Over 14 months since start of the pandemic, there is good news on the horizon as Spain looks to welcome pilgrims from June.

News has been filtering in from Spain over the last few weeks that their state of alarm would be lifted and this was confirmed today. Portugal had previously confirmed that the border between Portugal and Spain is now open. So now Spanish people are free to travel within the country. News that the state of alarm was lifted was received with joy and delight but I’m not sure if the partying in the street was the right response.

So where are we?

EU citizens are travel within the EU but you may be subject to criteria. For example, if I was to travel to Portugal now I would need a negative PCR test 72 hours before each flight. I look forward to the EU new digital green card which will allow travel if one can show proof of a negative PCR test or vaccination. There is no date when this will be implemented yet but I would imagine it will be operational by June.

For those who live outside of the EU, you will need to wait a little bit longer, as Spain has prolonged its travel restrictions for countries outside EU until the end of May. The digital green card will hopefully be operational by then, but we wait and see.

In Spain, approx 20% of the Spanish population has received their first dose, so it is still required to wear a mask outdoors. Restrictions are still in place in the form of curfews, depending on what region you are in. Obviously, if the situation gets worse, I would imagine each regional government will impose their own restrictions.

The youtube channel “Spain Speaks” is a very good place to get your daily fix of updates – a resident of Madrid – he breaks down the news for us folks living outside of Spain.

Personally speaking, I wait for my first dose of the vaccine. I will continue to be patient and until then I will continue my Camino at home. That said, we are picking up pace here in Ireland but we are far way behind the UK and the USA. Our own government is hoping that 80% of the population will have their first jab before the end of June. It is a big ask, but we shall see if it is met. We are on the right road, however, and I am hopeful. This is good news and I look forward to returning to the Camino! That said, there is huge demand to return to the Camino – from all over the world. Every pilgrim misses walking these routes and I can only imagine how busy Santiago will be when “normality” returns.

Buen Camino!

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I think it is no secret that I wish to create a podcast to help others (and in turn myself) get ready for a trip to Spain / Portugal. I have all the necessary equipment and I hope to have the first episode uploaded shortly.

Over the coming weeks, I am looking to talk to other pilgrims who wish to share their pilgrim experience. And that’s where you come in.

• How did you hear about the Camino de Santiago?
• How did you prepare?
• Is there any equipment you would recommend?
• What about pilgrim routes in your own country?

An episode will last approx 30-40 minutes and all episodes will be found online.

Contact email: clearskiescamino@gmail.com

I hope to hear from you soon

Instagram: @clearskiescamino

I’m a little excited. Actually, I’m not quite sure how I feel. This could be the beginning of something new or, then again, it may not be. I will know in a few weeks when I take my first steps.

It’s no secret that it has become more of a challenge to keep your audience, especially for us bloggers. I have been writing about the Camino de Santiago for nearly 9 years and I have had some highs. I have had some lows too. More and more bloggers are making the switch to podcasting or YouTube to get their message across while hoping they can increase their audience. I’m not going to throw in the towel on this blog though. Far from it.

There are so many opportunities and possibilities now. I just need to gather my thoughts and see what the best plan is. There are so many great podcasts on the Camino de Santiago. Of course, you have Dan Mullins’ own. I was a guest of his in 2017. Then there is Dave Whitson, who I talked to in 2016. Will mine be different? I’m going to talk about what is important to me and put my own mark on it. I can’t see each podcast being more than 30 minutes long and in most episodes I will have someone with me, whether they are a pilgrim or they have a connection with the Camino. I hope anyway.

I have started to gather the equipment. If anyone has any suggestions or would like to have a chat, please message me.

Buen Camino

I have fond memories of my stroll from A Guarda to Santiago in May 2018 with my brother. We had fine weather apart from our day of arriving in Santiago. If I had more time, I could have walked further but I was dipping my proverbial toes in the Portugués Camino at the time. I return in September 2020 to walk from Porto and I look forward to the day very much.

The next weekend watch is one that has been just recently been uploaded to YouTube and shows a pilgrim’s walk from A Guarda, along the coast to Santiago. All 160km. It looks like the weather was perfect too. Enjoy!