My Camino Family

Given you are now all Camino informed individuals, you may have a few outstanding questions about my Camino which I hope to answer over the coming days.

Firstly I'd like to talk more about Camino families. Many people are inspired to do a Camino, particularly the Camino Frances, as a way to meet and make new friends. A traditional Camino family is a group of people from several different countries that meet early in the walk and end up travelling all the way to Santiago together. Apart from making new friends a Camino family is a group with whom you can share your journey and reminisce for years to come.

In reality many types of Camino families form. Most common would be groups of people that fluctuate in size where people drop in and out, catch up, stay behind, go faster or slower but generally bump into each other a lot and possibly organise to walk into Santiago together.

I met quite a lot of groups, usually three or four people, who met each other on the first night at Orisson hostel with the tradition where everyone introduces themselves. I'd highly recommend staying at Orisson if you're fit enough to do 20km a day and a Camino family is something you're looking for.

I also met quite a few people who had made a Camino family at the start but that had ended somewhere along the Way as some people finished, some got injured and some went their own way.

I met a group this week who had formed a Camino family just ten days before and were planning the rest of the walk together.

I have mentioned the term Camino family a few times in these writings. Given the nature of my journey it wasn't something I expected to find nor something I was looking for. Being a bit of an introvert, I'm not sure I could have coped with the intensity of a traditional one anyway. I might have run away screaming for peace and solitude.

I did swap contact details with a few people and meet and enjoy a good conversation with many more. Some I saw on and off for a few days or a week. That will always be a memorable and important part of the journey.

But to my surprise I feel I did make an unexpected Camino family, one I can talk to about my journey and share the highs and the lows. And that Camino family is this group. I never expected to have so many people interested in my escapades, this was originally just going to be an update for a few family and a friend or two.

You've been full of support and encouragement and unlike the solo travels of my youth, I've hardly felt alone and certainly have plenty of opportunity to share. And sharing does make the world a better place.

Thanks for coming on this journey with me.Read more