Awesome 7-Day Camino de Santiago Spain Trek in 5 Days as a Solo Female Hiker
Is it really possible to hike the famous 7-day Camino de Santiago trek in only 5 days? The answer is absolutely yes it can be achieved and one can still take in the beautiful scenery of Spain’s countryside and villages by only carrying a 10-kilogram hiking backpack, hiking boots, and a hiking stick over a total distance of 116km with no one carrying gear for you.
Day 1 - Sarrin to Portomarin (22km, 4.5 hours)
In early March 2020, I arrived by train to Sarrin from Bilbao in the early hours of the morning where I encountered a quiet city still asleep. The first thing I did after researching about the pilgrimage was purchase a hiking stick for 20 euros and a Camino pilgrim passport from a local shop as a memento of this amazing trip that has been on my bucket list since 2017. This was followed by enjoying a hearty breakfast before embarking on the first part of the Camino hike after being awake for the last 24 hours.
Yes, it was a crazy journey to get to Sarrin. I took a train from Ghent to Brussels in the early hours of the morning (around 6 am), then caught a flight from Brussels Airport to Zurich Airport, Switzerland, and then to Bilbao Airport, Spain. This was followed by walking through the city of Bilbao to find the train station to catch a train somewhere in the countryside of Spain. This is where I had to wait until after midnight to hop onto a bus for several hours. After the bus ride, it was then onto another train before arriving at Sarrin the next day at around 6 am to jump into a 22k hike to Portomarin. Highly recommend not to do this crazy journey to get to Sarrin and if you do then allow yourself a night in Bilbao.
Anyway, I love a challenge and that is what I got, so I started my Camino journey by following the yellow arrows that were on the footpath to the first road sign showing the way and hiked the first part of the journey to Portomarin where I stayed the night at Pension Perez, Portomarin. Along the way to Portomarin from Sarrin, I walked and chatted with two gentlemen from Mexico for a few hours, and then enjoyed walking the remaining trail on my own soaking in Spain’s rural landscape, also I found the gentlemen from Mexico walking at speed a bit slow for my liking as my second wind of energy kicked in regardless of being sleep deprived.
View of Portomarin Village, Spain from my hotel room window…..beautiful & green
Day 2 - Portomarin to Palas de Rei (25km, 5 hours)
After a much-need night’s rest and meeting another two fellow hikers at dinner who had been walking the 30-day Camino de Santiago hike from France, I was super keen for another day of hiking to a new destination - Palas de Rei where I planned to stay at Camplejo La Carbana. The day’s hike consisted mostly of walking along the side of country roads and through a forest where I encountered now and then groups of Spanish high school students. It was amazing to see so many students along the walk-in casual street shoes (they must have tough feet to survive the hike….lol). It was another day of cool but awesome weather (no rain) when following the yellow arrows.
Day 3 - Palas de Rei to Arzua (29km, 6 hours)
Knowing that I had a big day of trekking, the day started eariler than the previous day. I began with a trek through some of Palas de Rei’s beautiful forest, then walked through a village and over a bridge t the main centre of Melide where I cam across an amazing cemetery and ended up talking up a well-deserved rest (above ground of course).
Not many people on the trail today as it is a lot quieter for this time of year to do the pilgrimage (planned it that way - fewer hikers and accommodation is quieter with more availability plus the Spanish pensions are cheaper).
Did come across a few hello’s that came my way which was lovely but mostly spent the day soloing along the trail singing songs to myself. At the end of a big day of hiking, I stayed at the beautifully decorated Pension Luis which was not too far off the Camino trail and surrounded by many cafes offering yummy spanish cruisines and a supermarket close by to stock up for the next day.
Quaint bridge on the way of St James - Melide, Spain
Cemetery in Melide, Spain where one took a well deserved break.
Day 4 - Arzua to O Pedrouzo (22km, 5 hours)
Second last day until reaching Santiago de Compostela and it’s another big awesome day of trekking with beautiful weater. Just being in Spain and hving the ability to do the prilgrimage and fulfiling a dream to walk part of the Camino is an appreciation in itself. The day was a mix of walking by myself and walking with others that I encountered on the trail.
My encounters with fellow hikers consist of walking into a small cafe along my way to O Pedrouzo to find myself having an intelligent conversation with two gentlemen from Finland. We chatted about IT and Finland to discover both of them have done the Camino four times from different starting points such as from Portugal and France. The conversation was welcoming after hiking alone the day before and parts of today. We had lots in common as we all worked in the IT industry and I had travelled through parts of Finland in 2007 which is still one of my favourite countries today.
The other encounter was chatting with a guy who was doing the Camino on an e-bike and he ended up pushing his bike up a hill due to the trail being a bit rough for cycling. I thought how awesome it would be to do the pilgrimage on an e-bike but at the same time felt it would be cheating the journey I had dreamt about doing for many years.
For tonight, my head and my feet rested at Pension Javier Pedrouzo Sleeping Group. The accommodation was simple but clean with a shared bathroom and the room was quiet, actually, the whole place was quiet as I didn’t see anyone else. That night I indulged in a paella for dinner at a local restaurant that was close by.
Spectacular countryside views that I experienced along the way to O Pedrouzo.
Day 5 - O Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela (18km, 4 hours)
Last day on the Camino trail and it was the 11 of March 2020 when the weather was slighly overcast with no rain (yeah!!). I hit the trails early again so I could soak in the experience. Mixed feelings today as I knew it was going to be over soon and didn’t want it to end.
On the trail, I came across a beauitful field of yellow flowers in O Pino where I spent a few mintues admiring the beauitful sight. Today’s hike was mix of walking through fields, walking through the first lot of city suburbs, around an airport field, and finally making it to the final destination, the city of santiage de Compostela!!!
After entering the city, I easily found the Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela with the help of Google maps (lol) and sat down in front of the Cathedral along with other fellow hikers. Here I embraced the accomplishment of completing the Camino trail in just 5 days as planned, admiring the cathedral’s romanesque architecture, and reflected back on those who have walked the St James over the centuries.
The rest of the afternoon I spent wandering around the streets of the city, visiting museums where I saw centuries-old pilgrim hiking shoes, and got my Camino passport verified. While wandering around the city I ran into the IT guys from Finland and found them enjoying a well-deserved ale. That night I rested up at Hostal Mapoula P.R. before flying the next morning to Bilboa and then on to Brussels the next day (13 March 2020) where I found out for the first time airports around the globe were closing due to the pandemic.
So blessed to have had the experience and every step made was well worth it and would highly recommend it! By the way, once again I ran into the IT guys from Finland at the local airport and joined them for a farewell ale.
