Notes From The Camino:
The Challenges, Lessons and Rewards!
Spring 2025
So here we are, seven of the finest and fittest members of the CCCTS assembled together at the Hotel Carreño, designated as the official start of the Camino Primitivo in Oviedo Spain. At our first introductory meet and mingle in our delightful (read comfortable) hotel in Oviedo, there was an air of excitement and more importantly, expectation! In two days we would start our ‘trek’ on the original, and as some will attest, the most challenging portion of the Camino de Santiago, a trek not for the faint of heart, and most certainly, not for quitters! As challenging as it would be, we had absolute trust in our leader, Beverly Wagner.
Fortunately for some in the group, any reticence about readiness for what lay ahead was delayed a day by a coach ride to Tineo, a mountain village nestled on a steep mountain slope a couple of hours away! There, we spent a night in a great hotel preceded by sight seeing and a sumptuous meal.
Early the next morning, we strapped on our backpacks and headed straight uphill!! That first day on the road was a rude awakening, yet great….filled with verdant vistas of farms and animals galore! We were all in great spirits and, that mood, believe it or not, lasted throughout all our days of hiking. There were challenges however! It was not too long after that point that the men were separated from the women! Although Beverly didn’t seem to have any doubts about the men’s ability to complete the trek, (none that she showed at least!!) for sure one or two of the men did!!
From the ‘get go’ the walking was spectacular! Early on in the trip, we followed the Hospitales route, (olde pilgrim hospitals route) high in the mountains….a day not to be missed!!! After a morning of walking uphill, the first of several such mornings, we were well up in the Cantabrian mountains with drop dead views in every direction. Near the 1100 year old hospital ruins we saw goats, feral horses, cattle, sheep and other farm animals. It was truly a magnificent start to our first six days of walking
The first half of our trek was all within Asturias, a wilder more remote rural region in Spain. It is described as being ‘Espana Verde’ a term which certainly conjures up the right image! It is quintessential walking country though one’s backpack could certainly dampen a bit of the pleasure!!! With 15-20 plus pounds extra for some of us, the most important morning decision before stepping out on the trail was twofold. How much water to carry and how much ‘useless’ luggage could be off loaded to a courier and forwarded to the night’s destination!
Have you, the reader, now gleaned that the Camino was not just another ‘walk-in-the-park’?! By the time day four rolled around, the mere 25k gambol to the town of Fonsagrada was no picnic. Someone determined that at day’s end, a ‘shortcut’ was in order. The short cut for the lackadaisical, but tired crew was just under 2k and followed a path 300 metres straight up. It should be noted the two slowest in the tribe went up without stopping!
The half way mark in the Compostela quest was our rest day in the old Roman walled city of Lugo replete with our most luxurious hotel stay. Lugo is both a popular stop and for many pilgrims, the starting point for those wishing to walk the minimum 100k in order to qualify for the Compostela certificate earned upon completion of the Camino de Santiago.
On day 8, one day after R+R in Lugo, we left the Primitivo (ie hardcore Camino) and joined the more heavily used Camino Francais. This last, approximately 75 k, was a much busier portion of the Camino with frequent stops at excellent wayside cafes. Although the elevation continued to have significant ups and downs, this section of the Camino was more genteel with many of our fellow pilgrims who joined us looking as if they were walking out the pages of a fashion magazine! They most certainly did not appear to be the robust, hard core fitness gurus like us! But I am guessing that all of our crew and the seemingly genteel folk at the end of the journey gained the same magic upon receiving their Compostela.
Once in Santiago, particularly in the Cathedral of St James, all of us felt a surge of achievement gained over 11 days as we averaged 22k per day. Not a bad outcome for folk more comfortable on two wheels than on foot! It goes without saying, Beverly and her willing pilgrims had a great time!
Michael Young