why the camino?

Memorial to the unknown pilgrim: a pair of trail runners dug in at the roadside

In times of drought take necessary precaution: Stay "hydrated"!

The unwanted: hikers on the Camino Portugues pass by a pile of shoes and boots other pilgrim's before have dumped there for unknown reasons: be it fatigue, weight or the perception of needing less.

These boots were made for walking... A monument to the unknown pilgrim who left her worn out boots in front of the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

Out in the woods - somewhere on the Camino Invierno

I'm not sure why I felt compelled to write something here though I feel as though others will relate to this. I will be leaving from Dublin via ferry to Cherbourg and walking over 1500km until I reach Santiago. This journey begins in a little over ten weeks from now and makes up the first...

I guess I've wanted to walk the Camino for at least ten years now. Every year, there's been some reason, some excuse...work, the kids, wife has other plans, not enough time off, not enough money, a pandemic, etc... I'm retired (and single) now and although my income is much smaller than it was...

I was just wondering. Many people decide to go on a pilgrimage at decisive moments in their lives: at crossroads, longing for change, loss of loved ones, retirement, identity questions, etc. But how is that for pilgrims returning to the Camino over and over again? Hardly anyone has decisive...

Hi I've been lurking for a while, absorbing everything that is Camino! This is my first post. I'm aiming to do my first Camino in 2025 when I am 50, which will most likely be solo (ekk!). I am at a cross roads - I feel that five weeks of upright meditation (walking) will allow me to ponder...

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/25/opinion/walking-hiking-spring.html

I have a friend who asked everyone he met along the way why they walked the Camino. Another friend said it was a private thing and would have considered the question intrusive. Thoughts?

What is the "Spirit of Camino" for you? I've been writing again on the Forum for the last few days and I see the diversity that adorns the Camino. It brings back memories of my three Caminos and what I felt as the "Spirit of Camino". On the first Camino I was 67, last year on the third Camino I...

This forum is a fabulous resource of practical information and moral support for those planning a potentially tough walk, in what is for many an unfamiliar continent. But I wonder how many of the anxieties shared here, about kit and brands, communications, baggage transport and the availability...

Preface: Moderators: I absolutely respect the rules of this forum - which I consider essential - and if this post, or reactions to it, go in the wrong direction, I ask you to delete it. I don't want to discuss religion and faith, I'm just interested to know why other "non-believers" walk a...

La Voz de Galicia are reporting the headline figures from a survey of Camino pilgrims. The article states that according to this survey around 90% are Catholic, about 48% claim to have walked for spiritual reasons, and that the average daily expenditure by pilgrims is about 80 euros. PS: As the...

To all, I've been a member of this forum for quite some time. I walked the CF in 2016 2 months after my mother died, I walked the Primitivo last April solo and now this year I will walk Le Puy from Le Puy to Conques with a fellow pilgrim I met at Bodenaya last year. Both of those walks I walked...

Hello Friends - Earlier this year I walked the Camino Frances (with a start in Pamplona) and truly loved the experience, so much that I am considering another Camino in April/May of the coming year (I suspect the VDLP). I am wondering about my motivations however, and if doing another one so...

For me, this is where my life changes drastically. My wife and I had thought that a hike on the Camino in 2024 would be a great way to see France and Spain, have healthy exercise, and have a chance to enjoy retirement. However, that has shifted. My wife has been battling breast cancer for the...

I had a meeting with our pastor and youth pastor this morning that was quite discouraging. I wish I had the collective of pilgrims past in the room. They both described the post COVID experience of getting youth out of the house. Parents, but especially teens are reluctant to go out and meet...

Ok, I've walked a bunch over the last 17 years... let's see... 7 x Frances, 2 x Primitivo, 3 x Norte, 1 x Vdlp... plus 2 x San Salvador. I don't count the Muxia/Fisterre ones. There is always someone who knows more, there is always someone who walks faster, there is always someone who has taken...