How many times have you walked the Camino Frances (more than half way)?

[katie@camino]

Moderator note: this thread has been changed to add a poll. You can respond to the poll even if you have already posted in the thread.

How many times have you walked the Camino Frances (more than half way)?

And if more than once, why do you return to it?

I am just curious to hear everyone's thoughts...

I love the Camino Frances, am thinking about walking it for the 3rd time, but also feel like I 'should' keep walking other paths.

 

[TravellingMan22]

How many times have you walked the Camino Frances (more than half way)?

And if more than once, why do you return to it?

I am just curious to hear everyone's thoughts...

I love the Camino Frances, am thinking about walking it for the 3rd time, but also feel like I 'should' keep walking other paths.

Just once for me. July/Aug 2020… hugely enjoyed it. Straightforward to do, with minimal planning needed, cheap and with great infrastructure. No desire to do again as prefer new things, in my case want to do VDLP!

 

[Anhalter]

Won't go into why i walked it the first time. But i enjoyed it a lot.
Then i wanted to walk other Caminos. Like the Potuges or Primitivo. But along came Covid.
Three years after my first i walked my second CF.
It just seems like the perfect thing for me.
The infrastructure is great.
The scenery is varied and mostly beautiful.
Lots of culture/history.
And it seems to attract the kind of people i enjoy spending time with.

Now would i walk it a third time? I'd be lying if i said i did not consider it.

 

[Bradypus]

Four times. 1990, 2002, 2016 and 2023. With a lot of other Caminos and routes elsewhere in between.

Why return? Because the first time was a visceral powerful experience I want to recapture. To watch the Camino Frances evolve over time. The first walk was all novelty and surprise - later ones were revisiting a friend. Different experiences but both worthwhile in their way. In a few days time I will be back in SJPDP to start another walk on the Frances but this time with a friend rather than solo and I am looking forward to seeing it in yet another way through his eyes.

 

[mspath]

Perhaps the first post of my last camino explained best why I walked the Camino Frances ten times; thus although my situation has changed while I was able to walk it served as my apologia.

"Le cœur a ses raisons que la raison ne connaît pas/ the heart has its reasons, of which reason knows nothing."
Pascal, Les Pensées

Unfortunately now at 84 I am only able to walk long distances in my memory.

 

[Kathy F.]

Twice. The second time, I started in Lourdes, just to challenge myself a bit more.
My third Camino was the Portugues.

 

[good_old_shoes]

Four times ('15, '17, '19, '22).

Other routes are probably more beautiful and really nice to walk, too. But when I think about returning to the Camino, for me it is the Francés.

I'd say, go where your heart tells you to go.

I've walked other routes, too, in Germany, France, and at least one in Spain (Aragones). But the Francés is special to me. I wouldn't choose a route because you feel you "should" walk a different one. If you want to try a new one, that's a different story.

One year I had planned to divert from the Francés to walk via the Salvador and Primitivo. It sounded great, and I thought I should explore new routes. But when I had arrived in Leon, the thought of leaving the Francés made me sad instead of excited and happy to walk a new route. So I changed the plan and stayed on the Francés. Didn't regret it.

Why return? Many reasons, some of them very personal. A simple summary could be "because it makes me happy".

"Le cœur a ses raisons que la raison ne connaît pas/ the heart has its reasons, of which reason knows nothing."
Pascal, Les Pensées

I love that quote.

 

[Tincatinker]

I’ve walked the “whole” or parts of the Camino Frances three times in the last eleven years. I do not think I will walk any of it again. Contemporary accounts of the experience incline me to other routes and none. I have paid my respects to the Apostle, and to his Master. I have stood and wept on the shores of the sundering sea. Many of those journeys made in the company of good people who were, like me, in search of something beyond the material. I’ll carry memories of kindness, good argument and the quest for mutuality until the final flames.

Sadly l am led to the conclusion that the Camino (Frances) is not for me

 

[Luka]

Once, in 2015. But maybe a poll would have been more practical.

