At present, this page is just a collection of notes!

In September and October 2024, I hiked a total of 405 km on three Spanish Camino routes. I hiked all of the Camino San Salvador, all but two stages of the Camino Primitivo (including the last 100 km from Lugo) and the last 15 km of the Camino Finisterre. Also did about 5kms of the Lighthouse Route.

Introduction

Camino is just the Spanish word for a path. It also means “I walk.” Usually, when people talk about “doing the Camino,” they mean the very popular Camino Frances, which starts in St John Pied de Port in France, crosses the Pyrenees, and then heads across the Spanish plains to Santiago, about 800 km away.

There are many other Camino routes, most of which end in Santiago. They are usually well-marked routes with cheap dormitory-style accommodations called albergues where the walkers, who are called pilgrims or peregrinos, can spend the night. The routes are popular with people who want to do a long-distance walk on a budget, regardless of any religious affiliation. Many people start the hike alone and join groups of fellow pilgrims along the route, forming a temporary community.

There are many options, including routes from Portugal and Spain’s north coast. On September 12, 2024, I left the Spanish city of Leon, heading north on the Camino del Salvador for Oviedo, 121 km away. When I got to Oviedo, I will turned west on the Camino Primitivo towards Santiago de Compostela, 321 km away. So Why did I choose the Salvador and Primitivo? Perversely, because they are the hardest of the routes, with the most hills to climb, the furthest distance between villages, and the fewest options for food and drink along the way. This means that the routes are much more beautiful, include more mountain trails, and require fewer kilometres of trudging along the side of a paved road. They are also much less travelled.

I flew to Madrid on September 9th. Got a bus to Leon, rest for the night and then startted a six-day solo hike north over the Cantabrian Mountains. I will planned for a rest day in Oviedo, then taking about two weeks to walk to Santiago, probably including a rest day in Lugo. After that I hoped to to go all the way to the coast at Finisterre. This can be walked in three days, but maybe 442 km will be enough, which can be done as a bus trip!

Packing for the Camino

Three days before departure, my backpack wass already pretty much fully loaded, weighing about 25 lbs (10kg). It contained a couple of changes of clothing, a sleeping bag, a puffy jacket for warmth, rain gear, electronics, a decent medical kit, and some food, as there are few places to buy food on the second and third days of San Salvador.

I have the route programmed into several apps on my phone, and I will also be taking a tablet, a spare battery, and a whistle and compass, just in case.

Packing is tricky, as you need to keep the weight down as much as possible while staying warm. On the San Salvador, there are no places where you can buy additional clothing. You work on the assumption that you will wash some clothes most nights and hope that they will be dry in the morning. Most people wear clean, dry street clothes, not pyjamas at night. In fact, some people wear their hiking clothes for the next day so they can leap out of bed and leave the Albergue quickly and without disturbing people.

I initially hoped to get everything into my 32l Deuter Futura backpack, which is small enough to be cabin luggage. However, I was advised that in the routes I planned at this time of year, a puffy jacket and a lightweight sleeping bag (rather than a sleeping bag liner) would be needed. This meant that I had to upgrade to my larger Osprey Atmos AG 50 backpack. This pack has really good hip support and I had used it on a lot of big hikes. It was bigger than I needed and I made sure not to fill it up.

I put a large waterproof bag inside the pack for everything I needed to keep dry and a separate smaller waterproof bag for clothes that were damp. This was a big issue as I had several days of rain when nothing would dry. Most a;bergues have a place to hang up wet clothes but they only dry properly if the weather is dry.

My CAMINOS

CAMINO SAN SALVADOR 121 km Leon to Oviedo

First glitch

On the third day, there is a long hike from Poladura de La Tercia to Pajares, with no facilities: no shops, no bars, and nowhere to sleep along the way. So most people want to stop in Poladura the night before, have a rest, and have a nice meal. There is an albergue there that does not serve food, so most people book their meals in the only hotel in town. I decided to stay at the hotel, but they told me that the night I would be there was the town festival, and they were closing the hotel entirely for that night, with no food and no accommodation. I could work around this, perhaps by arriving a day later. Or I could show up at the albergue, hope they have room, and bring some food with me, or eat at the festival, which might be fun.

