weather had been much kinder, and I was making better progress than expected. As a result, I was no only…

It was misty, but dry when I left the albergue. I headed out on the trail, and there were already people there before me. From the start, the route is heading uphill, gradually, but steadily. Some of it is open country, and some is woodland. It takes several kilometres to reach the first high point…

In going to Castro, rather than staying in Grandas de Salime, I had gone outside my planned stopping points for each day, so I adjusted my plans for the following days accordingly. I had a leisurely breakfast, setting out later than in previous days, and found others on the trail before me. Once again, it…

After the rain of the previous day, I had managed to wash and dry my clothes, but my boots were still west as I prepared to set out again. Also, the sun had not yet fully risen, and with no heat in the day, the mist still hung around in many places. The albergue in…

The stage after Campiello is often referred to as the Hospitales route. It crosses the most remote mountainous section of the Primitivo, and in centuries past, hospitals, or aid stations were build to provide help to pilgrims on their way to Santiago. But for me, it was already a cloudy morning when I left Campiello.…