Most Inspirational Moment
Finishing the 18 mile day!
Thoughts on Group Leader
He had not walked the Camino before although he had cycled it .Very pleasant
Advice for Potential Travellers
Take trainers as well as boots.
Reviews
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Reviews
Camino de Santiago
Unusually hot for September.Trainers would have been better than boots as lot of road and gravel walking although I didn,t get any blisters.Very pleasant group of 16 some with Exodus for 1st time.food great. Most meals taken in a group .Camino busy but that meant lots of cafes which we enjoyed.
Great trip
This trek is very well organised and straight forward for experienced walkers. The countryside is similar to the Cotswolds and there are few hills and no difficult sections. Our guide was brilliant and the walk was well paced – if you can walk 10 miles a day you can do this trek.
Most Inspirational Moment
Arriving in the old town in Santiago and the service in the Cathedral with the "swinging" incense - even if you are not Catholic you will find this a very special ending to the trek.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Hose was the perfect guide - he made sure everyone enjoyed the trek and managed the pace very well. He looked after those with blisters and dealt with any other problems with great professionalism. You won't find a better guide anywhere in the world!
Advice for Potential Travellers
You don't need heavy walking boots as much of this trek is on lanes or hard surfaces - good walking shoes are more than adequate. Everyone in our group was an experienced walker but the hard surfaces caused the blisters - some walked in strong sandals which worked quite well.
A great walking experience
Starting the Camino in Samos makes a lot of sense, it is itself a lovely setting with a great hotel for the first night, a pause before the walking starts. The walking programme was well planned building up slowly, after a couple of days it was easy to walk 25k, particularly as we were blessed with sunny weather and our group was honestly full of really friendly walkers. Even the hotels, although modest, were at least of Premier Inn standard.
Most Inspirational Moment
Arriving in Santiago at the Cathedral was brilliant, lots of high spirits against the backdrop of the Cathedral and then later that evening, Pilgrims Mass in the Cathedral, anyone would be taken aback, I have never imagined the atmosphere of so many people together in a church!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our group leader was great, a natural, very easy to talk to and he organised the trip really well, even down to making sure we all dealt properly with any blisters on our feet!!
Advice for Potential Travellers
I think you have to keep your fingers crossed that the weather goes your way, a couple of rainy days at the end of the week took the edge off our two days in Santiago.
A well organised and well lead walk along the Spanish end of The Camino
Despite rain for the first three days we enjoyed it immensely.
Most Inspirational Moment
The arrival at Santiago after 90 miles of walking
Thoughts on Group Leader
He was excellent. Concerned for our welfare and great fun.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The walking is easy in that the trail is well maintained and although there are some ups and downs and one long day of 29 kilometres it will be well within the ability of a regular walker.
Camino De Santiago
We had a great trip, our guide Jose was very helpful and patient. The timing was well planned between am and pm walks for the most part. We found that an hour lunch was too long as my joints would become a little stiff, 30 minutes was more appropriate for me.
Our walking group was not well matched, we could have reached our destination much earlier in the day and would have had time to explore the local area but most days we arrived between 4 and 5 and it did not provide enough time to have a look around.
Most Inspirational Moment
It was reaching Santiago for sure. Seeing all the other pilgrims celebrating their achievement as well as our group was awesome. It was humbling to see people with disabilities struggle through the walk. It was a little disappointing walking through a built up area to reach the cathedral. I missed the pilgrim blessing as I didn't know that we could just show our passports and gain entrance to the cathedral. We were behind a large line up and just gave up our spot.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Jose was very helpful and very patient. He made sure that he spent time with all of the people in our group. He encouraged us to walk together as a group. He had a good sense of humor.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Please have your group leader arrange for your pilgrim's passports to be handed in as a group to avoid 16 people waiting in line for their certificate. I was at the pilgrim's office for 7.30 am in the morning for the 8 opening and it still took me an hour for my certificate, later we found that our guide could have had us sign a document and hand in our passports as a group and then one person could have simply picked them up without waiting. The process described is very seamless and time efficient.
Camino de Santiago Trek
What a lovely walking holiday! I enjoyed the beautiful gentle scenery, abundance of wild flowers, the history, the food, wine, meeting people from other countries, the peace of the countryside, the little places we passed through. We were lucky with the weather. Hot but manageable with well planned breaks in little cafes and restaurants so we didn’t have to carry too much. Accommodation was better than I thought it would be. Mainly modern even if simple hotels. We were well looked after by our friendly and conscientious guide Jose who had to deal with a group with mixed walking experience and ability. As we neared S de C ,the trek got busier but not as much as I thought it would and it wasn’t at all commercialised.