Day 0 Bus from Madrid Airport to Leon, night in Leon

LEON Hostal  Bayon. One-star hotel in the main shopping area of Leon. It is very pleasant and convenient, Recommended.

Leon is a beautiful city with many amenities. It is the sort of place you could imagine moving to and living happily aver after. But, because of the issues above, I arrived at about 5 pm and left at 8:15 s.m. the next day.

Nice hotel up 2 flights of stairs.left 8:15. Got lost so stopped for coffee. Found river path. Joined road to go to Central Bar.Nice. walk thru woods on  dirt road. Some views to L and ahead. Sunny. Long paved I dustrial section near La Robla. Stayed in alburgue. More trout for dinner!

LA ROBLA Municipal Albergue. Adequate. Bar next door. Good supermarket in town. Other pilgrims cooked me dinner! Stop in Bar Central in the outskirts of Leon for a nice “second breakfast” as the only other café en route is in La Seca, a small detour to an unfriendly place!

Up at 7:30 out at 8. Nice road walk in town became long grudge  Nicecafe in Pola de Gordon with Dutch Peter. After Buiza nice hike in mountains and woods but damp and cloudy. Long trudge on minor roads to Poladura. Small place in scenic location. Very nice old hotel. Pork in mustard for dinner w tomatoes.

POLADURA Posada el Embrujo. The only facilities in town are a rather poor municipal alburgue that does not provide meals and this excellent small hotel, which I highly recommend. Lovely bedroom, good dinner, very basic breakfast buffet. If you do not book dinner at the hotel you must bring your own dinner and breakfast.

Walked with Thomas and his wife up to the Cross in great weather as the clouds cleared. Later walked about 4 hrs by myself, ending in Alb Cosciuxo. Dinner ww 3 Spanish people – chorizo and beans.

I am halfway through the Camino del salvador . About 75 km done over three days. It’s been everything I hoped it would be so far. The weather has been everything from hot sun to light rain to wind and mist. The route has been everything from the side of a highway to a cart track to cow path. The people have been everything from Canadians who know people I know from the Toronto Camino Community Group to a Danish undertaker to the CEO of a chain of hospitals near Houston, to nobody. Today I did not see a single person during 4 hours of beautiful and quiet walking. Last night I was in an excellent country hotel. Tonight I am sharing a dormitory in a private alburgue near Pajares with half a dozen Spaniards. They will serve a meal at 7:30. I am sure I will enjoy it. I better, as the nearest other place to buy food is a 3 hour walk from here! Tomorrow I am only hiking 10 kms, which should give me time to do my laundry!

PAJARES I went an extra 5 kms to Llanos de Sumeron and stayed at the Cascoxu Hostel. This is a very pretty, very , very small village with no shops or cafe. The small  alburgue served a nice bean stew for dinner. All the other dinner guests were Spanish-speaking, making for a very limited conversation. This gave me a very short next stage.

Short walk to Benduenos. Took the hard route and walked on level with great views before finally descending then turning off to Benduenos at Erias. Took a whole to confirm I had a reservation. Stunning donativo with great views. Dominoes w Rual and Ricarso.

BENDUENOS Parish Hostel. This is 1.6km off the route, but worth it. Fantastic mountain views. Great stew for dinner. Comfortable beds in an old building. Fantastic place to stay. It’s a donativo so you donate an appropriate amount on the way out. A true Camino experience.

To El Rollu. Set off by myself but Larry (from N Carolina) quickly caught up with me and we walked together to Mieres. Met up with the Spanish father and son, and they booked me into the same alburgues as them. It’s Casa Alba, a small house on a terraceabove. Mieres. About 28 km almost all on pavement, but a quick hike!

MIERES I had dinner in town then walked 4km up the hill to Casa Alba, a yellow house on the right side of the road as you leave El Rollu with no sign I could see There are six beds in two three rooms in an ordinary house. You can use the kitchen. They serve breakfast but not dinner. The host gathers the pilgrims for a chat and cider on the terrace in the evening. It is another donativo so you leave an appropriate amount in the box as you leave. The hospitalero speaks English but the other guests were all speaking Spanish.

