Day 30 O Pedrouzo to Santiago De Compostela

We had lovely  meal at our hotel last night,Tom and Sandy an Australian couple joined us,they had walked  from Leon.

We got to bed at 10 pm as we had yet another early start.

Woke up at 0500 and as usual got on with the morning ritual,by the end of the day these poor feet would have walked 508 miles and I think they needed a break.

It was still dark when we set off ,due to the low cloud base it did not get light until 0700,we walked through the woods in darkness for the an hour or so.

We stopped for breakfast as usual.

It started to rain for a bit when we left,so on came the wet weather gear,it was very humid indeed so the minute it stopped raining off it came again.

It was the same old woodland.

We soon arrived at the airport perimeter and the fence was covered in wooden crosses.

Martin had wanted to dip his feet into a stream before the walk ended so we joined him.

To say the water was cold is an understatement,but our trotters felt so refreshed for it,I wish we had done it before.Time for a quick beer,I am ashamed to say it was only 0830 ,but thought we had something to celebrate about.

This an interesting way of walking The Camino,I suspect it is harder then carrying a rucksack.

It was only to be a twelve mile walk today,I felt as if we were walking slower than usual it was as if we were savouring what little time we had left.

People cycling The Camino are a constant threat to walkers as they come hurtling up behind us and never ring their bell,you have to be ever vigilant,the worsed culprits are the Italians and Spanish.

We stopped for one last time 4 miles out of Santiago,I got my pilgrims passport stamped for the last time not  that I intended to get the certificate at the end of the walk.You have to get it stamped every day to qualify.

It was soon time for our last walk together as we  headed the last 3 miles into Santiago,I was not sure whether I was sad or happy it was coming to an end.

We came over the top  of a hill and there was Santiago.

The end was in sight and I am sure I felt my feet give a little skip of joy.

It was a long dreary walk through the suburbs of the city.

But is was worth it when I saw this,I knew I had made it,if I am honest there were times that I thought I would never set eye on this wonderful sign in fact I would go as far as saying this must be the finest sign ever,it meant so much to me seeing it.

Even if it was a bit scruffy and worn!!!! On we went into the old city and I could see the top of the Cathedral .

Then we walked around the corner and there it was,the end of the walk.

Who did I bump into within seconds of arriving the spirited Cindy she had made it.

Then Mariet.

I put my foot into the scallop shell that all walkers do for luck and it was job done as far as I was concerned.

I went to the edge of the square took off my rucksack and just took it all in.I expected to get emotional 

or feel something but I didn't I was just pleased that I had finished it.

This journey really started when Mark passed away and it is because of him that I started walking,so I thought of him and started to laugh,what on earth would he have made of me doing this,he never enjoyed putting one foot in front of the other and would try to avoid it at all costs,I think he would have thought I was stark raving mad,I suspect he would have been right.

I wish I had made more of my time in the square,it is what I had come for and I should have reflected more,I allowed myself to be whisked off which was my fault.

It was soon time for lunch.

I went and had a quick look around the Cathedral  just to say I had done it.

You can see the  incense burner in the middle of the picture.

I had enough time for a quicjk rubber neck then it was time to get a taxi to take me to the airport to fly home or so I thought.

We all said goodbye and I was gone.I got to the airport to find I had booked my flight from Santorini not Santiago ,not that it mattered all flights were cancelled due to the French controllers going on strike.

So back into Santiago I went,Martin sorted me a room in their hotel and we went out for dinner.

After I got to my room I found out that the new flight I had booked for today was cancelled.

I tried for an hour or so to sort out how I could get back home believe me Santiago is not an easy place to travel from by rail,I tried to get to Barcelona but the trains were all full,I went back to the airport to no avail,I tried to hire a car that did not work out,so I have ended up on a slow train trundling across Northern Spain taking exactly the same route I  had just walked,the irony was not lost on me.Maybe this was meant to be because it has made me truly realise the enormity of what I have done,if I had done this train journey first there is no way I would have walked The Camino.

The person who I had not said goodbye to was Andrew who is doing the documentary about The Camino,I had been worried about his leg and I had hoped he was ok,well surprise surprise he was on the train!!!!!!

It was strange when I went back into Santiago ,I felt different I was no longer a pilgrim It was me again ,it is hard to describe,I had made the transition almost immediatley,which I thought I would find hard,that may change later.

It has been a wonderful journey ,one which I recommend to anyone who is up for a challenge and enjoys good company.

If anyone reading this wants any advice etc on The Camino my  email address is peter.hulme2@btinternet.com.

Once again thank you to family friends fellow walkers dogs and everyone who has been emailing me words of encouragement ,with out you all I could not have done it.

Well it is back to The South Downs for me and some sensible walking.

Stats for today

Walked 12 miles

3 miles per hour

Walking time 4 hours

Distance covered  508 miles

Martin Jason and Agnes have a safe trip home.Buen Camino my friends.

I hope you have enjoyed sharing my story with me.

PS I met a guy on the train who had walked 1500 miles,there is always someone who makes you feel humble very humble.

Now back in England with Jeremy  the team is back together again.

One last dog on a blog Jeremy's dog Loki.