The figure in rust coloured shorts with a green rucksack is disappearing over the horizon again… time to pick up the pace.

I keep telling myself “this is not a race”, but at times I’m having to increase my stride in an attempt to decrease the gap between me and my six foot six Camino companion, who seems to walk at one speed – fast!

Occasionally, I have found myself ahead. Once when I took an unintentional short cut and a couple of other times when I ploughed on because I didn’t spot him waiting on a bank or sorting out his walking poles.

Most of the time, I favour ‘Camino slow time’ – setting my own pace, not rushing on to the final destination. And this is in contrast to daily living, where we usually set out to get somewhere by a certain time or for a particular appointment. On this pilgrimage I’m discovering the destination is the journey.

We crossed a huge wrought iron bridge two days ago which marked our entry into Spain at Tui. The cathedral dominated the skyline and finding our little hostel, we climbed the steps and cobbled streets to the very top of the city. Standing below the ancient arched doorway we could hear the sounds of a service going on in Spanish. We wandered in through wide open doors and stood at the back of the packed service. It was a joy to see everyone worshipping in this ancient holy space and the songs and sounds spilling out to the streets and cafes below. The cathedral celebrated its 800th anniversary last year and it made me shiver to think of all the other pilgrims who had stood on those same stone slabs through the centuries.

What we’re doing is nothing new, because people have been going on pilgrimage for years, even Jesus took part in a pilgrimage each year to Jerusalem with his family. But we all do it in our own way and in our own time.

Today we reached the old Spanish city of Redonela and here the Portuguese coastal and central Camino routes converge. It actually seems quite crowded at times. There are families with teenagers, single people, groups of students, old friends, seasoned pilgrims with their badges and even babies! I passed a young couple pushing their baby in a buggy and drying the baby clothes on the back of their rucksacks. Last year we saw a family on mules with a young child and a baby beginning the start of the French Camino.

It takes all sorts, and while some are taking it as a challenge to complete it in as few days as possible, many others are meandering through the journey, stopping for coffee and enjoying the conversation and sights along the way.

The next stage of the Camino – the final 100 km or so – will be the toughest as the daily sections we’ll walk are longer and there are more steep hills. But we’re getting there and I’m excited to see what’s around the next corner because I have never been here before!