My solo Spanish Interrail trip was cheaper than a Manchester-London return

I was sitting in first class at peak time, sunrise, travelling from my home in Manchester to London, enjoying a complimentary coffee and cream tea and feeling like a queen. Staggeringly, my first-class, five-day Interrail pass – which can be used in 33 European countries over the course of one month – was cheaper than booking a standard Manchester-London anytime return: £359 vs £386. And I could use it on this outbound journey, including the Eurostar I was on my way to catch. From Brussels, I caught a train to Düsseldorf, where I’d been invited to give a talk. This, coupled with the fact Bruce Springsteen was playing a concert in San Sebastián, was the catalyst for my solo rail adventure. How could I get from Germany to Spain in the most cost-effective and carbon-friendly way? Shorts The answer turned out to be Interrailing. A pass offers flexibility and unlimited train trips on each of your travel days, which don’t have to be consecutive but used within one month. I’ve travelled solo extensively but never experienced the rite-of-passage of an Interrailing adventure. When I realised that San Sebastián sits on the Camino de Santiago, I knew I had to incorporate that too. I plotted an adventure that combined trains with walking some of the Camino del Norte, the Northern Way, which traces the “Green Coast” of the Cantabrian Sea. In Düsseldorf, I loved the urban greenery of Hofgarten park and enjoyed a sunset walk by the Rhine. I then headed back to Belgium for an overnight stay in Antwerp to see one of the world’s finest train stations: a neo-Baroque attraction in its own right. Hofgarten park In Düsseldorf (Photo: Robert Poorten) I then zipped south to Paris for a fix of city sightseeing before a high-speed train to France’s most southwesterly town, Hendaye, where my Camino adventure was to start. I’ve long been fascinated by border crossings, so it was a thrilling milestone to walk over the Bidasoa river from France into Spain via the Santiago bridge, to the official start of the Northern Way at Irun. From Irun, I caught the bus to San Sebastián, where I walked beside the Urumea River to the Estadio Reale for the Springsteen gig. This part of my trip felt like a pilgrimage in more ways than one. The following day, craving silence and solitude, I relished the uncrowded beach of Ondarreta at the western end of San Sebastián’s sweeping La Concha bay. Playa de La Concha in San Sebastian (Photo: Tono Balaguer) I continued west to Bilbao, where I walked along the Nervión River to admire the billowing titanium of Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum, before leaving the Basque Country for Asturias. Here, I loved walking in the tiny fishing port of Luarca and livelier Gijón. When I got blisters, I hopped on a bus. In Galicia, the Tower of Hercules – the world’s oldest still-functioning lighthouse first built by the Romans – was an epic sight towards the end of my journey. It tempted me to make a side-trip to A Coruña, the start of the Camino Inglés (the English Way) where pilgrims would traditionally arrive from England by sea. When I finally arrived in Santiago de Compostela, the cathedral was magnificently moonlit and felt especially poignant as my journey’s end. The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela receives thousands of pilgrims every year (Photo: NurPhoto) Rather than being lonely, my trip had been quite the opposite; I relished the chance to brush up on my Spanish as I chatted to locals and asked for tips, and by staying in hostels as well as hotels I met many people along the way. As a woman, I’m very aware of safety – I was dismayed to learn that many female walkers have experienced harassment along the Camino – so I remained vigilant when walking alone. By meeting other walkers at hostels, I had the option to walk with them and took advice from online forums, too. My almost month-long trip was filled with music, nature, camaraderie and history. And taking the train had been the perfect way to begin my Camino journey. With dozens more countries in which I can use an Interrail pass, I’m eager to hit the tracks again soon. How to do it A five-day adult Interrail Global Pass costs £277 for second class, or £359 for first class. Other durations available, interrail.com