Walking the Camino Frances: My 115km Journey from Sarria to Santiago

There are some trips where you come home feeling like you’ve had a holiday, and then there are trips where you come home feeling like you’ve actually experienced something.

My recent Camino Frances adventure was definitely the latter.

I decided to take on 115km of the Camino Frances over five days, walking solo from Sarria all the way to Santiago de Compostela with CaminoGroups.ie. I’d heard so many great things about the Camino from members of Rory’s Travel Club, and after hearing plenty of tips and stories from people who had already done it, I finally decided it was time to give it a go myself.

And honestly? I absolutely loved it. I’d 100% do it again.

Starting in Sarria

I arrived in Galicia on 19th August and made my way by bus to Sarria, where I stayed overnight before beginning the walk.

The bus station is only about a 10-minute walk from Plaza Galicia, so getting settled in was nice and straightforward. Sarria is a lovely place to begin the Camino and there was a real sense of excitement knowing that the following morning I would finally be setting off.

I was up and walking around 8am each morning, and most days I arrived at my accommodation around lunchtime. That was one of the things I really enjoyed about the trip: although the distances sound substantial, getting an early start meant I usually had the afternoon to relax, explore the town, have something to eat and enjoy a well-earned drink.

Five Days and 115km

My route was:

• 19th August: Bus to Sarria and overnight stay
• 20th August: Sarria → Portomarín — 22km
• 21st August: Portomarín → Palas de Rei — 25km
• 22nd August: Palas de Rei → Arzúa — 28km
• 23rd August: Arzúa → Pedrouzo → Amenal — 23km
• 24th August: Amenal → Santiago de Compostela — 17km

The distances definitely weren't insignificant, particularly the 28km day, but I found that once I got into a rhythm, the walking became surprisingly manageable.

The scenery helps enormously too.

There is something very enjoyable about spending hours walking through the Galician countryside, passing little villages, forests, farms and fellow pilgrims along the way. You get into your own head a bit, but at the same time you're surrounded by people all making their own journey towards Santiago.

The weather played its part

The weather was pretty much ideal for walking.

Four of the five days were around 25°C, which was warm but still comfortable once I was moving. Day four brought a bit of rain, but thankfully it didn't last for the entire day.

One thing I quickly appreciated was how easy it was to stop along the route.

There were food, drink and toilet stops roughly every 5-6km, so I never felt like I had to carry huge amounts of supplies with me. You could regularly stop for a coffee, a drink, something to eat or simply a quick break before continuing. 

I also found the food and drink to be very reasonably priced compared with Ireland, which was another nice surprise.

At the end of most days I was ready for a big sleep. I just booked hotels along the way. Average hotels for a solo room was about €60-70 per night, which I found handy especially after the bigger walking days.

My biggest lesson: travel light!

One of the biggest lessons I learned came very early in the trip.

On my first day, I walked with a small backpack containing my belongings and, by the end of the day, my back was wrecked!

For the remaining four days, I walked without a backpack. I kept the essentials I needed for the day in my pockets and had my main bag transferred between hotels.

This made the walking so much easier and more manageable.

I used Camino Fácil to transfer my luggage from hotel to hotel each day, and it cost me approximately €50 for the week. For me, it was absolutely worth it.

If you're planning your own Camino, I would definitely recommend considering a luggage transfer service. Being able to walk without a heavy backpack made a huge difference to my enjoyment of the experience.

A tip from the Rory's Travel Club members

Another tip that came directly from our members was one that I'm particularly glad I listened to: Vaseline on the feet every day.

I applied it each morning before setting off and, thankfully, I didn't get a single blister.

Considering I walked 115km in five days, I'll definitely be keeping that tip in my Camino toolkit!

It's amazing how little pieces of advice from people who've already done the trip can make such a difference.

Walking solo

I did the Camino solo, which was something I really enjoyed.

You can walk at your own pace, stop whenever you want, take your time with a coffee or a meal, and simply enjoy being outside without having to worry about anyone else's schedule.

But walking solo doesn't mean you're alone.

One of the great things about the Camino is the people you meet along the way. Everyone is heading in the same general direction, and there is a real sense of camaraderie between pilgrims.

You can spend some time walking alone and then find yourself chatting to someone you've just met five minutes earlier. Everyone has their own reason for doing the Camino, and I found that really interesting.

Arriving in Santiago

The final morning was a particularly memorable one.

After five days and 115km, I set off from Amenal for the final 17km into Santiago de Compostela.

There's something special about knowing you're on your last day. The tiredness is still there, but so is the excitement of knowing you're getting closer and closer to Santiago.

And then you arrive.

After all those kilometres, seeing Santiago ahead and knowing you've walked there from Sarria is a brilliant feeling.

It was definitely one of those moments where you stop and think, I actually did that.

Would I do it again?

Without hesitation: yes.

Before doing the Camino, I wasn't completely sure what to expect. Would five days of walking be too much? Would I get bored? Would walking solo be difficult?

In reality, I loved the whole experience.

The scenery, the people, the food, the towns, the sense of achievement and simply having five days where the main thing you had to do was put one foot in front of the other. It was brilliant.

And having the logistics organised through CaminoGroups.ie made the experience much easier. I could concentrate on the walking and enjoying the journey rather than worrying about where I was going to stay each night or what to do with my luggage.

If you've ever thought about doing the Camino, my advice is simple:

Go for it.

Don't worry about being an experienced walker. Don't worry about doing it with a group. And don't worry if you're travelling solo.

Get a decent pair of shoes, put some Vaseline on your feet, travel light, start early and enjoy the journey.

I'll definitely be back on the Camino again.

Maybe next time I'll take a few more days to enjoy it!

Buen Camino!