Santiago 11th May

I walked into Santiago at about 2pm on Saturday 11th May.  As I arrived at the reception in the Hospederia San Martin, I saw a woman with a walker coming out of the lounge.  It was our peregrina from Ireland. 
Shortly after, Reinette arrived and we sat together for a while  chatting about Reinette's adventures in Galicia and my walk from Sarria. While we were talking Christine hobbled in.  She thought she might only arrive after 6pm but was 2 hours early snd relieved to have made it with her painful shin splints.

I checked in and took my pack to the room. As I came down the lift I recognized Bob amongst the people waiting to go upstairs.   I told him that we would have dinner in the hotel at 7pm.
The Irish lady still wasnt feeling well so went to her room.  I invited Tom and Nancy to join us for dinner at the Hospederia.  Christine had hobbled in by then so  I suggested she join us too.  Pat from the pilgrims office also joined us so we were a happy group with Reinette, Ann, Christine, Tom and Nancy, Pat, Bob and me.

The waiter wasnt the friendliest person in the place and I suggested that he might have drawn the short straw and had to work instead of being outside for the Galicia day fiesta.
After dinner we said goodbye to Tom and Nancy, Christine and Pat.  Reinette and I sat with Bob in the lounge for a while and then we went to our room to sort out what we would take with us on the walk and what to leave in the cases at San Martin.
Our big adventure would start with a trip to Lugo and one night in Lugo before taking the bus to Sarria.

Slow Camino reconnaissance walk

5th May - Checking out the paths and trails
After two nights in Santiago I caught the bus to Lugo and then  a taxi to Sarria.  Gordon Bell was at the Pension Escalinata to meet me.  Gordon took me to the Casa Nova rente in Barbadelo where I was to spend the night. I had dinner with a delightful French couple.  They couldn't speak any English and my French is abysmal so we used sign language and drew pictures and maps on the paper tablecloth during conversation.

6th May  (Barbadelo to Vilacha)
I had breakfast the next morning and started walking, turning my pedometer to 0.00km
The apple trees are all in blossom but there are not many other wildflowers out yet.   I decided that we should start our group walk 49m beyond the Casa at the small road crossing where the 106km marker to Santiago is.

The path was mainly gravel, with some rocks until the large water fountain with the 2004 Holy Year logo that looks like Mickey Mouse.  At the 1.5 km mark the path went steeply downhill to the river which had a concrete path on the side for pilgrims to cross.

The path then joined a tar road again after 2km and 1km further on, one has to step on large blocks in the torrent course.  I realised that this could be difficult for the walkers, especially the lady using her Veloped walker.

After walking for two hours I reached Morgade and the end of our first stage.
For the next 4km the path undulated steeply uphill and downhill on tar and gravel with a few muddy places in between.  After 10.2km the path became difficult with deep mud and shale slopes. I reached Mercadoiro which would be the end of our 2nd stage and stopped for lunch.

 

At the 13.35km mark I started on stage 3 of our walk.  It went downhill on a gravel and sand path and then steep downhill on a concrete path into the forest.  It was a fairly easy stage on tar, concrete, and a forest path all the way to Vilacha where I spent the night with Gordon Bell.

There was a lady from Holland who was planning on walking to Portomarin but it was raining hard and when she saw the sign STADIG (slowly) on the road just before Casa Banderas, she took it as a sign from above and stopped for the night.  A German pilgrim arrived, then a couple from the US who I shared my overnight stops with so that we met up each evening from then on.

7 May (Vilacha to Ventas de Naron)
The path from Vilacha was being resurfaced so was closed.   I walked on the road into Portomarin.  I climbed the hill to  the Albergue Ultreia to check out the rooms which were all upstairs - no good for the lady with the walker.  We decided that she and Reinette could share a room in the Pension Caminante around the corner.

I continued down to the bridge and decided to walk on the road instead of climbing through the forest.  The Camino path continues over the bridge but one can turn right onto the road which re-joins the Camino path at the Brick Factory and from there on it was pretty much alongside the road for the next few km. I stayed on the road until I reached Gonzar which is the end of stage 3 for the Slow Camino.  I arrived at Ventas de Naron and booked into Casa Molar

8 May
The path from there to Pevisa was easy walking and one could do most of the route on the road which shadows the path for most of the way. I caught up to Tom and Nancy, the American couple from Vilacha, at the cafe bar after Ligonde.  (We walked together on and off from there to San Xulian)

 

 

9th May
The next day to Rua was my longest day at 24km.
At Palas de Rei the yellow arrows lead down a flight of stairs from the Bar Crucero but one can stay on the road to avoid the steps. Closer to the main road is another short flight of stairs or an impossibly steep ramp.  There is another way around the side where one can reach the main road. (Our Pension was on that side road.)

