With Spain set to welcome EU pilgrims from June 21st, non-EU pilgrims from July 1st and Portugal not far behind, there has been lots of discussion among pilgrims as to whether it is feasible to travel this year of not.

Well, I can’t answer that question but if you were to travel after July 1st, you would need to wear a mask in crowded areas and practice social distancing. I have written before how albergues have changed their sleeping quarters, halved their numbers of beds and that food is no longer served. There is a new-normal in Spain and on the Camino de Santiago and there is a lot to get used to. The first pilgrim to arrive in Santiago after the lockdown was Lorenzo. He arrived into Santiago from Lugo on the 11th of June and did not meet one pilgrim. He has been joined by other Spanish pilgrims in recent days. These are unprecedented times. For that reason, I am going to hold on for another few months.

So what about next year?

Over the last number of months I have had plenty of time to think about the Camino. It is impossible not to when you are at home for so long. I feel so lucky to be able to travel each year to Spain or Portugal and I do it for the headspace. I don’t do it for the sense of achievement. There is nothing better than being among other pilgrims and fresh air, away from the stress for 2 weeks or so. It frees the mind. But I need to be with other pilgrims. Ok, enough rambling.

So next year… I still feel that my time on the Camino Portugués is unfinished, and I have lots more to see. The Camino Francés, while I will be back there eventually, can wait for another year. Last September, I finished my Camino in a town called Águeda, about 90 kms short of Porto. It is home of the famous Umbrella Sky Project and I would love to see it again. The people in Albergue de peregrinos Santo António were the best and I look forward to seeing them again. Instead of marching on with my pilgrim friends, I caught the train to Porto and flew home the next day.

So where to start? The nearest large town to Águeda is Coimbra. It is a university town and can be accessed via Porto or Lisbon by train. The great thing about walking prior to Porto is I don’t need to worry about accommodation, however I will learn from lessons past and walk no more than 25 km per day.

I will have two weeks walking which will leave me in Spain, just short of Santiago. I will be in Santiago again no doubt.

More to come soon.

So with no Camino this year, I am left to read up on the many Irish pilgrim routes and walking paths in Ireland. And there are many. With many of my favourite walking routes within reach from Monday, I have gone all out with a new day-pack, recommended by L over on Somewhereslowly.com. I had been looking for one for some time and the Alpkit Gnarl is just what I was looking for. At 15 litres, it holds enough space for a day’s walk and it has enough space for that water bottle. Now to sew that patch 🙂

With a date set for the Kerry Camino at the end of August, I won’t need a change of gear or a new equipment. The walking in Kerry is not what I am used to so I may change to a mid-ankle boot instead of a shoe for that trip.

With news that all albergues are disposing of blankets once they open, it got me thinking that my Sea to Summit liner just won’t do the job if I plan to keep staying in albergues next April. So I have reverted to my old friend, the sleeping bag..in this case, an Ayacucho Sirius 200. The last time I used one was 2016 when I walked the Camino to Finisterre. I left the bag in Santiago to save on weight returning home. Hopefully, 2022 I can use a liner again?

As we enter a new season, I thought I would write a post just to keep you in the loop with things in my part of the world. It is a public holiday here in Ireland and it is gorgeous outside. Blue skies everywhere. It’s just unfortunate we can only wander 5km from our household. We are still in Phase 1 of the roadmap to re-opening the economy. Phase 2 starts on June 8th and from then I will be able to visit other households within 20km of my locality. The advice is still to stay at home and to travel for essential reasons only but I long to see my family once June 8th passes. I have been in this part of the world since March 13th, but I have been kept busy.

Spain & Portugal

With news from Spain, the Foreign Minister Arancha González has confirmed that Spain will welcome tourists from the start of July, however there are certain countries will not be allowed access until their own country’s situation improves. This included the UK and I would assume the USA, although this has not been confirmed. As things stand, the borders between France and Spain and Spain and Portugal are closed so is it not possible to walk from St Jean Pied de Port or Porto/Lisbon.

The situation in Portugal is much the same. It has been rumoured that Portugal will welcome tourists in as soon as June 15th but nothing has been confirmed.

