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Day 38 | 4 October 2025 | Walking the Camino Francés
From Sarria to Portomarin | 22.7 km 14.1 miles
Back in July 2016, Marianne, our daughter Natalie, our good friend Pelle, and I walked the final 117 km (73 miles) of the Camino Francés from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela. We loved the experience so much that Marianne and I made a promise to ourselves: one day, we would return and walk the entire Camino from start to finish.
That promise brought us back in October 2025. After 37 days of walking from the beginning in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, we arrived once again in Sarria. We could have stopped there – but we were determined to keep our promise and were ready to walk the final stretch to Santiago de Compostela.
From this point on, the Camino would be much busier. Most pilgrims on the Camino Francés begin in Sarria in order to complete the final 100 km required to receive the Compostela (Certificate) – just as we had done in 2016. According to the Pilgrim Office in Santiago, in 2024 a total of 151,091 pilgrims started their Camino in Sarria, compared to 32,576 who began in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.
Over the previous 37 days, we had experienced only two brief, light showers. Today, however, heavy rain was forecast. We fitted our backpacks with rain covers and, equipped with Gore-Tex clothing and shoes, we felt well prepared and ready to set off.
Leaving Sarria, the Camino begins with a steep ascent over the first 5 km, but the paths were good and easy to walk. We were now in familiar territory. Between the village of Ferreiros and the hamlet of A Pena, we passed the iconic way mark: 100 km to Santiago.
Shortly after, the rain began – and this time it was heavy. It poured relentlessly all the way to Portomarín.
