Camino Royale – to the Field of Stars

In 813 AD King Alfonso II (The Chaste) made what is said to be the first pilgrimage to North Western Spain to visit the remains of the apostle James (Santiago); building a chapel to the saint that would later become a grand cathedral on a square described as the the field of stars (Compostela) and so began the journey for many a pilgrim to Santiago de Compostela.

Over 1200 years later princess Lyssa (the un-chaste), myself and our great friends and fellow pilgrims Loli and Sergii embarked on the final 160kms of this route in our own small pilgrimage to this special destination.

But before we get into the walking there is a bit of preparation that first needs to be done, if you have camino veterans to call on such as Loli and Sergii then your prep is easy, but if not then here are some pointers to get you going:

Which Route and How Long

There are actually multiple caminos to get you to Santiago…the classic is the Camino Frances (French route), officially starting in France just before the Pyrenees and running across the top of Spain and the longest at over 800km, you don’t have to do the full stretch but can drop in at any point and start walking – this was our choice and to start at O Cebreiro that gives a leisurely 160km over 8 days!

Other popular routes are the Camino Norte, that follows the northern coastline through San Sebastian and Bilbao; the Camino Portugues that starts in Lisbon, through Porto and into Spain (hopefully our next trip); and the Camino Primitivo that runs in the north over wilder, more hilly terrain.

As said, you can pretty much start where you want along these routes, but the minimum to become a certified Pilgrim in Santiago is 100km (along any part of the route, not necessarily the end part). For mere mortals plan for ~20km per day, but the hardcore can do anything up to 50km a day at a push (skipping beers, food and being social on the way!).

A saying on the Camino is that you ‘should do it your way’, so whether you go fast, slow, in a group or on your own it’s all at your own pace…we joined people on bikes, with their dogs, whole families from grandma to grandkids and even came across a couple hiking with their donkeys from Northern France!

Where to stay

Along the Camino at regular spots (i.e every 10km or so) you can find Albergues for dormitory-like accommodation at a very cheap price (and sometimes free). We didn’t go for this option as Lyssa has to contend enough with my snoring at night without having to deal with 100-200 other folks going oink in the night!

We went for hotels along the route, targeting the main stages of our part of the Camino and using a hotel booking site to get the best spots and prices…a word of warning, make sure you check how close your accommodation is to the Camino itself, as you can easily book yourself several km away from the route and give yourself extra kms to walk at the end of a hard day…just ask Loli and Sergii on that one!

When to go

The Camino is open all year round, but as it goes over some high spots and passes through the ‘Ireland’ of Spain (Galicia) where it is more of a Northern European climate (i.e rains alot) typically the season is May – September. Peak time is the summer period of July – August when there is a little less chance of rain but can also get some pretty hot temperatures (we had some days getting up to 35 degrees); this just means that you wake a little earlier / walk a bit faster to beat the high heat of the day.

The Camino Frances (the most popular of the Camino routes) can get especially busy in the latter stages during the summer, as many pilgrims will join to do the minimum 100km (from Sarria), plus the other routes of the camino start to merge at Arzua (2 stages before Santiago) so book your accommodation well in advance if you are doing hotels along this part.

In years where the festival of James the Apostle (25th July) falls on a Sunday, as it was in 2021, the number of pilgrims will increase to celebrate these Xacobean years; as well as more people you will also find special celebrations along the camino and on the 25th the Door of Mercy is open to enter the Cathedral of Santiago (which is normally closed with iron gates the rest of the time). For those catholics amongst us the Xacobean year will also give you the chance to have all of your sins forgiven on completion of the camino.

and for the non-catholics amongst us you will also get to enjoy special treats such as the delicious commemorative beer from Estrella Galicia…wonderful in a sunny beergarden en route!

