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’ve learned a lot having talked to my podcast guests over the last number of months. First of all, it has been a pleasure to re-walk their Camino with them during this challenging time. Secondly, it gives me an outlet to give back – something that I have been doing for three years and I look forward to continue doing so when some kind of normality returns. It is encouraging to see people from all over the world listening in and I am grateful for that. I am not sure how long I can continue creating podcasts but if pilgrims wish to share their story with me, I will keep going. I had a great chat with Adam, a English pilgrim I met in 2017. We shared many memories and it was fun to talk after so long. Being part of a Camino family really helps your Camino experience in my opinion and we talked about that.

For me, change has been tiny but noticeable. The most obvious change is the call to give back to the Camino, both in written form on my blog and as a volunteer. I have been writing for years and many other pilgrims have been doing the same for far longer. I started to volunteer three years ago in Dublin. Secondly, I like to think that I have a more positive outlook. Yes, this pandemic is far from ideal but it will go away and we will be walking in Spain again. I am sure of it. And finally, and I suppose this relates to personal items, since 2012/2013 my hoarding days are over. Anything, that I do not need I usually give away. I live by how I walked on the Camino. I walk 2-3 weeks most years with bare essentials in a backpack and I am carrying on that idea.

So how has the Camino de Santiago changed you?

The last month has been a rewarding experience for me personally. Let me explain.

Writing here has always been fun but for the last number of years, I can see my posts aren’t reaching the pilgrims I hope to see them. And I don’t want to go around forcing people to read my posts. So I thought of another idea.

A podcast had always been floating around in my head, even pre-covid but I was reluctant to start it solo. Maybe one of my Camino buddies would join me and we would talk each week about tips and tricks etc? This was last Christmas. And then March hit and lockdown hit. It became apparent that my Camino in September would not be happening this year. So I was looking for something else to fill the gap. Something productive that would help my wellbeing. Hey, let’s get this podcast off the ground? I didn’t want to wait any longer. I bought the equipment and sent out a request for pilgrims who wanted to be share their story on the podcast. Fast forward to today, I have 5 episodes uploaded and I have a further 3 recorded.

I have been lucky to speak to pilgrims from Canada, Germany, Spain, Ireland and USA. I look forward to talk to pilgrims from the UK, and Australia. It’s amazing what you achieve when you put your heart into your passion. I’m really enjoying it but I started with zero experience. So I am still learning as the weeks progress. The last episode was uploaded last Wednesday. María Seco lives on the Camino Portugués while my next guest PJ Costello has a passion for the Camino matched by no other. His story can be heard on Wednesday.

So the month has been rewarding. I haven’t earned any money for what I do. I simply chat for 30 minutes or so and upload it to the internet. It helps me and I hope some new pilgrims gets some valuable information from it. Details about kit is subjective – there is no right or wrong answer, but I hope some of the podcasts can tell future pilgrims what is best to avoid or what is a must bring.

I think I have found my niche – I will write a few posts here and there and keep working on the podcasts until pilgrims prove difficult to come by. As for speaking in front of a crowd? I am going to avoid that for the time being.

I’d love to hear your feedback of the podcast. If you are unable to comment, you can send me an email to clearskiescamino@gmail.com. Many thanks.

In Astorga in 2017

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