Stories & Updates

Please note: I have to edit this site on my mobile device. There will be hiccups or typos, please kindly ignore them. For best photos view the photos in Google photos - Some are panoramas some are 360 globe views!

Day 1 - Irun to San Sebastian

We finally started the camino after a day of preparation. This hike was longer and contained more elevation change than any of us were expecting. We took the harder routes in search of better views and it definitely paid off. These were some of the most gorgeous views I've seen in my life, and to have it mixed in with animals was amazing. Horses, cattle, dogs, goats, sheep, lizards, donkeys, it was quite the site to see. By the end we were devastatingly tired, but we got some food and sleep in us and are prepping for the next day.

Day 2 - San Sebastian to Zarautz

Still sure from yesterday we started early and made the right decision to get breakfast at the yellow deli. We still saw people walking home from their parties the night before. We ate, and started walking. Like a switch, it had become morning, the party goers replaced with morning joggers, and the sky lit with some pastel colors over a gorgeous beach.

The hike started rough, many stairs and a steep climb, reminding us all of what we signed up for. Soon we found a coffee stall setup by one of the houses we passed by. What a site for sore eyes. We powered on through the forest and vineyards to Orio where we had a great lunch. From there it was a short trek to Zarautz. Today felt much better, spirits are high.

Day 3 - Zarautz to Deba

This was a difficult but incredible day. We hiked to the Flysch, a gorgeous slab of rock intersecting with the beach in some interesting formations. This coast formed by sharp cliffs of rocks had farm grasslands atop. 

Everyone today was hurting by the end of the hike. The constant up hill then down hills we're destroying our joints. We didn't make it to the dairy farm we planned to stay at, and we arrived during siesta, so we ate groceries and got a good night's rest, ready for tomorrow.

Day 4 - Deba to Markina

Today was mostly off the grid, with little to no stops between the start and end point. Besides a single cafe in a small farm village tucked between the mountains. We hiked over 500m in elevation up steep old cement roads. Only to go back down, then up again.

We dipped away from the ocean today and traversed mountains that reminded us of Oregon. Tall trees, lots of rocks and a lot of blackberry bushes. We've begun to adapt an old running adage. Hills are our friends. Except for us: Uphills are our friends. Downhills stress the joints too much.

We made it to Markina and planned out the next couple of stages. We expect to be in Bilbao in a couple days.

Day 5 - Markina to Gernika

We walked from Markina to another nearby town and had second breakfast there. Our breakfasts were toast with jam and then a small sandwich. As we burn about 1700 calories a day we all are more hungry than normal. We've started to referring to ourselves as hobbits, their eating schedule better aligns with ours: breakfast, second breakfast, elevensies, lunch, second lunch, tea time, dinner and second dinner. We also seem to need more food. This makes the hikes with long breaks between towns tough, and this day was no exception, we hiked 5 mountains. As we descended one another would start. By the time we approached Gernika we were hurting. We're still surprised by the soreness of our joints rather than our muscles. It's about 15 miles to the next town, then 6 miles to Bilbao.

Day 6 - Gernika to Bilbao

Today started out in pain. We decided to go as far as we could before stopping. The end goal was Bilbao, a place we planned on resting. We stopped 5 miles in and discussed how we were feeling better than when we started. At 14 miles in we looked for nearby hostels. Everything was full. We either had to turn around a couple miles or press on another 6. The last 6 had us going up and down a sharp 350 meter mountain before descending into Bilbao. We made it and are taking a rest day now. 100 miles down!

Day 7 - Rest

Today we took a rest day, we toured some of the cities art galleries and bought more supplies to continue on. Beth bought K Tape for her legs, Ben bought new shoes (more padding), and V bought Tiger balm for her muscles.

Day 8 - Bilbao to Pobeño

We're going to try something new for this update. Instead of only my perspective, I'm going to have everyone write something.

Beth

Today was different. Physically not very challenging even though we covered alot of miles. It was cold, rainy and through the industrial part of town. Now we are sitting down for a nice big meal!!

V

It was very wet. Pretty horses and a stunning cemetery. Mostly asphalt which did not do my feet a service, but now we're back on the coastline. 

Ben

Today was the first rain day, finally got to use the raincoat I've carried since the beginning. The 20 miles were pretty easy with little elevation change. The new shoes definitely helped reduce joint pain. We made it back to the coast, I think we're getting better at planning our meals around siesta and the late schedule of meals. Except the leftover Indian food I had for breakfast, that burned.

