Pilgrimage Route in Northern Spain
There are Many Roads to Santiago de Compostela
The Camino de Santiago or St. James Way is the most famous of the pilgrims trails in Spain but it's far from the only one but all roads lead to Santiago de Compostela!
The Camino de Santiago is an emotional one, whether it’s for the thrill of the walk, a religious pilgrimage or as a sporting challenge, many people discover more than they bargained for on this pilgrim trail.
It’s one of those momentous occasions in life, arriving at your destination or goal from whichever starting point – Santiago de Compostela produces feelings and emotions that even the most ardent disbeliever in things unseen – are pleasantly challenged.
There are several different routes to reach Santiago, the most commonly known one being the Camino Frances that begins in France and travels 752 km through the Spanish provinces of Navarra, Logroño, Burgos, Palencia, León, Lugo and La Coruña.
There is also the Madrid Way starting at the church of Santiago in Madrid and crosses the Guadarrama Mountains, up through Segovia and Valladolid, to join the camino frances at Sahagún, a mere 667km to Santiago.
The Aragonese Way begins in Somport and is a route of 170km before meeting up with the Camino Frances. The Ebro Way goes from Tortosa, the 1007km Silver Way or Via de la Plata starts in Seville, the Wool Way begins in Monteagudo de las Salinas in Cuenca. The Southern Way starts in Huelva
Santiago de Compostela is the end of the trail whichever one you choose. This is the final resting place of the bones of St. James the apostle, in his memory a magnificent cathedral was built. This is the end of the pilgrim route that has been travelled for centuries.
In the tenth-century bandits and wolves haunted the route and pilgrims had real discomfort in achieving the pilgrimage, which then had to be walked in the other direction back home.
The bones of St. James are said to be in a silver casket in the cathedral, but it wasn’t only Christian pilgrims who walked this route. The ancient Celts also followed this trail heading towards the setting sun and the solar temple of Ara Solis in Finis Terrae – named after and thought to be the end of the earth.
Whatever the purpose for your walk the challenge the incredibly diverse scenery that the route travels through is immense. It passes mountainous areas, tiny hamlets, busy cities and the harsh flat never-ending harshness of the Meseta.
Sprinkled along the way there’s superb Romanesque churches and vast Gothic cathedrals, tiny little chapel and endless wildlife. It’s not a day trip but a well-planned trip that doesn’t particularly need you to be in a super-fit condition, but certainly used to walking 20 – 30km a day and staying in less than luxury accommodation.
Pilipalapress produce maps and books on walking the Camino de Santiago.
Read a book review on My Camino by Sue Kenney.
