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Hiking in Spain
by Philippe Vermeyen

What is the most popular long distance walk in Europe? The Alps, the Pyrenees, or maybe Corsica might come to mind for many, but the Camino Frances to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain sees tens of thousands of hikers each year.

Although centuries old, the Camino became popular in the 1980s and boomed in the 1990s. Santiago was declared a World Heritage site in 1985, as was the Camino itself in 1993.

Finistera, about 100 kilometers from Santiago, is the westernmost point in continental Europe and so was probably a goal for pagans and Druids for many centuries. In the 9th century, the remains of Santiago (St. James) were allegedly discovered in a field of stars (Compostela) where the cathedral is now located. The Vatican began encouraging pilgrimages to Santiago. Plenary absolution was available for those who completed the journey. Mainly the Church wanted manpower to repel the Moors occupying much of Iberia St. James is often depicted as Matamoros, Slayer of Moors.

For a while the number of pilgrims to Santiago exceeded those to Rome or the Holy Land. St. Francis of Assisi made the pilgrimage in 1214. A guide to the Camino was possibly the world's first published travel guide. Many pilgrims display a cockle shell -- the symbol of St James.

After the Middle Ages, numbers declined until the Camino was discovered by recreational hikers in the 20th century. With the renewed interest much has been developed along the route. Some villages that were nearly ghost towns now depend on pilgrims for their economic survival. The way is well marked with yellow arrows. Less than 10 percent of the Camino follows actual footpaths -- mostly it follows old cart tracks.

Although only 20 percent walk for strictly religious reasons, all hikers en route to Compostela are called pilgrims (and isn't every long distance walk a pilgrimage of some sort?) and almost everybody overnights in "pilgrim's hostels". These cost $4 to $5 per night and tend to be noisy and crowded (some have triple-tiered bunks), but are a great place to meet other walkers and are definitely part of the pilgrim experience. Generally only self-contained walkers are allowed to use these hostels.

Most hikers are from Western Europe. Among non-Europeans, Brazilians are the most numerous due to the popularity of Brazilian Paulo Coelho's book about the Camino.

Since historically pilgrims came from all over Europe, one could conceivably begin anywhere in Europe (Moscow to Santiago anybody?). There are four main routes in France alone, the most popular beginning in Le Puy-en-Velay in the Massif Central. The majority begin in St. Jean Pied-de-Port on the French side of the Pyrenees, or in Roncesvalles, a day's walk from St. Jean on the Spanish side. The average hiker takes five weeks for the 500 miles to Santiago. The fact that Europeans generally get five weeks of vacation may have something to do with the popularity of the trail. Once could of course arrive more quickly, but why hurry along such a fascinating experience?

The hostels close early in the morning so most pilgrims arrive at the next destination by early afternoon, leaving plenty of time for a siesta and visiting the local sights associated with the historic Compostela. You'll learn among other things, why there are two live chickens kept inside the church of Santo Domingo de la Calzada. Some of the hostels have kitchens, but for about $8 a multi-course meal complete with vino is often available somewhere in town.

Especially memorable was the free garlic soup at the monastery of St. John of the Nettles. Although most Spaniards don't eat dinner until 10:00 p.m., the Compostela is a world unto itself and dinner is available earlier for pilgrims. In a couple of the larger towns I had a pizza delivered to the hostel, which won me many friends quite quickly.

Since you are in a village every night and often pass through one or more every day, you only need to carry a small pack with a change of clothes, basic toiletries, rain gear and cold weather gear, a water bottle, ear plugs (Murphy's law: the person in the bunk next to yours will be the loudest snorer), and a flashlight for finding your way in the middle of the night when you need to recycle some of that vino from dinner. Some days you may need to carry a lunch.

In order to stay at the hostels you must have a "credencial", which is available in St. Jean or Roncesvalles. Each hostel, as well as many other establishments, has a unique stamp for your credencial, which when filled out makes a nice souvenir. In Santiago, your journey terminates at the cathedral where tradition dictates that you hug the apostle (a statue of St. James). En route to Santiago some people may ask you to give a hug to the apostle for them in Santiago, but the usual greeting is "Buen Camino".

Completing your visit to the cathedral, you go to the nearby office where you present your credencial and are given a certificate in Latin -- even your name is Latinized -- attesting to your journey. A very small number of hikers wishing to duplicate the Medieval experience turn around and walk back, but this is more difficult because the trail is only blazed for east-bounders. Nevertheless, many continue for three more days to Finistera.

Given the crowds on the Compostela Frances some hikers have sought other routes to Santiago. The Compostela Morizabe, also known as La Via de la Plata (the Silver Way) beginning in Seville, has seen more traffic the last few years. I hiked this 600-mile route n May, 2003. Since it is not as developed as the Compostela Frances, you need to stealth camp occasionally or hike some 30-plus-mile days at times. Some of the "hostels" are very basic: a few times I was directed to floor space at the city hall. But since the Via de La Plata traverses some of the least visited areas of Spain it presents an opportunity to see the "real Spain".

Merida has some of the best-preserved Roman ruins in Iberia, and Salamanca is a very popular and historic university town. A variety of terrain is encountered with many open plains and cork or oak forests. I mostly remember the wildflowers, especially in Extremadura -- fields and fields of cowslips, bluebells, daisies, buttercups, foxgloves, wild peas and turnips which seemed to go on forever. And the storks. The church tower in nearly every town was crowned with a large stork nest.

In sum, hiking to Santiago is certainly not a wilderness experience like the Pacific Crest or Continental Divide trails. But if you want a fascinating cultural and social experience while walking through pleasant countryside, it would be difficult to beat the Caminos to Santiago de Compostela.

Resources for Hiking in Spain
By Philippe Vermeyen

Best time to walk: Summer is too hot and crowded. Winter can be cold, snow is possible in the hills, and some services may be closed. May or October are probably the best months.

Further reading: Quite a few narratives have been written about the Compostela. Most can be found at Amazon.com or similar web sites. Guidebooks. Quite a few are available.

Check these sites: www.geocities.com/friends_usa_santiago
www.csj.org.uk (the confraternity of St . James)
www.humnet.ucla.edu/santiago/iagohome.html (good for background and historical information)
www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=1830 (a narrative of a hike on the Compostela)
www.caminosantiagocompostela.com/ (good overview; a rated list of hostels; information on the Via de la Plata)
www.Santiago-Compostela.net/film.html (lots of great photos)