Day 9 - Pobeña to Castro Urdiales 

Today Beth and our Camino friend Beth walked to Castro Urdiales. Ben and V took an Uber an skipped this stage. Ben has had an upset stomach mixed with a very low heart rate. The Beths trekked on through heavy bursts of rain getting soaked and trying to navigate from one yellow arrow to the next.

Ben took the day easy and is resting up again tomorrow. He hopes to be back on the road soon but health first.

Day 10 - Rest

Today was a rest day for Ben's stomach and we prepared for the next day. It's been difficult transitioning to the Spanish eating timeline of lunch at 2pm and dinner at 8pm or later. Especially after hiking and arriving at a place at 3pm during siesta. The meals themselves always consist of a fresh baked baguette, which while delicious, is more carbs than any of us were prepared for. 

Day 11 - Castro Urdiales to Laredo

Today was a relatively easy day. Without much elevation change the walk feels pretty easy. We soon hit a shortcut that led to more coastal views. Unfortunately this path was alongside a road without a sidewalk. This was unpleasant, but we managed to make it to the next section that walked us through a very small town in a valley. Horses and cats that would come up to greet us, and friendly locals to point us in the right direction. We then hiked up a slab of rock that overlooked Laredo, the town we would rest in, luckily we only enter the town today and walk through it tomorrow. To our surprise there was a Renaissance fair going on in Laredo, we caught the tail end of it. We browsed the shops and vendors, V swam in the ocean and we called it a day. Unfortunately we missed the battle of flowers parade by a day.

Day 12 - Laredo to Güemes

Today was a pretty good day, we took a ferry across to Santoña, there we got the typical Spanish breakfast of an omelette (tortilla), coffee, and juice all for 4£.  From there we hiked through the forest and towards one of the most famous hostels on the northern trail, the Albergue de Peregrinos de Guemes. This Albergue was founded by a man named Ernesto. We had a nice big meal of potato soup followed by pasta served family style. It was just what the doctor ordered. 

Day 13 - Güemes to Boo de Piélagos

Today we took a longer route to see the ocean, the views were well worth it but it did add quite a few miles to our total. We then took a ferry to Santander, this large city we mostly missed as we grabbed our lunch at a nearby cafe and kept walking out. This was exhausting. The extra miles meant we were in the city around 2-3 pm when it was getting very hot. That combined with a relatively small breakfast and some people ordering salads for lunch, meant energy was low and tempers were high. We kept walking for about 7 more miles into Boo the city our reservation was in. Reservations help ensure you have a bed, but it was quite the walk. We're currently planning our meal, restocking of our groceries, and making use of all the amenities this hotel has to offer.

Day 14 - Boo to Santillana del mar

They (other pilgrims) said the camino is made up of three stages, the physical, the mental, and the spiritual/emotional. I think we've entered the mental stage now. Each day we start with no pain and by the end of the walk we are hurting a little bit, but with stretching and a good night's rest you wake up ready to go. We've entered a cycle and gotten used to our routine. During the day you're alot less focused on the physical aspects of the walk as you're accustomed to the pain. It's getting a little harder each day to motivate yourself to walk, but we manage. We each miss our animals and our usual life routine. This isn't to say we aren't thuroughly enjoying the camino, but home is surely missed.

Today we woke up and took a train across a river. We then hiked through some beautiful hills and pastures. We then hiked across some roads, they're starting to blur together but the pictures help me remember! We made it to the Covent early where we got 3 beds 3 dinner tokens and 3 breakfast tokens. By this time it was 2pm and I (Ben) was starving. Apparently I take after my father and had a one track mind for food. After gathering everyone I spedily walked to the nearest restaurant. We had a pizza with 2 orders of chilli's (peppers) rellano. I ate... most of it.

Day 15 - Santillana to Comillas

Today was another mental day. Overall the hikes are getting easier. We used to hike mountains but now it feels like we're walking up hills, I think the hardest is over. Everytime I think that though I see these mountains with snow in the distance, looming, foreshadowing? Today we walked out of Santillana which was a beautiful small town with the sun coming up behind some nice pastures and buildings, beautiful! We walked along some more pastures to another small town where we saw a guy using a scythe to cut grass, he has quite a bit of work ahead of him it looked like. We then passed a cathedral, the first of many for today. We hiked from small village to another until we eventually stopped at one for coffee and a croissant. Our usual has become 3 café americanos (espresso with water, equivalent to an American coffee order) and a chocolate croissant. This, our second breakfast (10 am) held us off until we passed a beach. Instead of stopping for food we hiked up a large hill to another village which only had a bar. We pressed on until we found a campground with a menu of the day. Pasta salad and baked chicken for V, Beth and I got the combination plate of chicken, peppers, fries, and an egg. We then kept going through some gravel offroading until we got to our destination for this leg. We got to the Albergue and found it was fully booked up... unfortunate. We looked up nearby places and found a hotel for 5$ more per person, we are taking turns taking baths and going to enjoy the quiet time. Beth and V planned out our next day and where we're staying so we don't show up to another village fully booked. I of course looked up nearby restaurants and grocery stores, somehow after only an hour and a half from being full, my stomach needs more food.