What to pack

Lyssa read that you should aim to carry about 10% of your body weight in a pack…and then promptly dismissed the idea and reserved the luggage service that for ~5 eur per day will shuttle your bag from stage to stage; an awesome service that you can get through Camino Correos for a super easy and friendly service (all online and also in English).

But you will still need to carry some basics, so our list includes: some good walking shoes that you have already broken in (trail runners are the popular choice ), some sandals / trainers to give your feet a break, rucksacks – if using the transport service then ~20L for her and ~30L for him (someone has to carry the electronics!), get packs with good waist straps, your shoulders with thank you!

Camel packs for water (1-2L), vaseline…for the feet and other areas that rub; talc…again to keep the shoes nice and dry and unsmelly; proper hiking socks (marino wool is best)…pay the price, it is worth it; sun cream (essential as the sun will be mericilous on your neck and back of legs); wide brimmed hat; poncho / waterproof / rain cover…Galicia isn’t the greenest part of Spain for no reason;

The rest are clothes and toiletries in amounts depending on how much you want to wash (yourself and your clothes) – shorts, t-shirt, fleece (start and end of days can be cool even if in the middle of summer). Don’t worry if you forget some stuff though, there will be plenty of places en-route that sell all the perigrino needs (even in the middle of nowhere!)

Remember your Sellos

A requirement for the aspiring Perigrino is to collect at least two stamps per day in your Credencial del Perigrino. For a small fee (2 eur or so) you can pick one of these up in a Church from where you start, and it will be your proof of completion once you reach Santiago and head to the Perigrino office. Although not the reason to do the Camino, collecting stamps is nonetheless a fun past-time to while away the kilometres with each stamp having it’s own unique point…where you can pick up from churches, bars, restaurants and hotels.

Day 1: O Cebreiro to Triacastela (21 km)

O Cebreiro is an awesome starting location, a medieval, thatched village perched up at 1300 metres in the Galician highlands it has a remote yet bustling feel of pilgrim hikers all coming together.

Arriving the night before gives a bit of aclimatisation, to register for your Pilgrim’s pass at the church (for your stamps), catch an evening mass in the pretty church, stock up on essential last equipment such as your scallop shell, and flags to clearly identify yourself.

You will also get to enjoy a lovely first meal at Taberna Moreno with the highlight of O Cebreiro Cheese and honey and their divine O Cebreiro cheesecake.

The added bonus of starting here is that you avoid the hardest climb of the whole Camino Frances that marches you up 6km of incline to reach this spot…you will arrive fresh to see the warnings of hiking gone wrong with many pilgrims hobbling on blister ridden feet, twisted ankles or sunburnt legs (the sun is pretty much behind you all the way on the Camino)…take note and learn from these warnings as you start your hike!

We had perfect weather for our day’s hike and fueled by tostadas, and heading off with a happy “Buen Camino” to the ‘beer kids’ (a group of young pilgrims who were putting away a few cervezas for their breakfast!). Today’s route was supposed to be ‘all downhill’, but for the first 8km it hovers down and up around the starting height of 1340 metres;

most of the first half feels more like an uphill stretch with several dips and crests to contend with. Fortunately this stretch culminates in the most perfectly appointed Posada de Poyo where ice cold beers, huge slabs of tortilla and tasty empanada gallega will be waiting for you under the shade of trees and umbrellas.

Getting back on the route it really is all downhill from here and the next 13km will fly by….beautiful vistas, decorated waymarkers, ancient stone villages,

and welcoming you into the last leg for the day at Ramil is the Centennial Tree – a huge, gnarly chestnut tree that has been on the Way for over 800 years, give it a hug as you pass by!

Finally Triacastela, a hikers town that seems to revolve around the Auberge Xacobea that everyone congregates to for food and drinks! Whilst in town, make a detour to the Triacastela Church, for those Bicolanos on the Way this church is the spitting image of the church in Cagsawa. Our hotel for the night was one of the best of the route – the awesome Iberik hotel with newly refurbished, spacious and bright rooms, an excellent breakfast and friendly welcome.

