A pilgrimage, a historical trek, a spiritual awakening. Once a perilous religious journey – now a well-known, accommodating and perhaps even trendy activity of endurance. Don’t get me wrong, people set out on these yellow-arrow-led trails for all sorts of reasons. Meaningful, and often deeply personal, the Camino means something different to each person who walks it.

I ended up doing it for a significant reason. My partner’s mum passed away in December 2023. She was Camino-obsessed, having walked a number of trails herself over the years. Her wish was for her ashes to be scattered in her beloved Spain, and so it was to be. I joined my partner and his immediate family – his father, brother and sister.

“Why the fuck do people do this?!” I moaned to my partner one morning. We were trudging through ankle-deep mud, rain trickling down our faces. We were 20 days into our grand walking adventure. At minus 5 degrees, we had begrudgingly set off, fully aware of the weather man’s promise of bleak skies and persistent rain.

It’s funny how you can feel so much in these moments – the discomfort, the frustration, the endless conflict of wanting to do it “properly” vs. the urge to say “stuff this” and call a cab. When you are on a 17km stretch between villages and there is a perfectly good road right THERE, it can be very tempting.

I remember feeling utterly annoyed. Tears pricked at my eyes as I glanced around at everyone else on the trail. They calmly marched on, wrapped in high-tech hiking gear, while thunder clapped and lightning lit up the sky. I was as moody as the weather and clearly an absolute joy to be around.

The funny thing is, once we made it into the village, wrung out our dripping wet clothes and bought dos cerveza grande, I was suddenly on top of the freaking world. “We did it!” I squealed buoyantly to my boyfriend, who was surely so sick of my shit at that point.

That said. What is it about the Camino de Santiago?

BEAUTY

The views are nothing short of incredible. From tiny, sleepy villages to bustling, vibrant cities, Spain is absolutely stunning! Imagine warm restaurants serving pintxos or tapas, cobblestone streets, fairy tale architecture and countless cathedrals.

BRUTAL

Your limbs hurt, your feet morph into stumps, and don’t get me started on the random lumps and bumps. Sunburn strikes, even if you religiously wear the silliest looking flap-hat in history. Speaking from experience.

THE ARRIVAL SHOWER

You’ll wander into a shower cubicle holding a new change of clothes and your beat-up toiletry bag. Here, if you’re lucky, you will hear the quiet, blissful moans and sighs of weary walkers – a sure sign that the water is hot! Weird perhaps, but those involuntary sounds were among my favourite parts of the Camino. Alternatively, if you hear shrieks, laboured breathing and frantic movements – the water is cold. Needless to say, these were my least favourite moments.

FEET TALK

Now, I’m not a foot fan. It’s not something I generally talk about or want to hear about. But on the Camino, this becomes THE topic (toepic?) of choice. Blisters, compeed, needles, antiseptic, tape and bandaids. What a fucking honour. Tell me about your foot problems, so I can tell you about mine! Forget “how are you”, how are the hooves?!

BONDING + BEERS

I have quietly likened my experience on the Camino to a really intense pub crawl. This was such a beautiful part of the journey for me! Nothing beats sitting down for a bevvy post-walk, surrounded by loved ones, new friends and fellow stragglers.

ALBERGUES

Where do I stay? Will there be enough space? What are the beds like? WILL THERE BE HOT WATER?! Albergues are a huge part of the experience. Typically cheap (11-18 Euro per person per night) and full of character. Slap your weird plastic sheet on your thin foam mattress and call it a day.

NIGHT NOISE

If you aren’t spending your morning talking about how shit your sleep was, what are you doing?! Big rooms stacked with beds are bound to be noisy and it is here where you will experience an orchestra of human bodily functions. A 10-bed dorm has it all – snores, coughs, farts, people writhing and beds squeaking. Good ear plugs are crucial!

PACKING/UNPACKING

This is a never-ending loop. A multiple times a day, daily ritual of pulling shit out and putting it back in. Bonus points if you have no sense of organisation, lose things the moment you touch them, and experience the urge to check things constantly.

LAUNDRY

Another near daily occurrence. Washing your few bits of clothing that you rely on – either via washing machine and dryer (money pit) or hand-washing (time consuming). The eternal battle of do I want to be clean or can I get away with being a bit smelly.

BREAD

I ate so much bread. Don’t get me wrong, I love bread, but it was ALOT of bread.

For me, the Camino was full of ups and downs (literally, undulating mountains). I probably  experienced every emotion that exists during our walk from St Jean Pied de Port to Finisterre. It feels good to say, that despite some complaining, I did it! Camino Frances and Camino del Invierno to Muxia and “the end of the world” Finisterre. It was incredible, messy and soul-replenishing. If you are thinking about doing it, I can only say DO IT!