I have been working through my previous Caminos, creating content for my YouTube channel (plug, plug!!) and I have just finished creating a video from my Camino Finisterre in 2016. I can’t believe that was 4 years ago. Fun fact – I actually planned to walk this in May 2016 but I broke my toe the previous November which caused me to postpone my flights for a few extra months. And this was the first time I walked in September – I haven’t looked back since.

Even though it is such a short Camino, it is beautiful in it’s own right. Many pilgrims walk to Finisterre in 3 days and myself and my brother did this in 2019 (although 4 days is probably more advisable). In 2016, I walked over 5 days as I wanted to stretch the experience out.

The highlight of the Camino for me was reaching the plateau before Cee. I had climbed for almost 20 minutes and was beginning a desent of 1000 metres. I arrived at Finisterre the next day and watched the sun set that evening. I received nothing but friendliness, smiles and good wishes from the Galician people.

Please watch the below video and consider subscribing to my channel as I will be uploading more content in the future.

Read my daily dairy from the Camino Finisterre 2016 here

Thanks to Bradley Ladewig for the video. He travelled from Germany to walk the Camino Francés during Covid times. I’m not sure I could keep up at his pace however. We can all agree that the Camino Francés in summer is beautiful.

It is the weekend again and Efren is back with another offering of Camino goodness. He has already completed his Camino del Norte and Camino Ingles and he is putting all his thoughts and words in video form. Although I have not yet walked from Irun, walking with Efren brings back so many memories. Memories with other pilgrims I have met along the way. Whether that be a simple hello passing by, or having a meal in the local cafe after a day’s walk, all these memories stick.

Efren will be uploading his walk from Ferrol in the coming days so I will be watching with interest.

The next letter on the “Towns Along the Way” series is “E”, as there are no towns starting with “D” (I dare you to look!). There aren’t too many so here goes…working towards Santiago.

Espinal (map)

Espinal is a typical Basque village and one of the first you will encounter after leaving Roncesvalles. At this point, you have 871km left before Santiago. Its name in Basque is Aurizberri and on leaving the town you are faced with a climb to Alto Mezkiritz. While not many stop here, there are many accommodation options (www.gronze.com). I don’t remember much of this town as I had stopped in Burguette (the town previous), and was deep in conversation with newfound Camino friends!.

Estella (map)

We meet Estella (or to give it it’s full name Estella-Lizarra) 115km from St  Jean Pied de Port. Estella is also part of Navarra and has a population of over 13,000 people. On entering the town, you cross the Picudo Bridge and are greeted with the Church of San Pedro de la Rúa, a large Romanesque church. There are plenty of places to stay (www.gronze.com).  I have good memories of my time here and of the Agora Hostel, a great place to stay.

Espinosa del Camino (map)

And finally, Espinosa del Camino is located about 40km (or 2 days walk) from Burgos. It is in Castille y Leon and has a population of just over 30 people. It makes a living from the Camino with a number of cafes and albergues (www.gronze.com). It was in this town that I met a good Camino friend and had a cafe con leche, only to be told I walk too fast. And that was my first day!! Above we have Albergue La Campana, a great place to stop for a rest!

During my recent Camino, I received an email from Bozidar & Marjanca who wished to tell their story about their Camino. Thank you for getting in touch!

I don’t remember when I first heard about Camino de Santiago – but since then, I very much wished to walk the Way. My dream came true in the summer of 2013, when my wife and I walked from León to Santiago de Compostela. The following year we walked from Saint Jean Pied de Port to León. We returned in 2016 and walked to the end of the world, to Cape Finisterre. Those summers still hold the most beautiful memories for us.

Before we left for our first Camino, we thought we were prepared, because we walked on many trails and hills around our home town, but on the Way we got blisters, as many others did. It was easier to handle them as the way leads you through beautiful landscapes, many beautiful villages and cities with rich history. However, the Camino sometimes takes you through industrial suburbs and abandoned villages, and of course sometimes blisters and muscles also hurt more. Many people say that Camino is a lot like life: it not only includes happiness and beautiful things, but also pain and tough times. There are many opportunities for conversation along the Way, but also time for silence and reflection.

During the walk we can recall already forgotten events, beautiful moments as well as sad memories. On the other hand, we started thinking about plans for the future. Many people also say that Camino does not only purify the body while walking but also the soul. As a result, our feelings were not only wonderful when we arrived at the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela – at the same time we were sad, because the journey was over… and we realise that the best thing we can do after our Camino is that we try to continue our Camino each day of our lives.

Bozidar and Marjanca Rustja, Slovenia