Camino de Santiago de Compostela – 2004, a Jubilee Year. - by Mike Sims

The Plan.

It was in February that a group of us decided to walk the “ French Road ”, a pilgrim’s route to Santiago in NW Spain*. Time didn’t allow the complete walk from the Pyrenees to be undertaken (it’s 780km), but given 2 weeks we reckoned that we could achieve the last 205km, from Ponferrada, and return to tell the tale.

* - A brief history of Santiago de Compostela is given at the end of this article.

There were two groups - Mike & Maeve Sims, Richelle Crowley and Eileen Gallagher had decided to take the train from Bilbao to Ponferrada and walk on from there. Eugene and Evelyn Logan, Liam Walsh and Jim Moore had hired a car and would make their way with stops in Leon and other places. They planned to walk parts of the Camino, sharing the driving and walking. We had chosen that all four of us would walk all the way, having arranged forward accommodation and for our luggage to be sent on.

The walking itinerary was as follows: -

From To Date Comment
Ponferrada Villafranca de Bierzo Tues 29th June Day 1 (22.4 Km)
Villafranca de Bierzo O Cebreiro Wed 30th June Day 2 (30 Km)
O Cebreiro Triacastella Thur 1st July Day 3 (20.6 Km)
Triacastella Sarria Fri 2nd July Day 4 (18.6 Km)
Sarria Portmarin Sat 3rd July Day 5 (22 Km)
Portmarin Palas de Rei Sun 4th July Day 6 (24.3 Km)
Palas de Rei Arzua Mon 5th July Day 7 (28.6 Km)
Arzua Lavacolla Tues 6th July Day 8 (28.7 Km)
Lavacolla Santiago Wed 7th July Day 9 (10.2 Km)

The pilgrimage began at Dublin airport. Despite Aer Rianta’s best efforts to drive us demented (they changed check-in gates three times!) we got our boarding passes and by 6.00 p.m. we were on our way to Bilbao . We stayed in the Pension Bilbao, which was cheap and clean and convenient for our departure from the station the next morning.

The following day we took the train from Bilbao to Ponferrada, leaving at 9:15 . It was a six hour journey, but we passed the time. Our fellow passengers were various - young and old, families and people travelling alone. Maeve had struck up a conversation with a Scotsman when we were buying the tickets and he was in our carriage with two friends. They all sported kilts and were on their way to complete the Camino from Ponferrada to Sarria. Two of them had walked from Sarria to Santiago last year and this year they all planned to walk this new section to collect money for a children’s hospital in Glasgow . They were all from Glasgow and had travelled from Greenock on a container ship. They were full of stories and planned to return the same way. We bumped into the Scots on-and-off for several days.

We arrived at Ponferrada around 4:00 p.m. and settled into the Hotel Castillo. A nicer town than expected (from the various guide books that we had) with pleasant squares and river walks and a fine castle.

Day 1

- Tuesday 29th June was our first day of walking, and we departed Ponferrada at 7:45 after breakfast. We would have left earlier except that the receptionist new nothing of the arrangement that we had made with Nouvelle Frontier, the Company that made our hotel bookings and onward movement of luggage. Having phoned her manager, we were allowed to leave.

The day was cool enough for the early hour, but clear and bright. It took some time to get through the suburbs and we passed the remnants of extensive slag-heaps that had been flattened and left. Ponferrada was known for its iron ore deposits in the past.

The first 15k was pleasant walking – flat, away from the roads and not too hot. Many churches had stork nests on their spires, and some had special poles in their grounds with flat areas on top for the storks to nest upon. Having storks is a sign of good luck.

We eventually descended into Villafranca de Bierzo at 2:00 p.m. and bumped into the Scots later that evening. They were dining in the main square under a curfew of 10:00 p.m. to be back in their Refugio (hostal). After swapping experiences of the day, they left and we ate a meal at the café.