For tourists going to either country, social distancing and the wearing of face masks in public will need to be maintained. For how long, that is the question? For many pilgrims, they will wait until a vaccine is available. Many will travel and face the risks.

Some links:

• Caminho in Portugal: Some challenges
• Information on measures and restrictions in Portugal
• Lifting of lockdown in Spain – full details

Camino in 2021?

I still have hopes to return to the Camino in 2021. This all depends on if there is a second or third wave or if there is a vaccine. Ideally, I would love to travel there with a vaccine but it will take 12-18 months before it will be freely available. So the Camino will look vastly different to the one I walked last. Fewer people will be on it. The albergues will be curtailed and there will be a new normal. Many albergues/hostals will require you to reserve ahead. I was leaning toward walking from Burgos in April but as the situation in Portugal looks more stable that I am more inclined to walk from Santarem to Porto. On the other hand, walking from Madrid to Sahagun sounds appealing.

Regardless, I have many months to think it over and I have flights bought from this year so I don’t need to worry about flights.

Camino in 2020?

I won’t be walking in Spain this year unfortunately but I may be walking one of the many pilgrim routes in Ireland later this Summer. More details to follow.

Vigo – Redondela

I was happy to be leaving Vigo. Our Camino was not over and we had many kms to go. Leaving the town, we faced a steep climb but the walk to Redondela was a short one. The forecast for the day was good also, so we were were all set.

We left Hostal Real before 8 am after some breakfast and made, we for the coast. We were sticking to the Senda Littoral but not for long. Today would be the day we would join the main Camino Portuguese. I was looking forward to it.

After our climb, we pause to look back with some satisfaction. There is the port of Vigo behind us – ahead of us is Redondela. As we continue we climb a particularly steep hill. I keep my eyes peeled for other pilgrims – this is the main Portuguese Way, isn’t it??

We follow the Camino into the forest where we meet pilgrims from Ireland, from the USA, from Portugal, and from Italy. After 16 kilometres we arrived at the plaza in Redondela and see many pilgrims sitting out in the sun. It is just before midday. It has been an enjoyable day and I look forward to walking into Pontevedra tomorrow.

Oia to Nigrán

Our 2nd day on the trail and it was almost a shame to be leaving Oia. I would love to go back there again, there is such a sense of community about it. But we are on Camino!

Today, we walked to Nigrán, just over 22kms north of Oia and a little bit closer to Santiago. We would walk along the coast for the first hour or so, but we would be faced with a decision later on – either walk up and over a hill to reach Baiona or walk along the coast, the Senda Litoral. You can make the choice to continue on the PO-552 to create your own Way. It is much longer than short-cutting over the mountain, but you won’t have to climb the hill.

At Pedra Rubia, there is a chance to get a sello from a chap at the side of the road, so we didn’t hesitate there. You are faced with that choice at As Marinas – either move up and over the hill or stick to the coast. It was still early morning and bright and we were in no hurry so we followed the ocean until we arrived into Baiona. We would be following green arrows, if any. It was so strange to be off the Camino, and even watching pilgrims walk up the hill made me want to change my mind. But I think I made the right choice.

We were in Baiona in an hour and we stopped off for a stamp in the tourist office. Fun fact for the day: the coastal route was made official in 2016. We chilled out by a cafe and had some tapas, watching life go by. I love the castle in Baiona and I suppose if I had time I would go visit it. It reminded me of Ponferrada.

We wouldn’t be finishing here however as Nigrán would be our destination – another 2 hours. It was worth noting we had been walking on pavement all day and there was no hint of a trail away from a road. I suppose that’s one of the criticisms of the Portuguese Way. We had no injuries anyway so far. We kept ourselves amused by looking for arrows and while there was a distinct lack of them up to Baiona, they became more prominent from now on.

We manage to find the puente romanico in A Ramalloso, which was built in the 13th century. We ventured back on the PO-552 to walk into Nigrán and found our room for the night. Tomorrow we would be walking to Vigo and getting to know the sea a little bit more.