Camino Frances
St-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Finisterre, March-April 2017
In March/April of 2017, I walked 900 km (550 miles) across Northern Spain along the Camino de Santiago (Camino Frances route) from St-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France to Santiago de Compostela, and then continued walking to the ocean at Finisterre (or Fisterra in Gallego), the “End of the World”.
There are countless great resources (guidebooks, online forums, mobile apps, blogs) for everything you could possibly want to know about the Camino. My goal is not to write a “how-to” guide, but rather to share my personal experiences and reflections.
Stats
Route: Camino Frances (& Camino Finisterre)
Start: St-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France
Finish: Finisterre, Spain
Dates: March 9, 2017 to April 15, 2017
Walking days: 35
Rest days: 2 (first due to tendonitis injury and second when reaching Santiago de Compostela to celebrate!)
Distance: 885 km (550 miles)
Average per day: 25.3 km (15.7 mi)
Longest day: 38 km (23.5 miles)
Shortest day: 15 km (9.5 miles)
Private room: 21 nights
Dorm bed: 16 nights
Nationalities: met pilgrims from 34 countries
Weather: cold/rain/sleet/snow (~7 days), ridiculously & unseasonably hot for early season (~7 days), perfect cool sunny walking weather (rest of the time!)
Physical issues: stomach problems (1 day), back pain (2 days), tendonitis (final ~2 weeks), blisters (relatively minor compared to others but towards the end they were painful)
Weight lost while walking: ~5 pounds (2 kg)
Weight gained immediately after: ~10 pounds (5 kg) within a few weeks due to increased appetite and significant reduction in daily activityDaily Itinerary
None of the days were preplanned. Instead, I figured things out as I went along each day. How far to walk and where to stay overnight was usually decided in the late afternoon or evening each day, depending on my physical condition/energy, weather, whereabouts of friends, location of good accommodation and food, etc.
Day 1: Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Roncesvalles, 23 km
Armed with a fresh baguette and cheese, day 1 on the camino begins. A big climb, bluebird skies, & great pilgrims.
Day 2: Roncesvalles to Larrasoana, 29 km
Beautiful day, lots of practice speaking Spanish.
Day 3: Larrasoaña to Pamplona, 15 km
Back to the “big” city for some pintxos & vino tinto.
Day 4: Pamplona to Puente la Reina, 25 km
I have walked approx 100km with 700km to go.
Day 5: Puente la Reina to Estella, 23 km
A beautiful day of self-reflection.
Day 6: Estella to Los Arcos, 22 km
Passed the infamous wine fountain at the Irache Monastery.
Day 7: Los Arcos to Logroño, 29 km
Today I left the Navarre province and entered La Rioja province. The caretaker of last night’s albergue and I talked about how all types of people were welcome on the Camino.
Day 8: Logroño to Nájera, 30 km
After a late night of tapas in Logroño, a long walk today. In the end, the Camino is all about the people. This is part of my Camino family that I see everyday.
Day 9: Nájera to Santo Domingo, 22 km
A leisurely beautiful walk with much cooler weather.
Day 10: Santo Domingo to Belorado, 24 km
One month ago I was in Colombia and my heart was unsettled and told me to walk the Camino de Santiago. I have now walked 250 km in 10 days & my heart is content and full of joy. Follow your heart & everything else will follow.
Day 11: Belorado to Atapuerca, 31 km
A magical day in so many ways. Last unseasonal sunny day before the cold/rain starts tomorrow.
Day 12: Atapuerca to Burgos, 20 km
A great reunion with Camino friends who all managed to make it to Burgos today after being separated for a few days. Bittersweet as we also said bye to some who are finishing their Camino here. The cathedral in Burgos is spectacular!
Day 13: Burgos to Hontanas, 32 km
A long freezing cold day with wind, rain, sleet, & snow. Loved every moment (except the frozen hands – must find good gloves).
Day 14: Hontanas to Frómista, 35 km
A chilly epic day. I felt inspired all day today which finished with a reunion with a wonderful English couple I met 10 days ago.
Day 15: Frómista to Carrión de Los Condes, 19 km
A short, slow, & achy day after having two consecutive 30km+ days. But perfect cool walking weather.
Day 16: Carrión de Los Condes to Ledigos, 24 km
Today was a tough day with back pain, stomach issues, & no sleep all night. Hoping tomorrow is better.
