Walking the Camino de Santiago

Our tour starts today in Madrid, the vibrant capital of Spain, home to elegant boulevards, manicured parks, cultural museums and fantastic foodie markets. For those arriving on time, our tour leader plans to meet you in the hotel reception at 7pm for a welcome meeting followed by the chance to go out for dinner, for those that wish. There are no activities planned today, so you're free to arrive in Madrid at any time. If you'd like an airport transfer today, you'll need to arrive at Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suárez Airport (MAD) which is around a 20-minute drive from the hotel. Should you miss the meeting, our tour leader will inform you of any essential information as soon as you catch up. If your flight arrives earlier in the day, you might like to explore the city, wandering the back streets in search of tucked-away tapas bars. The vast 19th-century El Retiro Park is a good place for a leisurely walk, past rose gardens and statues to the boating lake.

We'll wave goodbye to Madrid this morning as we head off to Leon (a three-and-a-half-hour journey). A gem of northern Spain, Leon is a pretty little city, teeming with Renaissance and Gothic architecture. It's also an important waypoint on the famous Camino de Santiago and draws 1,000s of pilgrims each year. After settling into our hotel, we'll head out on a walking tour with a local guide. The city's main attractions are its beautiful Gothic cathedral with its unique stained-glass windows and the Romanesque San Isidoro church. However, there's plenty more to discover, including the picturesque old quarter - as we wander, look out for the brass scallop shells set in the pavement that mark the route of the Camino de Santiago through the city.

Today, the real adventure begins as we set out on our walk of the Camino de Santiago. The Camino de Santiago dates back to the 9th century when pilgrims journeyed to visit the tomb of St James the Apostle. While many pilgrims still undertake the Camino as a spiritual journey, the walk has become a rite of passage for many travellers and, for sure, a once-in-a-lifetime experience. While the entire Camino covers almost 800 kilometres/500 miles, with many different routes and starting points, we'll follow the Camino Frances, the traditional and most well-known route. Before we leave Leon, we'll pick up our Pilgrim Passports (La Credencial). The passport acts as proof that we've walked at least 100 kilometres/60 miles of the Camino, and we'll collect stamps along the way. Once we get to Santiago, we'll receive La Compostela - a certificate of our travels. We'll first drive to Hospital de Orbigo, famous for its 13th-century bridge, where we'll commence our trek. Our first stretch of the Camino will be along the Meseta (the Castilian high plateau) to Astorga, home to the magnificent Bishop's Palace designed by Antoni Gaudi. Our first walk covers 17 kilometres/10.6 miles over approximately four hours. The terrain is gently undulating with an ascent of 250 metres/820 feet and a descent of 200 metres/656 feet.

We'll leave the high plateau of the Meseta behind us this morning as we drive a short distance into the mountains to the near-abandoned village of Foncebadon. From here, we'll walk, following the scallop shell markings, up to the famous Cruz de Ferro (Iron Cross), the highest point of the Camino at 1,482 metres/4,860 feet. This is one of the most significant points on the route, for centuries pilgrims have left a stone brought from home as an offering they hope will give them protection for the rest of the pilgrimage. From here, we can see the mountains of Galicia in the distance. The rest of our day is spent on a descending trail (steep in places) until we arrive in the small village of Molinaseca with its impressive Roman bridge. Here, we'll meet our bus and transfer the short distance to our hotel in Villafranca del Bierzo. Villafranca del Bierzo was once an important medieval town and is home to some spectacular churches, including the Romanesque Church of Santiago. Today's 20-kilometre/12.4-mile walk is expected to take around five hours with 100 metres/328 feet ascent and 930 metres/3,051 feet descent. We ascend to 1,482 metres/4,862 feet then gently descend along mountain trails.

After a short drive to the start of today's walk, we'll continue along the Camino following the course of the Valcarce River through the valley. This has been the route between Galicia and Castile since ancient times, passing through the small hamlets of Las Herrerias and Ruitelan to the border between Galicia and Leon. Here, we'll come to one of the highlights of our walk, the unusual village of O Cebreiro, a tiny wind-battered settlement of stone houses set high above a patchwork of green valleys. The village is famous for its 'pallozas' - traditional circular, thatch-roofed houses. Once in O Cebreiro, we'll have time to relax and explore the village before meeting our bus for the drive to Sarria. En route, there is the option to visit Samos Monastery, still an active retreat, and a landmark of the Camino. Today's 9-kilometre/5.5-mile walk is expected to take around three hours with 700 metres/2,296 feet of ascent and descent. Walking on unmade mountain path, gradually uphill for most of the day and far from road access.