 

[naplesdon]

Lost count because I took side trips along the way on other Caminos. In eleven years maybe 5 times but who's counting?

 

[MarkyD]

How many times have you walked the Camino Frances (more than half way)?

And if more than once, why do you return to it?

I am just curious to hear everyone's thoughts...

I love the Camino Frances, am thinking about walking it for the 3rd time, but also feel like I 'should' keep walking other paths.

It might have been interesting to have a voting score card for this, then we could see a nice graph at the end of voting!

In my case, only once, in 2018 (Sept to Oct) from STPP to Finisterre. I can confidently say IT WAS EPIC. I'm not sure if I'll do it again, although I've since walked sections of the Camino Portugués (2019) and Camino Mozarabe (2022).

 

[joramos]

Walked the Frances Oct-Nov 2022 with my adult daughter and son, then Apr-Jun 2023 solo. Never been happier, calmer, and more believing in myself.

 

[Levi]

Three times in full and sections as well at other times. I've also walked other camino routes and enjoyed them very much. However, for me there is something very special about the Frances that keeps drawing me back - even with the increased numbers of pilgrims and all the stuff that we 'complain' about on this forum.
I hope to back in October. I think there is something very special (and hard to define) about this camino.

 

[grayland]

@Tincatinker has expressed my thoughts very well.
I have walked the Camino Frances 5 times..once from LePuy.
My first walk on the CF was in 2009 and my last in Winter 2016. I have no urge to return to the CF route or the experience it has morphed into. I would rather keep my memory intact.

But...I have walked many of the other less traveled routes with pleasure.
In total I have walked 13 caminos in Spain, France and Italy since 2009.

 

[katie@camino]

Once, in 2015. But maybe a poll would have been more practical.

I thought about a poll but I am also loving hearing people's reminiscences and reflections x

 

[katie@camino]

Perhaps the first post of my last camino explained best why I walked the Camino Frances ten times; thus although my situation has changed while I was able to walk it served as my apologia.

"Le cœur a ses raisons que la raison ne connaît pas/ the heart has its reasons, of which reason knows nothing."
Pascal, Les Pensées

Unfortunately now at 84 I am only able to walk long distances in my memory.

I've not heard this quote before and it is absolutely beautiful. Thankyou for sharing

 

[WayWalker]

How many times have you walked the Camino Frances (more than half way)?

And if more than once, why do you return to it?

I am just curious to hear everyone's thoughts...

I love the Camino Frances, am thinking about walking it for the 3rd time, but also feel like I 'should' keep walking other paths.

Just once but have walked 2 other paths and will embark on a 3rd "other" path in September. I'm a Camino junkie.

 

[lt56ny]

but also feel like I 'should' keep walking other paths.

Only you can answer this question. We do not have your memories or feelings of your caminos. Unless you walk other caminos, it will be impossible to ever know the answer. By the end of this year I will have walked 9 different camino paths. All are unique and I loved them all. Every camino is a different experience that you will never know until you walk.

 

[runboyrun]

Moderator note: this thread has been changed to add a poll. You can respond to the poll even if you have already posted in the thread.

How many times have you walked the Camino Frances (more than half way)?

And if more than once, why do you return to it?

I am just curious to hear everyone's thoughts...

I love the Camino Frances, am thinking about walking it for the 3rd time, but also feel like I 'should' keep walking other paths.

In 1995 from SJPDP to Santiago and in 1995 from Leon to Santiago. This pilgrimage has stuck in my head ever since.

 

[JerryStroebele]

Only once but "I'll be back." Buen Camino

 

[david g]

Four times on the Frances (2012/15/21/22) and number five begins next month. It’s the route that changed my life. It has memories attached to it yet still manages to present something new each time. Part of the attraction too is the length of it. 30+ days of walking let’s you get into it so much more than the shorter routes (l enjoyed the Portuguese, English and Primitivo routes but they just weren’t long enough for me)

 

[henrythedog]

Eight and counting.

