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The Australian Family on the Camino
Pilgrim Stories
In March 2020 our family were counting down the weeks to our long-planned pilgrimage of the Camino de Santiago. Enter a worldwide pandemic and, like millions of others, our travel plans were halted—we thought—for ever. We were still processing the […]
The fifth way through France – La Voie du Piémont Pyrénéen
Pilgrim Stories
In 2015, I walked from Arles to Col du Somport along the Via Tolosana. I broke the golden rule of walking, twice. I took side trips by train to Carcassonne and Lourdes. When I was in Lourdes, I realised it […]
Camino de Madrid 2022
Pilgrim Stories
After a two year Covid-19 enforced hiatus, I decided to get the pack out again, put on my pilgrim attire and head back to Spain. Given that I now have a new right knee and are two years further into […]
Sentier St Jacques (Chemin De Compostelle)
GR 65, Le Puy-en-Velay to Figeac, August 2022
Pilgrim Stories
Following my Cluny to Le Puy hike of 2019, Covid-19 barred any further chemins, until the summer of 2022. This time around, the weather is slightly cooler, but the solitude of 2019 is gone. Rather than meeting one pilgrim every […]
The Camino Olvidado
Pilgrim Stories
If you are looking for a road less travelled, a path with beautiful scenery on a daily basis, a path where there is a mixture of nature and picturesque villages, a path with historical Roman ruins and anthropomorphic necropolis, the […]
Walking on the Camino Portugués… Covid Interrupted
Pilgrim Stories
Where does a journey begin? This one started with the purchase of a return ticket to Spain in the middle of 2019, hoping to walk part of the Via de la Plata in December that year. I eventually decided that […]
Leo Shows the Way
Pilgrim Stories
Hi, my name is Leo Sage – I am 15 years old and in May this year, I finished walking my second Camino Francés with my Dad James. It was a very special journey – different in so many ways […]
An Accidental Meeting Leads to a Whole New Camino Family
Pilgrim Stories
We were hiking the Baltic Coastal Trail when we connected with an Estonian lady, Merle, in Latvia, who was hiking a part of the same trail. Chats turn to where you’ve hiked and we are all pilgrims of Santiago. On […]
A Flash in Time
Pilgrim Stories
In December of that depressing Covid year, 2021, my friend Robyn and I cheered ourselves up by booking cheap flights, initially to Madrid towards the end of April 2022. The Australian government had only just lifted restrictions, and both of […]
Bookings Open for the 2nd National Conference
News
Bookings are now open for the 2nd National Conference. The conference is at ‘Amberley’ in Lower Plenty, Melbourne from 17 to 19 February 2023. This will be a celebration of ‘all things Camino’ and a chance to reconnect with other pilgrims for a weekend of memories, information, and fun including an exciting mix of presentation, displays, walking and reflection time.
The Spanish Ambassador, Her Excellency Alicia Moral Revilla, will be opening the 2nd National Conference
2023 Conference
We are delighted to announce that the Patron of Australian Friends of the Camino, the Spanish Ambassador Her Excellency Alicia Moral Revilla will be opening the conference.
A Camino Tale Tears and Healing on the Way
Pilgrim Stories
On my first Camino Francés I met a lovely Australian couple, David and Lynn, over dinner in Roncesvalles. They had previously walked the CF so had some knowledge of what I should expect. I told them my life had been […]
The Post-Pandemic Camino
Pilgrim Stories
On 11 April this year, Rob and I flew to Spain to test the waters on a post-pandemic Camino as things started to open up again. Apart from a few extra layers of ‘Covid administrivia’, we found things remarkably normal. […]
Walking The ‘Aussie’ Camino: Portland to Penola
Pilgrim Stories
The Australian Camino is a 250km pilgrimage walk from Portland in Victoria to Penola in South Australia, inspired by the life and journeys of Australia’s only saint. Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop and her mentor Fr Julian Tenison Woods. […]
Walking in Circles
Pilgrim Stories
Well, in this case walking in one circle – a very big one. In late March and early April this year, I completed a walk around Port Phillip Bay in Victoria – a distance of about 245km over 15 days […]
‘The Way Begins Now’
Editor: ‘The Way is now’ is the shop name in Santiago
Pilgrim Stories
“Bringing it home¨ from the Camino is the focus chosen for the next Camino Conference, now to be held in 2023. We hope to explore the full circle of pilgrimage, including most importantly the return home and what we do […]
Book Review: The Good Wife of Bath Karen Brooks
Book Reviews
Penguin, UK, 2019 This engaging medieval novel describes a provocative literary character based on Geoffrey Chaucer’s promiscuous Wife of Bath, featured in The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer mocks this strong woman, reinforcing the rigidly and, sometimes, violently enforced male patriarchy of […]
St James Day, Xacobeo Holy Year
Pilgrim Stories
The Xacobeo Holy Year, established in 1126 by Pope Callixtus ll, occurs when the feast day of St James falls on a Sunday. This also coincides with the laying of the last stone of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. […]
The date & location for the 2023 Camino Conference have been confirmed
2023 Conference
‘Amberley’ in Lower Plenty, Melbourne on 17 -19 February 2023. This will be a celebration of ‘all things Camino’ and a chance to reconnect with other pilgrims for a weekend of memories, information, and fun including an exciting mix of presentations, workshops, displays, walking and reflection time.
The Camino Heritage — and the Holy Year
Pilgrim Stories
The Camino de Santiago de Compostela – a name now familiar around the world – was once an exclusively Catholic religious pilgrimage, that is, a journey made to a sacred place with the purpose of venerating it, or asking there […]
A Pilgrimage or a Long Walk?
