Setting off on Camino
Travelling to begin the Camino Madrid
Setting
out on a new journey and a new Camino Pilgrimage always fills us with enormous gratitude, anticipation,
excitement, and a little nervousness. The ability to step back from the
hectic pace and unrelenting demands of daily life, to explore the world at a
more human pace, and to reconnect with ourselves, each other, fellow
travellers, and the natural world is a privilege we never take lightly.
This
time, we find ourselves at the beginning of a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. The call to walk The Way again has grown steadily louder
over the past two years as we've struggled to continue moving forward while
projecting a message of inspiration, inclusion, and empowerment into a world
that seems to have grown more divided, frustrated, and uncertain than
ever. As we set out now we carry some of this uncertainty with us - North
America is experiencing the sixth wave of the global pandemic, a war is being
fought in the Ukraine, and strangers around us feel highly frustrated,
volatile, and unpredictable. Yet, it feels right to keep moving forward,
and we are grateful for the opportunity to look for guidance along The Way.
We are mostly filled with excitement and anticipation. This story hasn't yet been written, and we can't wait to see what lies in store. Although we've walked several Caminos in the past, each one has been very different. We walked the Camino Frances, where we met many other pilgrims, many of whom spoke English. Pilgrim culture was strong along the entire route, and amenities were plentiful.
The next year we walked the Via Podiensis (aka GR65, Le Chemin du Puy or Le Puy Way), where
we found ourselves mostly walking with French-speaking pilgrims. On the
first part of the trail most of our companions were not pilgrims heading to
Santiago, but rather hikers enjoying a walking holiday. The food was
amazing, and much of the time we stayed in B&B-type accommodations which
required reservations, allowing a more leisurely walking pace. It was a
wonderful but very different experience to the Camino Frances.
On the Camino Portuguese, we walked with a tight-knit group of international
pilgrims. The first part of the walk from Lisbon to Porto offered a
chance to visit places that were part of Portuguese culture, while the section
from Porto to Santiago allowed us to experience a bit of the pilgrim-centred
culture that has developed along the Camino Frances. These experiences
were all wonderful in their own way, and they leave us wondering what this
journey will be like.
So where are we going? In a few days, we will begin the Camino Madrid,
which heads northwest from Madrid to Sahagun, on the Camino Frances. A couple
days of walking on the Frances will take us to Leon, where we will turn north
onto the Camino San Salvador, heading for Oviedo. From there we will
follow the Camino Primitivo back south, joining the Camino Frances again near
Melide, which is only 2-3 days away from Santiago de Compostela when travelling
on foot. If time permits, we will then walk the Camino Inglés, from
Ferrol back to Santiago de Compostela.
If not, we may walk back to Fisterra or Muxia. If we are able to
complete this itinerary, we will walk just over 900 km over what has been
described as some of the wildest, most rugged, and picturesque sections of the
Spanish Caminos.
See
you on the Trail!
https://www.comewalkwithus.online/
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