I like Spain, speak reasonable Spanish, like walking and the sense of freedom which I get from a Camino experience.

Every walk has been different; but of course I have some favourite places to stay or eat or just relax.

 

[trevorcc]

Moderator note: this thread has been changed to add a poll. You can respond to the poll even if you have already posted in the thread.

How many times have you walked the Camino Frances (more than half way)?

And if more than once, why do you return to it?

I am just curious to hear everyone's thoughts...

I love the Camino Frances, am thinking about walking it for the 3rd time, but also feel like I 'should' keep walking other paths.

4 times praying 5 is not out of the question for my 75th birthday 2024

 

[Anniesantiago]

Over 20

 

[joramos]

What was the question again?

 

[katie@camino]

Over 20

Just the Camino Frances?! Wow. That's awesome!

 

[katie@camino]

Three times in full and sections as well at other times. I've also walked other camino routes and enjoyed them very much. However, for me there is something very special about the Frances that keeps drawing me back - even with the increased numbers of pilgrims and all the stuff that we 'complain' about on this forum.
I hope to back in October. I think there is something very special (and hard to define) about this camino.

I feel the same way. The Portuguese has come closest to recapturing the feel of the Frances, but not quite, for me.

 

[katie@camino]

Four times on the Frances (2012/15/21/22) and number five begins next month. It’s the route that changed my life. It has memories attached to it yet still manages to present something new each time. Part of the attraction too is the length of it. 30+ days of walking let’s you get into it so much more than the shorter routes (l enjoyed the Portuguese, English and Primitivo routes but they just weren’t long enough for me)

Yep, the Frances ticks a lot of boxes!

 

[walking sticKs]

I first walked Burgos in 2008 with my youngest brother who had walked the entire route in 2004.

Amazed and stunned by what I saw and felt I needed to return to Burgos and finish the following year.

That trip was transforming, so I returned in 2011 to walk from SJPP to Santiago. I have since walked into Santiago along the Portuguese and the Primitivo.
At 71, I hope to walk two or more Caminos, one being the La Plata!

 

[Lydia Gillen]

Three times, first from Roncesvalles (4 trips) 1907 -1909, second time from Pamplona 1911
third time from San Juan Pied du Port ( 4 trips) 1912 -1916.
I return because I love it, feel drawn to it, and feel so close to God on it.
I now come from Tui to Santiago which is a really beautiful walk.

 

[trecile]

Three times, first from Roncesvalles (4 trips) 1907 -1909, second time from Pamplona 1911
third time from San Juan Pied du Port ( 4 trips) 1912 -1916.
I return because I love it, feel drawn to it, and feel so close to God on it.
I now come from Tui to Santiago which is a really beautiful walk.

Either those years are wrong, or you are the oldest pilgrim on the forum!

 

[katie@camino]

I first walked Burgos in 2008 with my youngest brother who had walked the entire route in 2004.

Amazed and stunned by what I saw and felt I needed to return to Burgos and finish the following year.

That trip was transforming, so I returned in 2011 to walk from SJPP to Santiago. I have since walked into Santiago along the Portuguese and the Primitivo.
At 71, I hope to walk two or more Caminos, one being the La Plata!

I agree re VDLP - waiting to get the timing right for that one, for some free time between March-June!

 

[mattythedog]

Moderator note: this thread has been changed to add a poll. You can respond to the poll even if you have already posted in the thread.

How many times have you walked the Camino Frances (more than half way)?

And if more than once, why do you return to it?

I am just curious to hear everyone's thoughts...

I love the Camino Frances, am thinking about walking it for the 3rd time, but also feel like I 'should' keep walking other paths.

First time by bicycle in 2016 mostly as a tourist, but I missed a lot by blowing through many of the villages and not stopping. I have walked the CF 6 times since from SJPP and all the way to the Atlantic. I keep returning for the tremendous spiritual experiences, and to visit the friends I have made along the Way.