Pilgrim Stories
This question played on our minds when we were hiking the Chemin de Stevenson in the mountains of southern France in 2018. The route follows the path that a young Scottish writer, Robert Louis Stevenson, took in 1878 when he […]
Treasure on The Camino
Pilgrim Stories
While the way is not paved with gold, there is a range of ‘treasures’ along the Camino Francés that enhance the experience of any pilgrim and the treasure comes in many forms. I was introduced to the Camino in 2015, […]
The Way to St James Cygnet: from the Tasmanian Camino to the World
Pilgrim Stories
Way to St James Cygnet Camino The first time I heard about the Way to St James Cygnet was in 2015. I was starting to plan my first Camino in Spain and discovered that there was a two-day pilgrimage through […]
The Next Step
Pilgrim Stories
I was somewhere along the Camino Francés, the 500-mile stretch from St Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostela. Climbing a steep hill, I alternated my gaze between the ground just in front of my feet and the crest of the hill […]
Saint Ignatius (San Ignaciano)
A 500 year commemoration
Walking the Camino
20 May 2021 started the Ignatian Year which will last until 31 July 2022. The Society of Jesus (Jesuits) will be celebrating the 500th anniversary of a lost battle, of a wound that for Ignatius meant a failure. Inigo de […]
Book Review: The Salt Path: Raynor Winn Penguin, UK, 2019
Book Reviews
This is the true story of Welsh couple, Raynor & Moth Winn, who discover they’re going to lose their farm where they had reared their two children. A day later a doctor tells Moth that he has a rare, incurable […]
Somewhere Along the Way
Pilgrim Stories
Stop for a moment. Really stop. Listen. Really listen. Why are we running like mice on a wheel? Why don’t we stop to enjoy the fact we’re still here? We are survivors. It’s sometimes lost on all of us, that […]
Casa Susi It’s Been a Journey
Pilgrim Stories
After 673 days closed, Casa Susi in Trabadelo on the Camino Francés reopened its doors to pilgrims, 1 September 2021. We have certainly not had the Holy Year that was predicted, but then the world never predicted Covid either. I […]
Larapinta Trail
Pilgrim Stories
Turning 60 in August, I wanted to challenge myself with a 19-day solo hike on the Larapinta Trail. I chose this because my husband and I had done it before in 2019 so I knew what I was in for […]
Pilgrim Quotations for your Inspiration & Reflection
Walking the Camino
Pilgrim Beatitudes Blessed are you, pilgrim, if you discover that the camino opens our eyes to what one cannot see. Blessed are you, pilgrim, if you are not so much concerned about arriving, but arriving with the others. Blessed are […]
Interlude in Azofra
Pilgrim Stories
On the Camino Francés, every town has its tale. Often uneventful, but usually memorable – if you’re paying attention. And it’s easier to pay attention if you do the pilgrimage alone as I did. Except for the initial 26k slog […]
Heysen Trail from End to End
Pilgrim Stories
A thru hike of the 1200kms Heysen Trail had been on our Wish List for a long time but when Covid-19 restrictions occurred it quickly made its way to the top of the list, and Mick Noonan and I began […]
The Lavender Federation Trail
Pilgrim Stories
With Covid placing severe restrictions on overseas and even interstate travel and bush walking, my wife Lyn and I have turned our bush walking focus to long distance walks close to home. Through bush walking friends we were introduced to […]
Happiness Is That Way: 55 days on the Camino Via de la Plata
Book Reviews
By Cici Edwards-Jensen & Mike Jensen (self-published, 2020) Contact enquires: Happinesisthatway@gmail.com Sales enquiries: www.happinessisthatway.shop Cici was introduced to the Camino by Tony Kevin’s book, Walk- ing the Camino, which describes his Camino starting in Granada. She had worked at the […]
On the Chemin De Saint-Jacques, from Le Puy to Nasbinals, with Mythical Beasts and… Llamas
Pilgrim Stories
Le Puy en Velay is the starting point of the Via Podiensis, which joins up with the Camino Francés at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, on the French side of the Pyrenees. Le Puy nestles among spectacular volcanic cones in the middle of France’s […]
Another Road Less Travelled: Shikoku, The 88 Temple Walk
Stephen Kittel (SA)
Pilgrim Stories
My partner Ursula and I have been interested in walking the Spanish Camino for more than 10 years, Ursula has a strong interest in Spanish-speaking cultures and we had spent time in Central and South America as well as Spain […]
Walking On Country: The Wukalina Walk (Tasmania)
Margaret Gadd (SA)
Pilgrim Stories
If ‘pilgrimage’ invokes ideas of journeying, reflecting, searching for meaning and knowledge within a spiritual or sacred context, the wukalina Walk might perhaps be considered a pilgrimage experience for the Aboriginal people of Tasmania. It is certainly a physical and […]
Bondi to Manly Walk, Sydney
Julie-Ann Milne (NSW)
Pilgrim Stories
I’ve always loved walking and, for many years, belonged to a couple of bushwalking groups. However, the Camino taught me that, while I enjoy it, I’m not actually a day-walker. I’m a distance walker. It’s the simplicity of walking day […]
Book Review: The Roland Medals: a novel
by author Maureen Cashman, ACT
Book Reviews
Published by the author, 2021 Maureen Cashman has a knack for evoking place and I enjoyed reading her previous book “Charlie & Me in Val-Paradis”, her memoir about the trials and tribulations of temporarily relocating not only herself but also […]
Book Review Finding Santiago Stories From and About the Camino de Santiago
Author Don Thomas
Book Reviews
‘Finding Santiago’ is a collection of stories from and about the Camino de Santiago. The author’s name, Don Thomas, is a pseudonym and, interestingly, the story of how that pseudonym came about features in the book. ‘Don’ is a well-known, […]
Camino: A Journey of the Spirit
Pilgrim Stories
I was sitting in Plaza del Grano, opposite the municipal albergue in Leon in 2016. My Camino was a blessing I didn’t see coming. I watched the sun set over the buildings on the western side of the square, inviting […]
The Appalachian Trail – The Journey of a Lifetime
Pilgrim Stories
The spark first ignited in a kindergarten in London while sitting with some colleagues listening to the stories of Laura, who had recently returned from the trip of a lifetime, ‘thru-hiking’ the Appalachian Trail in America. My friend Marijke turned […]
It’s What Happens
Pilgrim Stories
When I walked the Via de la Plata in 2011, I walked the last 2 weeks in company with Ilsa from Germany, Wolfgang also from Germany, and Mateo from Holland. It was a joyous time. We just gelled together as […]
Canberra Centenary Trail – Showcasing the Best of our Bush Capital
Pilgrim Stories
The Canberra Centenary Trail (CCT) was created in 2013 as part of Canberra’s 100th birthday celebrations, and is a 145km loop designed to encompass the best of our urban and natural environments. It includes Parliament House, the Australian War Memorial, […]
CD Rreview – The Acfields: “A Road of Dust And Stone’”
Book Reviews
As I’ve walked my virtual Camino in recent months it’s given me the opportunity to catch up on the many great podcasts posted by our Camino promoting friend, Dan Mullins. Recently, I came across an interview Dan did with musician […]
A View of Santiago from a Resident Aussie
Pilgrim Stories
Hello Aussie Pilgrims! I am Garry, an Aussie who has been living here in Santiago de Compostela for many many years. I organise a self-guided and guided walks (and cycle rides) on the various Caminos… So here are my thoughs […]
Camino Trees
Pilgrim Stories
I was somewhere along the Meseta, the flat central plateau between Burgos and Astorga. The height of summer along the Camino Francés, and yet there wasn’t a single pilgrim in sight. The weather was hot, dry and glorious. Fields of […]
Ever Wondered about the Origin of the Yellow Arrows along the Camino?
Walking the Camino
Since the Middle Ages pilgrims have walked to Santiago de Compostela to honour the apostle Saint James and to gain spiritual indulgences. Originally, they started from their own front door, following in the footsteps of previous walkers. Due to the […]
Camino for Good
Pilgrim Stories
As a member of the Australian Friends of the Camino, I was invited to share with you about Camino for Good. I am Lindsay Teychenne pictured on page 12 with Kelly Gilfillan in 2018. We are two of the co-founders, […]
The ubiquitous (& beautiful) Fleur de Lis
Walking the Camino
On my morning walks, I am constantly reminded of the Camino as I walk past the iron fences with the iconic fleur-de-lis incorporated into many of our modern fence designs. I find it fascinating how this symbol has spanned the […]
Book Review: Keep Pressing On, Brother, by Noel Braun
Book Reviews
by Noel Braun Sid Harta Publishers, Melbourne 2020 317pp ISBN 978-1-9255707-26-7 $29.95 plus $5.85 postage through www.noelbraun.com.au This book is the third Camino memoir by Australian octogenarian Noel Braun, who hails from Jindabyne in the Snowy Mountains. As recently as […]
The Camino Del Norte: An Interrupted Journey
Pilgrim Stories
I commenced the Camino del Norte from Irun on 22 February 2020 in drizzling rain with my two Danish friends from last year’s walk from Madrid to Muxia. First thing is an 800 metre mountain, one of many to come. […]
Paul’s Camino Francés, Sept 2019
Pilgrim Stories
I’m a 68, (then 67) year old overweight (110kg, 6’1”) Sydney man who does a lot of walking. My wife and I do a walking holiday at least every year, last one was in June 19 – the Harz Hexen […]
Pilgrim Hospitality 101
Pilgrim Stories
In late 2000 Rob and I packed up our lives into a Camino-yellow VW campervan called Morrison and headed to Spain to ‘live on the Camino’. Our dream was to open an albergue of our own, which back in those […]
Strategies for Keeping the Camino In Our Lives
Walking the Camino
Reprinted with permission from La Concha (American Pilgrims on the Camino) Sept 2020 Many of us were planning to walk the Camino this year and are disappointed. Here are 4 ideas to bring the Camino to your home. Eat like […]
Sahagun to Santiago 2019
Pilgrim Stories
The first thing you notice when you turn the corner at Sahagun to head west toward Santiago is the people. I walked 313 kilometres from Madrid over 16 days seeing and walking with only 6 fellow pilgrims; from time to […]
St Francis Of Assisi and The Christmas Creche (Nativity Scene)
Pilgrim Stories
The Cammino di Assisi / Cammino di Francesco has been walked by a number of our members, and all return with glowing accounts of their journey. I was fortunate to walk this ‘road less travelled’ in August 2014 (See CC […]
Camino Jacobsweg 2019
Pilgrim Stories
Following our Camino’s Levante and Sanabres, we spent a few days in Madrid before heading to Munich to walk the Jakobsweg from Munich to Lindau on Bodensee or as it is more commonly called Lake Constance. For this walk there […]
REVIEW: Pilgrims, a YouTube documentary by Alexandre Amaral
Book Reviews
As I sit in my home and dream of walking The Way I flicked on to YouTube to discover a recent documentary – “Pilgrims’. It transported me back to my time walking the Camino. This documentary provides a deep insight […]
Do I Really Need a Raincoat?