Day 16 - Comillas to Pesués

Today we hiked alongside the ocean for quite a bit, it helped cool us down a little. Our second breakfast consisted of chocolate cereal flake and cold turkey hotdogs, delicious. We  also ended up hiking along side the road with no sidewalk. We ate lunch which was a nice refreshing meal. By this time the sun had fully risen and they day was hot. The road dragged on for a while before we reached our destination. V and I took a 20 min break before going to a nearby grocery store for food. We got enough for dinner and breakfast.

Day 17 - Pesués to Llanes

Today we got started extra early to beat a hot weather forecast. We walked along a path by train tracks until we reached an alternative route which took us by the sea. We passed through a pasture with grazing cows, this time we walked in their field not outside it. At one point the cows were blocking the path, I decided to prepare for the worst case and took my passport out of my backpack and in my pockets. If you've seen the pictures you'll know I have a bright red backpack. I wasn't taking any chances 🐮. We continued along a rocky pasture until we found a small area the water was crashing up to during high tide. Then we found a small private beach that only gets refilled during high tide, pretty cool! Finally we passed a cave, at this point the sun was out. We town hopped and quickly realized we needed food as the heat picked up. We got some fantastic Mexican food before heading onto a long dirt road that walked through a eucalyptus tree forest. This was pretty but dragged on for far to long in the heat. We finally made it out and through a small town before heading up a large mountain. This was brutal, but luckily at the top there was a gorgeous view of a beach down below. Off in the distance was a town, which was Llanes, we made it there at 5pm and rested until 8 when dinner opens up.

Day 18 - Llanes to Ribadesella

Today we started early again, we passed by a beach in the dark and continued on some dirt roads until the sun came up. We passed by a church on a lake, then went up a short hill to a church on the top of a hill. There was a great view of the mountains we've approached, luckily the path didn't have us hiking over them. We kept pressing on dirt paths taking breaks for heat, lack of food, and pain in the feet. V and I stopped at a park bench to eat some food and Beth pressed on to look for a spot for a real meal. Tensions rose as we couldn't find a spot that was open. Eventually we found a cafe that had coffee and bread, so we made PB&J. The rest of the day was us battling the heat, eventually Vs feet hurt so bad that we decided it was best to taxi the last 3-4 miles. Better to take it easy then have to go home.

Day 19 - Rest

Today we rested to heal up and stock up on food. We spent a while in a café and hung out in the apartment we booked. We stayed off our feet and made a vegetable stir fry with pasta for dinner. We're planning on heading out tomorrow!

Day 20 - Ribadesella to Colunga

Today started as an easier day. We left Ribadesella at a reasonable time after having a large breakfast. We began walking through some smoke, someone was burning hay in their backyard and it caused a ton of smoke. We passed it and it cleared right up thanks to the wind. About 30 minutes later it began drizzling mist. Then is rained. Then it poured. We were completely soaked and walked another couple of miles in this. We found shelter in a nearby cafe where we got some coffee and ate croissants. The rained lightened up to a drizzle and we pushed on. 

Day 21 - Colunga to Peón

Today started out rough, Vs stomach was in knots and not feeling great. We got her a banana and things started to improve. We hiked through pastures, up hills and along some roads. We made it to a town 10 miles in by noon and had to determine if we wanted to go another 10 miles to the next stop. We had a big lunch and decided to go for it. Up some hills in the mid day heat which went away due to an overcast later. Then we hit a 450m mountain that was exhausting, once we got to the top we had to descend, which hurt more, but we made it to Peon and got a shuttle to the hostel a couple miles outside town.

Day 22 - Peón to Gijon

Today was a short day, we made it to Gijon early, about 11am. We were having coffee discussing the next leg. The next section was boring (supposedly the best part to skip) and 14 miles through an industrial zone. We ended up staying in Gijon, went to the beach and some good restaurants and rested up. On the way to Gijon was a colder misty day with some gorgeous views.

