Stage 6: from Padrón to Santiago de Compostela
Our last stage is the longest. We left 15.5 miles for this last stage. Contrary to our initial fear, we started the day with a lot of energy as it was today when we reached our finish line. However, we also began to feel the melancholy of the last day of the walk, the last day on the road, with the thousands of people who crossed paths and spoke to us. It was a day full of emotions until the end.
The route begins with small roads between villages and also forests. For the last time, we crossed a green forest, where we listened to the sounds of water and also the music that a street artist played in the middle of the path.
The route had some difficult climbs, with cobbled or dirt ground, but as we approached the end, we no longer felt the pain of the almost 62 miles we had covered.
Missing 5 miles to the end, we reached the top of a hill, where we saw the Cathedral for the first time.
The final part of the route loses its charm as we enter in a big city. Here, even the yellow arrows disappear and we are forced to follow the GPS instructions. At the entrance to Santiago de Compostela, the pilgrims can choose between two paths and we chose the one on the right, towards the Church of Nossa Senhora da Mercé do Conxo, because it seemed to us that will take us through calmer and less busy streets in terms of traffic.
We continue climbing towards Parque da Alameda and here the streets enter on the old part of Santiago city. There are just a few meters left before we enter Praça do Obradoiro, mile zero of the Caminos de Santiago and the end of our trip.
When we got here, we felt the same feeling as crossing the finish line of a half marathon. The faces of everyone carrying a backpack were happy and so were ours. We sat on the ground for long minutes and said goodbye to some people who accompanied us along the way. Each one played, in different ways, an important role in our completion of this challenge. From the group of three pilgrims, we met on Redondela, the couple with their three children who served as inspiration, to our mini-pilgrim, the group of pilgrims from Canada who helped us with the stroller on the steep and difficult climb after Pontesampaio or even the elderly couple, who have travelled the world and told us wonderful stories.
Before going to the hotel, we went to get the Compostela, which attests to our pilgrimage. Afterwards, we looked for a hotel, located nearby and went to visit the city.
The next day we attended the Pilgrim’s celebration in the cathedral and went to hug the saint who accompanied us on this journey.
Is possible to travel with the stroller on public transport?
One of our concerns was how to go to Valença and how to go home from Santiago de Compostela with the stroller. We live in the Algarve, Portugal.
After looking a little into the issue, we concluded that:
- It is possible to transport strollers on CP trains (Portugal public train company). The only situation is that the closed trolley had to fit where the suitcases were placed. We asked a reviewer to go into the train a few weeks earlier and test whether it fit.
- From Santiago de Compostela to Oporto, we catch the bus with the company Flixbus. This allows for free transport of strollers with the dimensions of our stroller.
Pilgrim’s hostels or accommodation – where to stay overnight
Staying overnight is a question that didn’t leave us with many doubts. Given the certainty of where we would stay, we always chose to stay in local accommodation or hotels. This choice was made due to the need to have our space as a family and to guarantee accommodation at the end of each stage by booking in advance.
However, for those who are going to make the journey, there is always the possibility of staying in public or private pilgrim’s hostels. Both do not accept reservations in advance, so occupancy is done on a first-come, first-served basis or through a reservation made by telephone the day before or on the same day.
Normally, hostels, have rooms where several pilgrims stay, which increases the possibility of socializing and exchanging experiences.
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