Pilgrim Stories
While volunteering in the Pilgrim Office in St Jean-Pied-de-Port (SJPDP), this was indeed a question from a woman who intended to walk 34 days, in autumn, across the Pyrenees, to Santiago de Compostela. In late 2018, I had applied for […]
Luz Del Camino
Pilgrim Stories
A very special pilgrimage began on Friday 19 June this year when a solitary backpack known as La Luz del Camino was blessed and farewelled in the traditional way of all pilgrims at the Collegiata Church of Roncesvalles before setting […]
Anyone Walked The Camino In 2020?
Pilgrim Stories
It doesn’t look like it. The pandemic has seen to that. So let’s dig up a recent story of a Camino experience. Being asked to recall and write the story of my Camino will test my memory on the details, […]
Camino Frances 2013
Pilgrim Stories
My interest in the Camino started in November 2009, after seeing black and white photos of the Camino at an exhibition in Daylesford, Victoria. Then in 2011 I watched The Way. After the film I began researching the Camino Francés, […]
A Camino Reflection
Gabrielle Batson (VIC)
Pilgrim Stories
Globally it has been a challenging year of loss for many and a significant time of change and adjustment to how we live our lives. Victoria has moved into Stage 3 and 4 restrictions for 6 weeks through the winter […]
My Experience of a Virtual Camino
Shelley Spencer (SA)
Pilgrim Stories
“Dare to dream, and then pay the price of your dreams!” This was one of the lessons I learned on the Virtual Camino de Santiago Challenge, run by the Dioceses of Calahorra and La Calzada-Logroño at www.challengelarioja.com. With my first […]
Cambodia To Camino
Pilgrim Stories
Eleven years ago, at aged 52, I was about three quarters of the way through a 2-year work contract that saw me living and working in Cambodia. Once this contract was completed I would be unemployed. Having no irons in […]
Why A Camino For Sydney?
Pilgrim Stories
In Australia, there is an indigenous tradition around ‘temporary mobility’ (formerly known as ‘walkabout’) as a rite of passage. Many young Australians spend months backpacking through places seeking out their own rite of passage. I did this for 6 months […]
Book Review: Backpacks, Boots & (No) Blisters
Book Reviews
Mark H.O’Sullivan Second edition 2018, 83 pages ISBN -13:9781724090904 ‘The best way to get Camino ready is to learn from those who have walked it’ So asserts the author of this book, Mark O’Sullivan, an Australian currently living in the […]
A Change is Gonna Come
News
The cries reach the heavens: We’ve had enough. Time to get back to life! I wanna walk my Camino! The push is on to re-open our economies, to get the tourism ball rolling again, even as the Covid-19 virus death […]
Finisterre to Finisterre
Pilgrim Stories
We were standing in the ‘Camino corner’ of Glenella Guest House in Blackheath in the Blue Mountains staring at a map of the Camino routes through Europe when I said to Fi, “Look, we could walk from one end of […]
The Japanese Camino: Kumano Kodo
Pilgrim Stories
“JAPAN? Really?? For a walk in the mountains? Ten days? Yes, it would be great, Dad, but I’m too busy with work and there’s the wife and the kids… I couldn’t get away. So, no thanks.” After this conversation with […]
The Long Long Pilgrimage: Amsterdam to Santiago
Pilgrim Stories
What on earth would possess two perfectly sane, rational, normal human beings to walk from Amsterdam to Santiago de Compostela? Perhaps we were not as normal or as rational as we thought we were, but… who cares. The history behind […]
Bushfire Recovery Walking in the Blue Mountains
Pilgrim Stories
The Blue Mountains Camino Group meet monthly for a training walk starting from Glenella in Blackheath (guesthouse and home of Margaret and Rowan Bouttell). The group usually offers 2 walks – a 9km route along a fire road to Medlow […]
So Why Do I Walk?
Pilgrim Stories
When preparing for my 6th Camino, I am often asked, “so why do you walk again”? It is an interesting question and one I find difficult to answer in a few words, so I am going to start writing and […]
Camino De Limpieza
Pilgrim Stories
Empty water bottles, energy bar wrappers, tissues… and more tissues. When I walked the Camino Francés for the first time in 2011, I was disheartened by the amount of trash I saw along the trail. I ruminated for days over […]
Book Review: The Only Way Home by Liz Byron
https://lizbyron.com/
Book Reviews
We were pleased to receive this book review which we thought you might enjoy during this insular time when no travel overseas is allowed. There are many trails in Australia to be explored and this is one of them! EDITOR […]
Peaceable Projects
Pilgrim Stories
The seed for Peaceable Projects Inc. was planted back in the hot summer of 2004, at Fuenterroble de Salvatierra, a rambling, rustic albergue on the Via de la Plata. My husband Patrick and I were volunteer hospitaleros, in charge of […]
Furnace Full of God: a Holy Year on the Camino de Santiago
Book Reviews
Author: Rebekah Scott Peaceable Publ; 2020 Rebekah Scott is a seeker. Of stories, truths and beliefs. Her home in a tiny adobe pueblo at the heart of the Camino Francés is both a haven for weary pilgrims and incubator of […]
Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail, SA
Pilgrim Stories
This story is about a bushwalk on Kangaroo Island, just one of many places devastated by catastrophic fires this season. Following the horrendous summer fires, this walk, like many around the country, no longer exists. It is sad to think […]
Caminos Levante and Sanabrés
Pilgrim Stories
Following Caminos in Italy in 2017 and France in 2018 we decided to return to Spain for our 2019 walk and as usual we were looking for something different. This year we decided that we would walk the Levante from […]
Discovering the Saints Along the Camino
Walking the Camino
Many of the churches and cathedrals along the Camino routes were built during the Middle Ages. The 11th and 12th centuries marked the heyday of the pilgrimage. After Rome and Jerusalem, Compostela became the most important destination for Christians. The […]
Due to the COVID-19 health crisis travel on the Camino is not possible
News
Due to the COVID-19 health crisis travel on the Camino is currently not possible. Albergues and Pilgrim offices are closed. In Australia we have travel restrictions, but in Spain, and much of Europe, there are very severe travel restrictions, accompanied with heavy fines. We need to keep safe, and we need to keep those who live and work on the Camino safe. Keep your Camino dreams on hold until such times as it is safe to travel.
