About the Camino
Officially, the Camino is any passage in Europe that leads to Santiago de Compostela, however what most people refer to as the Camino de Santiago is the 486-mile route – the Camino Francés – which starts just over the border of Spain in St. Jean Pied de Port, France.
The first stage is the most grueling of all – a 17-mile hike traversing across the Pyrenees Mountains into Roncevalles, Spain. The Camino then continues winding through 4 of Spain’s 15 regions. First, travelers descend into Navarra; a vibrant, green expanse of mountainous highlands and home to the famous Running of the Bulls in Pamplona. Then, they pass through La Rioja; full of rich, rolling vineyards that abundantly produce the wines for which this small region is famous.
The bulk of the Camino lies in the next region, Castilla y León. This region, the largest in Spain, presents pilgrims with one particular terrain that many find to be the most challenging – the Meseta. This flat, seemingly endless landscape of green and wheat colored crops is said to remove all external distraction, leaving a pilgrim with only their thoughts for company. By contrast, the Meseta makes a glorious sight of the Camino’s last region, Galicia; its medieval castles and lush eucalyptus forests are a wonderful welcome into Santiago de Compostela for our road-weary, sun-baked pilgrims.
All along the Camino, there are special pilgrim hostels, called “albergues,” which are run by volunteer “hospitaleros” – seasoned pilgrims whose love for the Camino inspired them to return and devote spans of their life to it and its pilgrims. Albergues can be found nearly every five miles, so one may walk as much or as little as desired in a day, although there are instances when the next sign of civilization is more than 10 miles away.
A rare few do the Camino in as little as 20 days, trekking close to 25 miles a day, though the majority of pilgrims take between four and six weeks to walk the entire 486-mile journey. Though it is traditional to walk the Camino on foot, some elect to do it by bicycle or horse. Yet, whatever one’s method of transportation, whichever Camino one chooses to do, and however quick or slow one’s pace is, each of the millions who have stepped foot on the Camino feel its inexplicable magic and are forever changed by it.
