Picking the right trail shoe is probably the most important gear decision you’ll need to make for a Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. It’s pretty easy to work with things like an ill sized pack, an uncomfortable hat, or a heavy pair of trekking poles. If you get your shoe pick wrong, you could be forced to battle blisters, foot fatigue, and possibly injuries that would force you off of the trail. In this post, I’m going to break down what I look for in an optimal Camino trail shoe based on my experience on the Camino Frances, Camino Portuguese, Camino Ingles, John Muir Trail, Tour du Mont Blanc ..read more

Happy New Year! Buen Camino! And happy planning for all aspiring pilgrims in 2024. As a three time pilgrim with walks on the Frances, Portuguese, and Ingles, I’m always excited for the Pilgrim’s Office of Santiago to release their end of the year statistics report to see how The Way is changing. There are some eye-opening statistics this year that are sure to shape and mold the decisions of pilgrim planners gearing up for a walk in 2024. In this blog post, I’ll dive into my five main takeaways. 1. The United States Now Accounts for the Second Largest Group of Pilgrims The 2023 pilgrim data bri ..read more

The Camino Ingles, also known as the English Way, is a popular pilgrimage route in northern Spain that has been attracting travelers for centuries. This route starts in the historic port city of Ferrol and stretches for approximately 119 kilometers, ending in Santiago de Compostela, where the remains of Saint James are believed to be buried. The Camino Ingles offers stunning views, historical landmarks, and a peaceful journey through the Galician countryside. The Camino Ingles isn’t as well traveled as the Frances or Portuguese routes, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that changes in the years a ..read more

What a difference a day can make! We arrived in Pontedeume under grey skies and rain, but woke up to find blue skies and sunshine. It was a fitting shift in weather, as we’d be hiking to the beach town of Miño on our third day along the Camino Ingles. Our day began fairly ordinarily, with a Camino breakfast at Cafe Bar Martino. This little cafe is located right near the main roundabout in Pontedeume, and situated right alongside the Camino Ingles. We took our time consuming ample tortilla, croissants, coffee, and juice, before getting our packs loaded and ready for the miles ahead. With our fi ..read more

The first day of a Camino pilgrimage contains a magic found in few other life experiences. After months of planning, training, anticipation, and travel, a pilgrim takes their first steps into the great unknown on their way to Santiago de Compostela. Even though I’d walked two Camino routes before the Ingles, my thoughts were still awash with contingencies on weather, walking, accommodations, injuries and more. It wasn’t just me after all, I had my 5-year old to consider as well. Luckily, I knew my churn of thoughts would smooth out into a gentle flow of tranquility as the first scallop markers ..read more

Our ninth day on the Camino Ingles would take us on our final stage towards Santiago. The first half of this stage passes through countryside trails that parallel the N-550 highway. The back half finishes the Camino Ingles with a short stretch through an industrial zone before navigating city streets at the northern end of Santiago de Compostela. Stage 9 Overview: © OpenStreetMap contributors Point to Point: Sigüeiro to Santiago de Compostela Distance: 9.8 miles / 15.7 km Elevation Gain: 710ft / 216m Trail Conditions: The day starts on a paved path that parallels N-550, but remains in forests ..read more

Our eighth day on the Camino Ingles had us walking our penultimate stage on our journey to Santiago. After a short and restful day at Casa Rural Anton Veiras on day seven, we had a slightly longer walk on tap to arrive at our albergue in Sigüeiro. The weather forecast for the day predicted a cool morning and a hot afternoon. After a satisfying breakfast, we hit the trail in O Outeiro and made our way through a lush forest to begin the day. Stage 8 Overview: © OpenStreetMap contributors Point to Point:Ordes to Sigüeiro Distance: 7.7 miles / 12.4 km Elevation Gain: 466ft / 142m Trail Conditions ..read more

After completing the long uphill climb from Presedo to Bruma on our sixth day along the Camino Ingles, we began looking forward to the mostly flat final stages towards Santiago. For day 7, we’d only have to cover a short 6.3 mile stretch of trail with 371ft of elevation gain. Despite the easy day of walking we had to look forward to, we were a little sad. The Camino peregrinas we walked with the day before planned on passing our destination of Ordes, and would go on to Sigueiro. Despite the small break in itineraries, we all exchanged contact information and vowed to meetup in Santiago for a p ..read more

Every pilgrimage to Santiago seems to have a stage that pilgrims look forward to with a combination of dread and excitement. On the Camino Frances, it’s the first day climb up from St Jean to Roncesvalles or the long stretches of nothingness on the Meseta. On the Camino Portuguese, it is the climb up to Alto da Portela Grande on the stage covering Ponte de Lima to Rubiães. While researching the Camino Ingles, I had a tough time finding which day would hold the candle as the toughest, but most opinions centered on the uphill climb between Presedo and Bruma. The Camino Ingles is a rather flat an ..read more

Our fifth day on the Camino Ingles started with a spectacular pilgrim’s breakfast of chocolate croissants, tortilla, coffee, and juice at a cafe in the heart of Betanzos. Following breakfast, we made our way out of the city under cloudy and warm skies. Having walked through rain for two of our first four days along the Camino Ingles, we were happy to see a weather forecast projecting nothing but sunshine, clouds, and warmth on our remaining journey to Santiago. Stage 5 Overview: © OpenStreetMap contributors Point to Point: Betanzos to Presedo (As Casas Novas) Distance: 5.9 miles / 10 km Elevat ..read more