There were 18 travellers on this trip with Andy as the Tour Manager, Esther and Ann as the local assistants and our driver Jose. This was the first tour here since 2019 and we were made very welcome.  The TM tweaked the itinerary.

The early flight from Gatwick was uneventful and as we arrived in Bilbao there was a slight delay in the arrivals area before the TM joined us.  (Rather unusually, the joining instructions didn’t advise travellers on procedures for arrival into Spain.)

We made our way to the hotel where rooms were ready for us immediately.  Welcome drink and talk through itinerary was at 12 noon.  The TM organised an impromptu tour of Bilbao before we were let free to get lunch and to collect our Credencial del Peregrino (Camino Pilgrim Passport The Credencial: Pilgrim’s Reception Office (oficinadelperegrino.com) ) at the Cathedral before meeting for the welcome dinner in the evening.  Torrential and drenching rain on our walk to and from restaurant.

Hotels and included meals were of a reasonable and good standard but it was nice to be let free in Ponferrada to source our own dinner!  The hotel at Santiago de Compostela is quite a distance from the city centre which is uphill - what goes up, must come down etc.  At this hotel attic rooms are on floor 6, which was a pity as the lift only serviced up to floor 5 meaning a flight of stairs up to that floor with a suitcase.  The TM and reception staff offered assistance to those who had difficulty reaching their allocated rooms on floor 6.  Maybe a change of hotel would be of benefit?

All morning departures were at a reasonable time of around 9am and walks were doable and at our own pace, with some over very uneven ground with slight gradients up and down.  The walks are very exposed with no shelter from the elements.  Be sure to carry your Credencial with you at all times as it will be stamped en route in various places.

The day 4 walk along the canal to Fromista was very cold, windy and wet. We also got drenched on day 7 at Fisterra.  If planning on doing this trip, you’ll need to research the weather as Northern Spain has very different weather to the Costas. (The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain?)

Most of us attended the pilgrim mass at Santiago de Compostela Cathedral on day 6.  There is no guarantee if you will see the botafumeiro, we didn’t (must have been clean pilgrims?!) but two of the group attended the service on day 7 and saw it.  You can obtain the final stamp from the Pilgrims Office on the Credencial and purchase a certificate (3 Euros) saying you had visited the Cathedral and tomb of Santiago. Oficina del Peregrino | Catedral de Santiago de Compostela 

On departure day home we left the hotel at 12 noon, stopping off for lunch and arrived in Porto Airport far too early (4 hours) for our flight as Portugal is one hour behind Spain. 

So advice is to choose the date of your trip wisely and make sure you have the correct footwear, wet/dry weather gear, walking poles if you use them and of course water.  And don’t forget the time zones of Spain and Portugal, no one remembered the time difference!

Sylvia