I popped into the Pension Bar Plaza to check on our rooms only to find that our rooms were up a steep flight of stairs. They called, Antia, the woman who runs the pension and she took me to a Pension Ignacio around the corner where all the rooms are on the ground floor.
When I got to San Xulian I found that I would be sharing a room with Tom and Nancy.  We were given a 3-bedded room at the albergue. We had a wonderful meal with other pilgrims and then sat outside the albergues chatting to pilgrims and the local women.)

 

9 May
From San Xulian the path disintegrated and I resolved to phone San Xulian and ask whether there was a road route for our lady with the walker as she would not be able to negotiate the path between here and Casanova.

At Casanova I did a 2km detour to O Bolboreta to confirm our rooms and a 2km walk back to the path. At Campanilla I stoped for a Cola Cao and bumped into Tom and Nancy. They had phoned the Pazo de Sedor and had booked a room so I knew I would see them again at Castaneda. 

On the way to Melide the path became a road of crazy paving, also not easy for those that are unsteady or for a Veloped.

 

I saw that the Hotel Carlos was quite far from the main centre.  I thought of cancelling the rooms there and finding something closer to the centre of town but so many places are full, I decided to leave things as they  are .  It started to rain and I stopped to take out my raincoat.   All the tape covering the seams was hanging like streamers so I stopped at a sports shop and bought a poncho type raincoat.  It is bright orange and all my clothes are pink and purple so I'm not going to get lost on this Camino!

I walked up to the church and down to the road following the Camino arrows and realised that the group wouldn't be able to walk down that steep path.  We will walk on the road rather.
The next Slow Camino stage is from Melide to Boente on an undulating path through the forest. ± 2km further there are large stepping stones across a small river. The terrain going up from the river will be impassable with a walker so the lady with the walker will have to stay on the road.  From here the path joins the road with a short break back into the forest.

At Boente I stopped at Os albergue for lunch. I spent the night at a fabulous Pazo de Sedor at Castaneda.  Tom and Nancy also stayed there and we had dinner with a group of American ladies walking the Camino.
From here it was very steep down hill and under the road, then a very steep uphill: the group could stay on the road and join where the ramp goes up to the bridge. There is quite a steep downhill to Ribadiso. 
Coming out of Ribadiso, I will suggest to the lady with the walker that she gets a taxi to Ribadiso Carretera higher up.

 

The walk into the town of Arzua is long and dreary. I found that the Suiza is not in town but way out on the other side. However, it is 30m from the Camino the next day.
It was uphill for about 500m then onto a small road on tar to a road.   After passing under the road there was a flattish section then lots of rocks and mostly up hill. To the 32.5km mark.  There was a place selling fruit and cakes on an honesty system  where I bought a banana for €1 -over R12.

 

Two years ago a large section of the forest here was felled to make way for a new road between Santiago and Lugo.   They ran out of money and the construction site was left as it is now.
From Calzada there was an easy path -a little rocky through the village and with large stepping stones across the river.  It will be better for the lady with the walker to stay on the road.  The walk from  then on is fairly easy.

From Salceda the path mirrors the road and it appeared that one could take a side path down to the road every 500m or so. You pass Empalme and St Irene. When you reach Rua there is a recorded greeting that is activated when you walk by.  The info kiosk for Santiago is on the right.

From here you pass the turn into Pedrouza-Arca and can continue into the forest on an easy path.

You go up hill and over the road . One could stay on the road for most of the way around Lavacolla.  I thought it would be best for the lady with the walker to be taken to Neiro where the Tv Galicia centre is and to walk from there to Monte de Gozo.

After  visiting the Monte de Gozo reception to confirm our rooms I walked on the road to avoid the flight of steps down to the main road.  It was then the long, dreary walk through the outskirts of the city into Santiago.

CAMINO CARACOLES on a Slow Camino to Santiago

In just two weeks I will fly to Santiago.  I've never flown to Santiago before - always walked there - so this will be a new experience.  Actually, everything about this Camino walk is going to be a new experience! 

