16 | EXPLORING THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO
www.nitravelnews.com
July/August 2026 The longest of the three
“Ways of St James” is the French - nearly 800 kilometres long
across – northern Spain
from the border with France. The English Way is the shortest
kilometers - from the port of Ferrol
-
I took the third option - the Portuguese Way
around 100 where traditionally
pilgrims from Britain used to disembark from ships.
–
227 kilometres long and starting in the city of Porto - but I joined half way at Tui in Galicia - on the river border between Spain and Portugal. At the Parador de Tui - a modern hotel built in the traditional style of a Galician pazo or country house – and set in mountains and by the river border - I enjoyed my first taste of Galician cuisine. (tui@
parador.es)
This included Smoked Lamprey (local sea fish) with Curd Cheese in a Honey Lemon Dressing and Potato Stuffed with
Stewed Meats, Fried
Cabbage and Turnip Green Soup.
Each individual Paradore offers it’s own unique set menu reflecting local fresh produce cooked and prepared to traditional recipes from the region in which they are situated.
As with all the wonderful cuisine I experienced at the Paradores it was accompanied
ROBIN NOWACKI VISITS SPAIN TO FOLLOW THE “WAY OF ST JAMES” WHILST ENJOYING THE HOSPITALITY OF THE
PARADORE HOTELS... BY ROBIN NOWACKI
LEGEND has it that the remains of Christ’s disciple St James were carried by ship from Jerusalem to the north- ern Galician region of Spain where they were buried.
On that burial site a chapel was built, this was then added to over the centuries to become what is today a splendid majestic cathedral at the centre of the beautiful city of Santiago de Compostela. For over a thousand years
Christian
Pilgrims have walked the “Way of St. James (Camino de Santiago)” to pay homage and pray at the tomb where they believe are the remains of the patron saint of Spain. Today many travellers from around the world choose to become pilgrims for a week or two and follow one of the three different “Ways of St James” to Santiago de Compostela.
There are advantages to such a venture as they will pass through what is known as “Green Spain” – a region largely undiscovered by UK travellers – boasting a beautiful terrain of mountains, forests, rivers, and a spectacular coastline on to the Atlantic Ocean.
Many modern day pilgrims still walk the original ancient pathways, others cycle, some take
various forms of transport
along one of the modern roads - there are no set rules as to how you complete your
pilgrimage to the Tomb of St James. Along each “Way” there are a number of basic hostels - where pilgrims can stay for just a few Euros – in some cases low cost meals are also provided by volunteers. However for those pilgrims who prefer to be pampered there is
an alternative –
enjoying en-route the finest regional cuisines and superb style and comfort to be found at Spain’s wonderful state owned hotel chain – the Paradores.
With accommodation situated in old Castles, Palaces,
Monasteries, and other historic
Convents, buildings
beautifully restored and converted into luxury hotels. There are also some modern Paradores built in a traditional style in areas of outstanding beauty.
The Paradore Group
was set up by the Spanish state with the aim of using quality tourism to act as guardian of the national and artistic heritage of Spain whilst offering high standards at reasonable prices.
by some very fine local Galician wines – some of the best produced in Spain. Next on my Portuguese Way was the Parador de Baiona situated in a stunning
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