Most Inspirational Moment
Being struck by the fact that we were treading in the footsteps of pilgrims through the ages. That these were ancient routes.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Jose Manuel was determined that we would ALL finish the trek and enter Santiago together and enjoy the whole experience because it WAS meant to be a holiday. He was very conscientious, friendly and diplomatically dealt with our various problems such as blisters, pace and stamina. He was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the region. Organised our snack, lunch and evening breaks. Kept checking that we were coping with the distances walked.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Make sure that you spent time getting used to regular long walks before you go. You will spent a lot of time on your feet in between breaks and the pace is reasonably fast. Take a couple of pairs of light walking boots ,walking shoes or good trainers to change into so that you don't wear the same footwear everyday. Tackle any discomfort STRAIGHT AWAY. One of our group lost a small toenail by the 2nd day and had 12 blisters by the 3rd! Changing socks at lunch-time was also a good idea.
A Great Way to Walk the Way
An excellent opportunity to walk the Camiño de Santiago in relative comfort, enjoying the surprisingly varied and striking scenery of one of Spain’s less visited (by the English) areas.
Most Inspirational Moment
Arriving in to Santiago with the group, surrounded by other fellow pilgrims.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Saint José, who kept us in wine from Samos to Santiago made the trip that much more enjoyable.
Advice for Potential Travellers
30km is as far, if not further, than it sounds and depending on your experience of walking in hot weather a light walking shoe or robust sandal might be preferable to full boots.
Camino de Santiago
I have always heard people talking about the Camino de Santiago as something very special and spiritual. After doing it myself I can only confirm that everything they say about it is absolutely true. It was very nice to walk and chat with the group and get to know other walkers along the way. Such a great experience!!
Buen Camino!
Most Inspirational Moment
Reaching Santiago de Compostela was the highlight of the week for me and sharing the moment with the rest of the group was amazing!
Thoughts on Group Leader
José was a great trip companion and leader. He was fun and professional at the same time,and always ready to help us throughout the Camino.
Camino de Santiago Trek
This was a very well-organized trek led by Jose, a lively, knowledgeable, and attentive guide. The accommodations were simple, but certainly adequate; the food was superb; and the trek itself beautiful in a quiet way.
Most Inspirational Moment
I doubt I'd describe any moment as "inspirational;" it was overall just a pleasant experience. I did like meeting other pilgrims, some of whom were walking the Camino alone. It is obvious that the experiences they were having were much richer and perhaps more inspirational than can be had trekking with a group.
Thoughts on Group Leader
I can only give Jose the highest praise. He was fun, informed, sociable, and very concerned about the welfare of his group. I fell (in a cafe, not on the Camino !!!) and broke my pelvis four days into the walk, and although there was nothing to be done but to drop out and rest, he did his best to see to my comfort for the rest of the tour.
Advice for Potential Travellers
This walk is not particularly difficult, but the pace is quite fast, and there really isn't time to stop for short periods to savor the gorgeous views or to take photographs. The tour is rated "moderate" and asks for a"reasonable degree of fitness". Such wording is a bit too vague. I am over 70 and am very fit for my age, but as I said, I was a slower walker than most people in the group and always felt a little pushed to increase my pace.
CAMINO DE SANTIAGO TREK
A very well-organised trip with an excellent guide. Good company and plenty of laughs!
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing people of all ages doing this pilgrimage, some not for the first time and some not very able.Finding volunteers in little old churches willingly sitting stamping Pilgrim Passports for hours.The peace of Samos Monastery. Seeing storks nesting on a pole in someone's garden!Seeing the famous Botafumeiro (censer) in action at Santiago Cathedral at the Pilgrim's Mass.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Jose Manuel Garcia was brilliant - I cannot improve on the accolades given by a previous reviewer.We missed him once he left us but he left everything in order for the rest of our stay.When he knew I was learning Spanish he made a point of asking me the time etc to help me practise.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Do be very sure of your ability to walk some very long days back to back and be sure of your footwear (including socks). The walking is not difficult but the long days make it hard on the feet. Pack blister kits etc just in case. Don't panic once your leader has gone - Jose gave us all the contact numbers we might need on a slip of paper.If you don't speak Spanish learn some basics before you go - they will be useful and much appreciated. This is not the Costa del anywhere!