Due to work and leave restraints, on my first Camino in 2002 my two companions and I only had 27 days to walk from Roncesvalles to Santiago (about 750km) averaging 28km per day.  The reality was that some days we walked less than planned and other days we had to walk much longer distances - over 30km and 40km. 

My second Camino (2004 Holy Year) Joy and I walked over 1 200km from Paris to Roncesvalles and from Sarria to Santiago. On that walk too we did a few marathon days of over 40km. 

Since then, I have walked the Camino Frances three more times, hiked on the Via Francigena from Lake Lausanne to Rome, done the Aragones route from Lourdes, the Camino Ingles and walked to Finisterre.  On all of these I averaged 25km a day.


Our group of Camino Caracoles (snails) will be walking between 5km and 8km a day for 17 days on the last 100km of the Camino Frances.  There will be 8 peregrinos on this 'Slow Camino' - 5 walkers and 3 helpers. 

One of the Los Caracoles is a veteran Camino walker who will be 89 years old in September.  He could turn out to be fitter than all of us!  There is a mother and daughter who have problems with their feet and can't walk long distances and thought they would never be able to walk the Camino.
A woman who had a tumour the size of an egg removed from her brain last year and has been left unsteady with occasional bouts of vertigo.  The possibility of walking the Camino was a fading dream she has nurtured since spending her honeymoon in Galicia 40 years ago. 

Another woman with post-polio muscle weakness who had a knee replacement on her good leg a few years ago has been dreaming of returning to the Camino for over 18 years.  She and her late husband did the Camino from Roncesvalles to Burgos in relays - he driving their car one day while she walked, and she driving the next day while he walked.  They always thought the they would return and complete their Camino but he passed away and she thought she would never be able to finish her Camino. She came across the amaWalkers Camino website by accident and by joining the Slow Camino group she hopes to finish the Camino for them both.  She will ask for a memorial Compostela for her husband when she arrives in Santiago.  To enable her to walk as much of the route as possible she will be using a cross-country walking aid which is being flown to Santiago. It has off-road suspension, climbing wheels and has been used in the mud and on difficult terrain.

The helpers have all volunteered their services and everyone on this journey is paying their own way.  Adrian, a peregrino from Costa Rica, read about the Slow Camino on a Camino Forum and contacted me to offer his help.  He will be a great companion for Bob.  My friend, and fellow hospitalera, Isa Gonzalez, will travel from San Sebastian to join the group.

I arrive in Santiago on Friday 3rd May and will travel to Sarria on Sunday to start walking back to Santiago.  Although I have walked to Santiago 6 times I've never really taken any notice of inaccessible sections or difficult terrain.  This will be a reconnaissance walk to check out the distances of the daily stages and that the stopping places are accessible for taxis to collect the walkers.  No good stopping in the middle of a farm track or in the forest! Adrian has translated the Cogami stage descriptions into English and has compiled a power point of the route with photographs of some of the sections we'll need to avoid. 

We will be staying in the same places that most pilgrims stay - Sarria, Portomarin, Palas de Rei, Melide, Arzua, Arca and Monte de Gozo.  But, we will spend two or three nights in each place and will have taxis fetch us from the path when we are finished walking, and take us back to that place the next day.  This way we don't have to carry our belongings or unpack and pack up every day. 

By hook or by crook we will walk into Santiago on Thursday 30th May and 6 Caracoles will earn a Compostela (1 being a memorial certificate).  Wish us luck - and watch this space!

SLACKPACKING THE CAMINO FRANCES

 

This post is an excerpt from my new book, 'SLACKPACKING THE CAMINO FRANCES' published by LightFoot Guides and available from Pilgrimage Publications and most online book stores  

 

  ‘Slackpacking’ is a relatively new term used to describe any kind of multi-day trekking or hiking with support. Whether trekking with pack-horses in the Andes, donkeys in Peru, or employing Sherpa when hiking in the Himalaya, slackpacking has been the preferred mode of trekking for millennia.

It is thought that the term was first used to describe hikers doing the Appalachian Trail in the US with backup support and resupply. In contrast to the extreme hikers who trek long distances carrying heavy loads on their backs and sleeping outdoors, the slackpacker carries a daypack with basic necessities and transfers the rest of his or her baggage ahead. On many such treks rooms in hostels or hotels are pre-booked.