From Sarria, we'll continue on foot through Galicia, traversing a terrain of rolling hills. Passing the hamlet of Ferreiros, we'll reach the famous 100-kilometre/62-mile landmark - a magical moment for weary pilgrims. It's here that pilgrims would re-gather their strength, knowing it was only another three or four days to Santiago. Nowadays, this waypoint marks the limit from where you have to walk continuously to achieve La Compostela, the official pilgrim's certificate. This afternoon, we'll reach Portomarin, once a splendid medieval village, which was relocated by Franco to make way for a reservoir. Remnants of the town's more prosperous days can still be seen amongst its narrow streets, such as the attractive Romanesque San Pedro church. Today's 22-kilometre/13.6-mile walk is expected to take around five-and-a-half hours with 540 metres/1,772 feet of ascent and 300 metres/984 feet of descent. The terrain is mainly unmade paths through hilly countryside.

Today, we'll start by crossing part of the reservoir on a disused railway bridge. Then, the trail continues gradually uphill, passing the 80-kilometre/49.7-mile mark near the village of Castromaior. In the vicinity is Casa Carneiro, in medieval times a night stop for 'VIP' pilgrims such as Charles V the emperor who stayed here in 1520 on his way to his coronation, and King Philipp II a few years later on his way to marry Mary Tudor in England. We'll reach our last high pass (722 metres/2,369 feet) just before Ligonde, and continue on through undulating hills, Eucalyptus trees and Cruceiros (the stone crosses typical of Galicia), to gently descend to our night stop at Palas de Rei, an important pilgrim town. Today's 20-kilometre/12.4-mile walk is expected to take around five hours with 540 metres/1,771 feet of ascent and 640 metres/2,100 feet of descent. We'll ascend up to the pass (722 metres/2,369 feet) and then continue on unmade paths through gently undulating hills.

Leaving the town behind, the Camino now takes us through idyllic rural Galicia, passing farmland and beautiful countryside. We'll walk through an oak grove to A Coruna, and cross a medieval bridge with four arches to reach Melide. Tonight, we'll stay in a typical Galician farmhouse, where we can have a traditional dinner. It's a good opportunity to try some authentic Galician dishes, specifically the famous 'pulpo a la Gallega octopus' for which the village of Melide is renowned, and maybe some of the local white wine from the Riberas Baixas region near Pontevedra Today's 28-kilometre/16.6-mile walk is expected to take around seven hours with 500 metres/1,770 feet of ascent and 650 metres/2099 feet of descent. The terrain is rural paths through farmland and gently undulating hillsides.

Santiago is getting closer! Today we'll pass many 'horreos', typical barns of the region that dot this beautiful countryside. We'll also start to see more signs that we're nearing Santiago, including many pilgrim villages. Crossing the River Iso, we'll arrive in Arzua where the Camino Frances (French Way) that we've been following, and Camino del Norte (North Way or Camino Primitivo) meet - Arzua is also known for its local soft cheese, which you might like to try while we're here! Today, we'll pass many pilgrim sites including pilgrim Guillermo Watt's memorial; he died here whilst on the pilgrimage and his shoes can be found in the stone wall. We can also stop at Santa Irene Chapel to see the statues of Saint James. We'll arrive at the small village of El Amenal and our hotel for the night. Today's 28.5-kilometre/17.7-mile walk is expected to take around seven-and-a-half hours with 450 metres/1,476 feet of ascent and 470 metres/1,542 feet of descent. The terrain is rural paths and local village roads.

Today, is the final day of our pilgrimage, as we walk into Santiago de Compostela. We'll pass through the village of Lavacolla, where traditionally pilgrims would wash and change into their best clothes for the final stretch of the walk. From here, we'll ascend the final hill to Monte Gozo, from where we'll finally see Santiago Cathedral in the distance. We're now just five kilometres from Santiago's historic centre and the end of our pilgrimage. As we walk the last hour of the trail, we'll share the emotions and sense of achievement of thousands of pilgrims, ancient and modern from all over the world. Finally, we'll complete the trail and claim our 'Compostela'. Our last walk covers 17.5 kilometres/10.8 miles and is expected to take around five hours with 300 metres/984 feet of ascent and 350 metres/1,148 feet of descent. The terrain is unmade paths and roads.

This morning, we'll take a walking tour of Santiago with a local guide including a visit to the magnificent cathedral. Santiago de Compostela Cathedral is the final and most iconic stop of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. Reputed to be the resting place of Saint James the apostle, this religious site has attracted pilgrims since the early Middle Ages. Built in the Romanesque style with numerous Gothic, Baroque, Plateresque and Neoclassical add-ons, the cathedral is one of Spain's most visited tourist sites. We'll also visit the important local squares, churches and buildings around the cathedral. The afternoon is free to wander the city's narrow streets, discover some of the city's other architectural treasures, and enjoy the local food and wine. It's also possible to take an optional excursion to Cape Finisterre - please note, this is a full-day tour, so you would miss the city tour.

The trip ends after breakfast at our hotel in Santiago de Compostela. There are no activities planned today, so you're free to depart from Santiago at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day, luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel. If you'd like an airport transfer today, you need to depart from Santiago de Compostela Airport (SCQ) which is around a 15-minute drive from the hotel.