OVIEDO Hostal Fidalgo Comfortable room on 3^rd floor of hotel that has no lobby, bar or restaurant area. Convenient location but hard to find street entrance.

CAMINO PRIMITIVO Oviedo to Santiago

Days on the camino

1)     GRADO  Qunitana Private Albergue in a rather depressing town. Large, OK, Combo plate dinner of chicken, fries and salad.

2)     SALAS  The Figal of Xugabolos   2 km before Salas, on route. Converted farm buildings. Very nice hotel with dorm room. Good food. Highly recommended.

3)     TINEO Nice town on hillside. Meras Palace. Big complex in town centre. Hotel and large dorm. Nice Pilgrims meal in fancy (white tablecloth) restaurant. New, clean, but I did not like the institutional vibe. Needed to email Credit Card info to confirm reservation.

4)     BORRES Pilgrims Hostel Casa Pascual 2 km short of Borres. Genuine donativo in converted farmhouse. Communal meal in kitchen. Laundry service. Breakfast. Highly recommended.

5)     BERDUCEDO Primitive Way Hostel. OK private alburgue with bar and restaurant. Exit by back door in am, no breakfast, but one of the 5 cafes in town was open at 8 am.

6)     GRANDAS DE SALIMES Porta de Grandas private alburgue on left as you enter town. I liked the place, with a first floor patio and some outdoor seating area. Nice town with several restaurants.

7)     O FONSAGRADA Pension Complex Pineiral about 3 km beyind twon. Strange large hotel and Albergue complex. Had a very small private room. Nice restaurant. I found the place too corporate but no real complaints.

8)    LUGO instead of  O CADAVO I was not feeling well and it was raining so I took the bus from right outside the complex to Lugo. Minos Apartment. Two- bedroom apartment to myself with a full kitchen and washing machine (no dryer) right by the wall and cathedral. They let me check in early. Recommended.

How far can I walk without a break? Turns out its 280 kms.

I did the 6-day,124 km Camino San Salvador took a rest day in Oviedo. I then walked 7 days and 156 km on the Camino Primitivo to just beyond Fonsagrada.

At that stage the combination of a mild flu bug and the forecast of more rain, after an 8 hr (29 km) hike in the wet the previous day, was a bit too much for me. Instead of walking for two days (54 kms and about 20 hiking hours) to Lugo Itook the bus and arrived in 90 minutes!

Will rest up here for three days then plan to walk the last 100km to Santiago.

9 and 10)     LUGO Hotel Brios (I booked this before I got ill, but was unable to get it for a third night, hence Minos). Very nice warm and friendly family run hotel with attached café/restaurant in a residential part of town about 15 mins beyond the city walls. I really liked the place.

11) FERREIRA. Nave of Ferriera private alburgue. Not much to look at from outside but has all the basics. Nice private room. Next to a bar/restaurant with a decent dinner. I had the buffet breakfast which was quite good for 7 euros. Ferreiera is just a small collection of houses. The alternative Ponte alburgue looked nice from outside.

112)  MELIDE German Hostel at Boente, 5 km after Melide. This evens up the distance if your next stop is O Pedrouz0. Nice new hostel right on the path. Small unheated swimming pool! Nice restaurant and bar area. Quiet, even after the Frances pilgrim group joins the Primitive group.

13)  O PEDROUZO Peregrina Pension 1. This was a rather weird shared apartment in a roadside complex at the far end of town. I had my own room, shared a bathroom, kitchen and laundry room with two other groups. It worked out very well as I cooked my own dinner while using the (free) washer and dryer, then had a soak in the bathtub.

Writing this from the first hot bath of the trip..

Especially welcome after 26 km walking, from 06:45 to 2:30 in warm damp weather, so  very sweaty..