If you have been on a walking or trekking holiday with any company that offers multi-day walks with baggage transfer and accommodation booked, whether it is guided or guided, you have enjoyed a slackpacking experience.

Slackpacking the Camino with beds booked and baggage transferred doesn’t mean that you won’t get blisters, tendonitis, aching muscles and a funny tan! You will still hike up the same mountain paths, wobble down the same rocky descents, and struggle through the same boot-clinging mud and sludge with all the other pilgrims.

The main difference is that your daypack will only weigh about 3kg instead of the average 8kg and, knowing that you have a bed and a hot shower waiting for you at the end of the day means plenty of time for breakfast, to smell the wildflowers along the trail, enjoy a long leisurely lunch and wait for an interesting church or museum to open. It means that you don't have to join the race for beds or queue for a bunk-bed in a pilgrim dormitory.

 

 From the time the tomb of the apostle James the Greater was discovered in the 9^th century, there has been a melting pot of people on the road to Santiago with as many different types of pilgrims in the Middle Ages as there are today.  Besides the hoards of poor, unemployed and penitential pilgrims foot-slogging thousands of miles to the tomb of the apostle, we read about lords and ladies with their entourages, kings and queens with their servants and slaves (who might have carried the lords and ladies in litters for much of the way!); ecclesiastic pilgrims – priests, bishops and even a couple of popes - accompanied by their servants and clerics, and knights travelling with their ladies with their large retinues. These pilgrims would have been hosted in the best monastic quarters, the finest inns, or in castles and palaces with the local royalty. 

 

Many pilgrims went on horseback; others had donkeys or mules to bear their loads. Most of the classic pilgrim stories that have come down to us were written by pilgrims on horseback. There are historical accounts of large caravans of pilgrims on the roads to Santiago – some with camels!

The majority of pilgrims did not walk alone but walked in groups for safety sake. In many countries, large towns and cities had guilds that organised guided group walks to Santiago. It was much safer to travel this way and, like the tour groups of today, pilgrims walked with like-minded people and supported each other on the long journey.

 

St Bona of Pisa, patron saint of travelers and specifically pilgrims, guides, couriers and flight attendants, led ten such groups of pilgrims from Italy to Santiago in the 12^th century and was made an official pilgrim guide by the Knights of Santiago. 

From the end of the 15^th century, anyone who could afford to was able to travel with the postal service – a service with horses and carts that were changed at regular staging posts. 

From the mid-17th century the ‘Grand Tour’ became popular and it was possible to travel in comfort with a ‘Cicerone’ (a knowledgeable tour guide) and travel agents known as ‘carters’ provided transport, accommodation and food on the road to Santiago. 

Slackpacking is becoming more and more popular as people who are not normally extreme hikers take to trekking the trails around the world. Some say that tour companies have 'commercialised' the Camino. That might be so, but it has also provided growth in many rurual industries such as bakeries, butcheries, markets etc that provide food for the 500 000 plus pilgrims that walk parts of the trails every year.

 

Pilgrimage has always had a commercial aspect from taxes collected to maintain roads and bridges, vendors providing goods and souvenirs, locals offering rooms, and tour guides offering safe passage to groups. The large pilgrim churches along the pilgrimage routes in France and Spain survived mainly on donations and bequests made by pilgrims.

Doing “The Way” your way

Everyone is entitled to do the Camino their way.  Some pilgrims like to walk alone, carrying everything they posses on their backs and staying only in pilgrim shelters. Others enjoy walking for long distances, starting in different countries and taking many months to walk to Santiago – often camping along the way.

Until the reanimation of the old pilgrimage trails in the late 1970s nearly every pilgrim to Santiago arrived there by bus or train. Many went with organised groups or tours, as they still do to other Christian shrines such as Jerusalem, Rome and Fatima or Lourdes. Very few people walk to these shrines.

Over 10 million pilgrims visited Santiago in 2010 (a Holy Year) and of those, only 2% (272 700) walked or cycled the route, the bulk covering the last 100 km. The great majority arrived there by plane, car, bus and train.

Perhaps you prefer not to walk alone for weeks carrying everything on your back, or rough it by staying in crowded pilgrim hostels.  You can choose to walk alone and take pot-luck on finding a room when you arrive in a village or town.  (Look out for signs  that advertise “Habitaciones/ Rooms/ Zimmer/ Chambre.)

