Camino de Santiago Frances
INTROThe Camino de Santiago is a network of long distance pilgrimages throughout Europe, primarily Spain, leading to Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Albergue in Cirueña
I am currently on the Frances route which began in Saint Jean Pied de Port, France. This route is roughly 500 miles (800 kilometers). This is different from an other backpacking I’ve done; less wilderness, more showers/town food.
Day 8-10 took me from Logroño, Spain to Belorado, Spain.
OVERVIEWDAYS3
MILES/kilometers45.1/72.2
TOTAL ELEVATION GAINED4017 ft
TOTAL ELEVATION LOSS2723 ft
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Getting settled into a great trail group
Fully in the flow of the Camino life; albergues, cafes, etc
Meeting continually lovely people along the way
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Still not sleeping well in albergues; compounded tiredness
Initially being concerned about doing the Camino solo after my friend George left
Alex and Kim ❤️
In Depth
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Accommodation: La Iglesia Albergue
Distance: 7.9 miles/12.6 kilometers
Elevation Gain: 676 ft
Elevation Loss: 229 ft
Most albergues request that all pilgrims leave before 8:00am some as early 7:00am. So the hotel that I was in was a calm, lazy morning of staying in bed much later than that. I ended up having breakfast at the hotel and enjoyed some quiet time before I hiked out for the day.
There was a Decathalon (a mix between REI and Dick’s Sporting Goods in America) and I needed to buy electrolytes and trekking poles. I had not used trekking poles on the trip up until this point because it was relatively flat, but my hands were swelling too badly that I finally needed to use some.
George was catching a ride to Bilbao, where his flight would depart from that afternoon so we spent that time running our required errands. He is joining me later in the year for another part of a hike so I would see him in a few months! I was appreciative that he took a week out of his life to get me acclimated to the Camino.
I headed out of Logroño with new poles in tow and headed towards Navarrette. This would be my shortest hiking day on the entire Camino Frances, but it would set me up to stay “off stage” for most of the remainder of the trail.
I only hiked 8 miles for the day but landed in a very cute city Navarette. I chose the albergue that was attached to the church and seemed to be the center of town. There were many pilgrims congregating here, including some that I had previously seen. I decided to treat myself for an early arrival and one week on the Canino with a glass of sangria.
Sangria in hand, I heard another American accent and although one reason I came onto the Camino was to get more of an international perspective, it sill felt comforting after my friend George just left.
Enter: most of my trail family for the remaining Camino Frances.
I met Alex (USA), Kim (Germany), Jac (Netherlands), and Dmytrii (Ukraine) this evening, and I would hike with them for the weeks to come. We all had the pilgrims meal in a picturesque location and a beautiful evening. It had been some time since I had laughed so hard for which I was thankful for this group. The best part is that this group had also planned to go roughly 30 km a day (or 20 miles) ending on my ideal day in Santiago so it was a perfect fit.
I went to sleep feeling excited for the next day as I had a whole new group dynamic.
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Accommodation: Albergue Virgen de Guadalupe
Distance: 19.7 miles/31.5 kilometers
Elevation Gain: 1940 ft
Elevation Loss: 1194 ft
The group that I joined typically left around the same time that I did; 7:00am. We got a breakfast at the same restaurant from the night before where we had dinner in the idyllic town Square near the church.
This day wound through vineyards and was overall pretty flat but even with limited incline, but had open views. They also like to stop for a coffee a few miles in which aligned with my groove as well.
We went through several small villages and ended up taking some funny photos and the giggles really just never stopped. Though I ultimately enjoy hiking alone and then staying with people at night - we hiked together for the majority of the day as I got to know everybody.
By the time we rolled into town, we were all pretty tired and eventually found an albergue that was able to host five of us. It was one of the cutest places I have ever stayed at (blue house picture below). Based on how the rooms shook out, I had a room to myself. The night before had some snoring so this was appreciated after that.
This place also had ample tea so having some cups of tea while chatting with family and friends on the phone was peaceful as well.
We all went out to dinner at 7:00pm and got some delicious food, including my first bout of paella.
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Accommodation: Albergue Caminante
Distance: 17.5 miles/28 kilometers
Elevation Gain: 1401 ft
Elevation Loss: 1300 ft
The whole group began hiking around 7:00am again, which at this point in the season was still moderately dark. Kim had been having knee and hip pain so she sent her bag forward.
On most of the Camino routes, there are companies that offer to pick up a bag and drive it to your next albergue for a small nominal fee (€5-7). This can make the trail much more accessible to those who may not be able to carry weight. It is a good option!
The majority of the morning was again through farmland. In one of the funnier moments of the trail, Alex completely fell. Like a full slow motion tumble on to the ground. I wish I had been recording it because I think about this often and always burst out laughing.
Sundays in Spain are hard to plan for. Some restaurants are open, some aren’t. Some supermarkets are open, most aren’t. Luckily we found a cafe open and had our coffees. Later on in the day, we would mostly skip lunch because there were no services. A bit of bread would be it.
Right after the disappointing lack of lunch, I exited La Rioja region and entered Castilla y Leon, which comprises the majority of the Camino Frances. It was then a quick afternoon into our next destination, Belorado.
Despite always being concerned about getting bunks, our group of 5 easily got space. There was a wonderful terrace area which I enjoyed for the remainder of the afternoon. I convinced the group to do daily pushups and this was our first session - it was a success!
Dinner was across the street at a cute restaurant with a great pilgrims menu. These menus typically have 3 courses to them with wine included. Before dinner, I met a lovely set of sisters from Australia/New Zealand who I would continue to bump into for weeks to come.
Churches are the centerpiece of a town skyline and Belorado had a unique one. There were epic stork nests built - including a 2 story one! The storks flew in and out so it was clear there were chicks.
Another lovely night on a lovely trail.
GALLERY
