Walking the Camino de Santiago

Just brilliant! I can't recommend this trip enough. It was tough going at times but all worthwhile when we eventually marched into Santiago in glorious sunshine. Our guide, Rocio, was beyond brilliant. She was so supportive, set the pace to suit everyone and kept us all going when people were struggling towards the end of the day (usually me). She helped us all in so many ways over the 12 days and always with great efficiency, competence and good humour. Nothing was EVER a problem. It was truly a fantastic experience, not always easy but the people you meet, the sights you see and great sense of achievement when you are done make it all worthwhile. So, if you are reading this and thinking should I/can I/will I do the Camino – DO IT. I promise you won't regret it.

The Explore leader was excellent and provided way more services than expected. The trip began with a slow start in that none of our fellow travelers received the promised shuttle from the airport and had to make our own way to the first hotel. This is where we first met our Explore leader, Jessica. I did not expect any more from Explore than a once a day briefing on our route but Jessica looked after us like a mother hen looking after chicks. She kept track of who was leading and who was lagging. Escorted the willing on side trips to visit churches or monuments, directed us to pharmacies, restaurants, laundries. Arranged for taxis for those that needed them and followed up to make sure that the taxi had actually arrived etc. She was outgoing and personable and made what turned out to be the hottest week in a century more tolerable. Great job!

First and foremost we had a most wonderful guide, Jessica. She gave us a rundown daily of what to expect ie: mileage, terrain, history of the area, landmarks. She made sure we were well hydrated during the heat wave. Had numerous bathroom breaks as well as nutrition stops. Jessica was able to negotiate and translate with the locals when we needed her in restaurants and hotels. To me Jessica made the entire trip memorable. She is a ray of sunshine.

I will start with a couple of small things that meant a lot to me. I had been travelling all day and arrived a Madrid Airport around 11pm local time to be met with Alex our guide who had a taxi waiting for me. He ensured the hotel checkin went very well. Everyone on the Camino was incredibly friendly if anyone was in trouble everyone came running to help. I mentioned above about being met at the airport and everything going smoothly it was the same for the whole trip. The hotels were all first class, the staff could not have been nicer. I felt that we were given the freedom we needed to experience the Camino with the support of a guide there in case anything went wrong. We formed a good group who got on really well. I can see why the pilgrimage is rated so highly, the scenery was excellent, the churches were fantastic along with some of the historic towns and cities. Something which surprised me about the Camino was the number of single women walking on their own. The fact that they feel that it is safe to do so should be a source of pride to the Spanish people. Everyone I talked to who completed the Camino took away what they needed from it.