Buen Camino!
There are many reasons to take the Camino, but you can be sure, says Catherine Lee, that you will never lose your way
Walking the Camino is somewhere on many people’s bucket list. Even if you’re not an avid walker or hiker, there’s an allure and romanticism about the route that draws people in – especially Irish people. Maybe it’s the fact that at some point in our lives we’ve trekked up Croagh Patrick, or strolled through Glendalough, or gone barefoot around Lough Derg when we were in school. Of course, the penitential aspect is entirely up to each person who walks the Camino, but for me, hiking through the verdant northern Spanish countryside in sun, with the promise of a good glass of wine at the end gets a big yes from me. A er many years of thinking but not actually doing, I nally got to experience the Camino recently with my daughter. A clear week popped up in June, so we grabbed the opportunity to just go, no more prevaricating. It was an à la carte Camino and it was delicious. Deciding on the Portuguese way (there are many ways to walk the Camino), we booked ights into Faro and a return ight seven days later from Santiago De Compostela and then planned and plotted our own way along the clearly marked route.
Before we went, we headed to St James Church, in the shadow of the Guinness brewery on James’s Street in Dublin, the traditional start of the journey from Ireland. ere, I picked up my Pilgrim Passport and the priest kindly stamped the Dublin stamp and we were o . Next day, we ew to Faro and took a cab to the lovely little beach town of Bayona. Now, I’ll freely admit I’m more of a walker than a pilgrim, so chose not to follow the pilgrim tradition of staying in hostels along the route, of which there are plenty. Most people just book these as they go. Instead, we decided how far we wanted to walk each day, averaging about 1823km, and then picked a hotel close by. In Bayona, we picked up stamp number 2 next morning and we were o , a sunny walk along the coast to the picturesque city of Vigo. en onwards to Ponteverdra, Caldas De Reis, Padrón (try the peppers!) and nally to the beautiful, striking and ancient city of Santiago De Compostela. Our journey ended in the magni cent and vast square populated by very tired but very happy walkers.
En route, I was struck by how many happy people there were along the way. Every walker, biker (yes you can cycle the Camino, renting bikes on the route) and pilgrim greets every other participant with a big cheery ‘Buen Camino!’ A small but really lovely and inclusive greeting that has been exchanged on the trails and routes for hundreds of years.
I was also pleasantly surprised at how very easy it is to nd your way. ese routes are hundreds of miles long and there are many ways into Santiago De Compostela when you reach the outskirts, but you’ll never be lost; just look for yellow! It can be a simple yellow arrow, a little yellow scallop shell on a corner or a wall, or a sign that simply says Camino.
Food is plentiful along the way; get your breakfast into you (the fresh orange juice and fresh fruit were something else) and always bring some morning snacks, plenty of water, and remember the sunscreen and hats. We walked in early June and the sun was hot in the middle of the day, plus you could be up a hill or mountain, out on the coast or rambling through idyllic Spanish country towns, so be prepared for anything. ere are lots of little cafés and foodie spots along the way. Most of them do a ‘pilgrim’s lunch’ – two courses for a reasonable price. In the evenings, this pilgrim enjoyed a glass of Albariño: it seemed like the right thing to do a er a day spent hiking up through Galicia, where the vineyards line the route.
People have all sorts of reasons to go on the Camino, but for me, the most important thing was to enjoy it. Lean into the moment, one step at a time: it can be transformative to just be present. When life is lived at speed, it is a privilege to have the time to stop, to listen, to breathe; a genuine luxury. If you get the chance to go, take it. Buen Camino!