“Covid closed the Camino,” a fellow pilgrim on the Camino Frances tells me. “Not even Spanish flu or the plague had the same impact.” The pandemic certainly forced the closure of churches, cathedrals and albergues (hostels) in 2020 but, as they say on the Camino, “ultreia et suseia” – onwards and upwards.
To compensate, Holy Year 2021 has been extended to 2022 and many Camino fans will be desperately hoping to get back on the open road this spring.
I’m ahead of the curve, on a whistle-stop cultural tour of the French Way, which traditionally starts in St Jean-Pied-de-Port in France and travels 800km over the Pyrenees and westwards along northern Spain to end in Santiago de Compostela. I’ve invested in a copy of Codex Calixtinus, the medieval guide book which first popularised the route.
I am also expertly led through the first Spanish section of the route – in the Navarra region – by guide Ursula Leon and journalist Francisco Contreras Gil, who has written about the magic of the Camino.
My first night is spent in Roncesvalles, an important stop for pilgrims after a tough hike over the Pyrenees from France. I’d been here before but was then somehow oblivious to the tales of Charlemagne’s battles, the museum’s religious relics and the ethereal alabaster windows of the chapel.
As I leave behind the comfort of Hotel Roncesvalles (hotelroncesvalles.com-hotel.com) and pass the iconic ‘790km to Santiago de Compostela’ signpost, I step into a land where the ruling kings of Navarra and Aragon did battle, where two ancient caminos join and where Christians and Muslims fought for religious control.
The Camino can be a healing, transformative or religious experience for many pilgrims, but it’s also about walking through an immense history.
Passing through Navarra, La Rioja, Castilla y León and Galicia reveals a kaleidoscope of religious art, Romanesque and Gothic architecture, archaeology, landscapes and people – from a time before Spain was Spain.
The biggest tip I can give to anyone thinking of walking the Camino is this: it can be whatever you want it to be. These days, even your pooch can get their pilgrim passport stamped along the way.
You can travel on foot, bike and horseback, and you can even be pushed by wheelchair if you have a disability. You can pay €6 a night to sleep in a parish albergue, cosy up in a Tokyo-style capsule refugio or rest your tired bones in a four-star city hotel.
From Roncesvalles I head to Pamplona – known as the entrance to the Camino because it was the first city and home to the first cathedral that medieval pilgrims reached, having crossed the border from France.
I arrive to find the city alive with university students enjoying juevintxos – discounted pintxos served up in bars every Thursday night. I stop for a coffee in Café Iruña (cafeiruna.com), Ernest Hemingway’s favourite hangout during his numerous visits to the city. I dip into the cathedral, surprised to find a Gothic interior and magnificent cloister behind a neo-classical facade. Here, medieval Navarese kings stood, swore oaths and were crowned.
Dinner is at nearby Restaurante Europa (hreuropa.com), an elegant Michelin star restaurant run by the Idoate family where a fine dining menu costs €48 – a bargain for Irish gourmands used to much higher prices.
And finally, I sleep at the four-star Hotel La Catedral (pamplonacatedralhotel.com), a converted convent where breakfast is served in the chapel. It’s proof the Camino doesn’t always have to be about basic bunkbed albergues and snoring bedfellows.
Other accommodation highlights along the way include Hotel Real Monasterio de San Zoilo (realmonasteriodesanzoilo.com-hotel.com) in the town of Carrion de Los Condes (Castilla y León) and the gorgeous Boutique Hotel 1930 (1930boutiquehotel.com-hotel.com) in Arzúa (Galicia), a charming oasis before the final push to Santiago de Compostela.
Dining highlights include O Mirador restaurant in Portomarin in Galicia, where meat is cooked on an open grill by youthful twin chefs (omiradorportomarin.com); La Droguería (ladrogueriabarrestaurante.com) in Puenta La Reina where local xistera sausage is one of the best eats of the trip; and Mesón los Templarios in Castilla y León, which serves up hearty soups and meat dishes.
Puenta La Reina offers a stand-out experience as Francisco Contreras Gil gives me a potted history of the Knights Templar, the powerful order of knights and nobles that fought in the Crusades, and set up what came to be known as the first banking system in the world, before being disbanded in the 1300s.
Leaving Navarra, the next stage of the French Way takes me to La Rioja – home to 500 vineyards, and the shortest stretch of the Camino with just 63km of yellow-arrowed paths. Its capital, Logroño, was the capital of the Spanish Inquisition in northern Spain, its cathedral crypts feared by locals as prisoners were held there before sentencing.
Iconic yellow arrow marking the French Way of Saint James at Logroño
Ahead of me in La Rioja are two of the most intensely historic towns on the French Way – but first, there’s time for some light entertainment. Travelling by taxi from Logroño to Navarette, I take a gentle horse ride through vineyards, then ensconce myself in wine hotel Finca de los Arandinos (fincadelosarandinos.com) for a relaxing massage with grape oils followed by dinner and bodega wines.
Churches, cathedrals, monasteries and old pilgrim hospitals form much of the architectural culture of the Camino and are home to works of art that deserve to be seen, even by atheists like myself.
In Nájera, a visit to the monastery of Santa Maria La Real with guide Miguel Apelaniz Ortega prompts a discussion about Spain’s Muslim legacy as we admire Moorish motifs similar to those found in Granada’s Alhambra.
From Nájera, I move on to Santo Domingo de la Calzada, considered a jewel in the crown of the French Way with its stunning cathedral and legend of the pilgrim who was hanged. Just ask about the live roosters kept in the cathedral coop and you’ll understand.
