For 35 days in April and May 2019 I hiked the Camino de Santigao – the French Way, from Saint Jean Pied de Port, France, to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. The distance estimates vary, but the official Compestella says 779 km.
St. John (St. Jean) is a tourist town that draws both buses and hikers alike. The buses come for the walled city and well renovated medieval buildings; whereas the hikers dive into albergues/hostels and pick up their first stamp in their credential.
The worst segment can be the first day. With 250 of your closest friends everyone takes off in the morning. Weather permitting, most chose the Napoleon Way over the Pyrenees – a 1200 m gradual but constant climb. Great views, weather permitting. The only snow I saw was left-overs. A week later 23 people had to be rescued from the pass due to a snow storm by the Spanish police.
The first albergue is Rhoncesvalles Monastery. Massive, but still not large enough to take the crowd of hikers. Many hikers were unprepared – lots of foot blisters, shin splints, overloaded packs, inadequate water. The down trail consisted of eroded rocks which lead to further injures. Then, for those that arrived after 3pm, no room and they had to walk more km or take a taxi. Welcome to the Camino!
The overflow room was a stock pen – packed in, little ventilation, inadequate showers and toilets. And an active thief stealing wallets and cell phones from unwary hikers. A few days later the thief was cornered by hikers staying at the albergue and turned over to the police.
The Basque country is full of old villages and houses.
But, like most of rural Spain, depopulation is a major issue. Notwithstanding, the Camino seems to have become such a major tourist draw, the Naverra government appears to be offering incentives to fix up abandoned property. Here is an example – it looks great from the front, but in the back the buildings are falling apart.
Entering Pampoloma, formerly a toll bridge with collection at the building.
Bocadillos – the hikers’ new favorite food – reasonable and available lunch and dinner in many places.
Throughout the Navarra province, many new memorials to the Republic’s dead from the Rebel’s massacres. Interestingly enough, these memorials either do not exist or are not as prominent for the remaining provinces along the Camino.
A fairly typical shot of a main street in better preserved towns. In this case, Puente la Reina.
But, Puente la Reina does have a great bridge:
Actual rivers take on added significance when you are hiking for days across (since Pamplona) relatively dry countryside. Here the Rio Najarilla at Najera. It seems the towns were different on each bank of the river, but according to one translation (and seemingly inadvertently capturing the history of Spain) one town “conquered” the other, thus consolidating the town.
But it is the site of the church of Santa María la Real (1052) due to an alleged apparition of Mary. It is the burial-place of kings of Navarre.
For the next 2 weeks there will be many days of crossing the Meseta (the Plains of Spain). Large fields of wheat, barley and rape. Most of this agriculture must be post-industrial age, as there are basically no towns for miles on end, and large amounts of terraforming. The pasture lands that supported cattle, sheep and horses that provided the wealth of these provinces in the days of horse power transitioned to a new form of agriculture that is not as labor intensive.
Fabulous Burgos Cathedral, and a great place for our second rest day.
The Camino draws not just Pilgrims. There are also segment hikers, lost souls aimlessly hiking, bikers, and, as below, retirees wandering the plains.
St. John (St. Jean) is a tourist town that draws both buses and hikers alike. The buses come for the walled city and well renovated medieval buildings; whereas the hikers dive into albergues/hostels and pick up their first stamp in their credential.
The worst segment can be the first day. With 250 of your closest friends everyone takes off in the morning. Weather permitting, most chose the Napoleon Way over the Pyrenees – a 1200 m gradual but constant climb. Great views, weather permitting. The only snow I saw was left-overs. A week later 23 people had to be rescued from the pass due to a snow storm by the Spanish police.
The first albergue is Rhoncesvalles Monastery. Massive, but still not large enough to take the crowd of hikers. Many hikers were unprepared – lots of foot blisters, shin splints, overloaded packs, inadequate water. The down trail consisted of eroded rocks which lead to further injures. Then, for those that arrived after 3pm, no room and they had to walk more km or take a taxi. Welcome to the Camino!
The overflow room was a stock pen – packed in, little ventilation, inadequate showers and toilets. And an active thief stealing wallets and cell phones from unwary hikers. A few days later the thief was cornered by hikers staying at the albergue and turned over to the police.
The Basque country is full of old villages and houses.
But, like most of rural Spain, depopulation is a major issue. Notwithstanding, the Camino seems to have become such a major tourist draw, the Naverra government appears to be offering incentives to fix up abandoned property. Here is an example – it looks great from the front, but in the back the buildings are falling apart.
Entering Pampoloma, formerly a toll bridge with collection at the building.
Bocadillos – the hikers’ new favorite food – reasonable and available lunch and dinner in many places.
Throughout the Navarra province, many new memorials to the Republic’s dead from the Rebel’s massacres. Interestingly enough, these memorials either do not exist or are not as prominent for the remaining provinces along the Camino.
A fairly typical shot of a main street in better preserved towns. In this case, Puente la Reina.
But, Puente la Reina does have a great bridge:
Actual rivers take on added significance when you are hiking for days across (since Pamplona) relatively dry countryside. Here the Rio Najarilla at Najera. It seems the towns were different on each bank of the river, but according to one translation (and seemingly inadvertently capturing the history of Spain) one town “conquered” the other, thus consolidating the town.
But it is the site of the church of Santa María la Real (1052) due to an alleged apparition of Mary. It is the burial-place of kings of Navarre.
For the next 2 weeks there will be many days of crossing the Meseta (the Plains of Spain). Large fields of wheat, barley and rape. Most of this agriculture must be post-industrial age, as there are basically no towns for miles on end, and large amounts of terraforming. The pasture lands that supported cattle, sheep and horses that provided the wealth of these provinces in the days of horse power transitioned to a new form of agriculture that is not as labor intensive.
Fabulous Burgos Cathedral, and a great place for our second rest day.
The Camino draws not just Pilgrims. There are also segment hikers, lost souls aimlessly hiking, bikers, and, as below, retirees wandering the plains.
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