A very special time in Santiago de Compostela

Reaching the city of Santiago de Compostela on foot is a unique experience, and for many it is the culmination of weeks walking the pilgrim routes of Europe. For walkers arriving in 2021 it will be extra special, as this is a Camino de Santiago Holy Year which occurs when the Feast of St James (25 July) falls on a Sunday. The very first Holy Year was in 1122 and the next will be in 2027.

St James is the patron saint of pilgrims and the camino, and therefore this is a cause for great celebration. There will be lots of events and extra church services, but while there are likely to be more people wanting to walk the pilgrimage trails than normal, the celebration has been extended to 2022 due to the pandemic, so the extra visitors will be spread across two years.

According to Jacobean tradition, pilgrims who walk to Santiago de Compostela during a Holy Year and pass through the Holy Door of the Cathedral are forgiven all their sins – a plenary indulgence which was started by Pope Calixto II. Visiting the Apostle’s tomb and attending a mass are unforgettable experiences – and if you’re lucky you may also see the enormous Botafumeiro incense burner swing high above the heads of the pilgrims.

Santiago de Compostela is, quite rightly, the final destination of our Camino Primitivo walking holiday. This route is probably the oldest path of the camino network, and is quieter than some routes, passing through very pretty countryside in the Asturian Hills. Walkers on the Lighthouse Way can also take the opportunity to visit the city after their hike along the Galician coast.

If you’re tempted by either of these routes in 2021 or 2022, do contact us as soon as possible, to give us the best chance to secure accommodation for your preferred dates!

Congratulations to you all for successfully navigating the hurdles of both Valentine’s Day as well as Pancake Day/Mardi Gras. We do hope that you have been assiduously stretching your legs post-valentine chocolates and/or crepes suzette! We’re experiencing a bout of dreary weather in the UK which is reluctant to depart so we invite you to come with us on a little (e)trip to warmer climes…

MALLORCA: Palma and the Serra de Tramuntana

Cast aside connotations of riotous beach parties and cocktails by the pool (although…). Instead, picture verdant mountain valleys blanketed in a white haze of fragrant almond blossom underneath an endless blue sky.

The Serra de Tramuntana mountain range already holds World Heritage status for its diverse plant and animal life but on top of this, the area plays host to one of Spain’s most beautiful phenomena – the blossoming of the almond trees. Around seven million trees are in full bloom on the island between January and March due to the mild temperatures which beckon the start of the spring season each year. Local Contact for the area, Jesca-Verdon Smith, says “It is time for the beautiful almond tree blossom! Shades of pink and white fill our valley fields right now and yesterday was T-shirt walking temperature! The valleys are in full blossom, there are spring lambs and early orchids – it’s a lovely place to call home.”

Bonus! If you missed out on chocolates or pancakes then how about something to make at home, inspired by the almonds of Mallorca? Jesca says, “Gato d’Almendra (almond cake) is the thing to eat here! Great for hungry hikers with a cafe con leche!”. See the recipe below and share your creations with us!

MALLORCA FACTBOX
Duration: This itinerary ranges from five to eight nights with extra days optional
Difficulty: Medium, with distances between 8-23km a day (or 8-16km using shortening options)
When to go: Spring and autumn months are best though early summer and winter are also possible.
Themes: Mountains, traditional villages, birdwatching, excellent food, panoramic views, peaceful valleys
Accommodation: assorted small boutique hotels and B&Bs

None of our walkers were able to experience the beauty of the Mallorcan almond blossom for themselves this year, so add it to your to-do list for the future and look forward to a clearer travel horizon. In the meantime, explore the range of walks on our website, including our self-guided UK walks that are available to walk in the late spring through to the end of the year (availability permitting).

Our very best wishes go out to all of you, wherever you may be in the world and we hope that you are staying well and safe. More from us soon!

Gató d’Almendra (Almond cake)!

INGREDIENTS – for the cake
600g ground almonds
500g caster sugar
9 eggs, separated
Rind of 1 lemon, grated
1 tsp ground cinnamon
knob of butter

 – for the ice cream
1l milk
250g ground almonds
300g caster sugar
Rind of 1 lemon, ungrated
1 or 2 sticks of cinnamon

METHOD

Make the ice-cream.
Put all the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Let simmer 1-2 min, still stirring, then pour into a flat aluminium or plastic container. Let it cool, stirring occasionally.

Remove the cinnamon and lemon rind and put into freezer. For a smoother result, stir from time to time as it freezes, to disperse the crystals.

In the meantime…
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Grease a 25cm/9in loose-bottomed cake tin with butter, and dust with caster sugar, shaking out the excess.

Beat together the sugar and egg yolks until the mixture is very frothy. Separately, beat the egg whites until stiff. Add the almond flour, lemon rind and cinnamon to the yolk/sugar mixture; stir. Finally, fold in the egg whites.

Spoon into the tin (it should come 3/4 way to the top) and bake for 30-40 min or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool and sprinkle with caster sugar to serve.

The long days of January have at last come to an end and the world looks towards the coming months of the year with renewed hope. Although it’s difficult for those of us experiencing dreary weather and short days, it is so important that we all keep walking so that we’re ready when the time comes to explore further than our back gardens! However, if you need a little inspiration to get outside, we have just the thing…

On Foot’s Local Contacts are very much an extension of the On Foot family and we have been in regular conversation with them over the past few weeks. Normally, they are responsible for looking after our walkers and maintaining the routes but now they would like to share with you what they have been up to as well as offer you a different view of the countries we know so well, but rarely see out of season. Enjoy!