We returned to our hotel and made arrangements for our departure with the lady of the house. She understood our need to leave at 6:00 a.m. the following morning and gave us coffee flasks and “magdelenas” for the morning – which was very accommodating of her.

Day 2

- On Wednesday 30th June we departed from Villafranca at 6:00 a.m. after a breakfast in our room. It was surprisingly dark at that hour. We headed out of town following the Camino signs that followed the local road running parallel to the A6 motorway. We avoided the signs for the “scenic route” and after a few km we overtook an Italian guy who was fully laden and walking the Camino for the first time, having driven it five times by motorcycle. We overtook each other throughout the day.

This was the longest stage of our Camino (30km) and it is on the climb up to O Cebreiro, our next stop, that one crosses the border into the province of Galicia . It is marked by a stone obelisk about 3km from the top.

We finally reached O Cebreiro at 1:00 p.m. , having gained 700 metres in the last 7km. O Cebreiro is an old settlement that was used by the Romans as a staging post on their journeys to Galicia . We stayed in what was once the original Refugio – now converted into the Hospederia Auriliac.

Day 3

- By this time (Thursday 1st July), we were settling into a routine. Awake early – could be 5:00 a.m. Dress with the clothes that were laid out from the previous evening and could have been washed the night before. Take a drink, usually just water. Wash and brush the teeth. Pack up the luggage and leave it downstairs for collection later. Start walking at 6:00 a.m. Get breakfast on the road at 8:00 a.m. Get to the destination around midday and check in. Have lunch. Shower and generally tend to the wounds of the day. Siesta for an hour or two. Research the next day’s route; including the way out of town (it will be dark). This takes you to the evening when you can relax and explore the town and have a meal. Before retiring, one prepares things for the next morning.

The first day of July was chilly at 6:00 a.m. O Cebreiro is at 1400 meters at a pass in the Sierra del Ouribio mountains. It was also very misty so we set off in fleeces and raincoats. Given the poor visibility and the dark, our choice was to follow the road that descended to the west.

The walk was never far from the road and descended through some beautiful farming countryside. We were walking through a small hamlet (probably Forfria) when a woman offered as pancakes from her doorstep. Topped with sugar, they were just the thing to keep you going (for a small contribution).

As we arrived at our next stop, the village of Triacastela , we came across pilgrims with a donkey. The donkey was loaded up with all their possessions and they walked with no backpacks. One of the many ways to do the Camino.

We arrived in Triacastela around 11:15 a.m. and within 30 minutes met up with Eugene, Evelyn, Liam and Jim checking into our hotel, Hotel Vilasante. They had driven from Leon and planned to reverse (in part) the walk that we had just completed. It was training for their next days walk to Samos to see the monastery. We would be taking an alternative route to Sarria.

After the evening meal in the village we wandered back to the Hostal and met up with everyone for a nightcap(s).

Day 4

- Friday 2nd July saw a 7:00 start which had been agreed as our next stage was only 18 km.

From Triacastela one has a choice of routes. The most popular for the more spiritual is to go via Samos and visit the monastery. The alternative is more direct and has less climbing and that was our chosen route. From Triacastela the path rose out of the village quite soon and within 1.5 hours we had climbed 250 mtrs to the highest point in the section (near Alto de Riacabo). There was a steady descent through wonderful rural countryside with great views over the Sierra de Edramo.

We arrived in Sarria just after 11:00 and checked in at the 3-star Hotel Alfonso IX - relative luxury after some of our more rural accommodations.

We strolled around the town, which is quite big and we saw sights that were often to be repeated on our arrival at our destination. That is, pilgrims of all nationalities showing the tell-tale signs of their wear and tear. They stand out because they are the ones in the pharmacies who are pointing at their feet. They are the people in the supermarket stocking up on water. At mass in the evenings, the pilgrims are the ones leaning on the pew in front - anything to get the weight off the feet. The pilgrim’s foot-ware of choice for the evening is the flip-flop. They are soft, easy to wear and they show off the sock-marked suntanned legs nicely!

