The Camino de Santiago

The road at a glance

what

A walk — or a ride, by bicycle or horse — to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, where tradition places the tomb of the apostle James. Yellow arrows mark the way; pilgrims carry a scallop shell.

when

A full Camino Francés takes about a month at some twenty-five kilometres a day; most people now walk it in sections, about a week and two hundred kilometres at a time.

where

The Camino Francés, the best-known route, runs from the Pyrenees across the north to Santiago. The Northern Way follows the coast; the Primitive Way follows parts of the original ninth-century route.

who

More than four hundred thousand people a year, from all over the world. Many are not religious: they walk for the silence, the company or the challenge.

why

In the Middle Ages Santiago was the third great pilgrimage after Jerusalem and Rome. Today the Compostela, the certificate of completion, still requires a spiritual or religious motive and at least the last hundred kilometres on foot.

• People were already walking to Santiago de Compostela a thousand years ago; in the Middle Ages it was the third most important destination for pilgrims, after Jerusalem and Rome.
• According to tradition, the tomb of the apostle James is in Santiago, in Galicia, in the north-west of Spain.
• Spain's tourist office describes three main routes: the French Way, the most popular, from the Pyrenees; the Northern Way along the coast, roughly 800 km; and the Primitive Way, about 300 km, following parts of the original route and dating back to the ninth century.
• How long is the Camino Francés? The piece reckons about eight hundred kilometres from the Pyrenees; the tourist office gives just over nine hundred for the full French Way. It depends where you start counting.
• Pilgrims walk about twenty-five kilometres a day for a month; typical stages are twenty to thirty kilometres, and most people now walk the route in sections of about a week.
• More than four hundred thousand people a year walk the Camino; many are not religious.
• To receive the Compostela a pilgrim must make the journey for a spiritual or religious reason and cover at least the last 100 km on foot or horseback, or 200 km by bicycle, with the credential stamped along the way.

Hace mil años, la gente ya caminaba a Santiago de Compostela.

A thousand years ago, people were already walking to Santiago de Compostela.

El camino más famoso es el Camino Francés: ochocientos kilómetros desde los Pirineos.

The most famous route is the French Way: eight hundred kilometres from the Pyrenees.

Se camina unos veinticinco kilómetros al día, durante un mes.

One walks about twenty-five kilometres a day, for a month.

Hoy caminan el Camino más de cuatrocientas mil personas al año.

Today more than four hundred thousand people a year walk the Camino.

The things of the road

What you carry

• la concha the scallop shell, hung from every backpack
• la credencial the pilgrim's passport, stamped at hostels, churches and post offices
• la mochila the backpack

What you follow

• la flecha amarilla the yellow arrow that marks the way
• la etapa a day's stage, twenty to thirty kilometres

Where you sleep

• el albergue the pilgrims' hostel: a few euros, many bunks

What you say and get

• ¡Buen camino! the greeting of the road
• la Compostela the certificate given at the end
• la ampolla the blister

• Yellow arrows mark the way; pilgrims carry a scallop shell, the symbol of the Camino, and sleep in albergues for a few euros with many other people.
• Everybody greets each other with the same words: ¡Buen camino!
• The credential and its stamps can be obtained at pilgrim hostels, parish churches and post offices; walking only the minimum distance, you must stamp it at the start and end of each stage.

Unas flechas amarillas marcan el camino.

Yellow arrows mark the way.

Los peregrinos llevan una concha, el símbolo del Camino.

Pilgrims carry a shell, the symbol of the Camino.

Duermen en albergues, por pocos euros, con muchas otras personas.

They sleep in hostels, for a few euros, with many other people.

Todos se saludan con las mismas palabras: "¡Buen camino!"

Everybody greets each other with the same words: "Buen camino!"

One walk, told in the past

The piece ends with a walker's own month on the road with her sister: blisters in the first days, leaving before dawn every morning and arriving tired every afternoon, people met from all over the world, and a sister who cried on reaching the cathedral.

• Galicia, where the road ends, is green and rainy — more like Ireland than like Andalusia.

Tuve ampollas en los pies los primeros días.

I had blisters on my feet the first days.

Cada mañana salíamos antes del amanecer, y cada tarde llegábamos cansadas.

Every morning we left before dawn, and every afternoon we arrived tired.

Cuando llegamos a la catedral, mi hermana lloró.

When we arrived at the cathedral, my sister cried.