Day 2: Triacastela to Sarria (18km or 25km)

We woke to overcast skies and the forecast for rain, so after the best breakfast in the Camino we had a choice…the longer way via Samos and its 6th century monastery or the shorter route to avoid the risk of walking in the rain.

We opted for the shorter, drier option (although in hindsight and writing this in the sunshine we would like to go back a go via Samos). Through forested climbs and stone villages the route is as pretty as Stage 1, but with a bit more up and down hill to deal with (but not too much).

The 18km will pass very quickly, and soon you’ll be in Sarria (where masks where in force due to a Covid scare). Here we stayed at the quirky La Casona, like an old coach house with sauna like rooms (not the heat, but rather the use of pine wood to decorate), and the energetic proprietor who will have plenty of information to share.

Sarria does not look much at first, a rather modern looking town after all the stone villages we passed during the day but make sure you head up the hill to the old town which has some nice spots tucked away, such as the Monastery of Magdalena and the artistic viewpoint that gives sights over the surrounds. Although much bigger than Triacastela you’ll find most of your fellow pilgrims hanging out for drinks and food along the Rua Maior. For a more refined dinner then head out of the old town and down by the river to the Roma hotel, where they have a pretty garden area for al fresco dining and tiger mussels!

Day 3 Sarria to Portomarin (23km)

23 km and 400m in height, not such a tough day for seasoned veterans such as ourselves. The pretty green lanes and rolling fields put me in mind of Tolkien’s Shire, just expecting a hobbit to pop its little head out from one of the numerous hedgerows.

Today our hiking team decided to divide and conquer, the long legs of Loli and Sergii went ahead to scout beer stops whilst Lyssa and I took it at a more leisurely pace. The scouting was needed as today’s route had a dearth of refreshment stops for around 10km or so…but once we broke that barrier, then just like a London bus, many came all at once, which had us wolfing down our first set of bocadillos and cerveza!

This leg brought us new companions on the Camino…donkeys! Travelling (with their humans) all the way from Alsace in northern France. At first glance it looked a great way to travel for the humans, load up the donkeys with all the luxuries and no backpacks to carry…but watching the all the coaxing that needed to be done to keep the donkey’s moving, ensuring they have their favourite food every night and only covering 11km per day gave us second thoughts about doing our own burro trip!

Coming into Portomarin on the last leg of the day is one of the nicest finales of the trip; first descending down a narrow ravine and then having the river Minho providing a great chasm between you and your destination on the other side, ring the Liberty bell as you pass by but don’t look down as you cross the bridge

and put one last push of energy to climb the steps of the ancient Roman bridge and you’ll be rewarded by the lively little town of Portomarin, once again getting back to the intimate camino sized stop after the metropolis of Sarria.

We stayed at the Albergue Ferramenteiro, a great looking, scandenavian style hotel on the edge of the valley that should give awesome views for all that stay here…however the architects had a different idea and seemed to want half the hotel to see the view of the road at the back of the hotel (for us) and to punish those with the view with sloping rooves that struggled to contain the might of Ukraine (aka Sergii, who at nearly two metres tall spent his stay trying to avoid a serious head injury! Eat at Mirador, where you can the amazing view with great food (home-made croquettes!), wine and without the threat of banging your head against the ceiling.

Day 4 Portomarin to Palas de Rei (25km)

This leg of the route can be best described as a ‘slog’. Not only one of the longest distance days, but after breakfast on the run you’ll have never-ending dusty roads, traipsing alongside main roads and generally keeping our heads down and powering along.

But the day will give you the chance to admire the grafiti…quite often religious with Jesus always there to keep you company, or, rather bizarrely, many messages on walls from Michael Jackson…perhaps entreating the perigrinos to moonwalk the camino!

