Camino de Santiago Day Six

The final day’s cycling was certainly the longest, and involved frequent ascents and descents as we crossed the valleys towards Santiago. There were herds of cows to negotiate and a close call with a white van around one bend at the bottom of a fast descent! A brief sandwich was taken for lunch as we pressed on closer and closer to Santiago. It got dustier and dustier which went for my throat, making the climb up Monte de Gozo much harder than it should have been due to excessive coughing and not enough breathing!


Finally we entered Santiago and made our way as a group along the one-way streets amongst the traffic to reach the Plaza del Obradoiro and the obligatory Cathedral marking the end of the pilgrimage. The crowds in the square were great and we saw several others who we recognised from the journey. All had a sense of achievement after completing a 350km ride. I made the mistake of going inside the Cathedral which was a giant shrine to all the things I dislike about Catholic and Orthodox buildings. Priests in cubicles waiting to receive your homage, giant sensors of incense, gold decorations, and crowds and crowds of tourists milling around while every so often a loud “ssshhh” noise would come, from someone wanting it to be a reverent experience... I was distinctly underwhelmed, and got out again as soon as I could.


The week finished with cold drinks followed by a final tapas meal, and then a good night’s sleep. The aching muscles were worthwhile, and some degree of fitness had been restored, along with a desire to get out more on the bicycle in Scotland where there are lots of long distance cycle paths waiting to be explored.

The journey home was completed uneventfully, and Scotland was cold, dark and wet, fully justifying the holiday to Spain where it had remained hot and sunny all week. All that remained was to book my flights for the next trip – back to Uganda in six weeks time!