Camino
CAMINO DE SANTIAGO HIKING TRIPS | SPAIN
May 3 – 9 inclusive, 2012 | 7 nights | Women’s Hiking only trip (Moderate Hiking Distances)
May 12 – 18 inclusive, 2012 | 7 nights | Women’s Hiking & YOGA trip (Easy Hiking Distances)
October, 2012 | TBC
“La vida es un gran mystère” said the typical, old, Spanish village abuela, whose deep set, glassy eyes hinted of a wisdom derived only with years. We were in La Faba, Spain. La Faba isn’t an Alicante, Madrid, Granada or Barcelona. It’s like two side streets in Red Deer, Alberta, except green and hilly and almost greeting the clouds – so maybe not like Red Deer at all. But it’s not a travel destination and nor is Red Deer. Yet, of the 272,380 pilgrims who walked the 850+ kilometres of Camino de Santiago across northern Spain in 2010, there’s probably a pretty big chunk of them who walked through La Faba, maybe even stopped for the night, maybe even plodded sore, blistered feet right by this same lady’s backyard. I wonder if she spoke to them in that same wise, distant tone. I wonder if she handed them a handful of shelled peanuts grown in her backyard. I wonder if she told them that life is a big mystery. I wonder if she is still alive.
It was nine years ago at a roof top restaurant in Varanasi, India which boasted on a sign outside “views of the burning ghats” (where the bodies of the deceased are ceremoniously burned on the Ganges) that I first heard about the Camino de Santiago of Spain. As I simultaneously inhaled diluted wafts of the smoke produced by burning flesh along with mouthfuls of spicy palak paneer , a fellow tourist entranced me with the story of his walk along the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage that has existed since at least the medieval period.
The Camino de Santiago is known as a Catholic pilgrimage, but today people of all cultures and religious affiliations (or lack thereof) venture to Spain to carry their packs and themselves across the width of the country. The Camino can be a physical, emotional, mental, spiritual or religious experience, depending on your own inclinations. Whatever the case, the capacity of the Camino is to touch a person in many ways. Walking for hours in the outdoors, with your belongings on your back, stopping for café con leche after a quiet morning walk, or stopping to take a photo of a quaint bridge as you walk into the next ancient village under the rays of the warm, Spanish sun…
The Camino is the only trail I have ever walked as a female, alone, without any feeling of insecurity or compromised safety. I have returned to it both as a therapy and a joy and I wish for other women to experience the Camino and feel able to return to it, if they choose to venture alone in the future.
The trips being offered in 2012 are an introduction to the Camino, tracing a bit less than 100 kilometres across central, northern Spain. Walk the Camino between Léon and Villafranca del Bierzo, experiencing the regional culture and cuisine, sampling local wine, meeting other pilgrims walking the route from all around the world, visiting architectural sites of Gaudi, ambling through quaint villages and challenging your body over Spanish terrain.
I have chosen this particular part of the Camino to experience of the entire 800+ kilometre route for several reasons. Firstly, its terrain is non-technical and mostly flat with fewer steep inclines or declines. Secondly, there are a number of very enchanting towns in this small part of the trail: Leon and Astorga, both with striking examples of the architecture of Gaudi, and more quaint and oozing with charm, Hospital de Orbigo, Molinaseca (my personal favourite) and Villafranca del Bierzo. This part of the Camino is mostly across the meseta or dryer flatlands of northern Spain, thus the climate is dryer with less chance of run and a higher number of sunny days – also good for hiking! While there are numerous towns, cafés, and there will be many other pilgrims walking simultaneously, this area is not as busy as the last 200 kilometres of the Camino where it can often be competitive to find accommodations and a less peaceful experience. I am hoping to offer a trip walking the route between Villafranca del Bierzo and Santiago de Compostela in 2013. Stay tuned.
HIKING ONLY TRIP SCHEDULE (subject to change)
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Trip Initiation and Group Meet Up | 4.00 p.m. Posada Regia, Léon
Group Dinner | 8.30 p.m.
Hotel Posada Regia or NH Plaza Mayor, Léon
Friday, May 4, 2012
Group Breakfast | 7.30 – 8.30 a.m.
Transport to Hospital de Orbigo
Stage 1: Hospital de Orbigo to Astorga (16.1 kms)
Group Dinner | 8.00 p.m.
Hotel Casa de Tepa , Astorga
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Group Breakfast | 9.00 – 10.00 a.m.
Stage 2: Astorga to Santa Catalina (9.4 kms)
Hotel Casa de Tepa, Astorga
Independent Dinner at your leisure
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Group Breakfast | 8.00 – 9.00 a.m.
