Uploaded on YouTube in the last few days, here is a video from a pilgrim who has walked from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago during Covid times. You will agree that it is beautifully shot.

Hey everyone? How are you this morning? It’s Thursday as I write and it is so close to the end of my annual leave. Has it been a productive few days? I would say yes! I have had the chance the rest and recharge while getting the chance to do something I wanted to do for sometime, but I will come back to that in a bit.

Unfortunately, those infected by Covid increase gradually and I do worry if I will be able to travel next April. If I do travel, I will more than likely be required to self-isolate when I return home. This means working from home for 10 days, which is perfectly fine by me. The call of the Camino has been strong since I returned from Porto last September. I look forward to returning and meeting other pilgrims and getting back into the rhythm of pilgrim life. I have been thinking of 2022 and other routes but I realise that I shouldn’t get ahead of myself. I have an urge to walk the Camino Francés again although when I think back at the large number of pilgrims from 2017 and 2018, I wonder why that route. Maybe it is how easy it is to meet people and it is a very social Camino. But when all the thinking has been done, I realise that I have full time job and I will never have time to walk a longer Camino – until I retire, that is.

So as most of you know at this stage, the blog has made it’s transition to podcast form and we have began interviewing pilgrims who have walked the Camino de Santiago. I will still be posting also. Last week I spoke to Pablo about his walk on the Camino del Norte and it is available to listen now.

Pablo’s blog (setmeravelles.com) is full of information on the Camino del Norte, Camino Primitivo, and Camino San Salvador and is recommended reading. I interviewed a German pilgrim, Miriam on Tuesday. She created a super YouTube video which has over 12,000 views at present and I love it. And finally, I had a chat with María Seco today. Maria lives on the Camino Portugués and this podcast will be available in the future.

As always, I have an open invitation to all pilgrims. Please let me know if you want to share your story and we can arrange a time etc.

In the meantime, Buen Camino!

After writing my last post, there has been progress, my good friends. I have managed to get this podcast off the ground and it is online ready for all for listen. I have recorded with Skype and ran with Anchor.fm. Anchor not only publish the podcast but send it to all the main listening platforms, which is very nice of them.

The first episode was a solitary affair where I talked about my first jaunt to Santiago way back in 2011. I am considering a few more episodes where I talk about albergues, and websites to review when preparing for your Camino. The second episode is with Querien, who writes whenawayfarer.com. She is such a positive person and I enjoyed the conversation.

With all highs, there are downsides and the first came on Friday evening when I was talking to Elizabeth, my Mexican peregrina friend. Halfway through a fascinating chat, my laptop crashed. I had been experiencing problems with the hard drive all week so I had managed to back up what I could before hand.

Fast forward to today, I have a new laptop and I can continue with my podcast and with writing. I am now on annual leave from work so I have a little time on my hands.

The offer is open to all pilgrims if you wish to share your experience, please message me.

Podcast link: www.anchor.fm/clearskiescamino

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2vOIpQrJvkYuPScThcKyyP

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 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