AFOTC Inaugural National Conference — Report
News
The Adelaide hills were truly alive with the sound of music – and so much more – at the first national conference convened by Australian Friends of the Camino from 11-13 October at the Nunyara Conference Centre. The weekend brought […]
AFOTC Inaugural National Conference — Report
News
The Adelaide hills were truly alive with the sound of music – and so much more – at the first national conference convened by Australian Friends of the Camino from 11-13 October at the Nunyara Conference Centre. The weekend brought […]
The Pint-Sized Pilgrim
Pilgrim Stories
In 1999 I walked my first Camino and fell madly in love twice. First with the Dutchman who is now my husband, then with the country itself. And Spain has been the third person in our relationship ever since. Now, […]
A Day of Celebration on rhe Via De Francesco
Pilgrim Stories
The morning of Sunday 23 June 2019, the 22nd day of our pilgrimage from Dovadola, Italy to Rome, began in the Italian medieval hill town of Poggio Bustone. As my husband David and I left the village at 8am to […]
Camino Invierno — at last, an English guidebook!
Book Reviews
A guidebook in English to this road less travelled is now available from mapiberia.com The Camino Invierno or Winter Road takes the pilgrim to Santiago from Ponferrada and is approx. 260k long. It is a beautiful, scenic and peaceful alternative […]
Sahagun … And Beyond
Pilgrim Stories
Deb and I left Madrid from the Church of Santiago in Sol on 8 March. A cold and windy morning, soon bloomed into one of those beautiful post-winter days in Spain. Destination was Tre Cantos, and the famed community centre […]
Life Lessons From The Camino: A Pilgrimage of The Heart
Pilgrim Stories
The inner life or the inner universe: The infinite potential for change within a human being is a life long pilgrimage to being human. A distant trek is nothing more than a series of small steps: When one is present, […]
Book Review: CSJ Camino Guides 2019
Book Reviews
The London, UK-based Confraternity of St James (CSJ) was founded by 6 camino enthusiasts in 1983, making it the oldest English-speaking association of pilgrims. It now has over 2000 members, has issued over 10,000 pilgrim passports, and runs two pilgrim […]
Spiritual Walks in Australia / Australian ‘Caminos’
Walking the Camino
At the 2019 AFOTC National Conference, your committee was asked to ‘Encourage Australians to explore local Camino paths’. Here is some information to help you further investigate some of the spiritual walks provided here in Australia. The Way of St […]
Me, Leo and The Camino… A Father and Son Journey
Pilgrim Stories
In April this year, I was packing to walk the Camino Francés, a journey that I had been planning for several years. A few months before the journey, I asked my 12 year old son, Leo to join me, and […]
Camino Truths
Pilgrim Stories
The Camino Truth is my way of describing what happens when we undertake the journey of Camino – but its not an exclusive Camino thing. No way. The Truth is a process that can happen on any travel experience, particularly […]
Phil’s Diary Camino Frances, April/May 2018
Pilgrim Stories
Monday 9 April – Villafranca Montes de Oca to Orbaneja – 26.7 kms Today has been an amazing day in so many ways. We had a good night’s sleep in our private room in the San Anton Abad Hotel/Albergue. We […]
Sentier St Jacques (Chemin de Compostelle)
Pilgrim Stories
GR 765 AND 765O, Cluny to Le Puy-en-Velay, June 2019 Read the previous part of this story. It’s official. This area had a record heat wave (la canicule) during my hike. It was a scorching 37C on the afternoon I […]
Play Review: Blister
Book Reviews
Recently I was privileged to view the premiere of a new play, Blister, written by one of our members, Sarah Peters. Directed by Tiffany Lyndall-Knight with a musical score written and performed by Rachel Bruerville, it is full of energy, […]
Book Review: Your Inner Camino & After The Camino
Book Reviews
(Set of 2 pocket books) Author: Karin Kiser. Camino Chronicles Press, 2019. Your Inner Camino: Your Pocket Guide to Inspiration and Transformation along the Camino de Santiago This little book is not designed to be read before you start your […]
A Modern Rome to Jerusalem Pilgrimage: Pt 3 – Turkey To Israel
Pilgrim Stories
This is part 3 in the 3-part series: Part 1 Part 2 On 15 June 2018, Day 76 of my pilgrimage, I walked into Turkey from Greece on the Via Egnatia – now a motorway, but originally a 2,000 year-old, […]
The True Meaning of Being a Pilgrim: Via Spain, Africa and Japan
Pilgrim Stories
“Here I stand in front of the Japanese home that was my accommodation on the eve of my first day on the Ohenro—the pilgrimage of 88 temples on Shikoku island. The house is a doll’s house by Western standards. Like […]
Book Review: The Way of the Stars and Stones: thoughts on a pilgrimage by Wilna Wilkinson
Book Reviews
Jacana Publishing, Auckland Park, South Africa 2009. Second imprint, paperback 279pp. Available from fishpond.com.au for $28.20, free shipping from the UK. At its April general meeting in Adelaide, the Australian Friends of the Camino had the good fortune to hear […]
A Step Into the Unknown
Pilgrim Stories
I was looking at a photograph of something akin to swiss cheese. “It’s arthritis,” said my orthopaedic surgeon, “We took the photo while doing your arthroscopy”. Until then, I had no idea what a knee joint should look like but […]
The Life and Times of a Hospitalero
Walking the Camino
This article is intended to give an idea of what it is like to be a hospitalero, the duties, rewards, the good and the bad. The way each albergue is organised can vary greatly, and this description is intended to […]
History of Pilgrimage
Pilgrim Stories
The Aussie Camino is a pilgrimage path from Portland in Victoria to Penola in South Australia, inspired by the life and journeys of Australia’s Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop and her mentor Fr Julian Tenison-Woods. Although the Camino is […]
Flora & Fauna on the Camino
Walking the Camino
Having now arrived in Santiago de Compostela on four occasions and walked in excess of 3,000 kilometres in Spain and Portugal, I have seen endless flora and encountered a reasonable variety of fauna. Commencing with the Camino Francés in 2013, […]
Childhood’s End
Pilgrim Stories
Many of my friends and colleagues with whom I have shared the story about walking the Camino with my son have told me, “I wish I could do something like that with my own son, but…” It goes without saying […]
Hórreos – mausoleum, granary, living quarters, garden ornament – what are they?
Walking the Camino
An hórreo is a typical granary from the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula (mainly Galicia, Asturias and Northern Portugal), built in wood and stone, raised from the ground by pillars ending in flat staddle stones to prevent access by rodents. […]
A Modern Rome to Jerusalem Pilgrimage: Part 2 – Croatia to Greece
Pilgrim Stories
This is part 2 in the 3-part series: Part 1 Part 3 On 27 April 2018, Day 27 of my pilgrimage and a rest day, I was exploring the old historic walled city of Split in Croatia. I had walked […]
Book Review: The Camino Portugués: from Lisbon and Porto to Santiago – Central, Coastal and Spiritual Caminos
Book Reviews
This welcome new guide to the 620km Camino Portugués responds well to the needs of pilgrims undertaking a largely rural Camino which continues to grow in pilgrim numbers by about 10% annually - and which is now the second most travelled pilgrim route in Spain after the Camino Francés.
