We have finished walking the Olvidado : A fairly remote, outstandingly beautiful, Camino in North Western Spain. You can read the many blogs I have written this last month:the Olvidado, starting in Bilbao Northern Spain and making its mostly mountainous way to Villa Franca, is the most interesting and constantly changing Camino I have walked. If you’re thinking of walking in Spain, want a challenge, spectacular vistas and not too many walkers, then get to it !

Most of the Spanish Caminos are looked after and sustained by people who love them and live on them, or around. A variety of people: hospitaleros of course and those who have mapped the different ways so we can follow the path, putting up the yellow flechas that guide us. Also, particularly on the Olvidado which is so solitary, the tienda people who are often the primary source of food in the small places, the small bars and camareras/os, who have helped us along the way and listened patiently to my Spanish; in fact just about all the Spaniards we met.

I haven’t got the names of all those who were kind to a stranger really, so I’m just naming those I can:

Adolfo in Nava de Ordunte Albergue

Sonia Fernandez, encouraging and cheerful hospitalera, Almuhey Albergue. Julia too, whom we met there .

Dulio and his wife in La Magdalena. They run the restaurant and look after the very modern Albergue. The most enormous tortilla and ensaladas we have had. So patient and good humoured.

Laura and Ana. La Magia de las Nubes in Riello.

Amazing place in the clouds, beautiful food and women.

Estella. Gracias for looking after the Old Monasterio Albergue in Vergarienza. It is obviously well loved; and for taking the time to tell me a little of its history.

Senor Antonio, Hostal Las Eras, Cubillos del Sil. I enjoyed so much our chat about the town and your family, and the ‘ tranquilidad’ we look for. Gracias tambien to Antonio’s friend who runs the bar in the town, and prepared a delicious salad and calamares for us, even though place was closed for food .

The lady in the tienda where we bought such fresh fruit in La Robla. Also for her interest in out lives.

The guy who ran the bar underneath the Fasjar Albergue and went off to get milk for our breakfast in the morning . Had a great night there talking away to our peregrina friend, Irish Eileen .

And: Enders and others, for all their research and writing. We followed the guides and wikiloc.

These are only some of the people, and some of the albergues along the way. Without the ‘kindness of strangers ‘ we would not be able to enjoy this Camino Olvidado, nor others in Spain. I know that on the path there’s a camaraderie, a hotch potch creation of a peregrino family. But still: Thank you .

The four weeks of walking the Olvidado is a strange, mirrored tapestry of shifting reflections at this moment, a week after. Rather like the patterns on this wall plate I looked at this morning. It was hanging in the tiny courtyard beneath our apartmento in Avila.