 

[JesperK]

Four times on the Frances (2012/15/21/22) and number five begins next month. It’s the route that changed my life. It has memories attached to it yet still manages to present something new each time. Part of the attraction too is the length of it. 30+ days of walking let’s you get into it so much more than the shorter routes (l enjoyed the Portuguese, English and Primitivo routes but they just weren’t long enough for me)

I begin number 5 too next month 4.Sep - though this time I begin in Burgos.

 

[JabbaPapa]

I guess 6 times over five Caminos, given that on my last Camino I walked about half of the Francès on my Way to Fátima, then Santiago to SJPP on my way back to France. Plus three times, 1994, 2005, 2014 when I've hitch-hiked along the Francès from Santiago to home, with about 100 to 300K hiking as such each time (in 2005 from Santiago to Ponferrada with a chance-encounter compañera which was amazing), though those are each less than half a Camino walking-wise so they don't count in the terms of this question -- though I've travelled the Francès 9 times.

 

[David Tallan]

Moderator note: this thread has been changed to add a poll. You can respond to the poll even if you have already posted in the thread.

How many times have you walked the Camino Frances (more than half way)?

And if more than once, why do you return to it?

I am just curious to hear everyone's thoughts...

I love the Camino Frances, am thinking about walking it for the 3rd time, but also feel like I 'should' keep walking other paths.

I have never understood people who only are willing to walk one route or, conversely, are unwilling to repeat a route.

To me it is like listening to a great song or eating a great dish. I wouldn't follow it up by saying "That was a great song. I will never listen to other music again." or "That was a great dish. From now on it is all that I am eating." But neither would I say "That was a great song. I never want to hear it again." or "That was a great dish. I never want to eat it again."

 

[JesperK]

I have never understood people who only are willing to walk one route or, conversely, are unwilling to repeat a route.

To me it is like listening to a great song or eating a great dish. I wouldn't follow it up by saying "That was a great song. I will never listen to other music again." or "That was a great dish. From now on it is all that I am eating." But neither would I say "That was a great song. I never want to hear it again." or "That was a great dish. I never want to eat it again."

I understand that. I've also walked portuguese and via de la plata. But I didn't get the same feeling as on frances. Camino Frances is part of me now and I cherish the memories. On my second frances I got fairly dissapointed as it wasn't like the first. But I've learned to deal with it. In exactly two weeks I'll be on my fifth Frances and I'm all giddy from excitement.

 

[lt56ny]

Four times on the Frances (2012/15/21/22) and number five begins next month. It’s the route that changed my life. It has memories attached to it yet still manages to present something new each time. Part of the attraction too is the length of it. 30+ days of walking let’s you get into it so much more than the shorter routes (l enjoyed the Portuguese, English and Primitivo routes but they just weren’t long enough for me)

I am sure you know there are lots of other caminos that are as long or longer than the CF. I realize you said that the CF has strong memories for you. If you try you can do the VDLP, or start on the Mozarabe the routes from France that connect in Spain and on to Santiago, the Norte, The Lana connects with the CF in Burgos for a really nice long one too. I am now starting to walk on far less traveled caminos and discovering a different kind of peace as well as a far different experience. Two years ago I walked the VDLP, last year I walked the Aragones to the CF. This year I will walk the Vasco Interior to Burgos, then the Meseta to Leon, bus over to Porto and walk the Coastal Portugues and hopefully do the Variante Espiritual. Next year I will probably do part of the Mozarabe to Merida and walk the VDLP to the Sanabras. I had planned to do the Sanabras where it split with the VDLP but it was right after Spain reopened in 2021. It was already late November and I was told by albergue owners that I may have trouble finding open albergues on the Sanabras because it was just a little post covid and late fall. Try it you can let your imagination run and do different combinations of caminos or just one long Camino for a completely new experience. p.s. walked from Le Puy to Santiago in 2015 and that was an amazing experience. Buen Camino

 

[JabbaPapa]

I understand that. I've also walked portuguese and via de la plata. But I didn't get the same feeling as on frances. Camino Frances is part of me now and I cherish the memories. On my second frances I got fairly dissapointed as it wasn't like the first. But I've learned to deal with it. In exactly two weeks I'll be on my fifth Frances and I'm all giddy from excitement.

