Day 52: Arzúa to Santiago de Compostela | 48km

23 July 2026

Sleeping in a tent is very, very rarely as comfortable as sleeping in a soft bed, but tonight the temperature was perfect, there was no condensation on the tent when I woke up, which was a huge win, and the campground was quiet. Despite the biggest day of climbing since Norway, my body felt light and pretty fresh, and knowing I only had half a day of riding ahead made it feel like a rest day. By now, knocking out 48km is nothing, and I took it very easy.

As I’ve done since entering Spain, I followed the golden shells indicating the Camino, sometimes veering off where bikes couldn’t pass to take a detour. In Arzúa, the Camino del Norte merged with the Camino Francés, and as I got closer to Santiago, small herds of fellow travellers slowly trudged their way along the last stretch before the final destination. I passed bars and resting stops, and everyone looked happy and excited about reaching the end. Those who had hiked from Irún, where I started, had been out on these roads for five or six weeks, so I could relate to their excitement. My longer pilgrimage, however, is still far from over.

I knew the various Caminos were very popular hiking routes, but I never imagined the scene outside the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela would be the way it was. I slowly rolled into the old city so as not to accidentally bump into any pilgrims, and when I finally arrived at the square in front of the cathedral, hundreds of people were sitting on the ground, some even sleeping on the cobblestones. After taking their pictures, many chose to sit down in front of the cathedral and marvel at the beautiful building, and perhaps their achievement of completing the trail.

I’m unsure how many do this trail for religious reasons these days, but everyone has a good reason. I saw many solo travellers, others in groups, but all of them looked extremely pleased, while there was a quietness to them as well. The road is a good place to not face the struggles of everyday life, so perhaps completing the trip snapped people back to reality and they would soon return to their everyday lives. Perhaps I’m reading into it too much.

I also felt a big sense of achievement, but more because I reached a big milestone on the trip. The sense of completeness I expected to feel at the end of this was not there because, like I said, my trip is far from over. I still have an entire country to bike through and then some before I can step off my bike for the final time on this journey.

After resting in front of the cathedral and taking the mandatory photos, I headed to my hotel for the night, where I met up with Irene, who had travelled all the way here just to spend two days with me while I rested up for the final leg of the journey. It felt amazing to not be on my own again, even if just for two days.

I cleaned up, and then we headed to the Pilgrim’s Reception Office, where I got my Compostela, the traditional certificate marking the completion of the pilgrimage. 828km in seven days and many good moments. I can say that I’ve fallen a bit in love with northern Spain.