Just remember, if you don’t have a place booked you will have to carry your backpack.

You can book your accommodation ahead of time and have your backpack transferred each day.  Or you might prefer to walk with like-minded people in an organized group. You can book guided and unguided tours on the Camino. 

If you are pressed for time you can choose to walk a section of the trail, then get a bus or taxi further down the route. Many people don’t have five or six weeks to spare, meaning that they have to take a taxi or a bus to a few places.

Many historical books, movies and websites on the Camino show statues, sculptures, stained glass windows and other works of art depicting pilgrims from the early 12^th century to around the 18^th century.   The majority of foot pilgrims wore a long, dark robe, carried a simple a shoulder bag called a ‘scrip’, a gourd for water and a staff.

Pilgrims who could afford it went on horseback and they were able to take extra changes in clothing and a few other comforts. 

The one thing you won’t see in books or film are  medieval pilgrims carrying a backpack!  A pilgrim from the middle ages would be astonished to see today's pilgrims slogging across the Camino with huge packs containing their material baggage on their backs. 

 

 

But, those were different times and modern pilgrims are expected to bathe and change and wash their clothes so most pilgrims carry extra clothing, washing soaps and toiletries and need a back-pack to carry their gear. 

Most walking Camino pilgrims only need a small capacity pack to carry their clothing, medication and toiletries.  If you intend sending your backpack ahead you could manage with a day-pack whilst walking but ensure that it is comfortable and secure.
 

In your pack you will carry a rain jacket or poncho, a jacket or fleece, a sitting plastic in case you decide to picnic on the side of the path or sit on a mossy wall, your first aid kit, snacks and drinks.  I also recommend carrying your sandals so that you can change into them when you arrive at your hotel.

It is better to use a regular backpack, with padded shoulder straps, sternum strap and waist belt rather than a flimsy day pack with thin straps and no support that will swing around on your back as you go up and down hills.
 

If you do not want to carry a heavy backpack every day – or are unable to walk long distances over difficult terrain – you can still do the Camino by having your pack (and yourself) transported by taxi or transport services on most of the Camino routes. Remember, you only need to walk the last 100 km to Santiago to earn the Compostela certificate, and the pilgrims’ office doesn’t care how your backpack arrives there!   
 

In order to transfer luggage, you must have pre-booked accommodation along the way. This means that you will not be allowed to stay in the traditional ‘donation’ pilgrim albergues that do not allow pre-booking or vehicle back-up. However, many private albergues do allow pilgrims to book rooms and have their backpacks transported along the route. Have a look at the private albergues lists here:
 

www.redalberguessantiago.com/documents/211.html

 

 

Hotels usually have contact details of local taxis and luggage transfer service. Charges are from €7 per bag per stage. The bag should not weigh more than 12kg and a stage is up to 25km.  The cost is half of that in Galicia (€3) where the number of pilgrims is much higher.  If you are walking with buddy or in a group, you can share a large shopping bag to send your excess stuff ahead.  This helps to keep down the cost.

More on "SLACKPACKING THE CAMINO"

When and Where to start walking         

Towns that are easily reached where you can start your Camino        
Credencial del Peregrino – Pilgrims’ Passport                                                
Best Time to walk a Camino                                  
Weather Tables                                           
   May and June                                          
   September and October                           
Where to start and how to get there           
     Starting at Jean                                     
     Route Napoleon or through Val Carlos    
     Starting at Roncesvalles                         
     Starting at Pamplona                             
     Starting at Burgos                                 
     Starting at Leon                                     
     Starting at Astorga                                
     Staring at Ponferrada                             
     Starting at O Cebreiro                            
     Starting at Sarria                                   
Getting back home                                      

Different types of Accommodation                  
Reserving rooms online                                           
Booking hotel rooms                                   
Booking rooms in hostels                   
 

Luggage Transfers and Camino Tour Companies

Companies that transfer luggage                
Posting luggage ahead                               
Camino Tour Companies                    

Walking stages and itineraries                        
Itinerary 1:   10km to 15km daily stages             
Itinerary 2:   15km to 20km daily stages             
Itinerary  3:   20km to 25km daily stages             
Itinerary 4:   The last 100km for not-so-able pilgrims.
17-day, 5km to 8km daily stages      

Detours on the Camino Frances

Appendices on Camino Lingo, Transport details and contacts for trains, buses, taxis in each region.