I would never walk to Santiago without at least a portion on the Francès in the meseta.

Could be walking there, could be be walking back, could be the hiking part of a hitch-hike.

I just love it too much to ever avoid it.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I walked the Camino Frances twice; full Norte; Primitivo; Portuguese from Porto; Via Podiensis; Via Francigena from Lucca to Rome.
Loved them all and hope to do another one, but am undecided on which one.

 

[SabsP]

Walked from Roncevalles to Santiago in 2011.
In 2013 walked from Logroño to Carrion de los Condes ( first I walked part of the Camino del Ebro ).
In 2017 I walked from Carrion de los Condes to Astorga.
Others years I walked the Ingles ( twice ).
One year the Portugues from Porto.
One year only the epilogue from Santiago to Finisterre.
My last Camino was in 2019 when I walked the Vasco Interior from Irun to Burgos.

Net week I will walk the Ingles again, this time with two friends.

I do not think I will walk the Frances again, unless it is very early spring or late autumn as to avoid the crowds.

My dream is to be able to walk from home here in Belgium to Santiago via de Camino de Tours in France.
This will have to be done in parts or I shall have to wait till my pension.

For shorter Caminos : the Aragones, the Baztan are on my list.

 

[wanderlustjudyA]

Three times, first from Roncesvalles (4 trips) 1907 -1909, second time from Pamplona 1911
third time from San Juan Pied du Port ( 4 trips) 1912 -1916.
I return because I love it, feel drawn to it, and feel so close to God on it.
I now come from Tui to Santiago which is a really beautiful walk.

It was so special to meet you on the Camino Portuguese in 2019. You have inspired me to walk the Camino Frances this year. I will start on August 31.

 

[Lydia Gillen]

Either those years are wrong, or you are the oldest pilgrim on the forum!

How right your are Trecile. Having lived for almost 60 years in the last century I sometimes put 19xx. The first date I ever wrote was in my copybook in 1950.

 

[Lydia Gillen]

It was so special to meet you on the Camino Portuguese in 2019. You have inspired me to walk the Camino Frances this year. I will start on August 31.

Judy how lovely to hear from you. I remember so well those lovely hours we spent together. It was like God gave us the gift of one another for a little while. Buen Camino along the Camino Frances

 

[DwainS]

I would never walk to Santiago without at least a portion on the Francès in the meseta.

Could be walking there, could be be walking back, could be the hiking part of a hitch-hike.

I just love it too

Walked my first camino Frances this year. Before I started I read some people bus by this section of the camino so was a little worried I might not like it. But I loved it. Also the walk out of Leon I read wasn't that great, but liked that also. To be honest, I liked the whole way and will walk the whole way again in May-June 2024.

 

[Kasee]

Moderator note: this thread has been changed to add a poll. You can respond to the poll even if you have already posted in the thread.

How many times have you walked the Camino Frances (more than half way)?

And if more than once, why do you return to it?

I am just curious to hear everyone's thoughts...

I love the Camino Frances, am thinking about walking it for the 3rd time, but also feel like I 'should' keep walking other paths.

I'm so glad that you posted this! I thought I was the only one wrestling with the "shoulds."

I have walked the Frances twice from SJPP to Muxia--once in the Fall of 2022 and then again in the Spring of 2023. Then, Fall 2023, I walked the Portuguese before volunteering in the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago for two weeks. So three Caminos in the space of one year. I've got a bad case of Peregrina-itis.