Walking the Camino and My 1 Big Goal
Pilgrim Stories
Walking the Camino was the hardest and yet the best thing I have ever done. My journey to the Camino came from creating a bucket list some 12 years prior during my first episode of PTSD. After suffering a second […]
Camino Baztan
Pilgrim Stories
Faced with a spare week before presenting myself in Nájera for hospitalero service, I had the wonderful dilemma of trying to decide where to walk. Nájera is about a week’s walking from St-Jean-Pied-de-Port and St-Jean is one of my favourite […]
Why Walk the Camino?
Walking the Camino
Why, I often ask myself, do over a hundred thousand people [Editor: 301,036 in 2017] walk the Camino de Santiago each year?
A modern Rome to Jerusalem Pilgrimage: Part 1 Italy
Pilgrim Stories
On Easter Day 1 April this year, I was up early and walked to the Vatican. With persistence and luck, I managed to get my backpack through two security stations allowing me to enter St Peter’s Square and find a good standing position for the open air Papal Mass that morning.
Via Romea Germanica: Pt 2 Italy
Pilgrim Stories
View Part 1 of this article. After negotiating the Brenner Pass, the lowest pass in the Alps, the way descends on a shared walking and cycling path on a former railway line. Many of the old railway buildings associated with […]
The Art of Pilgrimage
Book Reviews
I first saw a copy of Cousineau’s book when it was left behind by a pilgrim in the albergue at Grañon where I was working in 2001. I was taken by the opening lines of the foreward: The object of pilgrimage is not rest and recreation – to get away from it all. To set out on a pilgrimage is to throw down a challenge to everyday life.
At Last: A Stone for Denise
Pilgrim Stories
Denise Pikka Thiem, an American pilgrim, was killed outside Astorga in the spring of 2015. Peaceable Projects Inc, a US non- profit organisation, started in October 2015, has established a memorial park out- side Astorga to remember Denise and other […]
Ray’s Camino Reflection
Pilgrim Stories
The question that I heard often on the Camino is ‘Why are you walking the Camino What was the event that prompted the desire to leave behind your daily life and to walk across Spain?’ This journey started when my […]
Via Romea Germanica: Pt 1 Germany & Austria
Pilgrim Stories
About 18 months ago I received a short email from one of our members and at the end he asked “Have you heard of the Via Romea Germanica?” No I hadn’t. I immediately searched for information about it and found […]
A Dummies Guide to Starting a New Camino Group
Walking the Camino
I am well qualified to write a ‘dummies guide’ because a year ago I knew nothing about starting a group/club and, as for Facebook, I wanted nothing to do with it. But I did have a fair knowledge of walking […]
Book review: Born to Walk by Dan Rubinstein
Book Reviews
The humble act of putting one foot in front of the other transcends age, geography, culture and class and it’s one of the most economical and environmentally responsible modes of transit. Yet with our modern fixation on speed, this healthy […]
Le Puy to st Jean-Pied-de-Port
Pilgrim Stories
The end of May found us in Le Puy-en-Velay, France, preparing for a walk with a difference. Walking were John, Paul and Jane with John’s daughter Beck providing vehicular backup. While Beck would like to be able to walk, her […]
Annual General Meeting
2pm Saturday 1st September 2018
News
The Annual General Meeting of the the Australian Friends of the Camino Inc will be at 2.00pm Saturday 1st September 2018, Box Factory Community Centre, 59 Regent Street, Adelaide. The guest speaker will be Juan Tobella Archs, Honorary Consul of Spain in Adelaide.
Antoni Gaudí, the outstanding Catalan architect – Fool or Genius?
Walking the Camino
At the February gathering of Pilgrims in Adelaide, we had the pleasure of a very informative talk by Dr Rosemary Nursey-Bray, a guide from the SA Art Gallery. The subject was the life and works of Antoni Gaudí, the outstanding […]
A Walk to Surrender
The Camino Conquered... Switzerland to Spain
Pilgrim Stories
98 days. 2500 kilometres. 3 countries. 2 birthdays. Blood, sweat, tears, blisters, revelations! “It would be an adventure”, we said, but it was so much more.
AusCamino 2018 Festival
Blackheath, NSW
News
The 2018 AusCamino Festival weekend at Blackheath in the Blue Mountains (NSW) opened with a 2-day hospitalero training course run by experienced hospitalera, Julie-Ann Milne, assisted by Australian Friends of the Camino (AFotC) Treasurer Neil Russell. Julie-Ann’s course provides a very thorough grounding in hospitalero life so that all graduates should have no trouble serving with distinction, as many have before. 4 of the 15 trainees have already received their first postings, one to begin at Grado when it opens on 15 March! Trainee Helen told me that she felt as nervous about her first hospitalera posting as when she set out on her first Camino but that, “I’m sure that once you get started, you’re fine – just like on the Camino!”
Hiking Trailers
The Pros, Cons... and Spot’s story
Walking the Camino
On the various Camino routes pilgrims are occasionally seen walking with hiking trailers, shopping trolleys and even strollers with backpacks on board taking the place of a toddler! There are Pros and Cons to walking with a hiking trailer in a general sense and as I found out with my hiking trailer, Spot.
Festival of San Juan
Walking the Camino
The festival of San Juan is celebrated across Spain, Portugal and some Latino countries on 23 June, the eve of St John’s day, and coincides with midsummer feasts and the shortest day of the year. Traditionally bonfires were lit to […]
Sentier St Jacques (Chemin de Compostelle)
GR 65, Figeac to Moissac section, August 2017
Pilgrim Stories
This is 160km preceding the Moissac-Aire section, which I described last year in Camino Chronicle. I was constrained to late August, but I knew the (mainly) French pilgrims would already have thinned out. Still, I risked a hot week. So it turned out.
Camino Inglés
The Two Jennifers April-May 2017
Pilgrim Stories
I walked the Camino Inglés to celebrate 55 years of friendship with my friend – another Jennifer. What a beautiful experience it was … so many glorious churches and bridges, a few tough paths but with restful combinations of minor roads, back roads through villages and delightful glades. The albergues – mostly new – were all great too.
Musings from Porto to Santiago
Pilgrim Stories
When I joined the Australian Friends of the Camino in May 2017, it happened that I was the 1,000th member to join so received an extra special welcome. Janet Leitch also suggested I might write an article on my return from my first Camino. The flow of words and images springing from the Camino seems inexhaustible, but being ever up for the challenge, I thought why not add my experience.
Safety and Commonsense on the Camino
A presentation given at the 2017 AusCamino Festival in February at Blackheath in the Blue Mountains
Walking the Camino
My first Camino was a solo one in 2005. As a woman in my fifties, I was relieved to find that I felt very safe. Since that time, I have walked many solo Caminos and have never felt afraid for my personal safety.
The Seven Stages of Pilgrimage
A Camino Love Story
Pilgrim Stories
Most people can remember the first time they heard about the Camino. For me it was in 1992 when visiting an old friend in England who was writing a novel about a woman walking an ancient medieval pilgrimage across Spain. She was planning a road trip to trace the route of the Camino Francés as research for the book. I was at once attracted to the idea of walking across Spain, a country I had lived in as a teenager. I was born in Venezuela but had forgotten most of my Spanish after being sent to English boarding school and I imagined reviving the language I grew up with. I love old buildings and churches and enjoyed walking, at least in the gentle sense of a couple of hours’ rambling at a time. The yearning for the Camino – even though I had so little notion of what it really meant – was growing stronger.
