Cycling Camino Ingles
In spring 2023, I cycled 250 kilometers of the English Way of Camino de Santiago, from A Coruña to Santiago de Compostela. After our fantastic experience of Camino del Norte in 2022, A and I were back for more.
Day One
We flew from Paris to Santiago de Compostela, then took the train up to A Coruña. We were both on edge, having raced to clear our work queue. But once we were able to sit down with some Spanish munchies in the open air, it hit us that our adventure was about to start!
It was pitch black by the time we arrived at our hotel. My rented bicycle was waiting, and the friendly receptionist helped lug up the box. For this trip, I’d chosen a gravel bike instead of a road bike. Not my preferred riding experience but I figured that it would lower the chances of having a mechanical. Galicia is sparsely populated and there wouldn’t be many bike shops along the way.
Day Two
We took a morning walk around A Coruña before going our separate ways. A took the train to Ferrol to start walking the first stage, while I went to check out Torre de Hércules and the surrounding fortresses before starting my route.
It was a pleasant ride along the coastline. I had a hearty lunch at a beachside town and was in Pontedeume by late afternoon.
Check out these dinner photos — I’m drooling just remembering the dishes we had. I adore pimientos de padrón. Somehow we ended up getting three plates, to the confusion of everyone involved, and in our fatigue found it completely hilarious and not a problem at all.
Day Three
To avoid arriving too early in Betanzos, I explored more of Pontedeume in the morning, then went hiking in Fragas do Eume. It’s a riverside Atlantic forest — lush, quiet and romantic. I parked my bicycle and hiked up to visit the Monastery of San Xoán de Caaveiro from the 10th century and the adjacent ruins of a mill. I had a beer with my lunch and took a nap on the picnic benches afterwards.
It was a light day, the cycling not so memorable.
Day Four
We took a rest day in Betanzos. I’d scheduled it because the town looked interesting — I was also unsure of our physical strength, as neither of us had been able to train much leading up to this trip. We ran a load of laundry, delighted in the wonders of churros and hot chocolate, did some work, and took it easy. It was a good call to have a planned rest day. This wasn’t a race, after all, and it was nice to be confident in shaping the trip experience. I enjoyed Betanzos alot, it felt disconnected from the rest of the world in a delicious kind of way.
Excerpt from a Postcard (my newsletter) that I sent from Betanzos :
I’m cycling in the Galicia region, far west of Spain on the Atlantic side. It’s woodsy, with abundant seafood and decent road conditions. It drizzles now and then, just enough to keep the temperature cool. I’m piggybacking on the infrastructure of the Camino de Santiago while following a route that I created myself.
This is an excellent way to travel. It’s one of those things that was only obvious to me in hindsight. Many years ago, while hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc, I was Very Impressed that so many people could hike hut-to-hut for 170km. Such energy! Such stamina! And so much time off from work!?
I realized quickly that plenty of people were not doing the whole loop. They would fork to a shorter route home, or do it across multiple years. You did whatever was enjoyable and there was no concept of "less than" or “cheating”. This was your game to play and no one else’s.
So yes, we make our own adventures. What's a constraint that once removed, may help you embark on one?
Day Six
Day Five
Onto Bruma. The route didn’t make for interesting cycling, and I stopped at a bar for a cold Coke or ice cream every hour to stay alert. The bars were usually empty or had a few quiet men. No one batted an eye at the lone Asian cyclist, and all of the bartenders kindly filled my water bottle. I mentioned this in the Camino del Norte post — the bars are the best part of cycling in Spain!
I took a coaching call in the morning, and cycled to nearby Lake Meirama to journal. Journalling on the road is something I’ve come to enjoy in recent years. My knee was acting up, so I scrapped the idea of doing a big loop and rode straight to Vilanova.
We were almost there.
Day Seven
As a suburb to Santiago de Compostela, the area was mostly highway and industrial neighborhoods. I decided against straining my knee any further and made my way into town.
I had a flash of worry that the “end” would be a letdown somehow. But there was some kind of festival happening, and I sat down to listen to an orchestra. Let time slow down. As I turned corner after corner in the maze-like Old Town, I was swept up in the celebratory mood of fellow travellers. The Cathedral is magnificent, and the enormity of it only hits you when you step into the plaza.
The Camino de Santiago is a wonder to me, with its fortunes fluctuating along European history for almost a thousand years. There in the plaza, I wondered about the pilgrims of centuries past. Their hopes and dreams, their fears and calculations. What an experience, to be just one of the countless people who arrived here in this very place!
Day Eight onward
From Santiago de Compostela, we took the bus to Porto to start a long weekend of celebrations. It’s a fun city to play tourist. I found the aesthetics of the city, with its reddish tones, tall trees and jagged riverside views, almost too charming to believe.
I hope to be back soon, to continue making my adventures. Signing off with a dreamy sequence from the flight out of Porto…