I feel like I "should" walk other branches of the Camino. In fact, I was in the thick of planning a Norte/Primitivo trip when I realized that I was instead taking notes on places I hadn't visited on the Frances and was actually planning another Frances. "Ooh! Borda just opened reservations! Ooh! I would love to stay with the nuns in Zalbadika! Ooh! Maybe I can walk the Invierno from Ponferrada this time."

Just today, I decided to listen to that still, small voice and I reserved a hotel room at CDG so I can sleep before I fly into Biarritz and a bed at Borda for July. When Pascal said that the heart has its reasons that are beyond reason, he was spot on. My heart has absolutely hijacked my Norte and turned it into a third Frances. One thing I've been taught by the Camino is to follow my heart.

 

[trecile]

I'm so glad that you posted this! I thought I was the only one wrestling with the "shoulds."

I have walked the Frances twice from SJPP to Muxia--once in the Fall of 2022 and then again in the Spring of 2023. Then, Fall 2023, I walked the Portuguese before volunteering in the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago for two weeks. So three Caminos in the space of one year. I've got a bad case of Peregrina-itis.

I feel like I "should" walk other branches of the Camino. In fact, I was in the thick of planning a Norte/Primitivo trip when I realized that I was instead taking notes on places I hadn't visited on the Frances and was actually planning another Frances. "Ooh! Borda just opened reservations! Ooh! I would love to stay with the nuns in Zalbadika! Ooh! Maybe I can walk the Invierno from Ponferrada this time."

I feel the same way. I had thought that I would be walking the Via de la Plata in 2024, after all I should, since I've walked the Francés 2.5 times, the Norte twice, the Salvador and the Portuguese Caminos... But this year while I was on the Primitivo I was missing the easiness and conviviality of the Camino Francés. I like being around other pilgrims. I like being able to stop for a bite to eat every couple of hours if I want without having to carry a lot of food. I like that there are so many little towns that I don't have to plan too much, and can stop early or go on farther than planned. And there are still many little towns that I haven't explored that deserve my time.

So for 2024 I plan on walking the Francés again, but this time por Aragón. I may decide to divert onto the Invierno, but I will leave that decision until Ponferrada.

 

[Kasee]

Thanks for the confirmation.

 

[TravellingMan22]

I have never understood people who only are willing to walk one route or, conversely, are unwilling to repeat a route.

To me it is like listening to a great song or eating a great dish. I wouldn't follow it up by saying "That was a great song. I will never listen to other music again." or "That was a great dish. From now on it is all that I am eating." But neither would I say "That was a great song. I never want to hear it again." or "That was a great dish. I never want to eat it again."

I don’t really get the comparison. A Camino is a big thing to do both time wise and financially, whereas you can listen to music or eat great food 365 24/7 for little or no effort in terms of time and money, and repeat as often as you like not and have new and different music and food alongside it.

Anyway……I have no problem with people who do the CF over and over and again. Of course the experience will be a little different each time, meeting new people, but it is still rural Spain, same language, culture, etc.but people love it, feel a sense of calm there, maybe it’s an addiction, and its straightforward and there a lots of value in returning to ‘what you know’.

I have done the CF, Norte and Portuguese and want to do VDLP but feel it will then be time to not do them anymore, as they will have become ‘samey’ (by my measurement), and I will find some other treks in others parts of world.

Just my thoughts. People can do what they like, of course and I know many have a love of the Camino beyond trekking.

I guess this thread reminds me of the one about how long we may have left to live, so hurry up and do another Camino, whereas I wonder if some folks may not wonder if they should have taken a different approach and done other thngs (many will have of course!). Similarly a few people say they regret discovering the Camino ‘later in life’ so maybe an option to think anout ‘spreading your net far and wide’, at the earliest possible opportunity!

 

[David Tallan]

I don’t really get the comparison. A Camino is a big thing to do both time wise and financially, whereas you can listen to music or eat great food 365 24/7 for little or no effort in terms of time and money, and repeat as often as you like not and have new and different music and food alongside it.

