Page 3 - Camino de Santiago - UTracks

This quick reference guide aims to lter through the mountain of information out there to help answer these basic questions and provide you with a clear understanding of this iconic journey.
Whether you have only ve days or 42; prefer France, Spain or Portugal; or walking over cycling, there is a Camino experience waiting for you. You don’t need to be a pilgrim to explore it your way, a self guided journey can help you achieve just that.
I’m now rmly part of the community that wants to inspire others to nd their own path along the Camino. I hope this booklet helps you nd your way.
Buen Camino
UTracks Sales Manager
Camino de Santiago. The Way of St James. The Compostela Trail. What does it all mean?
Camino: This Spanish word simply means a path of travel, or route. When written as
‘el camino’ it translates to ‘the way’.
Santiago: The name Santiago is linked to the apostle
James (Saint James meaning Santiago). He travelled to the most north-western part of Spain to preach and convert people to Christianity.
The Way of St James: The origins of the Camino began in the 9th century when the tomb of the apostle St James was unearthed in the city
of Santiago de Compostela. Early Christian pilgrims to Santiago began their ‘Camino de Santiago’ (Spanish name), or ‘Way of St James’ (English name), from their front door.
Santiago de Compostela:
Also known as Saint James of Compostela. It’s the capital of the region of Galicia in Spain and home to the famous cathedral where the relics of St James were said to have been unearthed.
The Compostela: The of cial accreditation proving one's pilgrimage to the tomb of
St James in the 9th and 10th centuries. It was originally provided in the form of a scallop shell badge which proved easy to forge and was eventually replaced by the Compostela certi cate.
Compostela certi cate:
A document one receives from
the Pilgrims Reception Of ce in Santiago. To receive the certi cate you must make the pilgrimage for pious reasons (or at least have an attitude of search), walk (or ride on horseback) the last 100km or cycle
the last 200km, and collect stamps in the Credencial del Peregrino from places you pass through.
Certi cate of distance:
Document on parchment paper certifying the numbers of kilometres walked. A small payment is required to receive this certi cate.
The Credencial del Peregrino: In the Middle Ages the document was provided
to pilgrims as a safeguard.
Also referred to as the Camino passport, today the document can be collected from various authorised places and is used
to collect stamps along the
way so one can prove their journey when collecting their Compostela certi cate. We provide this on Spanish sections as part of your Camino package.
3
Jaclyn Lofts