WALK this way

Strap on your boots and step out on one of these European hiking holidays

- KERRY WALKER, CHRIS MORLEY, TANYA PEAREY

FOR THE PILGRIM’S JOURNEY

CAMINO DE SANTIAGO, SPAIN 

Distance and length: 53 km, four days

THE EXPERIENCE If you fancy slipping briefly into a pilgrim’s shoes, this four-day taster of the famous camino is a revelation. This spirit-lifting hike zooms in on the final leg of the Camino Francés (French Way). You’ll penetrate the rural heart of Galicia in northern Spain, twisting along forest track and country lane, up and down hill and over stream from Melide to Santiago de Compostela. When the stars come out, you’ll hit the sack in a casa rural (country cottage) or simple guesthouse. Going self-guided with route notes means you can tailor your hike: walk with friends, enjoy the buzz of being with like-minded pilgrims or rise in the pink-tinted dawn to hike alone with your own thoughts and footsteps.

You’ll start in Melide, an endearing town of cobbles and chapels – one with the oldest medieval facade in Galicia. The town is a foodie hotspot: feast on pulpo á feira (boiled octopus), spicy local chorizo, buttery cheese and almendrados (almond cakes) before hitting the trail. Quietly beautiful landscapes unspool as you journey west over the next couple of days, treading in saintly footsteps through shady forests of oak and chestnut, vividly green, cow-nibbled pastures and warm-stone hamlets gathered around a single cafe or albergue (hostel). It all paints a bucolic picture of Galician life.