360 km done, 20 more to Santiago…

Walked with a  loose group…

Began w Susan,  a retired chemistry teachher from Minnesota. Aftrr 2hr her friend Larry showed up, but then went on ahead.. Victoria, a british child protection laywer from Stratford was having coffee outside so I joined her, and her friend Shankutar, a Bengali woman who llives in Vancouver joined us.. 

For a while the five of us walked together, moving past the people who started 2 days ago in Sarria in their clean and trendy hiking grear with tiny backpacks as their luggage gets transferred for them.

Couple more coffee stops.. Susan and Larry disappear. Eventually Victoria and Sakunter peel off for their dorm room. I walked alone for30 mins. I am now staying in a shared apartment. I have an attic room to myself and share a bathroom kitchen and laundry room with two other groups. Seems like it will work out OK. Going to do a big load of washing and drying as they have machines. Also sorting out my backpack.

Seems unreal that tomorrow I will be in Santiago. A bunch of is have booked private rooms in The Minor Seminary so we will likely meet up there or arrange things by WhatsApp.

14)  SANTIAGO Seminario Menor. I stayed here for a total of five nights, four in a private room and once in a dorm room, before and after going to Finisterre. A huge old building with 81 private rooms at 25 euro/night, and 169 dorm rooms (single beds only, no bunks). Kitchen and café, laundry area, lots of people to talk to. It’s a 15-minute walk out of town through a park. I liked it.

CAMINO FINISTERRE

I took the bus from Santiago to Cee and then walked about 15 kms to Finisterre. If you do not have the time or energy to walk all the way there, this is a good option as you get a bit of a coastal and beach walk. Hotel VIDA in town centre. Nice friendly modern hotel with restaurant. Recommended.

I stayed two nights. On the second day I walked to the lighthouse then along the coast on the Lighthouse trail to about 5 kms north of town, then cut across and came back to town on the Camino route. This would have been a great coastal hike on a clear day!

APPS

Booking.com for accommodation

Whats App for communicating with alburgues and other pilgrims

E-sim from Airalo for data – I used 6 GB over 30 days. This means you cannot send or receive text messages or make voice calls, which was sometimes inconvenient. Worked very well for email, WhatsApp, weather forecasts etc.

Google translate – download the Spanish package

Google maps – for finding cafes and alburgues in town. Download the appropriate rea in advance.

I used Gronze as my main guide, automatically translated from Spanish There are many other options. Wise Pilgrim seemed popular.

Mapy.cz as my main mapping app. Downloaded all of Asturias and Galicia in advance. Gronze also has an excellent map but I could not get it to work on my android phone.,

Rome to Rio for working out how to get between cities. Omio for booking buses, Trainline for trains. However the bus to Cee I bought at the Santiago bus station and I bought my ticket on the bus to get to Lugo.

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SLEEPING IN DORMITORIES

In many ways, I found this enjoyable and comforting, like a sleepover. It was nice to sleep in the same room as the people you had just eaten dinner with, and with whom you would be hiking the next day. It is like being part of a herd of animals. One evening, I had a great conversation about what it is like to work for Microsoft with the woman who was on the next top bunk to mine. Many people complain about the noise and the snoring, but I found most people were considerate. I brought earplugs but I never used them. There are worse ways to be woken up than hearing people stuff their packs for their hiking day. No need to set an alarm (in fact, please do not as that is very annoying to other people). Just get up when daylight enters the room and everyone else is getting up.

Buit you may have noticed I often paid extra for a private room. It is also nice to be able to get changed or get dressed without worrying about what other people might see. It is nice to be able to spread your things out without worrying that you will annoy someone. In most alburgues, there was a very small bedside shelf with a power outlet and a bedside light. There was just enough room for a phone, glasses and maybe some small items from your pocket. Many places also had a locker with a key. But if you wanted to spread out your clothes to see what was clean for tomorrow, or if you want to sort out your maps guides and travel notes, the only place was on your bed.

