juliestafford

Slummin' it on the camino

Oh god, the annual problem of finding a way to use the 20 precious days we are granted, more if we are lucky, by our employers.

Every year I panic about this issue. How far can I go, how many days will I take at a time, how much money do I have. Is it a bit sad just to stay in Europe, or Ireland, or do I have to go to Papua New Guinea, or Hong Kong for the weekend. Normally, its easy enough to work out!

Last summer it was over 2 weeks in Spain, taking in 8 days of walking the Camino de Santiago. I bought the new boots for hiking, that I was supposed to break in, and didn’t. I got all the stuff and headed off with himself landing in the beautiful, must-see Bordeaux and then making our way by train and bus to the start of the camino, a 790 km walk from St Jean Pied de Post in the french Pyrenees to Santiago in Northwest Spain.

The Camino de Santiago is a pilgrimage, and you will be called a pilgrim the whole way along with your pilgrim passport (get it in St Jean/St Jame’s Gate in Dublin), you’ll order pilgrim menus, stay in pilgrim hostels and go to pilgrim masses. I did not do it for religious reasons but for the challenge, adventure and of course the craic. For many it is a real spiritual journey, for me it was a nice long walk in the country side with many stops for food, beer and wine!

Part of the 27km hike between St Jean Pied de Port and Roncesvalles in Spain

The first day was the hardest, the longest, the highest and the steepest of the eight that we did. But it was amazing, and we were really lucky to get a beautiful day with fabulous visibility. That night we stayed in a 120 bed hostel. Lights out at 10 – lights on at 6 and monks singing alleluia. Oh the joys!

We carried our bags the whole way but you can choose not to. There are many companies that will collect your bag each morning and drop it off in a specified hostel at your next spot. Most people walk the structured way so you will run into the same people the whole way along. We ran in to my boyfriend’s mother’s cousin who was a 79-year-old sex therapist from Canada, he hadn’t met her in 20 years! That’s a story for another time!

The Camino continues with daily walks of between 17-24km , at least for the stretch we did. We walked through beautiful little villages and towns with everyone along the way greeting us with ‘Buen Camino’! We spent a night in Zuibri ,a sign just outside the town says ‘You are now leaving Zuibri and some comedian has added ‘thank god’.

Then on to IIarratz, pamplona, Uterga, Puente La Reine,Lorca, the stunning Villamayor de monjairdin, Los Arcos,

Marking the way of St James

Torres del rio and ending in the crazy Logrono.

Logrono seems to be the stag and hen capital of northern spain. A really chilled out, no frills city with a nice central square, great food and easy access to elsewhere in Spain if you only get that far along the Camino like we did.

The Camino is marked the whole way along so there is no need to worry that you may lose your way. If you are young and able I would suggest carrying your bag as it gives you a real sense of the struggle!! If not, as I said, there are loads of companies to carry it for you. My biggest tip, one that no one gave me, is to bring books and lots of them. Yes your bag is heavy, bla bla bla but most days you will arrive at the town where you will stay at 3/4pm in the afternoon. Once you have washed your knickers in the sink, had a beer, bandaged feet ( I didn’t have to do this, thank god) etc. you will want a book to wind down!

And then compeed, compeed and more compeed. If it doesn’t save your life it will help you save someone elses.

We covered approx 200km and then on to Barcelona by train for a few days. I’ll definitely be back for more. Buen Camino.