Food Lover's Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela

Enjoy this 15 day tour sampling local cuisine and walking the original pilgrimage route to Santiago.

1 - 15 September 2012

1 - 15 September 2012
Cost: $5590 (a portion of this cost is donated to the Australian Geographic Society
Who: UTracks
Contact: (Toll free) 1300 303 368 or contact info@utracks.com.au
More info: www.utracks.com

The trip
 In the footsteps of thousands before , this unique approach to a classic pilgrimage route combines good food and produce with the incredible history of the trail crossing northern Spain. With fully supported day walks on the best sections of the pilgrimage trail paths, including the original route from Oviedo, cooking demonstrations and numerous samplings of the local cuisine from the heart of Spanish modern cuisine in the Basque region to the small rural villages on the Camino, as the pilgrimage is commonly called.


Itinerary

Day 1 Arrival in Bilbao
After your arrival in Bilbao and hotel check in. Later we visit the impressive Guggenheim Museum before sitting down to our first special gourmet dinner at a men’s cooking club (sociedad gastronómica).

Day 2 Drive to Logroño via Pamplona
It’s off to Pamploma to enjoy coffee and a stroll down Running of the Bulls route. Cross the beautiful medieval Puente la Reina, pass through the village of Maneru and walk past vineyards and olive groves to the hilltop village of Cirauqui. Choose your dining experience from the tapas bars in Logroño.

Day 3 Wine tasting, walking and a Michelin star restaurant
Enjoy a guided visit and wine tasting at Marqués de Riscal Winery and take in this special wine region before journeying to Ezcaray where an afternoon walk will build your appetite for the anticipated dinner at El Portal del Echaurren.

Day 4 To Burgos
Arise early to visit the impressive Cathedral at Santo Domingo de la Calzada. Follow a walking route to San Juan de Ortega before we travel to Burgos for some free time to roam the city before dinner. For dinner this evening, enjoy a traditional meal of lechazo castellano at a lamb restaurant near the centre.

Day 5 Visit León. Travel to the Asturias region
On we go to Leon to visit the Panteon in León, the home to sarcophagi of late royalty and some of the finest examples of Romanesque frescoes in Spain. Take a walk on the mesata before heading to Asturias to the town of Arriondas in the afternoon. Your accommodation this evening is in a small rural hotel near Arriondas where the owner is a wonderful cook and has an organic garden on the premises. You will enjoy a tour of the grounds with Joanne or Nigel. Dinner at Casa Marcial.

Day 6 Walk in the Picos de Europa National Park. Transfer to Oviedo.
We’ll visit the Cabrales Cheese regulating council as well as a working dairy to gain a further understanding of local food production. Later, hike up to an authentic ageing cave in the spectacular Picos de Europa National Park for a picnic. Visit Valdediós Monastery, before continuing on to Oviedo where dinner will be taken on the Bulevar de la Sidra.

Day 7 Morning in Oviedo. Walk towards Salas.
Enjoy the sights of the Gothic Cathedrals as well as Pre Romanesque UNESCO World Heritage listed monuments, before joining the first walking route on the Camino Primitivo, or the original pilgrims’ route, to Santiago. Follow Jacobean copper shells through narrow lanes, then out into the green Asturian countryside. Tarmac lanes and old foot paths take us between quiet villages, some of which still have pilgrims hostals and historic inns. Finally visiting the Cornellana Monastery before checking in to our hotel in the historic village of Salas.

Day 8 Walk to Tineo, side trip to the abandoned monastery of Obona
Walk through beautiful countryside to Tineo before taking a side tour to the abandoned monastery of Obona, which was an important school and retreat for wise men in the middle ages. We’ll then return to our unique accommodation of a renovated old palace in historic Tineo.

Day 9 Cross the El Palo Pass
Climb up one of the most famous stretches of the Camino which will take us along sections of the original high “ruta de los hospitales” and toward Puerto el Palo. Due to extreme winter weather, several pilgrims’ hospitals were built on either side of this challenging mountain pass. Superb views will reward your walking efforts. This evening enjoy regional specialities at the renowned Nueva Allandesa.

Day 10 Descend to Grandas de Salime
Drive to the hamlet of Berducedo from where we’ll descend through fields and woods to the village of Villapedre. Cross Lake Salime, a recently constructed reservoir by boat. Then, indulge in creative cooking which you will enjoy at your hotel overlooking the reservoir.

Day 11 Walk the high route to O Cadavo
Visit the interesting ethnographic museum before transferring to Fonsagrada then walk along one of the most ancient sections on the Camino, the high route which leads to O Cádavo. Once in Galicia, from Paradanova we pick up an ancient trail to Póboa de Burón, a village which once had a castle and large pilgrims’ hospital. We end our walk in Paradavella. Finally, retiring to a welcoming rural accommodation nearby.

Day 12 O Cádavo to Lugo, join the French route
Walk through the pastoral Galician countryside following quiet tarmac lanes and rural tracks from one hamlet to the next. Beautiful examples of traditional architecture such as the well-preserved ‘pazos’ and ‘casas grandes’, impressive buildings in stone and wood often turned into modern-day hotels. At Lugo, The Camino Primitivo blends with the French Route and we’ll stop here for the night to enjoy its impressive Roman Walls and outstanding tapas bars.

Day 13 Wine tasting in The Ribeira Sacra wine making region
Begin with some wine tasting and lunch in the Ribeira Sacra region before going to a lovely pazo in the country, not far from Santiago de Compostela

Day 14 Santiago
Wake early to enjoy both the Pilgrims’ Mass and the local market followed by some free time. You may wish to visit the St James Cathedral in the old centre of town. This evening sit down to a superb farewell dinner at Casa Marcelo to close the tour.

Day 15
Tour concluded after breakfast 
 
Inclusions
Accommodation at carefully selected hotels (twin share basis) including all breakfasts (continental style)
4 very special gourmet dinners (wine not included)
4 authentic dinners featuring regional cuisine
4 dinners featuring home cooking (3 course set menu served at your accommodation) in:
5 guided visits:
2 wine tasting sessions:
Guided walks as per the program
English speaking local guide throughout
All transfers according to program (including transport by boat across Lake Salime on day 10)