Hotel chains in the rowdy Mallorcan resort town are aiming to attract a more upmarket clientele as Spain's financial crisis bites.

Simon Winter reaches Finisterre on Spain's west coast... and starts thinking about his next adventure.

Despite meeting only a couple on our trip, 79 Kiwis have completed the trek to Santiago de Compostela so far this year.

Simon Winter ponders a fellow walker's query as he nears the end of the Spanish Pilgrim Trail.

Simon Winter reaches a point on the trail where he can leave his worries behind.

Simon Winter finds himself thinking about, well, not much at all, on the Spanish Pilgrim Trail.

Simon Winter shares 15 important things he's learnt after 20 days on the Spanish Pilgrim Trail.

Simon Winter finds Christian charity in short supply when it comes to finding a bed along the Camino route.

The picturesque Camino villages aren't immune to Spain's economic woes, writes Simon Winter from the Pilgrim Trail.

Simon Winter contemplates strapping sanitary pads to his inner-soles as he nears the Spanish Pilgrim Trail's 250km mark.

Jo Bates wanders off the tourist track to discover the real Palma de Mallorca.

Simon Winter struggles to get any kip in a dorm room full of snoring hikers.

Simon Winter encounters all manner of wanderers on the Spanish Pilgrim Trail.

Here's some news New Zealand, we don't have the world's worst internet. In fact it's in a small Spanish village...

The 775-kilometre Spanish Pilgrim Trail, which runs from St-Jean Pied-de-Port, on the French side of the Pyrennes, to Santiago De Compostella, on Spain's far north-western coast, attracts tens of thousands of walkers each year. Former nzherald.co.nz news editor Simon Winter took on the trail in 2012 - these photos document some of his journey. Click here to read Simon's blog about the trip.

Twenty-seven kilometres up and over the Pyrenees is one of the bigger days on the 775km trail.

Former nzherald.co.nz news editor Simon Winter takes on the 775-kilometre Spanish Pilgrim Trail.