Once you have walked the Camino de Santiago de Compostela across northern Spain or taken another route to get to the city of Santiago de Compostela, you are a pilgrim for life, even if you never leave home again! Well that is how I feel, though I have been back to the Camino. I originally did the trail – the most famous one the Camino Francès from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago in 2005-6. I did it in three visits, two with friends, and then I thought ‘if I want to finish this, I think I had better do that alone.’ But you are not alone on the Camino, and that is one of its great gifts. I then did part of the ‘chemin’ through France – the Le Puy route. Then in 2022, I had a wonderful experience as a volunteer at a hostel in the Spanish Pyrenes on the ancient Camino Aragonés. Which is one of the original trails. For that, I made my life rather difficult by hiking to my hostel in the reverse direction. Walking backwards on the Camino turned out to be a great challenge. I had a good grumble about that in a blog!
The Camino is so much part of my psyche that I wrote a novel about a Canadian couple and their adventures on the Camino. It’s called Pardon my Camino, a great fun and thoughtful read. And it is also like a fictional guide to the Camino!
There are amazing resources for learning about the Camino. Check them out before you set out! In Canada there is the Canadian Company of Pilgrims. In fact my friend Krysia and I – I walked the first part of the Camino with her – came back to Edmonton and started the local chapter of the CCofP (which other people now run with great imagination and skill).
If you are not able to walk the Camino but have always wanted to, do not fret! Just read my book Pardon my Camino and enjoy the trail! (from the comfort of home)
A 2024 update as I have been on another Camino. This was Camino Nova Scotia and that indeed is where it was, far from Spain but completely in the spirit of the Camino. The Atlantic College of Theology organize two Camino walks a year. In July 2024 I was part of the walk on Cape Breton Island, up the east coast for 100km over five days. We were 11 people and supported by two lovely people. We stayed in Community halls sleeping on our own air mattress. So glad they transported our packs! Food was organized but we helped out with the cooking and cleaning up. This was a wonderful experience in a part of Canada that had been on my ‘bucket list’ and it was fun to spend time with fellow pilgrims.
Buen Camino!
Ahaa, its good discussion about this post at this place at this
web site, I have read all that, so now me also commenting at this place.!
Thank you for response.
Your article broadened my perspective on how to make the most of traveling and taught me things I didn’t know before. I appreciate the time and effort you put into sharing this knowledge with us. We talked about a similar topic about solo travel experiences on TravelForums. I’m eager to see what else you’ll share!
thank you for posting your comments. Cheers
Well I just finished “Pardon my Camino” and found it an interesting read. I walked the Camino with a friend, starting from Puy-en-Velay in France on the GR65 to St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port and then on to Santiago de Compostela, it took us 71 days and was the beginning of our retirement. I have always said that I enjoyed the part in France on the GR65 much more, mainly because in Spain, nothing was ever open! It has been 17 years but in my recollection, we managed to visit only one church, all others were very securely locked up, unless we were there on Sunday. So reading this novel, I am jealous, not sure if your descriptions of churches and cathedrals were real of part of the fiction of this story!
Hi Michèle, thank you greatly for reading my book Pardon My Camino and thanks for your comments. Congratulations on your long Camino walk. Sorry to hear so much was closed. I did the StJ to Santiago in three visits 19-18 years ago. I was fortunate as much seemed to be open. I was there twice in the spring and once in October. I also did part of the Le Puy trail but found there was so much up and down steep hills! As for the book, the story is fiction, but the trail is real, with of course, my author’s embroidery. The path was such a wonderful gift to weave a story around. Writing the novel was like walking the Camino all over again. Hope you get back, there are so many other Camino routes now as well. Buen Camino