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WALKING BEFORE DAWN

This was on my camino bucket list. On the Frances route in summer, some people get up at 5 am to start hiking before the sun makes things too hot. Also. It means they get to the Alburgue first! I was not into that, but a couple of days I got up at 7 am and was on the road before 7:30. Spain is in the wrong time zone, so in September dawn is 08:15 a.m. It was a neat experience to leave town when the streets were deserted and walk through fields with only the light of my headlight, slowly watching the mist clear and the daylight coming back to the world.

Spanish Language

I have been working on my Spanish, but it has not progressed much past “Una cervesa per favor.” This might be interesting because, unlike the more popular routes, this one is mainly used by Spaniards and the English is not spoken much in the small villages. Thank goodness for Google Translate!

Conclusions

The hiking was not hard, its really just a matter of persistence.

 It was an homour and a privilege to be able to spend a month in rural Northern Spain, and to take part in a unique cultural phenomenon. I will remember the Camino, and the people I shared it with, for the rest of my life.

In my mind, my Camino ended this morning at 10:15, in the Cathedral de Santiago as the botafumeiro swung wildly across the church and then slowly came to rest. This is the highlight of the “Pilgrims’ Mass”.

My pics of the ceremony are on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/p/DA0c5ePtIiR/?igsh=MWI0c2MzMW50ZG5tZg==along with many other highlights of the trip.

Instagram link:

I will try to post regular updates here, but the most recent photos will be on my Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/johnpoyston/

WHAT I LEARNED ON THE CAMINO

I do not have to be in charge all the time.

In my regular life, I often feel that most things are my responsibility. This applies to my roles as a parent, as “the man of the house”, Chief of Anesthesiology, hike leader and Lead Steward for Toronto Nature Stewards. To a certain extent I enjoy taking a leadership role, and I think that I am often good at organizing things. But on the Camino, I was just one more pilgrim. Its not my job to decide where a group of us should stay the night, to arrange a table at a restaurant, to catch the waiter’s eye, to work out how to split the bill. I can just sit back and see what happens,let other people offer suggestions and make decisions. Things may not work out the way I would have planned them. They might be better, they might be worse, but in the end it does not really matter very much.

Problems do not need to be solved right now.

I tend to be quite driven and goal-orientated. As soon as I am aware of a problem, I start thinking of possible solutions and weighing up the options. On the Camino I realized that this was not always necessary. The fact that I do not have anywhere booked to sleep tonight is an issue, if not really a problem. But it is one that can wait. I can put it to one side and hike for another hour or two, then think about it. Maybe I can make a reservation after lunch. Maybe I will just walk into the next town and see what happens. The Camino will provide.

I will never be famous or even important

Don’t mock me for this one, I am just being honest and open….

I took the audio tour of the Cathedral in L+Oviedo. The guide pointed out that several niches around the cathedral are empty, with no statue or decoration. This is apparently a deliberate policy, to remind people that we still need more good people to do major and important things, to win victories that will merit their statue being placed in these vacant spots. That will not be me. There will be no blue plaque outside my house saying “John Oyston” lived here. there will not even be a Wikipedia page about my life. No-one will play me in a movie.

There was a time when I thought that my life could be important, that I might do something that would justify some form of immortal fame. I don’t think that Is normal, or that many other people think that way or have that expectation. In my defence, I did have perhaps overly supportive parents, and I did do very well in school. But [perhaps I should have abandoned this conceit when I got to medical school and struggled to keep a place on the middle of the class list.

No-one needs to walk to Santiago

Walking to Santiago is a selfish activity that people do for their own amusement. Perhaps it might make them a better person, but it will not make the world a better place. As I took the bus from Madrid to Leon to start the San Salvador, I noticed that if I stayed on the same bus for an extra hour it would take me all the way to Oviedo, saving me six days and 121 km of hiking. Of course, that would be absurd; the whole point of my trip to Spain was to walk the Camino. But somehow that highlighted the notion that we walk for pleasure, for our own amusement. And that is entirely OK. In fact there is a plaque along the route announcing that rest and relaxation is a human right. Walking can just be something we do because we enjoy doing it. It does not have to have any greater purpose. If we set ourselves a goal, such as walking 100 km, that is our own personal goal. Whether we succeed or not only matters to us personally. No-one needs to walk to Santiago.