Sep 26: Up, up and away

The path has become quite crowded over the last 2 days. We are now 3 days out from Santiago and all the various “coastal” paths” (from Porto, from Tui, from A Guarda, Senda Litoral…) have all converged into the last 100km to the Cathedral. It’s not unpleasant, but as compared to our previous walk, it is unexpected. Every 400m or so, someone is offering a stamp, the smell of melting wax wafting ahead as a guide to the stall. Or, maybe, it is handmade trinkets laid out on a folding table (shells, bracelets, pins). Food trucks and “rest gardens” (random arrays of garden furniture with “welcome pilgrims” signage and a honesty jar) pop up around every corner. It’s good to see the money coming into the area and how much people are enjoying spending it. People are moving very slowly through this landscape, chatting, supping, stamping and haggling with delight. We can fully believe the reports we are reading that the Portuguese way now rivals the Francés from Sarria as the world’s Camino of choice.

In fact, there is so much going on along the main path, that, today we took a “complimentary route”, off the official track, following the River Tomoreza through woodland for a little over 3km. We relished the quiet and the shade before hooking up with the main trail again.

The path has given us beautiful views during this time, climbing up hundreds of metres into fir forest, with glimpses of fjord-like bays-cum-river-deltas, blue on blue on sand and green. The built landscape has been spectacular too: the statuesque docks of Vigo giving way to picturesque residential areas with white walls and orange roofs. Bridges, both ancient stone and striking metal suspension masterpieces cross-cross the waterways, carrying cars, trains and pilgrims, gleaming in the sunlight and rippling with reflected water.

Yesterday evening, we descended into Arcade, truly an “Arcadian” location. We enjoyed a beer on a shaded raised terrace, with a cool breeze and gorgeous views of the water and the beach. Tonight we are in Pontevedra, a large town with major Camino branding. We are on the Northern side of town and walked almost 2km through it to here (still on the Way), passed auberges, hostels and kitchens offering pilgrim meals. Things have got noisy with so many walkers on the path, but it is unmistakably now “a Camino”. You could feel the excitement as we crossed the 100km mark. So many people snapping selfies by the nearest-available way marker, all thumbs up and big smiles on their faces!

We have turned in early for the last couple of days, trying to catch an afternoon nap and then eating early to make room for a good night’s sleep. Nothing works as well as sleep for getting you back on your feet and back out onto the trail each morning. Small beds and hot rooms haven’t helped us. Nevertheless, our persistence means that today, it felt like we were both finally whole again.

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Inspired by our 2024 Camino Francais, Karen has a periodic podcast called "I sent you a bloody boat", personal thoughts on faith by a person who believes in thinking. Also, known as "The Reluctant Christian". You can listen to it on Spotify and on Apple Podcasts at: