Trekking through northern Spain…

Hiking has not always been a passion of mine, but travelling and exploring new places has always been a goal. When the Warawara Award was announced, it piqued my interest and after seeing fellow Unit members be awarded the grant – I thought why not! In early 2024, I was granted the second Warawara Award in the Sydney North Region, and after reading about the Camino de Santiago and watching a gorgeous film about the trek – I felt this was the perfect opportunity to go beyond my comfort zone and try for something new.

In August 2024, I set off to start my trek through northern Spain. I would spend the next 15 days in the Galician region, walking The Camino Inglés (The English Way). This is a 113km trek that started from Ferrol, an old navy port town in far north Spain – where many English and Irish pilgrims would dock to start their journey. I’d pass through different beach towns like Pontedeume, historic towns like Hospital De Bruma, and areas in the forest like Sigeurio.

My first few days in Spain were spent acclimating and getting any last-minute things needed, like a SIM card, snacks, and the ever-important Camino Passport. To complete the trek I’m required to get two stamps in a passport to prove that I have walked the required distance. These stamps can be collected from restaurants, shops, accommodations, cafes, tourist information stores, and more along the way!

On August 31st I started the trek, beginning at the port of Ferrol, I took a photo to commemorate the start and then started following the shells. The symbol of this trek is a scallop shell, which represents the Apostle James and serves as a reminder of faith. The next few days were mostly walking through the outskirts of the town and suburbs before we start hitting the more rural areas of the trek. One of my favourite towns was Pontedeume. It was a gorgeous sunny day, and the town is set on the Eume River and is an idyllic spot for a pilgrim. I stayed in the traditional albergue that was renovated from an old fishing warehouse and sat right on the water and down the road from town. The albergues were a fantastic place to meet people doing the same thing as you. No two nights did I meet the same people… hearing stories from those who have done other Caminos and learning tips and tricks from them was amazing.

The next few days were definitely the most challenging as they were majority all inclines, so they were a bit slower, but the weather held out fantastically, slightly overcast but warm-ish weather! Halfway was Hospital De Bruma – this is where the trek from A Coruna merges with the route from Ferrol, it’s a busy intersection but a great place to stay! The albergue in the town is the old pilgrim hospital hence the name and was erected back in 1175. Monarchs such as Charles V had stayed in the very building that modern pilgrims still bunk in today.

Coming into the last few days of the trek was bittersweet, although I had had a few issues with my achilles over the last few days, I was enjoying the bliss of just walking through the gorgeous forests and historic towns. What once seemed like an out-of-reach place has now become one of my favourite experiences.

The last day from Sigeurio to Santiago De Compostela was amazing. The morning started where I walked out of town with many other pilgrims and turned into the countryside once more, walking through old stone houses, churches, and farms became the norm. Eventually I entered the forest again. This forest has become known as the ‘Enchanted Forest’ because it was as gorgeous as the forests in a fairytale.

The hospitality that I received on this trek is something that stood out everywhere, everyone was so kind and accommodating! There would be Eskys left in random spots along the way with baked goods, water, or juices left in them. They were all free but there was the option to donate some loose cash if you had it. All the cafés along the route were always open for pilgrims and had easy, fast, yummy food (and lots of coffee) for us. The last café on the way to Santiago was no different… it was in the middle of the enchanted forest and was primarily only for pilgrims due to its location, but they had great things and a gorgeous mural outlining where you came from and where you were going as a pilgrim.

Rounding into Santiago was a surreal moment, even from the outskirts the town was gorgeous – there were stone buildings everywhere and cobblestone roads. I got my first peak at the cathedral from there as well.

After navigating my way through the town, the English Way brings you to the right-hand side of the cathedral from the back – so to get to the front, I had to walk through a market and through an archway where a bagpipe was playing. The moment was one that I didn’t expect to be as emotional as it was but walking into the square and being surrounded by hundreds of other people who had just done the same thing as me was strangely emotional, I felt a part of a community that didn’t even know me. I sat in the square for a while and watched people come through the archways celebrating and singing and people would clap and cheer for those who had completed their journey.

It’s a spiritual journey for so much more than following the apostle James or repenting your sins it’s a walk for pilgrims from all backgrounds to come together to walk the path, leaving behind the daily hustle and bustle to immerse themselves in nature. If anyone is looking for a walk to start their hiking adventures, I would always recommend the Camino and I can’t wait to do my next one!

Ash Williams
Forest Rover Crew