On the Camino

For anyone thinking of setting off on the Camino anytime soon just a reminder that the Navarrese Govenmnet closes the Route Napoleon over the Pyrenees from November 1st - March 31st each year (and longer if need be). Roncenvalles in the snow The official notification for this (from last year) is below.

German Pilgrims made up 14% of non-Spanish Pilgrims in 2017 (some 23, 200 people) and the country has some history with the Camino with evidence from the 9th century showing Pilgrims setting up and some accommodation for Pilgrims passing by.

I've come across this information on the American Pilgrims on the Camino's website ( http://americanpilgrims.com/camino/route_descriptions/route_ingles.html ): 'In December 1779, the leaking ship carrying John Adams and his companions to Paris was forced to put in at Ferrol from where they eventually made their way by land. Adams wrote about the Camino in his journal and he remarked there that he "… always regretted that We could not find time to make a Pilgrimage to Saint Iago de Compostella ."' Image showing the route Adams and his group took across Spain - image taken from https://www.americanpilgrims.org/assets/documents/essays/john_adams_camino.pdf 

The Camino San Olave is not a true Camino in its own right but a 60km route linking the small touristy town of Covarrubias to Burgos. Image taken from https://es.wikiloc.com/rutas-carrera-por-montana/carrera-san-olav-4646788

There are many good things about the Camino, too many to go through in one post, so here's ten to start on followed by a the same number of 'bad' things, do you have any to add in the comments?

According to the statistics collected by the Cathedral in Santiago ( http://peregrinossantiago.es/eng/pilgrims-office/statistics/?anio=2015&mes =) in 2015 236, 716 (90.19%) of Pilgrims arrived on foot, 25, 346 (9.66%) went by bike, 326 (0.12%) by horse and 71 (0.03%) by wheelchair In 2014 the numbers were similarly spread: