Three friends walk the Camino de Santiago – a thousand-year-old pilgrim route in northern Spain. Elana sets out its history in her first installment here. This blog update is the first day of their trek.
Day 1: Ferrol to Neda, following the scallop shells
Perhaps the first days of a long walk are always challenging. Certainly, it takes time to get into your stride, get used to the terrain, your boots, and find your rhythm. But it doesn’t help when you have to drag your suitcase for 3/4 of an hour over stoney pavements and cobbled streets in search of your overnight
accommodation.
Fortunately, soon, the anticipation of the approaching start of the trail forced a smile and added a little skip to my step. We found our overnight accommodation in a narrow little alley and quickly made ourselves at home. After a wonderful meal at the Barcelo, where we had a few dishes to share, and a good night’s sleep, we were ready for anything.
Preparing to set off
The next day, we packed the necessary gear into our daypacks – water, extra jumper, rain gear, snacks and first aid kit, plus a second pair of shoes to give our feet a break if needed, and took our suitcases to the collection point.
Breakfast, traditional tomato toast and coffee. This consists of grated fresh tomato served on a piece of toast with olive oil, added to taste. Perfect.
At last we made our way over to the Camino office where we registered as peregrinas (‘pilgrim’) and collected our ‘passport’ to be signed every day at 2 stops, to prove that we were completing the qualifying 100km.
Discovering the scallop shell
The Camino Inglés starts at the dockside of Ferrol, a city shaped by centuries of naval history and religious passage. In the Middle Ages, pilgrims from England, Ireland and Scandinavia arrived here by boat to begin their overland journey to Santiago.
There are many legends about the scallop shell and its relationship to St James (Santiago), and it has long been associated with the Camino. It was apparently used by early pilgrims to scoop up water to drink, and probably eat their food too.
The start of our route, marked by the first scallop shell announcing that it was 118 km to Santiago, took us past some wonderful, old, typically Galician buildings and the Igrexa de San Julián (Church of Saint Julian) in Ferrol’s old town. We looked down at the old Arsenal and maritime buildings (proposed as a World Heritage Site).
But as we walked through Ferrol, Stephanie realised that the sole of her boot was coming off. At the shoe repair shop she discovered that the rubber had perished and repair was not an option. We had to go to the outskirts of the town to get a replacement pair. Once reshod, we set off to join the route.
Walking through the town was rather long and tedious, but we soon reached the Ría de Ferrol, with its sea views and marshlands. Gradually, we moved into the Galician countryside as we made our way to Neda, our destination.
The journey
Despite so much of the day being on tarred road, the 18km passed quickly. We three had lots to talk about. As we reached the edge of the town, we stopped at the San Martiño de Xuvia Monastery and sat down for a break. All about us was green and calm and filled us with the spirit of the pilgrimage.