Broadening Our Horizons
News
[This is the transcript of Janet Leitch’s opening address delivered on Friday 23 February at the 2018 AusCamino Festival at Blackheath in the Blue Mountains. Janet based her talk on the Prayer of La Faba on the wall of the […]
Thinking of Walking in Spain or Portugal? Festivals Galore…
Walking the Camino
The Iberian Peninsula is a land rich in history, tradition and superstition. Portugal and Spain being “Catholic countries” share many of the same holidays and religious festivals. There are also many legends, some based on vague historical facts, others coloured […]
The Way of Grief and Healing
Pilgrim Stories
At Valdeviejas, just before leaving the urban landscape of Astorga, the Camino Francés passes the Hermitage of Ecce Homo. Opposite the chapel lies a small park with some maple trees. Beside one of these young trees stands a small stone plaque in memory of Ron Duke, my husband, lover and best friend, my beloved partner of 40 years.
Camino Portuguese: Tragedy struck on the 4th day
Pilgrim Stories
Our 200km Camino began in Barcelos, Portugal. A 10-day walk was planned with the final 2 days in Santiago de Compostela. There were 15 in our group and we were led by Father Gerard. He was our spiritual leader and also our slightly reluctant tour leader. The Camino Travel Agency had organised all logistics, hotel bookings etc, for which Father Gerard was very thankful.
St Francis Way
Florence to Assisi
Pilgrim Stories
Having walked into Santiago de Compostela in each of the past four years, this year we decided to do a different Camino and walk the Way of St Francis from Florence to Assisi.
About San Roque
Walking the Camino
Often San Roque is depicted, one leg exposed, with a dog – carrying a bread roll in his mouth – by his side. Why? Legend tells that this man, whose parents died when he was 20, gave his inheritance to […]
The way of St James: A way back for veterans
Pilgrim Stories
Article based on the Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop Award winning presentation delivered at the annual conference of the Australasian Military Medical Association, Brisbane, Oct, 2017. In June this year, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare released its report Incidence […]
Book Review, A Soldier to Santiago by Brad Genereux
Book Reviews
It is impossible to walk this journey without journeying into oneself. This book is one man’s story of how he found peace along the pilgrimage to Santiago. It is the honest story of a stiff, formal, no nonsense Senior Chief […]
Australian Camino Travel Companies
Walking the Camino
The Australian Friends of the Camino (AFotC) does not organise guided or self- guided Camino pilgrimages or tours. If you are seeking such assistance with your pilgrimage, we have compiled the following alphabetical list of Australian tour operators to help […]
Churches of St James in Australia
News
The following AFotC-compiled list shows that there are just over 60 churches for St James in Australia, but we are sure there are more!!
Book Review: I Guess I’ll Just Keep On Walking by Noel Braun
Book Reviews
Noel Braun’s book takes one on a spiritual and emo- tional journey of self-discovery. From the start of the book, as a reader, I felt great admiration for Noel as he relied on his strength, both physical and emotional, to […]
Saint Patrick’s Way (Ireland)
Pilgrim Stories
My imaginings and adventure began when I stumbled across a St Paddy’s Way Pilgrim Passport in Belfast last spring. I learnt that the Pilgrim Walk was conceived of by Alan Graham while walking the Camino de Santiago. After months of […]
Walking the Camino Del Norte with My Daughter
Pilgrim Stories
My eldest daughter, Laura, lives in Abu Dhabi and travels the world flying with Etihad. A very sophisticated young lady. We were both excited when she managed to take a week off in spring to walk with her father for […]
The Lady with the Shell Tattoo – and Reflections on My Camino
Pilgrim Stories
A wet cold night, a priest and a pizza … this was the start of my Camino. My husband was away and I was home alone with our French intern student. We decided to go into town for a gourmet […]
A First Time Hospitalero, Grado – May 2017
Pilgrim Stories
First week in Grado Grado is a small town 25kms from Oviedo, the starting point on the Camino Primitivo. Set in a valley and surrounded by lush green hills, the weather is warm and a little humid. There is a […]
Geoff & Lyn
Camino Le Puy
Blogs
Excerpts from Geoff and Lyn’s blog Day 14 was our First Rest Day at Cahors. It was a Wednesday – market day. The area in front of the nearby cathedral was filled with stalls laden with fresh vegetables and fruit, […]
Bruce and Isabel’s Camino
Camino Frances
Blogs
Bruce and Isabel walked the Camino Frances from late March until early May 2015
John walking with his son Paul
Camino Portuguese
Blogs
John walked the Camino Portuguese from Porto to Santiago with his son Paul in June 2015. John writes in his blog: “Slept well, but woke up tired and although it was only a short walk it was hard work especially […]
A Winter Camino
Camino Frances
Blogs
A winter Camino walked by 3 friends in December 2009 and January 2010
My Winter Camino
Camino Frances
Blogs
This is Janet’s story of walking the Camino Frances over the Christmas period of 2013/2014. Her story ends – I arrived in Santiago on Tuesday, looking , and feeling, like a drowned rat! Interested in a Winter Camino?
Mr V’s Camino
Camino Frances
Blogs
Narelle and Gerry’s walk from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostella in April/May 2015
Camino Reflections
Blogs
Jerard and Enda have been married for 33 years. They have two daughters and a grand daughter . They enjoy the great outdoors and are keen bushwalkers. In 2016 they completed their 1st Camino Frances. Join with them for their […]
A Way With Words
Book Reviews
Rob Jorritsma arrived in Australia from Holland not long after completing his first Camino when he walked from his home in the Netherlands to Santiago in 1999. In 2001 he and Inés, the partner he met on that Camino, returned […]
St James Day Celebrations around Australia
News
St James’ Day is celebrated on July 25 and is the occasion for festivities in Spain (being their patron saint), especially in Santiago when the Cathedral is lit up and pilgrims and locals party all night.
Safety on the Camino
Walking the Camino
Do not leave your belongings unattended keep your valuables with you at all times even in the shower in albergues. Carry a mobile phone – or have access to one. Telephone numbers of the emergency services are on the reverse […]
‘Hot Spots’ on the Camino
Pilgrim Stories
It had not been a busy night in the albergue (hostal), yet I hadn’t seen him arrive. Soon, however, bags were rustling and flashlights were dancing, darting about the room. I could now faintly see the slightly built man; he […]
Spiritual Companion For Pilgrims
Book Reviews
Update: Sept 2019, SOLD OUT We, the Australian Friends of the Camino, have had four of our members contribute to the new Spiritual Companion for Pilgrims. The short reflections, accompanied by lovely photographs and relevant short quotations, are interesting and […]
Bikes, Blisters And Blood Poisoning
My First Aid Journey On The Camino De Santiago
Pilgrim Stories
Bikes For over a year I had planned to cycle with my friend Mike from ‘Pilgrims in Sydney’ on the Camino, from Pamplona to Finisterre. Mike and I had both invested in new mountain bikes which we planned to bring […]
Twenty Things to do in Santiago de Compostela
Walking the Camino
1. Cathedral The great Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela dominates the medieval city. As other buildings were constructed over time none were allowed to be higher than the towers of the Cathedral. Legend has it the Cathedral is the burial […]
Pilgrim Guide to the Camino Inglés
Walking the Camino
An 80-page guide to the Camino Inglés, in English, by Johnnie Walker.
Camino Companions
Walking the Camino
"We had the experience but missed the meaning." Why not deepen your Camino experience? Reflection and individual/ group sharing.
Walking the Camino – How do I Begin?