The cathedral at Santo Domingo de la Calzada, considered a jewel in the crown of the French Way
From La Rioja, I cross into Castilla y León, a land of shifting borders and landscapes. Here, Helder Cerejo, a Portuguese guide with an innate knowledge and wry perspective of the Camino, takes me to the most important cities of the region and to La Meseta, one of the most debated sections of the French Way. Pilgrims either love or hate La Meseta. With few trees and little shade on hot days, many pilgrims find this region challenging.
It reminds me of being on a road trip in the US with huge skies and lengthy stretches of empty road. “Cold mornings and hot afternoons mean wheat grows here and not much else,” says Helder. But I love the brown fields and the way that the ancient Convento de San Antón appears like a mirage, offering refuge to pilgrims for a few euro a night in what seems like the middle of nowhere.
In Burgos, I discover a crossroads between Islam and Christianity, birthplace of Spanish warrior hero El Cid and home to the only UNESCO-listed cathedral in Spain. Its Gothic spires dominate the city view, while its massive interior houses a series of private chapels.
This cathedral is a monument to the wealth and ego of local merchants who wanted to be remembered via impressive tombs, but it is also home to some of the most beautiful altar pieces, choir stalls and works of art along the French Way. It’s worth taking time to sit and admire them during your visit.
Frómista yields a surprise – a barge tour on a canal that was constructed centuries ago to transport wool, wine and wheat to Santander Port. The trip costs just €5 and no one need ever know that you skipped walking a short section of the Camino.
I enjoy a morning in León, a city so intertwined with the Way that local girls are often named Camino. Its cathedral has the second largest collection of stained glass in Europe with almost 1,800 sq m, and is also home to one of Gaudí’s early buildings – a surprisingly non-Art Nouveau affair.
A final stop takes me from lunch in Molinaseca – reputedly one of Spain’s most beautiful villages – in the Bierzo region to Ponferrada and its magical Knights Templar castle. Walking through this Templar space is a special experience – I can almost see those knights with their white, red-crossed mantles.
Pilgrims trek the trail to O Cebreiro on the final section of the route to Santiago de Compostela, Galicia
Then I arrive in Galicia and the final section of the route to Santiago de Compostela, hiking a tough 10km uphill path to O Cebreiro.
Legend has it that Charlemagne got down on his knees and prayed to God at his first sighting of green Galicia. Today, pilgrims stop to take milestone photos and walk on to discover a Holy Grail legend in O Cebreiro’s pre-Romanesque temple and round Palloza houses.
Another must-visit along this section is the 6th century monastery at Samos. With one of the largest cloisters in Spain, it’s a very special place to stay for a small number of lucky pilgrims who pay just €15 a night for the privilege.
The section from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela is highly popular as it allows pilgrims to walk the 100km distance necessary to get their Compostela certificate, or proof of pilgrimage. It’s a route that many pilgrims avoid because it’s so popular, but don’t rule it out – there’s much to enjoy along the way – so go in May or October when it’s hopefully less busy.
Local guide Patricia Longa walks with me through forests and farmland. We pass lovely riverside albergue accommodation at Ribadiso and continue on to the town of Arzúa, where Hotel 1930 symbolises a new generation of accommodation along the Camino.
Praza do Obradoiro, the main square of Santiago de Compostela's old town
On the final morning, having reached Santiago de Compostela via Monte del Gozo, I head straight to the cathedral square and watch as groups of pilgrims celebrate reaching the 0km point on the French Way. Then I wander the streets and squares of one of my favourite small European cities.
I visit the market where chefs cook fresh seafood straight from the stall. I sit in the park that overlooks the cathedral spires. I go to the Convent of Santa Clara to buy Santiago tart made with almonds. It’s handed to me by a nun using a turn wheel.
I relax on the terrace of the historic parador before finishing my journey with a night-time tour of the cathedral. A 10-year restoration has uncovered ancient frescoes and aeons of religious art history – a fitting end to a culturally rich Camino.
Getting there
Catherine was a guest of the tourist boards of Navarra (visitnavarra.es), La Rioja (lariojaturismo.com), Castilla y León (turismocastillayleon.com) and Galicia (turismo.gal)
Catherine flew Dublin to Bilbao and Santiago de Compostela to Dublin with Aer Lingus, which offers regular flights to both cities; aerlingus.com
Step out: Five more long-distance walking routes
The vast Camino network includes the Primitivo, the Portuguese Way, the English Way, the Finisterre Way, the Northern Way, the Catalan Camino, Via de la Plata from Seville and the lesser known Camino Lebaniego in Cantabria; spain.info
In Portugal, the Rota Vicentina or Fisherman’s Trail takes walkers from Alentejo to the Algarve along a stunning coastal walk and some of Europe’s most unspoilt natural terrain – highly recommended for geology fans and nature lovers; rotavicentina.com
The GR20, Corsica is a long-distance route crossing the Mediterranean island from north to south, covering tough mountain terrain and approximately 180km. It’s considered to be one of the toughest long-distance walks in Europe; visit-corsica.com
The Pacific Northwest Trail, USA is a rugged 1,200-mile hiking trail from the Continental Divide in Montana to the Pacific Ocean on Washington’s Olympic Coast that takes hardy hikers through three national parks; pnt.org
Kumano Kodo, Japan. A UNESCO-listed network of trails to the sacred sites of the Kii mountains, with Shinto and Buddhist shrines along the way. Follow in the footsteps of emperors to hot springs, culture and magical landscapes; tb-kumano.jp
