LEAVE the Manolos at home this summer and get a stout pair of walking shoes instead, says MAP Travel which has just launched a programme of holidays based around the Camino.
The Camino de Santiago de Compostela, also known as The Way of St James, is a collection of pilgrimage walks throughout Europe, with all roads leading to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain. The remains of St James the apostle were though to have been buried in a field in Galicia and it is said he was directed there by a divine light encircled by stars. The field became known as the campus stella (field of stars), hence the current name Santiago de Compostela. St James is also the patron saint of Spain.
Close to five million people are expected to walk part or all of the Camino this summer. The Camino can be made by foot, cycling or on horseback.
Dublin-based MAP Travel's programme includes holidays with different levels of exertion and expense. The Camino for the less energetic, for instance, is a 10-day trip taken at a slower pace and includes high level accommodation (rather than the refugios, or hostels, used by the traditional Camino walkers), as well as Aer Lingus flights and transfers. The cost is €1,085 per person. Taster of the Camino is a week-long option travelling the final 110 miles from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela, walking 13km a day, hands-free (luggage gets transported from hotel to hotel, something true Camino backpackers might not approve of). The cost is €725.
There’s a Camino package for school groups, an escorted bus trip called the Camino explorer, starting in Bilbao and meandering to Santiago visiting medieval towns and cities with some optional, gentle walking along the way. It costs €1,095 per person.
MAP specialise in cultural, historical and religious tours, and special interest holidays such as painting and cooking breaks.
See maptravel.ie