"This is the end....."-Portomarin to Santiago

By the time you get to Portmarin there are only 98 km to walk and we decided to do 88 km in three days and leave us a short day into the city where we´d have plenty of time to wash clothes, get haircuts and look around. Jill was arriving on the next day so I was very, very happy.

On the way our "digs" in Ponta Campagna were brilliant. The owners of the alburgue had converted a water mill where we had a room. We ate home-cooked Galician food in the communal dining room of the albergue with lots of others and had a great meal for 10 euro (inc wine).

I expected an easy run in from there but we crossed river valley after river valley and there were plenty of climbs and descents in this very green and pleasant land. After all this time I´m much better equipped to do the climbs having lost a bit of weight and being much fitter.

By this stage we were both looking forward to finishing. A few days of damp weather meant stuff we'd washed hadn't dried so we had no dry clothes to wear and, to be honest, we did pong a bit.We were both very happy to walk into the cathedral square but it started to rain (it rains as much here as it does in Wales). We were looking forward to seeing friends in the square but the rain kept everyone inside so it was a bit of an anti-climax.

Friday was a different day and the sun shone. I picked Jill up from the airport and we joined Irv in the city and met many of the people we´d walked with along the camino. This is a young man, Kepa, who we´d been bumping into over the last ten days or so and we bumped into him again in Santiago. He is part of a crazy American family. Mum and Gran have carried him for 500 miles while his Dad has carried the big rucksack. Not only do they have to walk this very hard trail but they have to look after a 13 month old lad and carry all the stuff you need, like nappies. He's been photographed so many times that whenever a camera is pointed at him he beams-true professional. Inspirational people. I only had to look after Irv and that was tough enough.

Talking of Irv, we´ve had a great time together. It´s been a real pleasure to travel with him and we´ve laughed and sung all the way. The Camino is a tough challenge and it´s nice to have someone to share the hard times along the way. Our daily brunch of tortilla and beer was always a high point of my day.

We were both awarded our "Compostellas" (the certificates confirming that the pilgrimage was completed) and had a look around the cathedral.The photo outside marked the end of this part of our journey.

Like the pre-Christian Celts we´re off to Fisterra (the Gallician one) but in a hire car. By chance we'll be there to celebrate the summer solstice. The trip began with the sun coming up from the east as we crossed the channel and I hope to finish it by watching the sun set in the west from the "end of the world" of the ancients. One more blog from there and that's all.