Travellers’ tales: Cycling the Camino – rain, rocks and a warm “Buen Camino”

For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to cycle the Camino de Santiago. There’s just something about following an ancient path that so many have walked before – full of history, stories and purpose. So when some friends and I finally set a date to ride a section from León, I couldn’t have been more excited.

We booked through Macs Adventure, who took care of the hotels, hired the bikes, and sorted out our GPX routes. That meant we could focus entirely on the ride (and maybe the tapas).

Our first day in León came as a bit of a shock: cold, with some light rain. We’d expected spring in Spain to be warmer. Thankfully, we had waterproofs, but they could only keep out so much rain.

Be prepared

Then came days two and three: torrential downpours, freezing temperatures (around 5°C, possibly even colder) and relentless wind. Let’s just say we weren’t prepared – no thermals, no proper winter gloves.

We made a very necessary stop at Decathlon, hoping to find warmer trousers and gloves. Unfortunately, they only had spring stock – nothing suitable for the kind of cold we were facing.

We made do with what we could find, but it definitely wasn’t ideal. Lesson learned: just because it’s Spain doesn’t mean you can leave the thermals at home.

But that’s part of what makes the Camino special: there are always challenges, and how you face them becomes part of your story.

The terrain was tough in places. Rocky paths, steep climbs and water pouring down from the mountains made some sections feel more like rivers than trails. Thankfully, the mountain bikes we’d hired were brilliant – stable, sturdy and handled everything better than we expected.

One of the highlights for me was the connection with other pilgrims. As we passed walkers – some clearly exhausted, others bounding with energy – we’d always call out “Buen Camino!” and almost always got a warm “Gracias” in return.

There was a lovely sense of mutual respect. We always slowed down near walkers, rarely used our bells, and waited patiently to pass. It didn’t feel right to rush by – they were on the same journey, just at a different pace.

Special moments

Despite the weather and the challenges, there were so many moments that made it all worthwhile: misty hills, stunning old churches where we stopped to collect stamps in our Camino passports, and the quiet satisfaction of reaching each day’s end.

Every stop reminded us why we were there – and of all those who had walked the same path before us.

Finishing this stretch of the Camino was more than just ticking off a cycling route. It was a shared adventure, a test of resilience and something I’ll always remember. Would I do it again? Absolutely. But next time, I’m packing thermals.