The Transformative Power of the Camino De Santiago

News

• Places to visit when you complete your Camino - Hidden Spain

• I’ll be speaking at the London Practical Pilgrims Day on September 9th, at the Confraternity of St James. Come along and say hello if you’re in London. To book tickets > CLICK HERE

Recommended Gear I Used This Year

Maybe it’s all the kms I’ve walked this year or it could simply be down to my ageing limbs, but one thing I know is that my feet and ankles are so much happier when I’m wearing recovery flip flops after a long Camino stage.

My old Hoka flip flops served me well, but got damaged and became unwearable. So, after reading a ton of positive reviews I got these:

I found Oofos lighter, softer to walk on, and they didn’t take up as much space in my backpack as the Hokas. They’re perfect for mooching around town in after a long day’s walking and can also be worn in the albergue shower. I heartily recommend.

Camino Accommodation Recommendations

Albergue S. Mamede de Vila Cha – Portuguese Coastal Camino

This albergue makes it onto my recommended albergue list in large part due to the hospitalero (host), who runs the albergue and takes care of all the pilgrims who stay.

The man is a force of nature and helps to make pilgrims feel at home, with some teasing thrown in for good measure (or maybe he just liked teasing me). Through Edgar’s encouragement a communal meal was organised, he then took everyone to the beach to watch the sunset, followed by a drink at his local bar.

It’s 26.2kms from Porto on the coastal route in a town called Vila Chã. Beds are ten euros a night, which come with bed sheets and a towel, yep you heard that right, a towel!!! For those new to albergues, a towel included in the price is something to get EXCITED about.

There are twenty beds, spread across two dorm rooms, several showers, and bathrooms so there was never a queue for the facilities.

The albergue is clean and it has a full working kitchen with all the required utensils for cooking up a storm.

Around the corner from the albergue is a local mini supermarket at the campsite, for all your food supply needs.

This is one of those special Camino gems that lives on inside you long after you’ve left. If you’re a solo pilgrim walking the Portuguese coastal route, this is a wonderful place to stay, meet fellow pilgrims, and get a good night’s rest. Full location details are here.

Art and being our authentic selves on Camino

Art, what does the word mean to you? A painting hanging in a gallery, a beautiful piece of music, a page of expertly crafted prose. Or maybe it conjures up images of a slightly pretentious artist flicking random globules of paint onto a canvas, then slapping a hefty price tag on it.

Next time you listen to a song you love, a movie, or a book you lose yourself in, try asking yourself why? Is it simply entertaining, or does it have a deeper meaning to you, something personal, comforting?

Thinking about the art I respond to, art that moves me, it almost always comes from a place of honesty, truth, and at times vulnerability - I see a little piece of myself projected back at me and I feel a connection to it. Whereas pretentious art is like a pouting selfie, devoid of truth, vulnerability, honesty. All it wants of me is to notice it, then it’s gone in a flash, forgotten.

Whenever I create a YouTube video or sit down to write this newsletter, I strive to be open and honest with what I create. I don’t for one second think I’m creating great art, but if I say it honestly, put some of myself in it, then my hope is that it will connect with someone. There are times when I feel myself pulling back, not wanting to show too much of myself for fear of rejection or ridicule. The inner child shielding the vulnerable parts of me from harm. But, with each video, newsletter, or post, I feel that little bit more comfortable sharing my true self. Being open and 100% yourself can be hard, but it’s a mission worth pursuing.

The word art isn’t something you’d naturally think of when speaking about the Camino, but when walking on the Way, pilgrims are put in a place where they frequently experience moments of honesty, vulnerability, and truth, whether they want to or not.

Conversations and connections on Camino can get deep, very quickly. You will find yourself having honest and raw conversations with someone you’ve just met. There is something about being on Camino, especially the longer routes, that I honestly believe leads us to reveal our true, authentic selves. The day-to-day struggles, the tiredness, having time and space in nature, coupled with the generosity of the people you meet along the way, all combine to put you in a unique place. You are not the person you are at home. You can’t hide.

On Camino, we get to see elements of ourselves reflected back at us in the people we cross paths with. Maybe this is always around us in our non-Camino, normal life. But, due to the stresses and strains of modern life, we don’t often hear it or see it. We put up barriers to help protect ourselves.

Walking the Way gives us the opportunity to lower our barriers and truly listen to other people’s stories, their truth. We may come from different countries, social classes, or backgrounds, but through walking the Camino we discover we are not alone in our thoughts and experiences. The Camino gives us a safe and supportive space to drop the mask we so often wear. By dropping that mask, we are seen and accepted for the beautifully unique person we all truly are.

I’m drawn to walk the Camino, much like I’m drawn to seek out art that speaks to me. My mind quietens, my anxiety dissipates, and I draw strength from connecting with it. Ask yourself, what does the Camino or walking in nature do for you, who does it allow you to be?

A Camino offers us time to reconnect with what makes us human. Coming home after Camino hits hard, but it’s not down to saying goodbye to the cheap Estrella Galicia’s and all those tortillas. We have lived a life of simplicity, of honesty, taking a break from the trappings and trinkets of normal everyday life. On Camino, a rich and a poor person are more equal than they ever knew.

The Camino gives you, me and everyone who walks it, time to be ourselves. Embrace it and you will find happiness along the Way.