After what felt like a very long day La Cabana is an oasis of calm and tranquility. Just of the outskirts of Palas de Rei it provides a nice little (1km) walk into town along a forested route to stretch out the legs after a hard day of walking.

Palas de Rei is a mix of friendly souvenir shops (save your souvenir shopping until you get here) and pulperias to replenish your reserves. Pulperia a Nosa Terra at the end of a sunny summer’s day in the perfect place to have dinner. Get here early (i.e 20.30!) to bag a spot in the cosy wooden interior that has the last rays of the day illuminating its interior. Together with the local speciality of Pulpo, enjoy the most perfectly cooked tortilla (that is melting in the middle).

Day 5 Palas de Rei to Melide (16km)

The day started well, when we missed the breakfast buffet and were ‘punished’ by the waiting staff by having to sit at a veranda table in the sun and be brought a wide selection of delicious breakfast bites to enjoy at our leisure! Only in Spain can being late get its own reward! After the exertion of yesterday, our Day 5 was the most perfect of days. Easy going strolls along the beautiful green pathways, through little hamlets, past numerous aged churches and naturally punctuating with many bar stops (for food of course).

Owing to its relative shortness, and if you have good weather then this section offers a day to slow things down and enjoy the beauty of the camino, ancient churches, little granaries (the Horreos that come with every house here) and encounters with Santiago.

But above all, you can enjoy the beer gardens of Galicia that pop up every couple of kilometres or so, particularly the Estrella de Camino, German wheatbeers, Galician ciders…and for the teetotalers Galactic milk!

Melide does not have much to write home about as a place to stay as it’s more of a one road town to pass through. Its highlight is to enter via the old Roman bridge, but then it is mainly highway and cars. Parallel to the main road you can escape to a little bit of greenery with dinner in the garden of Casa Alongas, but after that it is straight to bed to get a good night’s sleep for the coming days walk.

Day 6 Melide to Arzua (16km)

Another relatively short day (so much so that people will often combine this leg along with the last or the following leg to cover these sections in just one day. Still plenty of sunshine, greenery, country lanes and even some watering spots to cool down in.

Along the route you’ll come across some innovative advertising from Estrella Galicia where they picture local stars of the area that are doppelgangers of some more globally famous people.

Arzua is one of the confluence points for many of the different camino routes…so you will find the bar in the main square ends up being a meeting point for long lost camino friends to compare stamina and feet condition. Our short day meant longer to enjoy the bar and especially the local liquor of Orujo (like a local Grappa) and Creme de Orujo (a more potent type of Baileys!), to accompany the local stews and soups.

Day 7 Arzua to O Pedrouzo (19km)

Today was to be the hottest day of the trip (32 degrees), so we made sure to leave early to try and enjoy the relative freshness of the morning. Again we were blessed with a lot of trees which kept the sun off our backs and fruit stops to give us some healthy energy.

Starting a little earlier also gave us time to meet and greet more of our fellow perigrinos en-route, friendly dogs, those formidable donkeys continuing to plod on and to find out how the other camino routes were…we only had to look at a couple of Slovenians hobbling along on blister-ridden feet to know that the Camino Primitivo is one of the toughest routes… it was enough for us to contend with in finding the right way on this route!

If you are looking for a refreshment stop on this leg then you’ll be spoilt for choice on this day…the relaxing country feel of the Witches Cove or the creative recycling of Tia Dolores…along with some rest spots too!

O Pedrouzo is another lost little town, partly filled with the perigrinos who decided not to push onto Santiago in one day. There are, however still enough people stopping that finding a good place to eat can be a bit of a race, so make sure you scout out and reserve your food before you relax for the day. Even though we only spent and afternoon and an evening we still managed to have two full meals – first an excellent lunch menu del dia at Cantina Galega, and then after a little siesta some last pulpo and croquettas, al fresco at Parillada Stop

Day 8 O Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela (19km)

With a heavy heart that our journey was coming to an end (but light feet that were now conditioned to our daily walks) we started the last leg of the trip to Santiago de Compostela. Another relatively early start (before 9am!) the morning mists were still shrouding the forest walk to give a rather magical start to the day.

