This group of travellers were part of the Getaway Gals trip organized by Lakeside Travel in Osoyoos co-owner Deb McCallum. The 25 women, which included a group of 11 from Osoyoos, completed the last 100 kilometres along the world-renowned Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in northwestern Spain several weeks ago. McCallum has been organizing Getaway Gals trips around the world for more than a decade. (Contributed photo)
Walking endless miles for days on end might not be everyone’s idea of the perfect vacation, but that’s exactly what 11 women from Osoyoos did by completing the last 100 kilometres of the world-famous Camino de Santiago in northwestern Spain.
Deb McCallum, who has owned Lakeside Travel in Osoyoos with her husband Mel for the past 36 years, founded the Getaway Gals 10 years ago as an opportunity to allow female travellers to gather and experience new cultures and experiences around the world.
“It’s just nice to have the ladies get together once a year,” she said. “I have always wanted to walk the Camino de Santiago for as far back as I can remember … and obviously so did a lot of my regulars with the Getaway Gals as we were sold out in a matter of days.”
A group of 25 women most from across B.C. and Alberta – including the 11 local women – recently returned from a two-week trip that was highlighted by walking the final 100 kilometres of the Camino de Santiago.
The full Camino de Santiago starts in the Pyrenees mountains in France and takes up to six weeks to complete, said McCallum.
Millions of tourists from around the world complete part of or all of the walk each year as the pilgrimage ends at the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Galacia, Spain, where it’s believed the remains of St. James are buried.
Many people follow the route for spiritual or religious reasons, but it also provides incredible vistas and views and has become exceptionally popular with hikers and cyclists that participate in organized tours like the one she organized with The Getaway Gals, said McCallum.
“Some of the ladies on our trip went for religious reasons, others went because they wanted to see Spain and yet others liked the idea of hiking on beautiful trails and seeing some incredible sights,” she said. “We had two older women, one 80 and the other 79, and they considered finishing the route as a great personal challenge.”
Anyone who completes the final 100 kilometres of the Camino de Santiago is given a “Camino passport”, which is stamped at major points along the route and serves as a lasting document that you have taking part in the journey, she said.
Participants are asked to gather at least one stamp per day from churches, town halls or other official establishments.
The Getaway Gals landed in Portugal two days before beginning the 100-kilometre trek and got to do some shopping and sightseeing in Lisbon, said McCallum.
The ladies walked between 20 and 30 kilometres per day over six days.
“I informed everyone who was interested that we would be doing a lot of walking and that didn’t scare anyone away,” said McCallum. “Walking long distances for almost a week might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the ladies in our group had a fantastic time.”
One of the highlights was finishing the route and spending an afternoon on the roof of the famous cathedral in Galacia, said McCallum.
“The history of that church is incredible and the view from the roof was amazing,” she said. “We also got to attend the daily noon mass. The church is believed to be the burial place of St. James so it holds a very significant place in the hearts of the Spanish people and it attracts people from around the world.
“It was a very special place to visit.”
After walking such long distances, the trip ended in Cascais, Portugal, a resort town located only 30 minutes by train from the capital city of Lisbon.
“After all that walking, we all had the chance to rest our weary bones in the beach in Cascais,” she said. “We had beautiful weather and we sat on the beach for a few days to recover.”
The Osoyoos women who made the journey to Europe included Donna Kelso, Anna Petrin, Liz Ganton, Joanne Hebig, Helen Ritchie, Delia Miller, Nancy Conkin, Pat Wycherley, Kathy Gudewill and McCallum.
The Getaway Gals have completed their annual journey between the middle of September and end of October for the past 10 years and McCallum said she’s already looking forward to next year’s jaunt.
“I haven’t decided exactly where we’re going to be going in 2017, but I’m going to have to pick a place pretty soon because I’m already getting calls from ladies wanting to sign up already,” she said.
McCallum said many of the ladies who travelled to Spain have participated in numerous trips with The Getaway Gals over the past decade.
“A lot of these women are avid travellers and they go other places with their husbands, but some women prefer to travel with other women and some of the older ladies have lost their husbands,” she said. “It’s just kind of nice to get a group of women together to travel the world.
“I thought it would be a good idea when I came up with The Getaway Gals 10 years ago and luckily I was right,” she said. “I’m already looking for the next place where we’re going to travel to. in the next few months.”
For more information, you can contact McCallum at Lakeside Travel at 250-495-2646.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