Day 5

– On Saturday 3rd July we left the splendid 3-star luxury of Alfonso IX and began the climb out of Sarria which is both pleasant and challenging. It is pleasant because it takes you through the old town with its narrow streets. It also has many steps and is quite a climb at the start of the day.

There seemed to be more people on the road that day. This could have been because Sarria is the last chance to cover 100km before reaching Santiago . 100km qualifies one for the Compostela - a certificate that records your pilgrimage.

Our next stop, Portomarin was first sighted across a valley with a reservoir (unseen) at its floor. It is a town that was moved from the valley floor when it was flooded to make the reservoir. Local pictures show the original low bridge across the valley floor when there was just a river to cross.

Eugene ’s group also arrived in town, checked into the same hotel, and later we all went to the main church for 20:30 mass. We also got our passports stamped by the priest and headed back to the hotel for dinner.

Day 6

- Sunday 4th July and we walked out of Portomarin early but, after a nice sunrise it clouded over for much of the remainder of the walk. Eileen's prayers of the previous evening were answered - "I prayed for mist or cloudy skies" she said.

The rural countryside was full of the usual smells of the farm - cows, cowsheds, pigs, silage, slurry, etc, etc.. Visually, it is very quaint. Young chickens, puppies, cats, shiny-coated jersey cows. However in parts there was evidence of rural poverty. Farm buildings were deserted and/or dilapidated, yards were not well maintained. The same can be seen in rural Ireland .

By 12:30 p.m. we were in Palas de Rei and consuming beers in our 1-star Hostal Vilarino. After a clean up and the ritual washing of the socks, we had the most generous lunch in the hostal comida. Palas de Rei (the King's palace/place) is a small town of little note. The guidebooks say that even the name of the King that gives the town its name, is not known. Eileen strolled around and concluded that our hostal bar was probably the liveliest place in town!

The evening saw drinks and sandwiches in the Hostal bar while Greece beat Portugal 1-0 in the final of the European Cup. After preparing for the next day, an 11:00 bedtime was achieved. We knew that we had a long walk ahead of us in the morning.

Day 7

- We left Palais de Rei on Monday 5th July at 6:30 , walking down the main street and following the signs out of town. In the semi-dawn, the customary photo was taken as we left the town.

It this section of the Camino that one can see many Roman bridges, the most notable being the one at Furelos just before Melide where we photographed some cows being brought across. The section also has extensive tracts of eucalyptus trees. The weather was kind, being cool and mainly overcast.

As we approached Arzua, our destination for the day, we were overtaken by a group of men on horseback - another way of doing the Camino.

Day 8

– We left Arzua on Tuesday 6th July. Knowing that this was the last of the long sections of our Camino (28.6km) we decided to treat ourselves to breakfast before we started and so we left just after 7:30 a.m.

A few kilometres on the trail we came across a small memorial to a man named Watt, who died on the Camino. The plaque was in Spanish, so I presume that he was Spanish and the memorial was a pair of bronzed boots - presumably his!

We also passed a Red Cross station around the halfway point with several marquees’ set up beside it. There were no customers, but we concluded that they were preparing for the influx of pilgrims heading for Santiago for St James day for the 25th July. If you pass through the doors of the Cathedral in Santiago on St James day, you will unconditionally go straight to heaven when your time comes.

Before descending into Lavacolla, our next stop, the route takes one around Lavacolla airport which services Santiago and the path weaves its way around the runway lights which are positioned on large gantries at the end of the runway.

Day 9

– On Wednesday 7th July we had our final 3 hour stage into Santiago before us. So we decided to get the 8:30 - 9:30 breakfast and start late. Already I was feeling more relaxed about times and schedules and felt that all the hard work had been done.

The day started with beautiful weather and the climb out of Lavacolla was not hard. The only major landmark of note on this stage is the hill called Monte do Gozo (Hill of Joy). It is the spot where pilgrims first got sight of the Cathereral spires in Santiago . It was recently flattened on the top in order to accommodate a visit from the Pope John Paul II and it now has a memorial sculpture on top.