This leg starts in the forests, moves into the fields, skirts alongside the local airport runway, and deposits you in the light industrial zones that surround the city. Don’t plan for many rural drink stops, but this is the day that you can save your drinking until the final destination.

On the edge of Santiago, walking alongside the highway with the crowds of perigrinos things take a bit of a carnival feel, with flags waving, groups singing and a general high spirit about finally getting to our destination. Approaching the city from the Camino Frances did not really afford us the moving views of the Cathedral on high, rather after weaving through roundabouts and roadworks you finally reach the maze of cobbled streets of the old town, where you can easily double your last steps by taking a wrong turn.

But little by little the spires of the Cathedral will make itself known and walking past the Mosteiro de San Martiño Pinario and through the tunneled entrance to the square of Praza do Obradoiro, being piped in with Galician bagpipes was a lovely experience.

Just as thousands of Perigrinos before us had done we dropped our packs on the floor and followed suit to back in the sun and look at the beautiful edifice before us…the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. After a little siesta in the middle of the square, it was time to go inside the Cathedral and say thanks to St James for bringing us all this way.

Head around the back to the rear entrance, note that if you are carrying more than a day pack then it will have to be left outside or in a locker. Pre-covid it was traditional for perigrinos to give the wooden image of the saint a hug…for now this has been stopped and only a wave is possible; but who knows for the future and maybe the saint will regain his bubbly tactile nature.

Arrival checklist done (almost), it was time to reward ourselves for our 8 days and 160km with what Galicia is best know for…its seafood! Even the rest of Spain, with delicious food galore drools over the thought of the Galician seafood, so it’ll be rude not to try. At Codex we spent the rest of the day (and part of the evening) tucking into a marisco feast – Zamburiñas (scallops), almejas (clams), berberechos (cockles), navajas (razor clams), nécora (crab) and the gems of the sea Percebes (Goose barnacles)…sometimes costing up to 200eur per kilo, definitely not for their looks – which resemble the leg and claw of a little dragon.

Sated with food, you may just have time left to head to the Pilgrim’s reception office to collect your certificate of completion of the camino…or you can save this for tomorrow and head back to your hotel for a well earned rest!

Santiago de Compostela

Make sure you give yourself at least a day to spend exploring and enjoying the city…which can be difficult after 8 days on the move, not to just wake up, throw on your pack and start walking to the next destination! The city is a maze of medieval streets, old churches and monasteries that you can easily spend the day meandering through….always a reminder that it is a pilgrimage place for the pious and that sinners have a hot eternity waiting for them!

Before doing your souvenir shopping, pick up the one souvenir that you can not pay for, your Pilgrim’s Certificate…just down from the Cathedral it provides a chance to catch up with friends from the Camino, and one last challenge of the camino to navigate its queuing system that requires going downstairs to queue for a number and then into the garden to wait for the number range to be queued and then a final queue to the counter (and maybe a lottery ticket if you feel lucky!).

In years past the certificate was only for those who had (and could prove) a religious reason for having done the camino; but these days it is open to all, and as long as your ‘passport’ is adequately stamped then your Latin name will be inscribed on the paper and you have officially completed the camino. For those wondering, the Latin name for Lyssa is surprisingly…’Lyssa’!

The rest of your stay in Santiago will be caught up in a whirlwind of souvenir shopping and food…these you will never go short on in this city; and their is always a street show going on to watch to keep you occupied. But for us it was time to head off on the next journey. Before we thought about walking the camino we thought it would take months of planning and many holidays to put aside, but having ‘signed up’with Loli and Sergii it was really much more accessible than we had believed…so you have no excuse not to get your hiking boots on, throw on the pack (book the Correos) and do it your Way…enjoy!

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