Tracey Smith Natural Therapies

01/10/2025

Words cannot describe the gratitude I have for the experience I’ve had over the last 6 days of walking the the last 106km of the Via de la Plata trail Camino trail in Spain starting in Ourense and finishing in Santiago de Compostela.
I couldn’t have asked for a better tribe to support me a huge thank you to
Brad Smith Pat Gunston Heather Maree

For all the encouragement, kindness, humour and support along the way.
Thank you also to our back support our driver Mary Carlyon and Cathy Kay.

I’ve been reflecting on the journey and the 4 things the Camino journey has reminded me is:

1: My body is capable of way more than I thought it was.
2: Mindset is paramount.
3: The importance of your team/tribe.
4: Random acts of kindness. The energy lift I received from the villagers acts of kindness along the way was priceless.

The journey was the gift not the destination. 😍

30/09/2025

Camino Day 6 (last day) : Via de la Plata trail.

From San Pedro de Villanova to Santiago de Compostela
Distance to travel today: 17 km
Total steps for the day: 29,883

Start of the day feeling: a bit tight and sore.

End of the day feeling : Bit tired and hot and sore.

Highlights: Stopping for our last meal on the road as pilgrims, connecting with some of the locals and of course the company of my walking friends 😍 Bitter sweet today being the last day it’s been such an amazing journey.

Most challenging : was the heat and lots of hills. 🤪

Start time : 8.30am
Had two good rest stops today.
Finish : 2pm

Pilgrim count:
Day 1 : 4
Day 2: 2
Day 3: 6
Day 4: 9 (4 were on bikes)
Day 5: 5 (1 on bike)
Day 6 : 12 on the road hundreds at the cathedral.

29/09/2025

Camino Day 5 : Via de la Plata trail.

From Bandeira to San Pedro de Villanova
Distance to travel today: 17 km
Total steps for the day: 28,173

Start of the day feeling: pretty good after a fairly good nights sleep.

End of the day feeling : Bit tired and hot.

Highlights: Pilgrims haven/rest stop, baby goats, the local villager who joined us on the walk for a while in the morning, magic forests, cute villages and of course the company of my walking friends 😍

Most challenging : Last 3km was hot and lots of hills. 🤪

Start time : 8.50am
Had two good rest stops today.
Finish : 3.30pm

Pilgrim count:
Day 1 : 4
Day 2: 2
Day 3: 6
Day 4: 9 (4 were on bikes)
Day 5: 5 (1 on bike)

28/09/2025

Camino Day 4 : Via de la Plata trail.

From Prado to Bandeira
Distance to travel today: 14.7 km
Total steps for the day: 24,894

Start of the day feeling: pretty good after our rest day yesterday.

End of the day feeling : Not too bad, shortest day so far.

Highlights: Magic forests, Roman bridge, rivers, cute villages. Picking wild mint and apples and blueberries along the way and of course the company of my walking friends 😍

Most challenging : right foot bit sore.
Now wearing Sandals and socks my left right toe nails gone black I think I’ll loose it.🤪

Start time : 8.15am

Finish : 1.10pm

Pilgrim count:
Day 1 : 4
Day 2: 2
Day 3: 6
Day 4: 9 (4 were on bikes)

28/09/2025

Camino Day 4 : Via de la Plata trail.

From Prado to Bandeira
Distance to travel today: 14.7 km
Total steps for the day: 24,894

Start of the day feeling: pretty good after our rest day yesterday.

End of the day feeling : Not too bad, shortest day so far.

Highlights: Magic forests, Roman bridge, rivers, cute villages. Picking wild mint and apples and blueberries along the way and of course the company of my walking friends 😍

Most challenging : right foot bit sore.
Now wearing Sandals and socks my left right toe nails gone black I think I’ll loose it.🤪

Start time : 8.15am

Finish : 1.10pm

Pilgrim count:
Day 1 : 4
Day 2: 2
Day 3: 6
Day 4: 9 (4 were on bikes)

27/09/2025

Camino Day 3: Via de la Plata trail.

From Castro-Dozon to Prado
Distance to travel today: 20km
Total steps for the day: 32,278

Start of the day feeling: Stuffed
End of the day feeling : Stuffed but excited as tomorrows a rest day and we are over halfway to our destination 😊

Highlights: Cool streams and a local villager bringing us grapes at the end of our walking day and of course the company of my walking friends 😍

Most challenging : Hot walking on the bitumen road.

Start time : 8.50am

Finish : 4.15pm

27/09/2025

25/09/2025

Camino Day 2: Via de la Plata trail.

From Cea to Castro-Dozon
Distance to travel today: 19km
Total steps for the day: 36,323
Start of the day feeling: Stuffed
End of the day feeling : Stuffed but proud.

Highlights: The old monastery, church amazing landscape, meeting the association for pilgrims aid and of course the company of my walking friends 😍

Most challenging : The hills lots of up and down today.

Start time : 8.30am
1pm: Lunch at a village Carballedina
At the association for pilgrims aid on the Camino
Finish : 4.50pm

24/09/2025

Best meal ever at in O carballiño

24/09/2025

Camino Day 1:
From Ourense to Cea
Distance to travel today: 22km
Total steps for the day: 35,928
Start of the day feeling: Excited
End of the day feeling : stuffed

Highlights: Was the villages, scenery,
grapes from a farmer, picking and eating fruit along the way including apples, figs, blackberries and meeting some fellow Camino walkers and of course the company of my walking friends 😍

Start time 8.15am
1pm: Lunch at a village pub
Finish : 3.20pm

23/09/2025

We start our Camino walk tomorrow morning today, collecting our passports today from the cathedral in Ourense, that we have stamped along the way.
The yellow arrow is the most common sign that can be found on the way, indicating the direction to follow. The scallop shell is the quintessential pilgrim emblem, a symbol of life and water respecting the convergence of the multiple Paths of Europe in Santiago. It only identifies the path of the Way, not the direction. 😍