So, what is this Camino thing?

The way of St. James is also known as the Camino de Santiago. This name is given to any of the ancient pilgrimage routes to the shrine of the apostle St. James the Great in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia (north-western Spain), It is said that the remains of the saint are buried in the Cathedral.

Legend holds that after St. James’s death, his remains were carried by boat from Jerusalem to northern Spain, where he was buried in what is now the city of Santiago de Compostela. (The name Santiago is derived from Galician Sant Iago or Saint James.)

The Camino was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during the Middle Ages, together with those to Rome and Jerusalem, and it was a pilgrimage route on which a plenary indulgence could be earned.
By the 1980s, only a few pilgrims per year arrived in Santiago. Later, the route attracted a growing number of modern-day pilgrims from around the globe and now each year, hundreds of thousands of travellers set out to make their way to Santiago de Compostela

There are dozens of pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela. Most pilgrims travel by foot, some by bicycle, and a few travel on horseback or by donkey, as some of their medieval counterparts did. This ancient route provides an intense human experience, creating a sense of fraternity amongst travellers and a strong bonding with the land.

The most popular is the Camino Francés or French route from the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela - approx 790 km. This is the route I will be taking, but stating in Pamplona. Originally I was to depart from St. Jean Pied-du-Port, FR and hoping to drag my fluffy self over the Pyrenees. However, Westjet has thrice cancelled my flights to Spain. So, I have since rebooked via the UK and will now start my journey by foot, from Pamplona, ES - still a journey of approx 725km. The new start will cut my walk time by approx 4 days (and 60km). This works out well, as I have volunteered to be the host at a post-Camino pilgrims retreat at the end of Oct, for 6 nights. So, I will be on a timeline!!Read more