By Anton Constantinou
Few things in life are more satisfying than a walk in nature. Whether to energise, unwind or gather one’s thoughts, nature walking carries a multitude of benefits, including for the senses.
Like most sense organs, our nose relishes time in nature and jumps at the opportunity to be surrounded by it. In a park, in a forest, away from smog and pollution.
Exposed to nature, the nose (or rather the olfactory system) can conjure up some beautiful emotions. Memories of the past; feelings of escape; a primordial sense of groundness and belonging.
The Camino de Santiago, a network of pilgrimages (long walks) converging in Spain, is, for many, the nature walk to end all nature walks. And, for me at least, the nature walk every nose needs.
For five days in spring 2023, my girlfriend and I had the pleasure of walking 100 kilometres of the Camino de Santiago. And embarking on a pilgrimage that would take us right into the heart of Spain’s Galicia region.
Read on for my olfactory thoughts on the experience.
What is the Camino de Santiago?
The Camino de Santiago is a centuries old Christian pilgrimage dating back to the late Middle Ages. A network of paths and walkways running all over Europe and converging in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Nowadays a popular tourist attraction, the Camino de Santiago offers routes through Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Ireland and Poland. And invites visitors to disconnect from everyday life and get back to basics. To embark on foot or cycle one of the many paths leading to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela - where legend has it the remains of James the Great are buried - one of 12 apostles.
A journey of many scent trails
A journey of many scent trails, The Camino de Santiago, with its vast array of topographies and terrains, brings you into contact with all manner of aromas. From forest and woodlands, to valleys, farms, sea and sand, the Camino quite literally has it all, and what a feast for the nose it is.
Our particular pilgrimage, the Camino Portugeuse or ‘The Portugeuse Way’, would take us through such a landscape and introduce us to a whole variety of smells. Some familiar aromas, others not so familiar.
The Portugeuse Way
The Portugeuse Way is, according to records, the second most popular of the Camino de Santiago routes. The pilgrimage runs from Portugal to Santiago de Compostela for a course of between 260 and 620 kilometres, beginning in either Lisbon or Porto.
For our walk, we would scale down the pilgrimage to just 100km (the minimum walking distance at which you can gain a Compostela - a certificate of completion) by skipping a couple of stops by train (cheeky, I know).
Our scaled down pilgrimage would take us through six key areas in Spain’s Galicia region: Vigo, Redondela, Pontevedra, Caldas dev Reis, Padron and, of course, Santiago de Compostela. And acquaint us with a hilly, temperate terrain known for its farming and animal husbandry. A region brimming with flora and fauna, where the interlocking smells of plants and animals mingle in the air.
Our route covered parks, fields and rivers. As well as meadows, farms and vineyards. As wonderful looking as the scenery is though, it’s the smell of everything that really gets you going. The varied whiffs of blossoms, resins, sap, grass, earth, water and livestock, all intermingling together. Freshness and darkness; dryness and dampness; wafts of farm funk interspersing with human skin - warm and balmy.
Parting thoughts
The Camino de Santiago teaches us a lot of good things: how to switch off; how to relish the moment; how to be more in touch with our spiritual side. And, more importantly, how to use our nose and engage our olfactory system.
For those looking to get back to nature and engage their senses, the Camino de Santiago is an excellent way to go and a fairly accessible thing to do.
Interested parties have a choice of booking it independently or via a tour operator. And doing as much or as little of it as they so desire. My recommendation is to start small (like we did), and walk a sensible distance that’s mostly flat.
Prepping for the Camino de Santiago is much the same as any other walk. You need the right shoes, clothes, equipment and provisions, and should be physically fit enough to walk long distances.
As for the scent trails, well you can be rest assured that you’ll find them whatever route you choose. That’s the beauty of the Camino - it’s one big smellscape.
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