Camino Frances - starting in Triacastela

For this year's Camino we decided to return to the Camino Frances - the last time that we walked any of this route was back in 2015 when me and Becky started in Astorga and were joined by our parents in Triacastela.

This time we don't have as much holiday and so are starting in Triacastela which is 134km from Santiago and is the first town on The Way in Galicia.

While in 2016 25% of all pilgrims (71,766) started their Pilgrimage in Sarria only 0.68% (1899) started in Triacastela.

From the town there are two options to Sarria to choose from - the direct route (which we took) is about 18.5km or the route via Samos which is 25km.

Image taken from http://www.caminofrances.org/content/triacastela-%E2%80%93-samos-%E2%80%93-sarria

The town is named for the three castles which once stood here which were probably destroyed in 968AD when the town was attacked by Vikings.

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The Camino Primitivo

The Camino Primitivo (or the Original Way) is reportedly the very first Camino Way to Santiago in the 9 th century when most of Spain was under the control of the Moors and it runs from near the city of Ovideo in Asturias as it starts in Villavicosa (which also lies on the Camino Norte so many people follow this Way from Basque city of San Sebastian (Donosti in Basque) or in from the French border at Irun ( this route then hugs the Bay of Biscay passing through Guernica, Bilbao, Santander, Llanes before going under the Picos de Europa and then heads along the coast to Ovideo) before branching off onto the Primitivo which goes across the mountains and through the city of Lugo before joining the Frances at Melide. The route is 320km long. Image taken from https://viaalpina2013.wordpress.com/2013/04/14/camino-del-norte-camino-primitivo/

Symbols of the three main Christian Pilgrimages

The symbol of the Pilgrim to Santiago is the Scallop shell of which many can be found on the coast of Galicia and it is actually a symbol of the Pilgrimage (and has become a symbol of other Christian Pilgrimages too) partly because you could find the shell easily there and so could go back home and show it off as proof that you had done the Pilgrimage. It has also been included in carvings in some Churches.

Camino Mascot

Those who have walked the Camino will probably have seen one or more of the Camino mascots along the Way but do you know their names? http://m.elcorreogallego.es/xacobeo/ecg/xubi-jubila-pelegrin-mascota-xacobea/idEdicion-2010-06-08/idNoticia-555962/

On the Camino

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