Magic Hill are definitely Camino Specialists  - We have just completed our 5th Camino excursion with Magic Hill. Thanks to Bronagh and her team we’ve done the Portuguese Coastal route from Porto to Santiago de Compostela, a... read more section of the Northern route, and we’ve now completed the French Way. We chose to split the French into 3 separate trips to fit our travel schedules. On every one of our journeys, Magic Hill provided an itinerary and accommodations that met, and often far exceeded, our needs.

Each Magic Hill itinerary is customized after in-depth discussion about abilities, preferences, objectives, etc. The information you receive prior to each trip is excellent and the support during each journey is unsurpassed. Whether it was a quick morning note or more extensive help during a period of illness, we knew Bronagh would be there to cheer us on or make the necessary arrangements.

We found the cost of each package reasonable for the quality we received. Magic Hill’s personal knowledge of the Camino allows them to find some really special and unique accommodations. We stayed in some wonderful places we never would have discovered had we been booking for ourselves. The restaurant suggestions along the way were much appreciated after a day of walking and the baggage transfers were smooth. On the couple of occasions we needed to taxi to our accommodation to ensure an appropriate standard, the arrangements with local drovers were flawless.

  Buen Camino!  - We absolutely loved our mini Camino trip booked through Magic Hill and would highly recommend booking with them for anyone looking to savour the magic of the Camino!
From... read more the moment we arrived, everything was organised, from the welcoming hotels and guest houses we stayed in to having our luggage collected and dropped off at the next location. We were kept up to date with regular text messages and tips about our trip so they are always on hand to help.
We arrived at Santiago airport on Thursday afternoon, got collected by our taxi driver and dropped off at the hotel at our starting point in Melide approx. 60km from Santiago de Compostela. This gave us plenty of time to get settled in, enjoy a bite to eat and get organised for our next 3-days of walking.
The weather during our trek was very wet with heavy rain and showers, so I would recommend buying a good quality poncho like the locals wear.
After a delicious breakfast, we set off from Melide the following morning and walked around 15km through the beautiful Galician countryside to arrive in the town of Arzúa, soaked to the bone but delighted with reaching our destination and accommodation. Our luggage was already there having been picked up and dropped off by Magic Hill, meaning we didn’t need to worry about it! After a hot shower and a quick nap, we got to explore the restaurants and lively bars for a game of cards with other pilgrims over a few well earned drinks. After an early night, we were up for another lovely Spanish breakfast, before setting off for next stop of Pedrouzo in O Pino. This was a longer trek of around 18.5km but with plenty of welcoming family cafes and restaurants to stop for refreshments along the way, you are never too far away from a pit stop should you need one.
Arriving in Pedrouza was a welcome relief from the rain and our weary legs however, getting to enjoy some lovely authentic Mexican food in A Catrina restaurant in the middle of the town (highly recommended) gave us the energy to savour a few more of the cafes and bars of this wonderful little town. With a jovial and joyous atmosphere in the towns we stopped in along the way with hundreds of fellow pilgrims, it really makes the experience memorable and fun.
With one more day of walking ahead of us, we set off early the following morning for our longest trek yet of around 20km to reach the city of Santiago de Compostela. The weather couldn’t dampen our excitement upon reaching the truly magnificent Santiago Cathedral in all its glory on Easter Sunday. With very tired and sore legs we had reached the final destination of our short trip to much delight and a great sense of accomplishment! Even better that our amazing 5-star hotel, The Parador, was situated a stone throws from the cathedral right on the main plaza. We can highly recommend a stay in this fabulous century’s old building to savour a small bit of the history of this amazing city. We got to enjoy Easter mass that evening which made it all the more special.
So all in all, we had a wonderful first Camino experience. It certainly won’t be our last that’s for sure with so many other trials to experience!
I would say Magic Hill really took the hassle out of planning and organising our trip, meaning we only had to worry about the important part, walking and taking in the amazing scenery and hospitality in this beautiful part of Spain. Until next time
Buen Camino! 🇪🇸 😎