'El Camino de Santiago'

Our PE teachers organized this activity for first Bachillerato students.
Santiago de Compostela is a Holy City in the North-West of the Iberian peninsula.
It was first a Celtic and then a small Roman settlement and it was named after the Apostle St. James when his tomb was discovered there. Nowadays, it is also the capital city of Galicia, one of the seventeen autonomous regions in Spain.

Pilgrimage Origins

The tradition to walk to Santiago de Compostela dates back to the Middle Ages. At that time travellers from all over Europe used to wear a cape and a scallop shell on their chest to identify themselves as pilgrims and get free food an accommodation. At present, the pilgrimage is not so hard and hiking or cycling to Santiago has become a very popular activity for people of all ages, especially in the summer.

Routes to Santiago

There are many different routes to get to Santiago, but the oldest and most traditional is the ‘French way’. It starts in the South of France and follows the path of the stars known as the ‘Milky Way’ along the North of Spain. It normally takes 30 days to walk.

Our 'Camino de Santiago'

We only had five days available, from Wednesday afternoon to Sunday evening, so we couldn’t do the whole route. We just walked the last 110 kilometres, from Sarria to Santiago and, as it was a PE activity, instead of the cape and the scallop shell we wore an anorak and a rucksack! We also had an emergency coach. We used it to get to Sarria -from here it’s a long journey of seven hours-, go on a short trip to the old Roman city of Lugo and come back home from Santiago. The coach also allowed us to carry a lighter backpack while hiking. Leaving these ‘privileges’ apart, doing the Camino meant that we had to walk an average of 20-25 exhausting kilometres a day, get painful blisters and swollen feet, have a daily shower of cold water in three minutes, share our bedroom with twenty-three people and sleep in bunk beds. Besides, we were not allowed to complain about the food and we only had one evening free.

A wonderful personal experience

Walking the Camino, on the other hand, was a wonderful and unforgettable experience for all of us. You learn to overcome some difficulties by making an effort. It is not easy to get on with everybody when you are all day long together with classmates you don’t really know so well. Sometimes there were problems, but we managed to solve them. We also helped each other. Some students walked very fast and it was difficult to keep pace with them but there was always someone willing to give a hand. Being together allowed us to get to know each other better and become closer friends. We also enjoyed ourselves a lot laughing and singing along the way. And the hospitality in all the hostels we visited was fabulous.

Getting to know a different culture

When you are away from home you also become more conscious of the importance of some basic resources like water, electricity and food. By hiking past big or tiny villages, small churches and ‘hórreos’ -little wooden huts raised high above the ground on four stilts to keep cereals dry inside- , going over old stone bridges and talking to people, you get to know a different lifestyle, culture and language.

Nature Awareness

And while you are walking along the country paths, across the corn and barley fields, through the oak tree woods, enjoying the scent of the eucalyptus trees or sitting on the river bank with you feet in water to soothe your blisters, you also learn to appreciate the value of nature and become more aware of the importance of looking after our environment.

At long last in Santiago

On the fifth and last day of our pilgrimage, when we were getting close to Santiago and there was only one kilometre left, we didn’t walk any more. Instead, we ran as fast as we could and when we arrived at Santiago´s cathedral we were absolutely exhausted, but very excited. At long last we had finally managed to get there. We lay down in the middle of the Obradoiro square to have a long rest and admire the beautiful cathedral. It took us some time to stand up again, gather together for a picture of the whole group and go up the steps to get into the cathedral. Then we went sightseeing for a while in Santiago, although some of us could hardly walk any more.
It was such a fantastic journey that we all want to do it again next year.

Ignacio, Alex , Laura, Mónica, Nacho, Adrián, Dany, Estrella & Patricia (B1)

Camino de Santiago Primitivo