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St. James
Way |
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Camino de
Santiago |
The walking
The route is
essentially rural following wonderful cart tracks weaving between stone
walled fields or using quiet roads through tiny villages and farming
communities. Even on the final approach to Santiago, where the Camino
frequently cross a main road, there are quiet stretches along tracks and
paths running through eucalyptus forests. As the route enters Santiago
it passes through the suburbs to reach the centre of what is perhaps,
Spain’s most beautiful and peaceful medieval city.
Generally the walk
does involve average daily distances of about 14 miles, but follows well
marked paths with good surfaces. We provide a step by step guide to the
walk and the location of your nightly hotel. It is possible to have
extra days in Santiago at the beginning and end or have a rest day
during the journey. We would recommend Portomarin where you can easily
journey to the historic Roman city of Lugo.
If
travelling independently you can choose to have your luggage transported
or you can carry your own. For details please see our Price and
Information supplement.
The
Area
 Our hotel to hotel
trek takes you across Galicia in North West Spain from the mountain
village of O Cebreiro (4300 ft) to the magnificent Gothic cathedral of
Santiago de Compostela – the final resting place of St. James the
Apostle.
Galicia is an
autonomous region of Spain, with its own culture, cuisine and language (Galego),
although Spanish is still understood by everyone.
In essence, you complete the final
stages of the famous Way of St. James (the Camino) a five hundred mile
trail across Northern Spain which has been walked for over 1,000 years
by generations of pilgrims and other visitors of many nations.
The experience
 But of course, this holiday is about more than
the usual joys of walking! In addition to the good food and wines served
in the hotel at the end of each day’s trek you will also enjoy the
special atmosphere arising from the comradeship quickly established
between walkers of many nationalities. At the beginning of the holiday
you will be provided with a pilgrim’s passport. If you have this
stamped at the appropriate places at each stage of the walk and present
it at the Pilgrim’s office by the cathedral you will receive a
certificate, the ‘Compostela’, commemorating your journey. The last
day’s walk into Santiago is only 5 miles which with an early start
should enable you to arrive before midday to witness or participate in
the Pilgrims’ Mass, a moving and memorable experience.
The route
Day 1 Fly to
Santiago de Compostela and transfer to O Cebreiro on the Galician
border high in the mountains.
Day 2 Descend by
way of mountain paths to the remote village of Triacastela
13 miles ascent 50m descent 570m
Day 3 Continue to
the hill top town of Sarria
11 miles ascent 300m descent 460m
Day 4 Follow
winding cart tracks to reach Portomarin
on the banks of the Rio Mino 13 miles ascent 240m descent 340m
Day 5 Leave by
quiet roads over the Sierra Ligonde to Palas de Rei
15 miles ascent 450m descent 380m
Day 6 Pass through
small villages and farming communities to reach Arzua
18 miles ascent 200m descent 380
Day 7 Walk through
gently rolling hills to Lavacolla
on the edge of Santiago
16 miles ascent 200m descent 250m
Day
8 Enter Santiago with a sense
of achievement
6 miles ascent 50m descent 90m
The hotels and food Your hotels have been selected to be friendly,
welcoming and comfortable. They are of varying grades and specialise in
catering for ‘Camino’ walkers. They have been chosen to be
convenient for the route. All rooms have en suite facilities.
How to get there Santiago de Compostela is the closest
airports for this walk, served by scheduled service from London Stansted with Ryanair. You can
also reach Santiago from most U.K airports with connecting flights.
Alo there is an Iberia flight from London Heathrow to La Coruna which
adds no more travelling to O Cebreiro but 40 minutes extra from Santiago
at the end.
When to go Galicia’s
climate is influenced by its surrounding seas which generally gives more
variable weather than the rest of Spain. Summer days are usually warm,
but on some temperatures may reach 30-35 degrees centigrade. Rainy
days are more likely in Spring and Autumn but both seasons offer warm,
sunny days, ideal for walking. Some snow may be expected in winter in
the O Cebreiro area.
Getting about You will be
transferred by taxi to your first hotel in O Cebreiro (2 ˝ hours)
and returned to the airport from Santiago at the end of your holiday(15
minutes)
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