Boots Of Spanish Leather

CAMINO PORTUGUÉS – Day 13+2: Tuesday 9 June 2026 – SANTIAGO de COMPOSTELA to HOME

It is home time now – and so this morning, after an early alarm, I packed and left Santiago on the public bus to the airport.

And so I am presently sat here in the Departure Lounge of Santiago Airport with a couple of Camino buddies, looking back on our experiences on the trail as we await our homeward flights. It is not immediately easy for me to assimilate and articulate all of the goings-on of the last couple of weeks – so, whilst I come up with some considered reflections on my Camino Portugués trip, I think a few facts and figures are in order:

Camino Portugués – ‘Central’ (or inland route)

Full Days: 15 (including four rest days, in Porto, Barcelos/Braga, Tui and Santiago), so 11 walking days.

Kilometres: 252 (157 miles) on the path, plus 98 (61 miles) for diversions, accommodation finding, and on rest days, etc.

Cumulative Ascent: approx 2,000 metres on the trail.

Walking Time: approx 68 hours (on the path only, including breaks).

Steps: approx 400,000.

Perhaps I am being lazy, but I have just been reading back my concluding Blog following my five-week Camino Francés pilgrimage last April/May, and my reflections from that trek also hold good in capturing my feelings towards my current Camino Portugués experience. The post in question can be found under my Blog heading ‘Honey, I’m Home’ from 14 May last year, that you can access by clicking on the following link:

So what thoughts can I add this time around? I think my first point is to reiterate the joy of living simply, with all of the worldly possessions I need for a two week trek neatly packaged into one small backpack that weighs only seven kilos. Less is more as they say, and certainly the hassle of five minutes of handwashing at the end of each walking day is a small price to pay for the freedom from everyday chores and admin and the constant tech and social media involved in contemporary living. I do now feel not just physically fit but emotionally refreshed – the experience has been rather a privilege, and maybe we should all put aside a week or two, or three, each year, to reconnect with a more basic way of living.

One difference from last year’s Camino Francés, and also from all of my earlier long distance treks, is that I walked the path without poles. As many of you know, I am a nordic walking enthusiast, having taken up the pursuit nearly two decades ago following a recommendation from a sports physio whilst I was preparing for lumbar spine surgery. I avoided the knife then, and subsequently – and just as importantly I found that I had inadvertently come across a fitness regime that worked for me – with the key attributes of providing aerobic, full-body exercise, in the outdoors, and (more often than not) with camaraderie, coffee and cake involved. The initial reason for my lack of poles on this walk was the exorbitant budget airline charges for carrying poles in the hold (as they are banned from the cabin for security reasons). On my last two trips I have purchased poles on arrival and posted them home before returning, but this time around (and now with a fair collection of poles at home) I decided to walk unaided. And it worked! So, a new experience to behold, and reassurance as to my sustained bipedal capabilities.

As to the route itself, with the two exceptions of my start point in Porto, and my destination of Santiago, I had not before visited any of the places on my Camino Portugués trek. In my Blogs over the last fortnight I have sought to convey the splendour of the verdant landscape that I have newly discovered – the physical wonders of the hills and valleys, and the historical and cultural interest of the farmsteads and vineyards, and the villages, towns and cities along the way – and this bucolic beauty and urban interest was certainly matched by the friendliness of the present-day custodians of the land. And as for navigation, much of the Camino signposting looks to have been recently installed, no doubt in response to increasing pilgrim numbers, and my guidebook was seldom needed for route-finding – it really was just a case of following the yellow arrows!

But it is really the fellow travellers who make the Camino what it is. In which other walk of life would I have had the opportunity to get to know so many kindred spirits from around the globe, all on journeys of their own, but all of us with a common destination and sense of purpose. On my trip I have met and conversed with pilgrims from 28 nations – the list is lengthy, and reads: Spain, Portugal, the US, Germany, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Australia, the Netherlands, England, India, Poland, France, Ukraine, South Korea, Scotland, South Africa, Austria, Turkey, Northern Ireland, Uruguay, the UAE, Sweden, Luxembourg, China, Finland, Belgium and Mexico. The first ten of this list are in approximate order of numbers, and the remainder are in the order that we met.

Finally I would really just to thank all those special folk who I met along the way for making my Camino Portugués experience so memorable. So here goes: a Big Thank You to David, Nora, Vivek & Daniel, Alex, Julian, Connor & Owen, Dennis & John, Amelia, Rachel & Wendy, Jenny, Denise & Brent, Mario & Georgina, Marta, Chris & Carolyn, Alison & Natalie, Bettina, Eithne, Sebastian & Lisa, David, Thomas, Daniel, Maria & Laurence, Georgia, Rob, Toby & Steve, Rodrigo & Felipe, Sarah & Gary, Aftab, Buzz, Abi & Margot, Hannah, Ann, Alison, Maggie & Maggie, Anita, Jesus, Fernando, Nora, Lily & Way. Thank you all, and to anyone else with whom I spoke and failed to swap or recollect names! We have all been on quite a journey together. Thank you, and Buen Camino!

And finally, finally – a massive thank you to all those family and friends at home who have sustained me with heartfelt support, helpful advice, incisive questions and trivial distractions. And in particular to my wife Rachel for letting me off the leash once more in order to pursue another of my whacky worldly walks. Thank you.

‘Boots of Spanish Leather’ is a Bob Dylan folk ballad from his 1964 album ‘The Times They Are a-Changin’, and the song showcases the US singer-songwriter’s acoustic fingerpicking guitar-playing at its absolute finest. The song title alone is a fitting choice of Blog heading for a Camino trek, and the lyrics and vibe of the work make for a perfect conclusion to my Camino playlist. Dylan is of course renowned as a writer of lyrics ‘infused with the intellectualism of classic literature and poetry’ that incorporate political, social and philosophical influences that stood out from the emerging popular music of the time (and have done ever since). The words to ‘Boots of Spanish Leather’ take the form of a slightly forlorn epistle, recording the feelings of two lovers separated, or about to be separated, by an ocean; and, as I sign off from my journey, I think they are worth sharing here.

Oh, I’m sailin’ away my own true love
I’m sailin’ away in the morning
Is there something I can send you from across the sea
From the place that I’ll be landing?

No, there’s nothin’ you can send me, my own true love
There’s nothin’ I wish to be ownin’
Just carry yourself back to me unspoiled
From across that lonesome ocean

Oh, but I just thought you might want something fine
Made of silver or of golden
Either from the mountains of Madrid
Or from the coast of Barcelona

Oh, but if I had the stars from the darkest night
And the diamonds from the deepest ocean
I’d forsake them all for your sweet kiss
For that’s all I’m wishin’ to be ownin’

That I might be gone a long time
And it’s only that I’m askin’
Is there something I can send you to remember me by
To make your time more easy passin’

Oh, how can, how can you ask me again
It only brings me sorrow
The same thing I want from you today
I would want again tomorrow

I got a letter on a lonesome day
It was from her ship a-sailin’
Saying I don’t know when I’ll be comin’ back again
It depends on how I’m a-feelin’

Well, if you, my love, must think that-a-way
I’m sure your mind is roamin’
I’m sure your heart is not with me
But with the country to where you’re goin’

So take heed, take heed of the western wind
Take heed of the stormy weather
And yes, there’s something you can send back to me
Spanish boots of Spanish leather