June, 2022
I wrote this simple guide for those interested in walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain. It covers in a single place such practicalities as what to bring, accommodation, etc. It is not intended to be a comprehensive 'how-to' guide. There is plenty of information on the Internet on the details of various aspects of the walk.
A brief
note on Planning.
There are
many Camino routes. Do some research and
select the one you want to walk, the distance and your starting point. There is
no fixed starting point, although practically, people start from towns where
they arrive by bus, train or plane.
Walking the
Camino your way.
There are
many ways to walk the Camino:
-
Complete
self-sufficiency, carrying everything in a rucksack and deciding each day how
far you want to walk. Many who opt for
this will seek out accommodation when they’ve walked far enough for the
day. Walkers can decide how long to
walk, whether they want to stay an extra day to rest or go sightseeing in a
stopover. There is the uncertainty of finding suitable accommodation at the
destination town. During high season, all accommodation can be booked out. Some
hotels charge more for walk-ins compared to pre-booking. The logical stop points are in the larger
towns with accommodation.
-
Going
with a company that pre-arranges accommodation. Specialist companies in the
Camino can prebook accommodation for you before you leave. It means a fixed itinerary with a determined
distance to walk each day to the booked accommodation. This provides the
assurance of accommodation at the end of the day, but also the relative
inflexibility of a fixed walking schedule.
-
Guided: companies offer full guided services, with a
guide familiar with the route who accompanies the walker. A support vehicle can also be arranged. The guide provides assurance and local
knowledge as well as intimate knowledge of the route and what to look out for.
Accommodation
There is a
wide range of accommodation on the Camino routes in the larger towns. These
suit a variety of needs and budgets. Among them:
-
Albergues are
part of the Camino history and tradition, set up to provide shelter to
pilgrims. They are usually right on, or very near the actual Camino routes and
so are very convenient in terms of location. Albergues can be public or private, and
are usually dormitory style with shared facilities. Typically, they cannot be
reserved beforehand, so you turn up and check on availability. Usually the most inexpensive accommodation on
the Camino route.
-
Hotels
in urban settings vary widely in terms of quality and price and offer the
amenities of typical hotels.
-
Cottages. These are set in rural areas, usually a
little distance away from towns, and may need some extended walking or a taxi
ride but they provide a taste of the rural farm life and can be very charming.
-
Apartments,
etc through online channels such as AirBnB, Booking.com.
-
Paradors are
luxury hotels, which are State run in Spain, usually located in a historic
building such as a castle or ex-monastery. The best known of these is the
Parador Santiago de Compostella, housed just beside the cathedral Santiago de
Compostella. Now a 5-star hotel, it was historically a hospital and an alberque,
and considered to be one of the oldest hotels in the world.
Training
Much
depends on the fitness of the individual, there are many online resources which
go into detailed training plans and there is no intention to replicate them
here.
There is no
fixed distance to walk every day. Generally, assuming a walking pace between
3km/hr and 5km/hr, as a rough guide, daily walks average between 20-30km a day.
Camino walks can be tailored to the individual, so distances may be longer or
shorter as preferred. A natural
constraint is the availability of accommodation at the end of the walking day.
Luggage
-
Carry
your own luggage in a rucksack along the way with everything you need.
-
Some
companies offer forwarding services: walkers carry a light rucksack with the
essentials for that day. Bulky luggage is collected every morning and sent to
the next destination for a fee. For this, travelers must have prebooked
accommodation at their next destination.
Meals
Most
prebooked accommodation can provide breakfast and dinner. If the accommodation
is in a rural setting, such as a farm, this may be the only option. Travelers
who stay in town can go to a local café or restaurant for their meals. Meals in Spain are late, lunches start around
1.30pm and dinners start around 8pm or later, which is when restaurant kitchens
open.
In the late
afternoons, especially in the provincial towns, shops and restaurants close so
getting a meal can be difficult. In the
larger towns, some cafes may stay open and offer informal meals such as cold
tapas, tortillas and empanadas between meal times.
In the
larger towns with a bus or train terminus, there is usually a café open at odd
hours to cater to incoming trains and buses. Usually these serve quick,
informal meals which do not require kitchen service.
For meals
along the trail, there may be cafes to stop at for coffee and snacks. These can
be few and far in between along rural stretches. Usually these provide informal
easily prepared meals such as empanadas and sandwiches. Some cafes can be
crowded with hikers if there are few other cafes along the route during meal
times, or if it is raining.
Travelers
should also consider carrying snacks in their rucksacks in case there are no
cafes or bars encountered for long stretches, eg, forested trails.
What to Bring
-
Walking
shoes/boots. Many walkers wear hiking boots, although a good pair of walking
shoes will suffice. Make sure that the shoes are broken in and comfortable as
you don’t want to develop blisters wearing new shoes on the trail.
-
Sandals/informal
shoes for after hiking each day.
-
Socks. Woolen socks with good padding are
recommended.
-
Raincoat/poncho
-
Sunglasses.
The sun can be very harsh in the afternoons.
-
Water
bottle
-
Trail
food/snacks (optional)
-
Hiking
pants should be light and well ventilated with pockets. Avoid wearing jeans.
-
Walking
jersey/T shirt made from quick drying synthetic material.
-
Jacket/fleece
for cold weather
-
Torchlight
-
Personal
medication
-
Toiletries
-
Hat/cap
-
Sunscreen
-
Rucksack/Day
bag
-
Camera
-
Chargers
for camera/smartphone
-
Walking
poles (optional, depending on preference)
-
Plastic
bags for rubbish while walking.
Navigation
The route is well marked with milestones and
other markers, so if you don’t see a marker after some time, there’s a good
chance you’ve gone off route. If there
are locals around, they are usually very obliging in helping travelers. There are also many smartphone navigation
apps for the Camino, eg, Camino Ninja which can be downloaded and installed.
Markers feature a stylized scallop shell design
and/or a yellow arrow.
It is easier to go off-route in towns with many
buildings and streets.
Others
A local prepaid SIM card is recommended to
avoid expensive roaming charges. These can be purchased at the airport or in
towns. Useful for communicating with accommodation, for local navigation, eg,
finding the way to your hotel in town, as well as browsing for information on
stopovers or places to eat, etc.
The Pilgrim’s Certificate
To be eligible for a Pilgrim’s certificate, or compostella,
issued at the Pilgrim’s Office in Santiago de Compostella, travelers must walk
the last 100km of the Camino, or complete 200km if riding a bicycle or a horse.
The Pilgrim’s certificate is written in Latin
script. After a short interview, if the traveler is eligible, the certificate
is issued with the traveler’s name and the date of certificate issue. There is
no charge for the certificate.
A longer “distance” certificate with additional
details is optionally available for a fee of 3 Euro at the time of writing.
The Pilgrim’s Credencial (“Passport”)
The credencial is a document carried by the
traveler which is stamped along the Camino, like a passport. The credencial can
be purchased for a nominal fee at the starting point at churches and pilgrim’s
offices.
Businesses and churches on the Camino can stamp
the credencial as proof that the traveler stopped at the said point along the
way. The traveler should collect a
minimum of 2 stamps a day. Hotels, alberques, churches, tourist offices,
restaurants, cafes and bars can stamp the credecial.
The credencial is presented at the Pilrim’s
Office in Santiago de Compostella to prove that the traveler did cover the
distance in order to be eligible for a Pilgrim’s Certificate.
Feedback and comments can be sent to me, Lee Yu
Kit, at leeyuk9@gmail.com