Day 10 And so to Santiago de Compostela

We were taken back by car to our start point for a relaxed start at about 9:15. That meant we joined a big throng of pilgrims but fortunately that soon thinned out. Unfortunately the reason for the stretching out of the walkers was an immediate steep climb of 115 metres.

This has been a hilly ten days of walking. Even with only 16 km this final day of distance we had 300 metres of ascent. As we walked up the first incline we were met with the sweet sound of a Galician bagpipe. As we arrived at the top the sound changed to the less pleasing sound to the ear of jet engines taking off from Santiago airport where we had to walk round the runway.

The final kms were mainly through woodland until we were 5 km from the city centre at Monte de Gozo. This is the first time that the pilgrims over the centuries have been able to see the cathedral of St James. In the past it was an important milestone for the pilgrims who prepared themselves spiritually and physically for the destination ahead.

Soon we were walking through city streets with an increasing number of pilgrims.

With only glimpses of the cathedral it seemed to take a long time until we eventually went through a set of steps under a building to arrive at the famous square in front of the cathedral.

Our accommodation is one of the renowned Paradores which are culturally significant buildings converted by the Spanish government to fine hotels. We are right on the square which is most convenient.

After refreshing ourselves we visited the cathedral. The shrine of St James is overwhelming. It would have formed an impressive experience for weary pilgrims with great expectation of healing.

We didn’t see the well known incense burner in operation but it is still amazing. It takes a team of eight to swing the Botifumiero. There are good videos on YouTube.

Afterwards we proceeded to the Pilgrim Office for the accreditation of our Credencial and to receive the Compostela.

We have walked 790 km or 500 miles across northern Spain over the last three years. It has been a memorable journey.

It’s difficult to say at this stage what has been the lasting significance but we’re sure it has had an impact on our lives through having had extended time to reflect on our life priorities.

Now we will travel on to Cape Finisterre through a mixture of walking and buses. We are rather tired after the last ten days of walking so will treat this last section as more of a restful holiday.