Pilgrim walks in León

The Spanish Camino de Santiago takes us in 33 stages from the French Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port over the Pyrenees to Navarra and into the vineyards of Rioja. Through the Castilian cultural city of Burgos and the barren expanses of the Meseta, we reach León, the last major city before Santiago de Compostela. From there we hike over the Montes de León and through the green hills of Galicia to the tomb of Saint James – the destination of every pilgrim on the Camino.

On this stage, we cross the highest point of the Camino francés and can lay down a burden of the soul at the Cruz de Ferro, symbolized by a stone. After that, we descend into the Templar town of Ponferrada.

The Winter Route is composed of 9-12 stages and connects Ponferrada with Santiago de Compostela, in Spain.

On the hard path – the Camino duro – we climb today towards O Cebreiro. But the pass crossing is only ahead of us the next day.

We now walk through the land of the traditional trading people, the Maragatos, and begin the ascent into the Montes de León, the last major obstacle before Santiago de Compostela.

The royal road, the Camino Real, leads us via El Burgo Ranero to Reliegos. There are over 70 bodegas – storage rooms dug into the clay soil – in the small village.

Through the heathland of the Páramo, we hike to Villar de Mazarife, where storks have taken over the church tower with their nests.

It goes through vineyards to Villafranca del Bierzo. Here, pilgrims who could no longer manage the way over the Cebreiro received early absolution; therefore, the place is also called “Little Compostela”.

Over the legendary bridge at Hospital de Órbigo, through the heathland of the Páramo and past the stone Crucero de San Toribio, we hike to Astorga.

The Camino Francés starts in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port at the French foot of the Pyrenees and ends in Santiago de Compostela. It is the busiest section of all the Camino routes, as most pilgrims ultimately travel this route to Santiago.