Stage 3: Santa Catalina to Foncebadón (16.5 kms)
Hotel de Floriana, Molinaseca
Group Dinner | 7.30 p.m.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Group Breakfast | 8.00 – 8.30 a.m.
Stage 4: Foncebadón to Molinaseca (19.4 kms)
Independent Dinner at your leisure
Hotel de Floriana, Molinaseca
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Group Breakfast | 8.00 – 8.30 a.m.
Stage 5: Molinaseca to Cacabelos (22.9 kms)
Group Dinner | 7.30 p.m.
Casa Las Doñas del Portazgo, Villafranca del Bierzo
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Group Breakfast | 8:30 – 9:30 a.m.
Stage 6: Cacabelos to Villafranca del Bierzo (7.3 kms)
Bodega (Winery) Tour
Group Celebration Dinner | 8.00 p.m.
Casa Las Doñas del Portazgo, Villafranca del Bierzo
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Group Breakfast & Good-byes | 8.30 – 9.30 a.m.
Transport to Ponferrada (if required)
HIKING & YOGA TRIP SCHEDULE (subject to change)
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Trip Initiation and Group Meet Up | 4.00 p.m. Posada Regia, Léon
Group Dinner | 8.30 p.m.
Hotel Posada Regia or NH Plaza Mayor, Léon
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Group Breakfast | 7.30 – 8.30 a.m.
Transport to Astorga
Stage 1: Astorga to Santa Catalina (9.4 kms)
P.M. Zen Session
Group Dinner | 8.00 p.m.
Hotel Casa de Tepa , Astorga
Monday, May 14, 2012
A.M. Zen Session
Group Breakfast | 9.00 – 10.00 a.m.
Stage 2: Santa Catalina to Rabanal del Camino (11.0 kms)
Hotel Casa de Tepa, Astorga
Independent Dinner at your leisure
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
A.M. Zen Session
Group Breakfast | 8.00 – 9.00 a.m.
Stage 3: Rabanal del Camino to El Acebo (16.7 kms)
Hotel de Floriana, Molinaseca
Group Dinner | 7.30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
A.M. Zen Session
Group Breakfast | 9.00 – 10.00 a.m.
Stage 4: El Acebo to Molinaseca (8.2 kms)
Afternoon option to independently tour Ponferrada (transport provided)
Independent Dinner at your leisure
Hotel de Floriana, Molinaseca
Thursday, May 17, 2012
A.M. Zen Session
Group Breakfast | 8.00 – 8.30 a.m.
Stage 5: Molinaseca to Cacabelos (22.9 kms)
Group Dinner | 7.30 p.m.
Casa Las Doñas del Portazgo, Villafranca del Bierzo
Friday, May 18, 2012
A.M. Zen Session
Group Breakfast | 9.00 – 10.00 a.m.
Stage 6: Cacabelos to Villafranca del Bierzo (7.3 kms)
Bodega (Winery) Tour
Group Celebration Dinner | 8.00 p.m.
Casa Las Doñas del Portazgo, Villafranca del Bierzo
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Group Breakfast & Good-byes | 8.30 – 9.30 a.m.
Transport to Ponferrada (if required)
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Pricing | $2300 (either trip) | all accommodation is offered on a single basis (i.e. one person per room).
Price includes 7 nights hotel accommodation, all dinners and breakfasts, trail rescue, luggage transportation while hiking (if required), orientation session, Spanish speaking tour guide, bodega tour and added extras. Hiking & Yoga Trip includes six “Zen Sessions” which will include a combination of yoga asana, pranayama (breath) and/or meditation practice.
100 euros is recommended for additional food and daily expenses. Transportation to Spain and to the start/end points (Léon and Ponferrada) is not included. Renfe.com offers reasonable rail travel from Madrid to Léon. (The journey is approximately 3 hours). Alsa Buses offers comfortable bus travel from Ponferrada to Madrid (4-5 hours) or Madrid’s Bajaras International Airport (5.5-6 hours).
The hotels included (organizer reserves right to modify hotel list as required) are as follows:
Posada, Regia, Léon or NH Plaza Mayor Hotel, Léon
Hotel de Floriana, Molinaseca
Casa de Tepa, Astorga
Las Doñas del Portazgo, Villafranca del Bierzo
Space is limited to six women per trip, early booking is encouraged.
More information | sstanleyb@gmail.com
Facebook Event Page (with photos)
Links
List of Camino de Santiago Websites
Camino Planner (includes distances from towns along the Camino de Santiago)
Why walk the Camino?
45 Most Asked Camino de Santiago Questions
About the Camino – Wikipedia
Camino de Santiago Forum
