It all started on Saturday 30th May from Stanstead airport. We arrived at Asturias and from there got a bus to Oviedo and then another one to Leon. Before our journey I was told that hotels / hostels wouldn’t be a problem but that was our first opportunity. We searched for more than 3 hours before we found a hostel (Hostal as they are known in Spain) so we could now relax and our only administration before we started the walk was a getting our “Credential del Peregrino” – this is a most important book (perhaps passport is a better word) as it will be stamped through the various villages / towns that we walk through and is used as evidence that we have completed the walk before we are awarded the “Certificate of Completion Compostela”. Unfortunately there was a queue of about 500 people but a few hours later we had our passports and ready for the adventure.
It was an amazing walk because we had our highs and lows, frustrations and happiness. It could have easily all ended after the first day, Monday 1st June; We left our Leon Hostal at 6:15 in the morning and it was at this time that I realised my wife and daughter were right in making us taking 2 jumpers with us as it was very cold. We followed the signs to the edge of the town and suddenly we met up with many other walkers (pilgrims) so at least we had some company. It all seem straightforward and about 1 hour later stopped for breakfast at one of the hundreds of cafeterias on the way. We passed through a few villages and our first surprise was seeing the enormous Stork nests at the top of the church. I got some nice pictures which you’ll be able to see as soon as I have created our album.
A few hours later and the temperatures was in the mid 30s and I have to admit we started to struggle. All my 3 months training was in typical English weather and of course hardly any hills apart from the mountain biking area. We are suddenly faced with extreme hot weather and continuous uphill for 24 miles. I have to admit that during the first evening our legs were aching and I actually felt that there is no way we could continue our walk the next morning. But when we woke up the next morning we felt much better and fitness was never a problem again really.
Our worst moments were
1. the 11.5 hours walk from Cacabelo to Cebreiro as we had endless high mountains walk in torrential rain. We were soaked wet and the strong winds made it even worse. We arrived at what we thought was our destination only to realise that we were still 5 km away. I could have cried but men apparently don’t cry so I used my positive thinking to take us there. It was such a relief when we arrived but even more so when I discovered we got the last hotel room available in that village. Perhaps god was looking after us.
2. Alexis problem with his feet – he had lots of blisters and I had to take him to the hospital where he got excellent treatment, including 2 injections. That meant that for the next 4 days I had to carry all the weight which wasn’t ideal for my back and shoulders but it was ok really. The other choice was ending the walk and that was never going to be an option. Credit to Alexis in that although he was in pain and at times very frustrated, he never really complained and was determined to finish the walk.
3. The final day which lasted 11 hours in extreme heat – trust me, walking in mid 30s temperatures with a back-pack with 10 kilos weight isn’t the preferred option. And this was the first time why had dehydration problems. We always had about 4 litres of water with us but because of Alexis’ feet problem we had just 2 and once that finished it seemed ages before we found a cafeteria to buy another bottle. We drank a 1.5 litre bottle in about 30 secs. We were exhausted when we arrived at our hotel (thanks to my family who booked it for us in advance as everything was fully booked) but at least we knew we have reached the end and we can now relax.
Just to give you an idea of the altitude, we started at Leon on 820 metres (2,690 feet) and at various times we reached many highs and lows with 1,615m (5,300) the highest and 230m (755) the lowest. But the one that really stood out was during an 8 hours walk we went from an altitude of 3,900 feet up to 5,300 and then down to 1,968 feet.
Northern Spain is beautiful, very green and the wild life is absolutely amazing. The people are very friendly and the food is delicious and to prove it, my weight is exactly the same today as the day before I left for our walk. Lunches and dinners can be very cheap if you take advantage of the “Menu Del Dia” (Menu of the day) which is an extended selection of 3 course meals that include a bottle of water and wine for just 8 euros.
Our accommodation varied from the simplest (Albergue, which is very cheap, about 5 euros, accommodation for pilgrims only and the facilities are obviously not the best as you could end up sharing a room with 20 other people) to very good hostels and 2-3 star hotels which obviously add to your expenses.
The funniest moments for me were (photos to follow)
1. The old woman washing her clothes at the local water well
2. The old man with his 2 cows at the town centre waiting for the traffic lights to change
Overall it was an amazing experience and I would love to do it again as there are 12 different routes to Santiago, including from Portugal, France and many other parts of Spain. But the biggest satisfaction was getting the donations for The Ark.
Please remember that you still have time to donate to The Ark who do an amazing job for people with special needs; it’s a fantastic cause and you can use this link to sponsor us http://www.justgiving.com/nikospolydorou and hopefully ensure that The Ark isn't forced to close down but continue helping the people that are not able to help themselves