Walking the Camino
Here are a few simple steps you can take to start you on your Camino. But first, the Spanish El camino simply means the way or the path in English. There is not just one Camino to Santiago de Compostela in […]
Walking The Camino With Type 1 Diabetes
Pilgrim Stories
Editor’s note: My friend Sandra and I met John, a 57 year old from Missouri, on our Camino last year and were so inspired by his attitude and courage, walking the Camino Francés with Type 1 diabetes, that we invited […]
Blister Prevention – A Helpful Bootlace Tying Method
Walking the Camino
David is a veteran first-aider who has given first aid, pastoral care and support to pilgrims on the Camino for the past nine years – all on a voluntary basis. His twice-yearly first aid Caminos are funded partly from the […]
Getting To The Camino Frances
From Paris to St Jean Pied de Port
Walking the Camino
(Note: Of course there are other ways to get to St Jean Pied de Port …. for example, flying into Barcelona and catching a train or bus to Pamplona, then a bus to St Jean Pied de Port or Roncesvalles […]
Camino Routes in France
Walking the Camino
There are 5 Camino Routes in France: Via Podiensis (Le Puy); Via Lemovicensis (Vezelay); Via Turonensis (Paris); Via Tolosana (Arles); Les Chemin du Mont Saint Michel.
Packing Light for Your Camino
Walking the Camino
A list of items to ensure you carry a light pack, only carrying what you need, with tips to lighten your load.
The Magic Of The Meseta… In Early Autumn
Pilgrim Stories
As I walked out of Burgos, I thought “flat, dull, boring, nothing to see. Mile upon mile (kilometres) of same old same old”. What a wonderful surprise! Around every bend, along every straight stretch, there was a little gem to lighten […]
Rabanal Del Camino – The Hospitalero Experience
Pilgrim Stories
The refugio is run by the Confraternity of St James, an English-based organisation. It organises a roster of hospitale ros from its members. Volunteers stay for two weeks. Everyone at some stage has walked the Camino. I thought at the […]
Camino Madrid – April/May 2015
Pilgrim Stories
The degree of difficulty is medium with one or two stiff climbs – the first, on the Fuenfria Pass to Segovia and the second, a small double ravine on the outskirts of Penaflor de Hornija. I arrived in Madrid via […]
Camino De Invierno / The Winter Way
Pilgrim Stories
I first heard about it this year when our Chairman returned from the Friends of the Camino Associations Conference held in June in Galicia. The Spanish were encouraging pilgrims to take this route to lessen the congestion on the Sarria-Santiago […]
Hospitalero Training
News
Pilgrimage can be a life-changing experience and many wish to find a way to give thanks for the many positives they gained from the Camino. One of the ways in which they can do that is to volunteer as a […]
Camino De Levante (Valencia – Zamora)
Pilgrim Stories
Firstly, a summary of those things that we found most helpful in preparing for this journey. The website for the Amigos Del Camino Santiago Communidad Valencia, while mostly Spanish, has a quite detailed description of their 42 stages to Santiago. […]
Caminho Do Mar – Sintra To Santiago, April 2015
Pilgrim Stories
Sintra to Ericeira, 2 April – 27km, 436m climbing Our Caminho (with wife Elly and ‘gap –year’ son Jordy) began in Sintra near Lisbon, on ex-rental bicycles purchased locally. Pedalling towards the coast, we hit the beach at the picturesque […]
Alternative Pilgrimages to the French Caminos
Walking the Camino
Aside from the main French Camino routes listed on our Walking the Camino page, there are numerous other pilgrimages of interest to Australians:.
Garry Budin, Australian Guide living in Santiago de Compostela
Walking the Camino
Garry Budin is an Australian who lives in Santiago de Compostela and helps nervous pilgrims plan their Camino, acting as a guide where necessary. Visit his website at doncamino.com.
Camino Chaplaincy
Walking the Camino
The Camino Chaplaincy is an apostolate formed of volunteer priests, ministers, religious and lay people. All have walked the Camino to Santiago. The President of the Camino Chaplaincy is Bishop Ralph Heskett C.Ss.R., the Bishop of Hallam, England. The Camino […]
1st Global Conference of Friends of the Camino Associations
News
Interesting and tiring for the same reason, because of the diverse range of people attending which meant long periods of concentration as we listened to strange accents and our languages sometimes translated slightly awkwardly. Most attendees were from Amigos associations, […]
Cycling The Camino Frances – Spring 2015
Pilgrim Stories
Early on we decided not to take our bikes with us as we both had other travel arrangements before and after the actual ride and only wanted the bikes for the Camino itself. This meant that we needed to hire […]
Camino De San Salvador
Pilgrim Stories
To do this however, pilgrims have to take a diversion 120 kilometres along the Camino de San Salvador from León, through the Asturian mountains, to Oviedo. From there the usual path was, and is, along the Camino Primitivo, which rejoins […]
The Lore of the Camino de Santiago: a literary pilgrimage
Book Reviews
This book is one the latest, and most eclectic, informative and best researched contributions to the burgeoning litera- ture on the Camino, which I became aware of when I had the good fortune to walk awhile with its author, Jean Mitchell-Lanham, on the Camino Portugués this year.
Pilgerwege Across Germany
Pilgrim Stories
Thus, with that in mind, I settled on a combination of paths that cross the central part of Germany. The altitude here is roughly 200-450 metres and, though snow was at times inclined to be deep, from my novice point […]
Walking The Camino Portugués – May/June 2014
Pilgrim Stories
Lisbon A grand city, slightly decaying around the edges. There is a lot to see and do in Lisbon, with the highlights being the Alfama district at night and the Fado bar halfway between the Cathedral and the Castelo Sáo […]
Being an Amigo
Pilgrim Stories
It was an older woman who had received her Compostela and had stepped back from the counter while she waited for her husband to receive his certificate. I moved closer to her so that the other pilgrims nearby could not […]
The Schengen Travel Visa For Europe (Or… Count Your Days!)
Walking the Camino
26 countries make up the Schengen Zone and have seamless borders for entry/ exit between them ie they have abolished passports and any other type of border control at their common borders. Fortunately, the UK is not included. It takes […]
Short Caminos
Walking the Camino
Pilgrims travelling to Santiago de Compostela require a credencial or pilgrim ‘passport’ to establish their bona fides to stay in the albergues or refugios on the Camino. That is that they plan to walk, cycle or go by horseback to […]
Cammino Di Assisi
Pilgrim Stories
You will notice that there are two Camminos (as opposed to Caminos), with different names, but are essentially the same path, just different starting points and different destinations. They are coordinated by different groups, have different guides, different credentials, different […]
A Food Lover’s Pilgrimage To France: Food, Farming And Stories From The French Pilgrim Paths To Santiago De Compostela by Dee Nolan
Book Reviews
Lantern books, 2014 Dee Nolan’s new book has been four years in the making – a rich, fascinating years spent immersed in the food and history along these ancient pilgrim routes, hearing the stories of the cooks and farmers along […]
Winchester to Santiago de Compostela
Pilgrim Stories
Part 1 To Mont-St-Michel – Pilgrims Trail, Chemin Aux Anglais Winchester, one-time capital of England, was an important city in the Middle Ages. Its cathedral houses the shrine to St Swithun, former bishop of Winchester, who died in the 9th […]
Jakobsweg In Bavaria
Pilgrim Stories
Because I needed to connect with another path called the Via Claudia Augusta, my plan was to follow this Jakobsweg for about 150 kilometres (of the 250), and what a different pilgrimage experience this proved to be. For this leg […]
Walking the Camino From Granada to Santiago De Compostela, April-May 2014
Pilgrim Stories
For a reference we took the CSJ guide for the Camino Mozárabe and maps provided by Kevin Burrows. Over- all the route from Granada to Merida was surprisingly well marked although we found that 3 pairs of eyes was definitely […]
Confessions of a Vegan Pilgrim
Pilgrim Stories
Speaking of salads, I remember going to a restaurant in Astorga where. There was only one vegetarian dish that the owner could offer: tomato salad. He brought it to me on a very large dinner plate. And there was… a […]
27 Days a Pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela by Michael Thornton
Book Reviews
Despite quadruple heart bypass surgery, fear of failure, and concern over being labelled a copycat for repeating the theme of the movie The Way—walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in memory of a lost son—64 year-old Melbourne writer Michael Thornton takes on the often gruelling 800km Spanish pilgrimage.
