Being a religious pilgrimage, the churches are pretty phenomenal. But you probably won’t see many from the inside; they remain locked in most places, and opening hours are irregular.
In Los Arcos, a week after setting out, the bed race finally proved to be too great for a huge number of people. Many sped ahead a few days by bus, trying to get past the massive cohort that set out at the end of April. Others still opted to do only the last 100 kms and seek out a beach somewhere south. It was a difficult scene to watch so many pilgrims being turned away from the auberge we ourselves had to race to.
It should come as no surprise that the people most unlikely to get beds – the hurt and elderly – are also the ones who needed them most. Being witness to this discouraged us greatly.