HELLO. THIS IS OUR WAY
Camino de Santiago de Compostela
- Camino Frances -
9th May 2025
Day 11 - Cardeñuela Riopico to Hornillos del Camino
We were up at 5am and packed before realising it was raining - too late to crawl back into bed. By 5.30am we were out the door in full waterproofs. The rain had mostly stopped but it was still very cold.
8th May 2025
Day 10 - Espinosa del Camino to Cardeñuela Riopico
It was a hot, airless night with six of us crammed into a small room. I got up around 2 a.m. to use the loo and opened the window on the way back, then managed a bit more sleep before waking naturally at 5 a.m. Gaby was stirring too, and with a quiet nod between us, we agreed to get going.
7th May 2025
Day 9 - Cirueña to Espinosa del Camino
Having a twin room meant we took longer to get ready in the morning — with the light on, we could empty the contents of our rucksacks across the beds and reorganise everything. It made things slower than the previous night’s system of preparing bags in advance so we could just throw in the last few items and leave. As a result, we started walking at 6:10am.
6th May 2025
Day 8 - Navarrete to Cirueña
We were the first to leave the albergue, out the door by 6am, with the streets understandably deserted. It was a cold morning, around 6°C with a light wind - almost trousers weather, though I’d only packed shorts.
5th May 2025
Day 7 - Viana to Navarrete
It almost felt like a holiday today with a lie-in until 6am. We even had time for breakfast before leaving the albergue around 7, though we still made a quick stop at a bakery for a second breakfast, eaten on the move as we walked out through the streets.
4th May 2025
Day 6 - Villamayor de Monjardín to Viana
Concerned about finding somewhere to stay tonight, we were up, packed, and out the door by 5:10 am. Early starts have three advantages: we get the trail to ourselves, we walk longer before the heat of the midday sun, and best of all, we catch the sunrise. It was almost two hours before we saw anyone else on the trail - just before the village of Los Arcos - then it started getting busier, with people ahead and behind us.
3rd May 2025
Day 5 - Puente la Reina to Villamayor de Monjardín
Early starts are becoming the norm. We left the albergue at 5:55 a.m., heading down the main street and over the bridge that gives the village its name. Not many other pilgrims were about as we began the gradual ascent out of the village.
2nd May 2025
Day 4 - Pamplona to Puente la Reina
A quiet night, with surprisingly few snorers given we were in a 24-bed dorm. I was woken at 5 a.m. by someone’s phone alarm and lay there until 5:15 before heading to the loo. We carried our bags out to the reception foyer to pack and were on the move by 5:55 a.m. Unsurprisingly, the streets of Pamplona were quiet apart from a few other early pilgrims.
1st May 2025
Day 3 - Zubiri to Pamplona
With the window open all night and the steady sound of the river drowning out any snorers, it was our best night’s sleep so far. We were up at 5:30 a.m., carrying our kit quietly to the garage/boot room to pack without waking anyone else.
30th Apr 2025
Day 2 - Roncesvalles to Zubiri
A lot of toilet-flushing through the night meant I was awake by 4am. By 5:45am we gave up on sleep and started packing. At 6am, the dorm lights flicked on accompanied by the gentle blare of hymns. Shoes on, out the door by 6:30am. Still dark, but like yesterday: clear skies, no breeze.