I was delighted to receive an e-mail from Sue Spittle after she read my post asking for other people’s experiences on the Camino de Santiago. Both Sue and her husband Reg, decided to walk the Camino Frances from Pamplona in 2013. It was their first long distance walk and their first time with backpacks. It seems they really gained from their time on the Camino as they both are “living life with less baggage”! More details about Sue & Reg’s Camino can be found on www.carryoncouple.com/caminodesantigo.

So what was Sue’s impression of her Camino?…..

“We should do it!” That was my reaction in August of 2012 as the credits rolled signaling the end of the Emilio Estevez/Martin Sheen movie, The Way. As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I realized I really meant it.

My husband thought I was nuts. We had no backpacking experience, with the exception of an overnighter with friends some 30 years earlier. How could we walk 500 miles? How could we carry everything we needed in a backpack? Where would we stay? What would we eat? What about our privacy? All valid concerns to which I responded, “What if we can do it? Besides, (we were recently retired) what else will we do with all our time?”

Fast forward to an April morning in 2013. Equipped with brand spanking new packs, sleeping bags, hiking shoes, assorted clothing and an abundance of other non-essential personal items, we took our first steps along the Camino, leading us out of Pamplona, Spain and into an entirely new way of life!

● Our training consisted of a variety of day hikes, with and without packs, only 100 miles in all. Trekking poles are a must!
● Albergues, with their dorm-style rooms, were intimidating at first, but we met wonderful people of all ages and nationalities. Do stay in some!
● Some Pilgrim meals were better than others, but all were affordable and often shared
around a communal table. Don’t miss out on this!
● Walk your own Camino. Find a pace and daily mileage count that suits your abilities.
For us it was 12 miles/day. It is not a race!
● Nor is it easy! Sore muscles, tired feet, blisters, sun, rain, snow, snoring, top bunks,
co-ed bathrooms…be prepared!
● The Camino has much to teach all who travel The Way. Appreciate each day for what it
is.

While reaching Santiago was our original goal, we weren’t far from Pamplona when we realized that the adventure would be about so much more. We both experienced a variety of emotions upon arriving in Santiago. Exhilaration, relief, sadness, gratitude…I would encourage you to find your “Way”. It just might change your life!

Reg & Sue after reaching the top of O Cebreiro

So I posted before before Christmas that I had planned to walk from Leon to Santiago. I couldn’t wait to heal up after my broken wrist, so I booked my flights and bought any other gear that I needed. There was much anticipation which is usually the case when I think about returning to Spain. I had decided on April as a good time as it’s not too warm and it’s not that busy at that time of the year.

Unfortunately, due to a number of reasons, I felt it would be better to postpone and cut short my Camino. I have a number of things that I need to give my attention to over the next 3-4 months and unfortunately, a trip to Spain isn’t high on that list. So I am putting it aside until September 4th when I fly to Madrid and catch a bus to Astorga. I have made a booking in Hotel Gaudi which I am looking forward to. The next morning I hope to march on to who knows where! I had to grin and bear the charge for changing flights but that’s a small sacrifice! I look forward to the Leon hills, the Cruz de Ferro, the Bierzo valley and of course, the climb to O Cebreiro!

So I’ve been thinking of creating a new series for this blog, and with the coming of the new year, there is no better time to start it then. I plan on uploading a photo a day starting from way back in 2011. I hope I won’t be spamming my followers, but if that is the case, please let me know. It will be a challenge for myself as I tend to leave the blog unattended for more than necessary. So January 1st will be the beginning of #caminophotoaday. Of course, there will be a brief pause in my postings of this series, while I walk from Leon to Santiago in April / May!

Hi folks! An apology is in order for the lack of posts here. A certain wrist is making that a little difficult, but I hope to be on the mend this side of Christmas. I am able to type with the cast on however, but I hope you don’t mention that to my doctor. The words “cast” “rest” and “upright position” were mentioned by him to me when I last visited him on the 28th. I return to him on the 19th of December to hopefully have the cast removed and physio can begin after Christmas. I write this with a positive tone however. I’d love to be able to eat Christmas dinner with both hands!

However, I have been keeping myself occupied over the last month and I have a number of things in the pipeline. I plan on writing a number of articles on “the best of 2016” Camino sites. I realise that it is impossible to give a top 5 or a top 10 as everyone’s opinion is different and there will be a number of websites I will leave out. However, it’s just my opinion. I hope to cover blogs (including forums), twitter, instagram, and youtube accounts. So I have a number of weeks to work on this which is plenty of time. However, I need your opinions, and I’m sure you have plenty! If there is a website / twitter account / instagram account that you feel does a great job promoting the Camino, please comment below.

I have mentioned also in the past of Andrew Suzuki’s project “Beyond The Way“. He has created 10 amazing videos after his time on the Camino in 2014. There isn’t a day that passes that I return to his website and watch one of his videos. Everything is independently produced which is pretty impressive. However, it’s not a series that discusses the sights and cities. Andrew talks to pilgrims and we hear their personal stories. It’s not often you get that in a Camino video. Anyway, after the last episode was released (so to speak), he put a call out that he was to make a second series. An Indiegogo campaign was started with a promise of goodies once a certain amount was contributed. To cut a long story short, Andrew completed the Camino Portuguese a number of weeks ago and I received a package of goodies via email and post. It certainly picked me up while in healing mode. I’d encourage you to “like” Beyond The Way’s page on Facebook as Andrew is in the process of creating a 2nd series for his most recent Camino.

And finally, the gears are well and truly in motion for a return to Spain in 2017. More news on that in the future!

While there are literally hundreds of videos on YouTube, Vimeo and Dailymotion about planning, preparation and walking the Camino, I have noticed an increase in the amount of podcasts. Podcasting is basically a form of audio broadcasting on the Internet. You can download the file in question and listen to it at your own time. There are a few that I have spotted and I have to pay tribute to them for the work they have put into them.

• First of all we have The Indie Travel Podcast. Craig and Linda are from New Zealand and are addicted travellers. They have both walked a number of Caminos and have uploaded a good few podcasts about them. So if you are considering walking the Camino Ingles, Frances, Primitivo and others, you can hear how they got on and maybe pick up a few tips.
• Next of all, Dave Whitson is no stranger to Camino podcasting. Not only has he written a book on the Northern Caminos, but he has uploaded close to 30 detailed episodes about the different Ways, planning and advice. He writes “The Camino Podcast is a program focused on pilgrimage. We talk about major pilgrimage routes, like Spain’s Camino de Santiago, we share stories from the road, and we talk about more technical aspects of pilgrimage. Whether you’re planning your first pilgrimage, processing your latest one, or just an armchair traveler, we hope you find this to be a good listen!” I have even contributed to one of his podcasts! You can find a full list of his audio on his Soundcloud page.
• And another one to keep your eye on. Two Australians, David and Kelly, are due to walk from Burgos to Leon in January and instead of blogging or videoing their trip, they are going to podcast. They have set up Walk This Way so that’s on for the future.

Applications like Audacity and Opinion are making it easier for us to podcast. Once you have a basic script and make sure your listeners will be interested, then why not? Alternatively, you can do it just to update your family and friends like David and Kelly are planning on doing.

If there are any other podcasts I have missed out, please let me know in the comments below as I am always interested to hear them.