Anyway……I have no problem with people who do the CF over and over and again. Of course the experience will be a little different each time, meeting new people, but it is still rural Spain, same language, culture, etc.but people love it, feel a sense of calm there, maybe it’s an addiction, and its straightforward and there a lots of value in returning to ‘what you know’.

I have done the CF, Norte and Portuguese and want to do VDLP but feel it will then be time to not do them anymore, as they will have become ‘samey’ (by my measurement), and I will find some other treks in others parts of world.

Just my thoughts. People can do what they like, of course and I know many have a love of the Camino beyond trekking.

I guess this thread reminds me of the one about how long we may have left to live, so hurry up and do another Camino, whereas I wonder if some folks may not wonder if they should have taken a different approach and done other thngs (many will have of course!). Similarly a few people say they regret discovering the Camino ‘later in life’ so maybe an option to think anout ‘spreading your net far and wide’, at the earliest possible opportunity!

Whether an experience is big or small, a trip or a meal, there are always more to be experienced than one can manage in a lifetime. The question is the same: repeat what you have enjoyed or try something new. Some are always chasing the new experience. Some like the comfort and certain enjoyment of old favorites, and some like a mixture of the two, sometimes seeking something new and other times repeating what one knows one will enjoy.

 

[Kasee]

Whether an experience is big or small, a trip or a meal, there are always more to be experienced than one can manage in a lifetime. The question is the same: repeat what you have enjoyed or try something new. Some are always chasing the new experience. Some like the comfort and certain enjoyment of old favorites, and some like a mixture of the two, sometimes seeking something new and other times repeating what one knows one will enjoy.

I agree. I’m walking St David’s Way and St Aidan’s Way in Great Britain this Spring (both new to me as I’m from California), and then doing my third Frances in July. So a mixture of new and repeat.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I agree. I’m walking St David’s Way and St Aidan’s Way in Great Britain this Spring (both new to me as I’m from California), and then doing my third Frances in July. So a mixture of new and repeat.

I hope you will post on the forum about your two walks in Great Britain. I really loved touring much of Ireland several years ago and walking there sounds intriguing. How did you come to choose a pilgrimage route in those two countries?

 

[Kasee]

I hope you will post on the forum about your two walks in Great Britain. I really loved touring much of Ireland several years ago and walking there sounds intriguing. How did you come to choose a pilgrimage route in those two countries?

There is a British group called Journeying that puts together pilgrimages. I signed up for both walks because I’m interested in Celtic spirituality. I’ll post back about my experiences. https://www.journeying.co.uk/

 

[Dani7]

Perhaps the first post of my last camino explained best why I walked the Camino Frances ten times; thus although my situation has changed while I was able to walk it served as my apologia.

"Le cœur a ses raisons que la raison ne connaît pas/ the heart has its reasons, of which reason knows nothing."
Pascal, Les Pensées

Unfortunately now at 84 I am only able to walk long distances in my memory.

It was a privilege and brought joy to my heart that you walked mine with me via my posts this past spring

 

[Dani7]

My spring 2023 camino Frances was my first and many times during the journey i thought it would be my last. How wrong I was. Planning my second one for spring 2026 to celebrate my 70th. The via Podiensis and Frances combined. I’ll be walking for 10 weeks or more.

Why walk it again?…I’ll let you know when I’m there

 

[Bob Howard]

Four times and walking it again May-June. Last summer I met a 5 timer and a 6 timer, and one 17 timer. Not sure I'll ever get enough of it. Yes, there is an assortment of Caminos Oscuros but only one Mothership, the Camino Francés. It has everything in abundance, including pilgrims which seems to irritate . . . well, some other pilgrims.

 

[DwainS]

Four times and walking it again May-June. Last summer I met a 5 timer and a 6 timer, and one 17 timer. Not sure I'll ever get enough of it. Yes, there is an assortment of Caminos Oscuros but only one Mothership, the Camino Francés. It has everything in abundance, including pilgrims which seems to irritate . . . well, some other pilgrims.

