The Route of the Camino Frances

Route of the Camino Frances, oldest and most established path to Santiago de Compostela

490 miles to Santiago!

 Many Camino routes are established in France, Spain and Portugal; they all lead to Santiago de Compostela in the Northwest corner of Spain. Begun in the 900's, the Camino Frances, also known as "The Way of St. James," or "The Way," is the oldest, most established and popular of these routes. Up in the Spanish Pyrenees, 15 miles from the French village of St. Jean Pied-de-Port, my starting point of Roncesvalles is the traditional start for those pilgrims wishing to avoid the strenuous climb up and over the mountains. This tiny settlement has only 8 buildings, which include a very large pilgrim church and albergue (Pilgrim Dormitory), two small inns, a hotel, and two bars (Spanish bars   serve snacks, coffee and full meals).  The albergue houses 200 in one large room, with another building available for the overflow crowd experienced in the peak travel months.

Population 30, elevation 3100'

From Roncesvalles, the Camino heads mostly West, crossing 3 mountain ranges, numerous small villages, towns, and 3 cities. You walk on dirt, gravel, asphalt, stone, an occasional seldom used road and even on ancient Roman bridges and roads. You pass through forests, vineyards of the Rioja and Bierzo regions, tilled fields of various vegetables, wheat and corn, and vast empty plains. You cross over or under modern freeways and railroad tracks. And you march through a rich history of settlers, invaders (Franks, Goths, Visigoths, Romans, Christians, Moors), marauding armies (Charlemagne, Roman Legions, Franco), the legacy of historical figures (Roland, Charlemagne, El Cid, Ferdinand and Isabella, Christopher Columbus), and trade routes from Roman to modern times.

Looking back to Pamplona and the Pyrenees

The great meseta, or high plains of northern Spain is from Burgos past Leon to Astorga. The meseta is vast, generally treeless, and can have large distances between villages and water. Due to the lack of trees and rocks, the small villages have many old, adobe buildings and churches. Even on the meseta, very little of the "Way" is actually flat. Big skies, endless vistas, and in the summer/fall, blazing sun and heat is the norm. Finally, about a day from Leon, the eyes can finally rest on the mountains in the far distance; from Astorga, another mountain range is experienced, leading to the symbolic high point (5000' elevation) of the journey, the Iron Cross. Here, Pilgrims will typically leave a pebble, signifying a problem, concern or worry they will now leave behind.  Leaving the Iron Cross, you move down the mountain across a wide valley to the city of Ponferrada, site of early mineral mines and subsequent wealth for the Roman Empire.  The Camino then winds it way through the vineyards of the Bierzo region, and up into our final mountains of Galicia. Here you can find the hilltops peeking above the morning mist and you share "The Way" with herds of cows being taken to and from their pastures. Another week and the goal of Santiago is finally reached.

Walking to Hornillos on the meseta

Distant early morning rain on the meseta

Leaving a pebble at the Iron Cross

Vineyards in the Rioja Region

Sharing the Camino with farm equipment

One of many adobe buildings on the meseta

Typical village scene

Knight's Templar castle in Ponferrada

Walking through mountains

Green and peaceful province of Galicia

Sharing the Camino with the cows

The terrain is varied, the gorgeous view ever changing across 500 miles of Spain. The Pilgrim experience reduces life down to its most basic necessities: clean water, shelter, and food. Days can be long, hard, hot, uncomfortable, wet, but each step brings a different view of a special place. The journey is a physical and mental challenge, yet rewarding in ways unimagined. I invite you to join me as I travel it yet again, but in a cool season with fewer crowds.