Greetings!!!
It has been quite sometime since I have taken to the keyboard for mylittlenaturewalk.com. I apologize for my absence. Given the commitments of daily life; career, family, social activities, I am not frequently in the headspace to write.
Today, I am announcing a new adventure.
On 27 August, I will be leaving the comforts of daily life to experience the Camino de Santiago for a second time. In 2015, I walked the Camino Frances, from St Jean Pied De Port to Santiago and then on Finisterre.
This adventure may have me taking the same route, or, under consideration is hiking the Los Caminos del Norte. As I understand, the Camino Del Norte became the pilgrimage route in the 9th century due to the invasion of the Moorish armies. Islamic influence made the Camino Frances increasingly dangerous for Christians to walk. King Alfonso the II established Oviedo as the new capital of his kingdom. Due to the increased threat of persecution, those on pilgrimage, took a northernly route through Oviedo for safer passage. This route is also commonly referred to as the, “Ruta de la Costa”, as it follows along the northern coast of Spain.
With the Reconquest of Spain in the 11th Century the French Way became less dangerous and thus began to grow in popularity for pilgrims coming from France, re-establishing the Camino Frances. During the 12th Century after the death of King Alfonso III the royal court moved to Leon from Oviedo and slowly over the years Oviedo’s importance waned and this also impacted on the number of pilgrims taking this route to Santiago.
Both of these routes conclude in Santiago.
Originally my intent was to walk the Camino Frances again. Within the last few days, I learned of the Run de la Costa, and have been considering it. Both routes have similar mileage requirements, however the Camino Frances has considerably less elevation changes. The Camino Norte, following along the northern coast has significantly more climbs and descents.
In the coming days, I will fill you in on which route I intend to take, and the reasoning as to why I chose to embark on another adventure across Spain.
Welcome back, and thank you for taking the time to follow along my adventure.
Buen Camino.