Day 23 - Gijon to Aviles

Today started walking through industrial zones with large trucks and nasty smells. Not a great start. We split up walking and agreed to meet in Aviles. The day got better as we regrouped on some offroading that led into another forest. Eventually we walked through a park and ended at a hostel with a bunch of beds in 1 room. We ate sushi for lunch, we were tired of the potatoes, fries, chicken and generally brown meals. We then went back to the hostel, and I slept, not sure what Beth and V did. Then we decided to do a Japanese buffet for dinner, I think I ate 5 sushi rolls and a poke bowl. It was amazing.

Day 24 - Aviles to El Pito

Today started off dark and cool, it transitioned into a misty cool before the sun rose, usually happens around 8:30 am. We saw some cool churches, black brick roads, and cows up for their morning graze. As we kept going we went over some highways and through a town on a river that opened up to the ocean. We had a small pincho (small sandwich, served all day, unlike full meals) and kept walking. The day grew hot but we made it to El Pito, we found our hostel and looked up nearby restaurants... 2 places, one we already passed and it was full, the other about to close, as we arrived at about 3 - lunch is served 1-3:30 or so. We looked up a nearby grocery store, a little over half a mile one way. We started the hike, which turned out to be all downhill to get there. We then bought a ton of groceries because we needed food for lunch, dinner, breakfast. And nothing is really open on Sunday. After a long hike back uphill we FINALLY ate. The hotel was surprisingly hot and I had to take a cold bath to cool down. This also made it a bit harder to sleep.

Today was also the first day we got a blister, a reminder that we have to keep our feet intact and not just our stomachs. I got two blisters between my big toes and index toes. My socks seem fine but perhaps it was from the sweat. Vs socks have a hole in them so we had to toss them a little while back and buy new ones.

Day 25 - El Pito to Santa Marina

Today started off unusually hot for beginning at 7am. After about 3 hours though we had already made it about 9 miles. This was a bunch of up and down hills and we found ourselves leaving the forest and entering a small town. Immediately there was a cafe - perfect. Coffee, tea, and some tortillas and we were back on the road. More up and down in the forest started to hurt our ankles. We eventually found another cafe and got some chilled drinks. V got her first blister, we used some of our med bag and decided to take a detour to the silent beach "playa del silencio" here V and I walked all the way down and swam in the ocean for a bit. We then hiked back up and got a hostel in a nearby town. Doing the planned stages we have about 10 days left. We're starting to plan the outro a little bit with how many days do we want in Santiago and doing some backwards planning.

Day 26 - Santa Marina to Luarca

Today we walked to a series of small villages then down a hill crossing a river and up a hill to the next village. At one of these points we saw a beautiful overlook of the ocean and beach. We crossed pastures and made our way to Luarca our planned stop where we would take a rest. The day was hot, but nothing we weren't used to.

Day 27 - Rest Luarca

Today we made a grocery store trip, restocking and planning a dinner. On arrival we made turkey pesto pasta. The rest day we made a stir fry with veggies and garbanzo beans for dinner. V walked to a church and cemetery, Beth walked to the beach, I stayed in and read. A very relaxing day. We have approximately 10 days left, we expect to have 3-4 days in Santiago.

Day 28 - Luarca to La Caridad

Today we walked through a lot of heat for a long period, there were lots of stretches of no shade and few rest spots. We hiked a good distance and eventually made it to la Caridad where we stayed in a hostel that had no check in. The next day was to be closed for shops due to a holiday. We ate at a pizzeria and got chicken sandwiches. The chicken was some of the best cooked chicken patties I've ever had. Full chicken breasts cooked tender and served hot. Unfortunately the burger was just that with bread.

Day 29 - La Caridad to Ribadeo

Today blurs together with the rest of the days. We walked through pastures, beautiful towns etc. We met a German who is helping us translate! Feel bad that we speak such broken Spanish and he speaks German, English and Spanish. Today was a short day, but it had a very long bridge. This was a fear factor for Beth, she conquered it! By looking at the town we were approaching she was able to walk across this 1/4 mile bridge. We then found out all places after this town were closed, so we stayed here. When we went out for food all the people were out and a restaurant we were heading to was full. A fellow pilgrim waved us over and told us to join him. We had some grilled veggies and baby squid with rice in black ink! The food was delicious and we had some great conversations.