Photographs are listed by country, then by route and Local Contact. Click on the pictures to make them larger.

SPAIN:
Guy Hunter-Watts, Andalucia
“A sprinkling of snow a few days ago in Andalucia. This is Molly who was adopted from a refuge and likes walking almost as much as I do!”

Aznar Fernandez de Pinedo, The Lighthouse Way, Basque Pyrenees, Basque Country, Camino de Santiago
“We had a lot of snow in the city of Madrid. But the interesting thing is that in the high sierra (over 2300m) there was way less snow than in the flatlands. The storm came from the south, and in the famous Toledo there was even more snow than in Madrid! The middle picture below is of the village Cercedilla, in the sierra of Madrid. The picture on the right is the start of Gredos mountains, with lovely chestnut forests.”

Jesca Verdon-Smith, Mallorca
“Greetings to you all from Mallorca! The mountains are alive with happy new year [local] hikers. The island residents are keeping fit discovering the hiking trails in the absence of gyms and sport centres being open due to covid restrictions. No tourists to guide through the Serra de Tramontana sadly for almost a year now but I have been busy planning weekend hikes for the family and our other groups of friends with kids this winter. It is wonderful to see the kids enjoying the big outdoors, free of face masks which they have to endure all day at school and all chatting to each other as they go. No phones insight! And all of us marvelling at the wonders of nature. Here I am posting photos of a memorable hike two weeks ago from the town of Soller and a circuit into the stunning Barranc de Biniaraix. This is one of the On Foot hike routes. An ancient pilgrim path to the monastery of Lluc, part of the Gr221 and famous for its thousands of cobbled steps and water cascades after heavy rain. This was the weekend after the snow storm fall on the Tramuntana mountains. Yes it does snow in Mallorca! Bitterly cold day but the views of Soller’s snow capped peaks and sound of rushing water down the Barranc was totally magical. Hot potatoes with bolognese picnic lunch washed down with flasks of hot wine kindly carried up the mountain by the men certainly recharged us at our lunch stop! More hikes planned. Also, the Almond blossom is starting to bloom! Spring on its way! Saludos! Jesca.”

CZECH REPUBLIC:
Petr Hoska, Bohemian Paradise
“Hi everyone, I hope you are all well in these times. Also in the Czech Republic during January, an above-average amount of snow fell. Because the ski resorts are closed, many people have pulled out cross-country skis or bobsleighs. Snow statue of Krakonoš (Lord of the Mountains) – this is a tradition in Jilemnice (a town in the Giant Mountains). Today I made a cross country trip around 2nd highest hill in Bohemian Paradise – Tábor. On Friday it was snowing and this morning was -14°C and sunny all day. Perfect conditions. More circular views to Bohemian Paradise [below]. Trosky castle and Kozákov hill. On the other side Jizerské hory and Krkonoše (Giant Mountains). The cats [on the skis!] are my own in front of our house – their names are Mica (the most typical name for cats) and the cat boy’s name is Mourek (Tabby). They are very curious! Petr”

GREECE:
Ariana Masselou, Andros
“Good morning everybody from Greece. In the Aegean in Andros, it seems that winter has not come yet … it feels like spring! These pictures are from a walk I did on Andros yesterday! “Trekky” (my dog) greets you!”

ITALY:
Daniele Cavazzoni, Tuscany
“We had a lot of snow a couple of weeks ago..which has covered most of our mountains. Last Thursday I did a snowshoes hike on Monte Amiata! That’s the extinct volcano which overlook most of our Tuscany route. Not that high (1700 m) but so imposing compared to the gentle hills of Val d’Orcia around it…”

Beatrice Bariletta, Lake Maggiore
“Hi from Italy, Ossola Valley, Alps of Piedmont! Here spring is still very far…just a dream… but we have wonderful snow despite we are not so free to move to enjoy it! Nice snowshoes hikes, but temperatures very cold, – 9 C !”

Isabelle Johnson, Dolomites
“There’s been lots of snow for snowshoeing and cross country skiing in the Dolomites too!”

Greta Coperchini, Ligurian Hills
“Hello everyone! Watch this fantastic video of Monte Chiappo, on the path of the Ligurian hills, third stage. Here we are in Varzi near Milan in northern Italy!”

PORTUGAL
Paul Burton, Northern Portugal
“Hi everyone! Here in N. Portugal we have had heavy snow during early January but now it has gone really warm and humid. The picture shows the Serra Amarela and, almost invisible, the village of Germil, on the walking route. Stay safe everyone! Best wishes, Paul.”

ENGLAND:
Caroline Evans, Devon.
“No snow here in Devon, warm and a bit damp, but the early Spring flowers are just beginning to show their faces. I’m off for a walk along the coast not far from here this afternoon – the waves were huge after an Atlantic storm came through yesterday. However this is a view of a quieter moment last week. The picture on the right is of my family walking in Dartmoor.”

We hope you have enjoyed looking through the photos and reading about what the Local Contacts have been doing. All the photos here have been taken by our Local Contacts and the messages are their own words. Do send us your own updates of where you have been wandering as we love hearing from all of our walkers!

All the very best,

The On Foot Team.