The Catalan Way (Montserrat To San Juan De La Pena, Near Jaca) & The Aragonés Way (San Juan De La Pena To Puenta La Reina)
Pilgrim Stories
We started at Montserrat, near Barcelona, travelling there by train. Montserrat is famous for its natural environment consisting of blunt, needle-shaped columns of rock forming a substantial mountain range, and for the monastery perched high above the valley. Our route […]
Janet, The Happy Wanderer
Blogs
A circuitous route to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Stage One beginning in Munich, Germany ending in Jerusalem – traveling through Austria, Italy, Albania, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and Israel. Second stage from Vienna, through Germany, Czech Republic, Holland, Belgium, France […]
More on Bedbugs!
Walking the Camino
I would like to share a hint found useful for dealing with bed bugs and the treatment of bed bug bites. Firstly, before leaving Australia I treat my sleeping bag, sleeping bag liner, pillowcase, backpack & boots with Permethrin (Debugger), […]
Un Camino De Santiago De Compostela A Caballo, May 2013 (A Horse Camino)
Pilgrim Stories
In October 2008 I had a bowel cancer removed, with apparently no spread. In December 2011 I grew a large me- tastasis in the right lung and had R lung lobectomy. This was followed in March 2012 by another growth, […]
How To Put Your Best Foot Forward On The Camino?
Starting An Afotc Conversation About Feet…!
Pilgrim Stories
Let’s face it, both prospective and experienced pilgrims like to talk about ‘feet’—A LOT—and with good reason! In the last Camino Chronicle I listed some of the problems I’ve experienced on pilgrimage (including with my feet). “Like many pilgrims I’ve […]
The Plantagenet Way: From Saint Michael To Saint James
Pilgrim Stories
In general, waymarking was very good but I used the Rando publications guide for maps, accommodation, and information on towns and cities. I began in Avranches, near to Mont Saint-Michel (MSM) and well-known as one of the break-through towns during […]
The Camino Frances And Via Francigena Compared… And The Love Of Solitary Pilgrimage
Pilgrim Stories
Why do we feel the urge to undertake such strenuous journeys? The reasons are many and not always religious in nature. Many people from all walks of life, all ages, all religions, and all nationalities are drawn to undertake these […]
Can Everyone Really Go On A Pilgrimage?
Exploring The Accessible Range Of Participation In Pilgrimage
Pilgrim Stories
I am fortunate to have been able to achieve my goal of walking each step of the Camino Francés twice. I completed my first pilgrimage in 2009 and it was profoundly transformative. My second Camino in 2011 was also positively […]
Montserrat and the Catalan Camino
Pilgrim Stories
However, for me, the moment of actually setting foot on an ancient pilgrimage path marked the real beginning of my understanding of the Camino experience. The first stamp in my credencial, dated 19 May 2012, is definitely as much treasured […]
Lost Tango In Paris Or… What To Do When Your Backpack Does Not Arrive!
Pilgrim Stories
Our scheduled arrival in Paris gave us plenty of time to connect with the train to Bayonne. Within minutes, it seemed, Jenny had collected her backpack from the carousel. Mine won’t be long, I thought, we had plenty of time […]
From the Couch to the Camino
Pilgrim Stories
I was surprised. I didn’t realise that I had held that view all those years ago. This made me wonder how much I was following that advice myself and I committed to, not only following my instincts, but trusting them […]
Camino Salvado (WA)
Pilgrim Stories
I first heard of Dom Salvado when visiting Samos Monastery in 2007 on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. On hearing that my friend and I were from Perth, a monk took us behind the scenes and showed us a […]
The Difference Between a Pilgrimage and a Long Walk?
Talk [abridged] given to AFotC meeting, Adelaide, 6 April, 2013
Pilgrim Stories
In November 2001 we decided to have a break in Australia visiting Ines’s family and soon it became clear Ines did not want to go back. That was quite a significant moment – it meant that the dream we had […]
The Way Less Travelled
Pilgrim Stories
In Spring of 2010, I did a ‘mere’ 500kms of the Via de la Plata. It took me 25 walking days to cover the distance from Salamanca to Santiago. That averages out to a meagre (compared with other stories) 20kms […]
Montgenevre to Pamplona
Pilgrim Stories
Leaving Australia in early June I landed in Paris and took the lift down to the TGV station which took me to Valence, from which I took a local train to Briancon. Heading further east I noticed, with some trepidation, […]
Camino Ingles
Pilgrim Stories
Day 3 was the longest and hardest. This camino goes through forests or on rural paths or roads and is well marked/signed–and we didn’t get lost at all! However I would not do this walk without the CSJ guide as […]
Walking With Stones: A Spiritual Odyssey on the Pilgrimage to Santiago by William Schmidt
Book Reviews
I have read four Camino books in the last month, all addressing the Camino in different ways. Two of the books are by Australian authors, I am God’s Heart by Marianne Bailey and A Slow Walk Across Spain by Karen […]
Aussie Podcasts About The Camino
Pilgrim Stories
Podcasts about Australian pilgrims who have walked the Camino de Santiago can be downloaded from the archives of the ABC national radio and ABC local radio websites. I enjoy listening to them (and many other podcasts on my MP3 player), […]
Being a Hospitalero: Working at the Confraternity of St James (CSJ) Albergue in Miraz on the Camino Del Norte
Pilgrim Stories
I did not realise just how physically tiring it would be. We started at 6am and finished at 10.30pm, although by the end of our stint we were giving each other alternate early nights to bed. My duties consisted of […]
Technology and The Camino
Walking the Camino
This article is not meant to be a definitive guide to technology and the Camino rather a starting point, an introduction to how technology might be used to research and plan, aid whilst on the Camino and to keep in […]
Walking back to happiness by Christine Palmer
Book Reviews
Health warning: this is not the ideal book for experienced walkers who might have already reached Everest’s base camp, nor is it for the experienced slimmers who know their way around a good detox...
Chemin De St Jacques – Via Podensis
Pilgrim Stories
Compared with the Camino Frances in Spain, the comforting red and white bars marking this path are more frequent than the cockle shells and almost as ubiquitous as the yellow arrows. David Knowler and I from Adelaide, together with Jill […]
The Camino Aragon
Pilgrim Stories
The route is well waymarked with the French red and white slashes and GR65 and the more familiar Spanish yellow on blue arrows, as well as the scallop shell, and a map, although desirable for an overall view of the […]
Camino Books by Aussies
Book Reviews
The way of a thousand arrows: An Australian family’s journey through the Camino de Santiago Camino Francés Jonathon Drane Greenshot, 2007 Memoirs of a pilgrim: Footprints on the Road to Santiago Brad Kyle Camino Francés Zeus, 2010 The year we […]
GPS tracks & waypoints for the Camino Francés as per 34 Camino John Brierley stages
Walking the Camino
This article gives an overview of a set of GPS tracks and waypoints for the Camino Francés from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela.
Ashley’s travel blog
Blogs
Why? Why am I setting out on this strange journey? It is a long story, with a detour...
Begonia’s travel blog
Blogs
My latest plan is to walk to Santiago de Compostela via the Camino Frances route. Why don’t you join me on my journey across four mountain ranges beginning in France, across northern Spain to the end of the world. Share […]