5 Things We Learnt While Walking The Camino de Santiago

Ahead of walking the Camino de Santiago, blog posts like this were my favourite thing to read, so here are the top 5 things we learnt while walking the ancient pilgrimage. 

Eat, eat, eat

Some days, we were burning 2000+ calories, so to avoid crashing out, we were constantly eating. Nuts, fruit, crisps, you name it, if we could carry it, we would eat it! There were plenty of supermarkets or small corner stores along the way, so you will have no issues getting snacks and drinks as you need them. Bigger villages also had cafes if you wanted coffee after an early morning start. The Portuguese Coastal route is one of the more popular routes, so there are plenty of places to take a breather along the way!

Less is more

When it comes to packing your gear, less is more. We were able to fit 3 people's clothes for 2 weeks in one pack, which we had transferred between our albergues. Each of us carried a small day pack for essentials like food, first aid, and plenty of water. All of the albergues we stayed at had washing facilities, so you could easily wash your clothes after a day of walking. We ended up wearing only a handful of the clothes we brought because we were able to wash them so frequently! 

You CAN do it

We very quickly learnt that our bodies are capable of much more than we think; in the end, it was our minds that were struggling. Our first day was 34km (oops), but it proved to us that we were stronger than we thought. The mantra ‘I can do hard things’ was on repeat for those first few days…

People are kinder than you think

Obviously, we know that people are kind, but the camaraderie among pilgrims was something unique. At the end of the day, you are all on the same journey, facing similar challenges, and that is what bonds you after a long day of walking. One of the highlights of our trip was meeting new people, learning where they were from, why they were walking, and then catching up with them days later. The spirit of the Camino shone through in the community aspect of the pilgrimage. 

Start early

We started walking no later than 7 am for several reasons. Firstly, to get ahead of the heat, secondly, we found the route to be quieter in the mornings, and finally, so we could enjoy our afternoons of recovery. Towards the end of our pilgrimage, a heatwave was forecasted, so from 10 am onwards, walking in the sun was hard work. Most of the time, the other walkers in our albergues were on similar time schedules, which made getting up at 6 am more enjoyable. The best part of this, though, was that we would usually finish our walking day by 12 pm, giving us some free time to rest, stretch, and journal!

Walking the Camino de Santiago exceeded our expectations greatly; if you’re looking for a reset, both mentally and physically, we couldn’t recommend it more. 

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