When I first heard and read about the camino Frances the abundance of pilgrims was appealing to me. I wanted to meet and have dinner and drinks with people from all over the world and that's just what happened when I walked the Frances for the first time this year. I have never meet, talked, had dinner with and basically just had a good time with so many people from different countries in a 6 week period ever.

 

[trecile]

This post by @lovelyshell on another thread is one of the reasons that I want to walk the Francés again.

I would maybe suggest doing the Frances instead starting in Pamplona to Burgos which some others have suggested. I just feel like there are more cafes to stop at along that route that would be helpful for a small child who may need lots of breaks. On the CP I really missed that there weren’t as many cafes or towns to stop in. I missed the comraderie of walking up to a cafe to see friends waving at you or reconnecting with people or meeting new people.

Obviously those who are delighted to walk all day without meeting another pilgrim will feel differently!

 

[nycwalking]

I walked CF four times: 2001, 2002, 2004, 2014.

In 2019: Ourense to Santiago. For various and sundry reasons I kept wishing I were on CF.

I will next walk VdlP. Once completed I will most likely head back to CF.

To all: buen camino 2024.

 

[Bradypus]

Obviously those who are delighted to walk all day without meeting another pilgrim will feel differently!

I think it is possible to enjoy both situations on different routes and different times. There are times when I welcome seeing familiar faces and others when I am happier to be alone. I am very glad that it is possible to find both company or solitude on the Caminos if you look for them in the right places.

 

[Damien Reynolds]

For me it's 9 I think. (2005, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023) I always go back to the Frances at least once a year lately. I like a blend of cafes a plenty, cafes that are sort of common, and cafes that are like OMG thank you. (Various route experiences) Now, half of those were just about "at least half way." but what is "halfway"?

 

[trecile]

cafes that are like OMG thank you.

On the Primitivo on a stage that was supposed to be no services for 20 km or so I was delighted to come across a "vending machine cafe." It was a well kept building with several vending machines, a couple of tables, and a very clean bathroom! I definitely left some Euros in the donativo box.

 

[lovelyshell]

This post by @lovelyshell on another thread is one of the reasons that I want to walk the Francés again.



Obviously those who are delighted to walk all day without meeting another pilgrim will feel differently!

@trecile I worried after I wrote that thinking it might be a controversial statement but I’m glad you understood my intention. Certainly on the CP I met people at cafes and ran into friends again but I just felt different than the CF, maybe because the CP from Porto is a shorter experience than Saint Jean to Santiago.

 

[alexwalker]

6 CF. 7th. in coming April.

 

[katie@camino]

I'm so glad that you posted this! I thought I was the only one wrestling with the "shoulds."

I have walked the Frances twice from SJPP to Muxia--once in the Fall of 2022 and then again in the Spring of 2023. Then, Fall 2023, I walked the Portuguese before volunteering in the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago for two weeks. So three Caminos in the space of one year. I've got a bad case of Peregrina-itis.

I feel like I "should" walk other branches of the Camino. In fact, I was in the thick of planning a Norte/Primitivo trip when I realized that I was instead taking notes on places I hadn't visited on the Frances and was actually planning another Frances. "Ooh! Borda just opened reservations! Ooh! I would love to stay with the nuns in Zalbadika! Ooh! Maybe I can walk the Invierno from Ponferrada this time."

Just today, I decided to listen to that still, small voice and I reserved a hotel room at CDG so I can sleep before I fly into Biarritz and a bed at Borda for July. When Pascal said that the heart has its reasons that are beyond reason, he was spot on. My heart has absolutely hijacked my Norte and turned it into a third Frances. One thing I've been taught by the Camino is to follow my heart.

This is so awesome

 

[trevorcc]

Well walk 5 will onl

4 times praying 5 is not out of the question for my 75th birthday 2024

will only happen in my dreams after quadruple heart bypass in late 2023, but I am happy that I have walked it and found great peace and made many many friends.