Happy weekend pilgrims. I woke up with good news and before I end the day, I want to show you a video! This used to be a weekly tradition – I might even start this back – YouTube has come alive with new content. In time, we may see some videos of pilgrims on the Camino again! The news from the Spanish media that mobility restrictions have been relaxed has reinvigorated me. There is a real possiblility that the Camino is opening to more pilgrims this Summer. Following my previous post, I thought I would post this short video podcast from Kevin Donohue – an American pilgrim. He looks into his crystal ball and talks about what the next few months will be like in Spain for pilgrims. As I mentioned in my previous post, there is high demand from pilgrims to travel as soon as possible and I hope common sense will prevail until the vaccination rate in Spain is higher.

The podcast does a good job at explaining that each country is experiencing Covid differently and that we should should quite rightly respect those countries restrictions. That said, the EU Commission have voted on the green digital pass which will be introduced before the Summer. This will allow international non-essential travel for vaccinated pilgrims or those who can show a negative pcr test.

The news today from Spain was a added bonus. The Spanish government now has removed mobility restrictions which essentially allows Spanish pilgrims walk any route to Santiago. The Camino de Santiago is slowly opening up to more pilgrims and it is just a matter of time before we see crowds in front of the cathedral in Santiago. I look forward to the day! Until then, it is slowly, slowly!

You can view more in the “Weekend Watch” series here and feel free to subscribe to my newsletter if you enjoyed my post.

Buen Camino!

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Last October and November, I started a whole host of podcasts with pilgrims around the world. They were great as they were informal, short, and had great information. I loved making them and I want to make more. I managed to upload 9 before real-life came catching up on me. I always knew I was never going to maintain the podcast on a weekly basis due to work etc. So I think the plan is to upload when I have the time and when there is interest. That said, I was delighted to speak to Adam from England last November and he is my next guest on the podcast.

Adam was one of my pilgrim buddies from my 2017 Camino from Burgos. I often compare meeting pilgrims to an elastic band. You might not meet each other for days but you have this constant connection. Adam and I would meet every three or four days and usually stay in donativo albergues. He had a much different attitude to me on the Camino. At the time, I would start very early in the morning much to my detriment, while he was very much laid back and he would take his time, which is the right way to do it. We both stayed in “Albergue parroquial Santa María” in Carrion de los Condes that year and it was personally one of my most enjoyable experiences. While I finished in Astorga that particular year, Adam continued to Santiago de Compostela.

You can listen to my conversation with Adam from England below. Please like it if you enjoyed it and feel free to subscribe on your podcast player of choice.

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I reported this on my Facebook page yesterday but I realise a lot of my readers do not use Facebook.

Yesterday, I went along to a talk given by the Camino Society of Ireland about a proposed Celtic Camino. There was a large crowd there and we had the attendance of the mayor of A Coruna, Xulio Ferreiro, the Spanish ambassador to Ireland, José María Rodríguez Coso, and some of his team from the Spanish embassy.

At present, the number of pilgrims who start their Caminos from the northern coastal town of A Coruna is relatively small compared to the Camino Frances. A Coruna is a starting point on the Camino Ingles (along with Ferrol) but is 75km in distance and not long enough to receive a Compostela from Santiago Cathedral. However, delegates from a number of Camino Societies in Europe met last December, along with members various tourism bodies in A Coruna, to think of ways to promote A Coruna as a starting point and enhance the Camino Ingles. They came up with a proposal to present to the Cathedral. It was proposed that pilgrims can receive a Compostela by walking the 75km from A Coruna to Santiago, provided the remaining 25 km is walked elsewhere on a pilgrim route. This idea was presented to the Dean of Santiago Cathedral and it was agreed to. At the moment, the Camino Society of Ireland are deciding which on which routes to use in Ireland. Once you walk this, you will be given a certificate by the Irish Camino Society. You bring this with you to Spain, walk from A Coruna and present this to the pilgrim office in Santiago. You will receive your compostela then. The Spanish embassy are also in talks with Aer Lingus to introduce a direct flight to A Coruna.

This also is a great opportunity to market the current pilgrim paths in Ireland as many people from other countries can walk the 25km and walk from A Coruna at a later stage.

It was May 2019. It felt like a lifetime ago. Myself and my brother started out from Ferrol at the end of May and a few days later walked into Santiago having detoured to A Coruna. It was a short sweet Camino and one I would love to walk again, but maybe from Ferrol.

Efren, who makes quality videos from the Camino, walked from Ferrol one week before we started out. He starts out from Ferrol here but below is a summary of his 5 day trip to Santiago.

Definitely one to walk instead of the hustle and bustle of Sarria. Enjoy.