Day 30 - Ribadeo to Lourenzá to Abadín

Today we planned to head to Lourenzá which was up a big hill, on a day expected to rain. As we started the trek I saw the sky red in a certain area ahead of us. We kept going a bit and the sun rose and we saw smoke. We met up with some other pilgrims. A large wildfire had spread. Unsure of if it was covering the area we were going through we decided to taxi to Lourenzá. From there we started the next leg to Abadín. We climbed a 600 meter mountain while the rain started and didn't stop. It was pouring. On top of the mountain the wind picked up. We kept going, there we no breaks today, everything was soaked through. Eventually though, we made it to Abadín.

Day 31 - Abadín to Baamonde

Today was the one day this week it isn't going to rain, we made it to our planned destination (12 miles) by 11:45. We decided to take on some of the work from tomorrow, there's a town 12 miles from where we were, so we kept going. By the end our feet were screaming. We arrived at 5pm, the 3 places in town for food said they were open on Google maps, but approaching and asking, they weren't serving food. Luckily there's a grocery store, instant meals and yogurt with granola for dinner!

Day 32 - Baamonde to Roxica

Today started off difficult, for me my heels hurt as we started, with such a long day prior I was hoping for a short day. In 7 miles there was one small Albergue that serves food, we planned to stop there. There's no grocery stores or restaurants besides these little Albergues. By the time we got there it was 11am so we had a lovely breakfast and decided to keep going another 7 to Roxica. It was a pretty day despite the constant light rain. Tomorrow is planned for a short day to sobrado, 

Day 33 - Roxica to Sobrado dos Moxes

Today was a short walk, with all the high mile days before we planned on taking a short one, and this time we stuck to the plan. Most of the day was spent on a walking path on the side of the road, some pastures here and there, it's definitely become less scenic since we left the coastline. The views are still beautiful with rolling hills with rustic pastures and villages, but it's overcast by the fact that were so close to Santiago, also that it's literally overcast and drizzling. We stayed in the cathedral of Sobrado, a monastery built in 968!

Day 34 - Sobrado to Arzúa

Today was a rainy day. Of the days, this one isn't that memorable. It was a really short day, about 4 hours of hiking. We saw some puppies ontop of their dog house, a bird chirping on a fencepost, and the trees blowing in intense winds. We made it to Arzúa and had lunch at the building next to our hostel. White bean soup and paella, it was delicious. We then read, watched and ate for the rest of the night.

Day 35 - Arzúa to Santiago del Compestela

We didn't plan to finish the camino today, we made it to Pedrouzo in 3 hours and decided to keep going until we felt the need to stop. As we kept approaching however,  the adrenaline, excitement, and urge to keep going kept building. Beth at one point said "you can't get me to stop walking now". Armed with peanuts, sour candy, and pizza for lunch we got to San Marcos where we took a detour to see the pilgrims statue. We made it into town and walked through street after street, occasionally getting glimpses of tall cathedrals. Every once and a while you'd see a small church around a corner, very cool to see historic buildings like these incorporated into small plazas and streets. One of these plazas had a bunch of pilgrims having beers, by the time I confirmed they were pilgrims who had probably finished they identified me as one about to finish and let out a big cheer.  I had such a big grin. Down a short road and a big church opened up on our right. Beautiful I thought. Beth bent over and let out a little cry before laughing and saying "this isn't it". I look left and see a cathedral on the other side of the street, "is that it"? Nope. We walk through a small tunnel where a woman is playing bagpipes. We all grouped up and Beth said, walk out to the center of the plaza before turning around. We had made it. Our long journey coming to an end in a lovely rainstorm. 

The feeling of finishing, turning around and seeing a massive cathedral signaling the end of your walk was staggering. It's like a good book ending, or the end of a marathon, except more. It was a goal, a long term effort, a change to your daily life that took hard work for it to pay off, and now it's done and accomplished. 

The above was my interpretation and I have more to say, but I'm going to let Beth and V write about their experience before I influence it.

Beth

I love what Ben said. This was a tough route. I have mixed feelings. You want to get there, because you are so tired, but you also don't want it to end. I love being in the presence of this cathedral. It is one of my most favorite places to be. So grateful to have experienced this with Ben and V. I once read " the camino starts when the walking ends. The camino never ends...until the next one...buen Camino❤️

V

This was a wonderful experience. Full of new plants and animals to view, and stunning landscapes and architecture. It is an amazing experience to be surrounded by historical structures and an entirely different culture. The Spaniards have been so kind to us and the food has been very good quality. I will treasure this experience always. I am very proud of myself and my companions for reaching the goal we set out for over a month ago.