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Dr Garlick in Spain

Having returned from Spain twelve days ago, I still feel unable to begin to process all the experiences of the journey.  However, putting it objectively, I walked the 500 miles from St Jean Pied de Port in the French Pyrenees to Santiago in Galicia, in 29 days, which included a “rest day” in the beautiful city of Burgos.  Guidebooks differ on the actual mileage, but taking into account walks around towns, occasionally getting lost, and alternative routes for adventurous walkers, it was probably a lot more than the 500 miles.

I carried my pack all the time, and most of the walking was done in the mornings, starting at around 7.00am and arriving at the next hostel in the early afternoon.  The hostels provided the basics of a bed (mostly bunks), hot showers, facilities for washing clothes and occasionally a kitchen for preparing food.  Hostels cost anything from nothing to 9 euros for the night, and they varied in the standard of their facilities.

Food was purchased on route, with hostels occasionally providing breakfast and an evening meal.  Generally I ate out in the evening with other pilgrims because local bars and restaurants often provided a “menu peregrino” which consisted of a three course meal with bread and wine, all for around 8 euros. 

The walk was packed with history (both natural and social), geography, the mental challenge of foreign languages, the physical challenge of the walking, all within the spiritual context of pilgrimage.  But most important of all were the amazing encounters with people from all over Europe, the Americas, Australia, New Zealand, Korea and Japan.  The shared experience of the camino was what made it so special, but paradoxically, those who got the most out of this were those who, like me, were travelling alone.

The goal, Santiago, was a magnificent medieval city full of pilgrims on foot, on bikes, in cars and coaches, and the general atmosphere was one of celebration.  For me it certainly did not feel like an end, and indeed, as one writer put it, “the Camino really begins when you get home”.

I hope to be able to share my experience in more detail at some future date.

Peter Garlick