The journey begins

Barcelona

I have arrived in Barcelona. Check in at Sydney was easy and so was the arrival at Barcelona. They did check the SpTH QR code and looked at my Australian vaccination certificate but there were noEn savoir plus
Barcelona

Today was St George’s Day, the patron saint of Catalonia. There were lots of stalls selling roses and most people carried one - it was a bit like Valentine’s Day.
I had a very interesting timeEn savoir plus
Barcelona and Montserrat

I took a tour with a small group to Montserrat. It was great to see more of Barcelona. Montserrat was beautiful and with magnificent views.
We then spent the afternoon exploring the Gothic QuarterEn savoir plus
Barcelona

I took my backpack as hand luggage so I wasn’t able to take my poles with me. But searching for a hiking store was a great way to see a lot of Barcelona by foot. I was hoping for a convenientEn savoir plus
Barcelona-Pamplona-SJPdP

It was time to leave the Corner Hotel. I highly recommend it, especially if you book it early like I did and get a great rate. It was within walking distance to everything including Barcelona Sants toEn savoir plus
St Jean Pied de Port to Orisson

I spent the morning walking around St Jean and up to the Citadelle. Sandra had walked to Orisson the day before so I climbed up on my own. The views were magnificent and the weather was perfect forEn savoir plus
Orisson to Roncesvalles

A very, very misty day. We were unable to see more than a few metres in front of us for the entire walk. We could hear bells ringing on the cows and occasionally spotted a horse in the mist.
TheEn savoir plus
Roncesvalles to Zubiri

Quite a tough walk today with a very steep ascent and a really long and slippery descent. But the weather was again perfect and the countryside beautiful.
Zubiri is very pretty. We were grateful weEn savoir plus
Zubiri to Pamplona

We followed the River Arga for most of the day which was very pretty. Caught up with fellow pilgrims for an early lunch and coffee.
Once we neared Pamplona though it was a very long 6km walk alongEn savoir plus
Pamplona to Puente la Reina

The walk out of Pamplona was flat and very pretty. We steadily climbed to Alto de Perdon and the view from there was worth all the effort. There was then a very steep descent but after 20 minutes itEn savoir plus
Puente la Reina to Estella

I had a great night’s sleep. I was able to leave before 7am and had a quick coffee and pastry in the town before breakfast.
It was so enjoyable to walk while it was early and fresh. My body andEn savoir plus
Estella

Estella has been the perfect place for a rest day. It’s a quiet town with interesting shops to browse in. You can’t buy anything because you will have to carry it - a great incentive not to spend.En savoir plus
Estella to Los Arcos

A very different countryside today. More mountainous and rugged looking.
I stopped at the infamous wine fountain in Irache and walked through miles of vineyards.
The last 12kms were without townsEn savoir plus
Los Arcos to Viana

Spain is hillier than I expected!
It has been another day of vineyards and olive groves. I started off early again as it is so pleasant travelling while it is still fresh. This meant I arrived intoEn savoir plus
Viana to Navarrete

Last night was noisy in the room and I didn’t sleep very well.
I had another early start and enjoyed the walk to the outskirts of Logrono.
The walk into Logrono, through Logrono and out ofEn savoir plus
Navarrete to Azofra

I had a great night’s sleep. Albergue el Cantaro was perfect.
We are now in La Rioja which is a wine area. And there are vineyards everywhere. And rolling hills. So it’s been quite pretty.En savoir plus
Azofra to Santo Domingo de la Calzada

What a day! I left Azofra around 6.45 am before breakfast in anticipation of the treat I had at the end of the walk. The first nine kilometres were through some beautiful countryside, back to theEn savoir plus
Santo Domingo to Belorado

I had a late start due to my buffet breakfast at the Parodor!
It was beautiful countryside today and lots of interesting towns along the way. I lost count of the times I said ‘wow’ to myself whenEn savoir plus
Belorado to San Juan de Ortega

Today was tough in many ways. I had an early start as there was no accommodation available to be booked in San Juan de Ortega so I had to hope I’d get to the municipal albergue before it was full.En savoir plus
San Juan de Ortega to Burgos

It was a lovely day of walking.
Even though it was a crowded room last night I slept very well. People started moving about at 5.30 am so I was on the road by 6.15 am. Such a nice time to be walkingEn savoir plus
Burgos

I had a rest day today.
I spent the morning at the Museum of Human Evolution which was really interesting. It explained a lot about the area of Atapuerca that I walked through yesterday. It is aEn savoir plus
Burgos to Fuente Sidres

Today was my toughest day yet. I started very early and it was foggy and cool, perfect for walking. But once the fog cleared it was hot!
I was hoping to stop at Hornillos del Camino but there was noEn savoir plus
Fuente Sidres to Castrojeriz

It’s amazing what a good night’s sleep can do. Everyone in the albergue stayed in bed until seven am. I obviously wasn’t the only one who found yesterday hard. Had a leisurely breakfast in theEn savoir plus
Castrojeriz to Fromista

When I woke this morning my foot was swollen and more painful and it was obvious I wouldn’t be able to walk today. Lesley from Durham was also injured so we shared a taxi to the medical centre inEn savoir plus
VoyageurBuen Camino Diane, I look forward to following your journey
VoyageurEnjoy
VoyageurHave fun. 🥰