Eventually we reached the old town and arrived at the Cathedral in time for the Pilgrims Mass at 12:00 . It was crowded with walkers, school trips, and people that had just driven into town. The mass was given by the archbishop and a group of priests, one of which I recognized as a pilgrim passing through Palas de Rei. The service was long at 1.25 hrs and culminated with the botafumaria (an incense burner weighing 80 kg) being swung across the isle - way up high into the roof of the cathedral.

We wandered off after the service to find a tourist office and then to the pilgrim’s office to get our pilgrim passports stamped. We also got our Compostela’s (certificates) to show that we had completed the pilgrimage.

Thursday 8th July saw our first non-walking day and we wandered the city, taking it easy. The next few days were equally lazy and we explored the churches, museums and squares (and retail outlets) of Santiago.

We took a trip to the extreme west coast, to Cape Finisterre (land's end), which was thought to be the end of the known world in the time before Columbus discovered the New World . One drives to the village of Finisterre where the road goes out to a lighthouse and several other buildings. It is beyond this point that we found the spot where modern day pilgrims burn their boots. Its marked by a cross and a pair of bronzed boots set into the rock. However today there is only one boot left!

We also travelled up by train to La Coruna where Deportivo La Coruna football club has its stadium almost on the beach. The city is quite large and formed around several headlands. It has a natural harbour which makes it a major port for NW Spain and another natural bay which has 1km of good beach. That same evening Eugene ’s group joined as for a meal – a celebration at all having “done” the Camino.

On the Tuesday 13th July we travelled back to Bilbao by train - Maeve had gone on to Madrid to meet some friends the previous day. It was a long journey (11 hours) but it passed quite quickly.

On the 14th July we had a day to explore Bilbao before we left for Dublin later that night. We chose to visit the Guggenheim museum which is a “must” for anyone passing through.

Reflections on the holiday

I think that we all did very well. All of our plans worked-out as expected, that is we got to where we wanted to go, when we expected, and got back again. A tribute to the organisation and planning that went into it. We all succeeded in getting to Santiago and in reasonable shape. It wasn’t easy – there were some hard days (30km); there were blisters; there were sore feet (and sore other parts). Again, a tribute to the training that we all put in.

In all, a memorable holiday which certainly gave me a great sense of achievement for walking 205km to a very special and historic place.

History of Santiago de Compostela

Santiago de Compostela is famous as the final burial place of St. James, one of Christ’s apostles and has long been a pilgrimage destination for Christians.

After the death of Jesus, James went to Spain to do evangelistic work. After some years he returned to Jerusalem where he was beheaded by King Herod. His followers obtained James’ body and returned to Spain in AD44 – by boat. At the time Spain was in turmoil so they did not publicly display James’ remains, but entombed the body with two of his disciples, Theodore and Athanasius.

Some 750 years later a local hermit had a “vision” of a bright star surrounded by a ring of smaller ones over a remote spot in the hills. On investigation three sets of remains were found, and they were identified as the martyr St. James and his disciples. So, Alfonso II King of Asturias declared St James as the patron saint of Spain .

Alfonso built a church and a small monastery over the tomb around which a small town grew up. The site of Santiago grew as a religious centre with the famous Cathedral at its heart. Thus, Santiago was established as the burial site of St James and pilgrims have taken the Camino (road) to Santiago (St James) de Compostela (field of stars) ever since.

Pilgrims travelled from many starting points including Ireland where in days past they sailed from Dublin , Waterford , and other ports, to northern Spain . In mainland Europe some routes start as far away as Poland , Hungary and Russia . Once on the Iberian Peninsula , there are several roads that can be taken – from Portugal , from Madrid , from Seville , from La Coruna . The most popular route is known as the “ French Road ” and it runs from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the French Pyrenees and takes a route to Santiago that is approximately 100km inland from the northern coast.