Day 17: Ledigos to Sahagún, 16 km
A short recovery day today. So grateful to all my Camino friends that supported me when I was suffering yesterday. Shipped my backpack forward and slept 12hrs last night. Feeling much better today.
Day 18: Sahagún to Mansilla de las Mulas, 38 km
Today’s longest day was inspired by Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’. As soon as I played it this morning, every pain in my body disappeared resulting in an amazing walk and ending with a reunion with beautiful Camino friends.
Day 19: Mansilla de las Mulas to León, 19 km
Yesterday, I stayed at an amazing $5/night albergue with amazing hosts and shared a communal dinner with fellow pilgrims. Today I treated myself to the Parador in Leòn. I feel equally grateful & content in both situations. Beautiful sunrise over León from my balcony.
Day 20: León to Hospital de Órbigo, 33 km
After a fun late night tapas crawl in León with ~30 pilgrim friends, today was a long day walking with the wonderful English couple Mark & Karen along peaceful countryside paths with perfect sunny weather.
Day 21: Hospital de Órbigo to Murias de Rechivaldo, 22 km
Three weeks completed! A relaxing day today with Mark & Karen before taking on the hills starting tomorrow.
Day 22: Murias de Rechivaldo to Foncebadón, 22 km
Our merry group of 6 walked, climbed, sang, & danced as we entered the mountains. Excited to be “hiking” again after weeks of mostly flat paths.
Day 23: Foncebadón to Molinaseca, 20 km
A beautiful snowy start from the highest point on the Camino followed by a long downhill.
Day 24: Molinaseca to Villafranca del Bierzo, 31 km
A beautiful sunny day through vineyards and rolling hills to this cute town tucked away in the valley.
Day 25: Villafranca del Bierzo to Las Herrerias, 21 km
Sunshine, great friends, happy cows, electric fences (zapped twice), blisters, shin splints, and soaking feet in a freezing river. Perfect day!
Day 26: Las Herrerias to Tríacastela, 30 km
A glorious but tough day, fueled by support from great friends, Bhangra music, & lots of ibuprofen. I walked most of the day in flip flops as my blisters were causing issues. Also, we entered Galicia, the 5th & final province.
Day 27: Tríacastela to Sarria, 26 km
Another tough day with tendinitis. Stopped early in Sarria to ice & rest. Delicious Pulpo Gallego (octopus) for lunch.
Day 28: Rest day
Taking a day off in Sarria today, hoping the tendinitis heals. Hope to be walking again soon.
Day 29: Sarria to Portomarín, 23 km
Back on my feet and walking again today. Crossed the 100km mark and have ~90km to Santiago.
Day 30: Portomarín to Palas de Rei, 25 km
The number of people has swelled 20x in the last 2 days. Feels a bit like a tourist march now, but trying to maintain focus on my spiritual journey. Less than 70 km to Santiago.
Day 31: Palas de Rei to Ribadiso, 27 km
Reunited with Anna & Miguel.
Day 32: Ribadiso to O Pedrouzo, 21 km
A super hot penultimate day. Only 20km to Santiago!
Day 33: O Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela, 20 km
After walking 800km (500 miles) over 33 days, I arrived in Santiago to an incredible reception by my Camino family. Words cannot describe the full range of emotions I felt as I completed this unforgettable Camino journey.
Day 34: Rest day
Pilgrims mass at Cathedral de Santiago. An incredibly moving ceremony.
Day 35: Santiago to A Pena, 29 km
Decided to continue the walk to the ocean, the end of the world.
Day 36: A Pena to O Legoso, 28 km
A beautiful day of rolling hills, wildflowers, and windmills.
Day 37: O Legoso to Finisterre, 31 km
After 37 days and walking 900km, I have reached the end of the world. I walked through 5 provinces, several big cities, and hundreds of small villages. I met amazing people from 33 countries and dozens of them are now good friends. I reconfirmed my belief that humanity is ONE, irrespective of race, nationality, religion, or language. I learned a lot about myself, learned to listen to my heart, and scratched the surface of understanding my spirit. I followed thousands of yellow arrows from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France to Finisterre, Spain. Going forward, I must now paint my own arrows, trust my heart, and maintain the principles of the Camino of simplicity, community, and spirit.
