Camino Talks Podcast

2021 will be a very special year on the Camino de Santiago: It will be a Holy Year!  Never heard of it? Don't worry, we collected interesting facts, graphics, and stories for you. Different Camino Experts from all over the world shared their Holy Year experiences with us. We are very thankful for the great conversations with these members of the UK Confraternity of St James, the Canadian Company of Pilgrims, and the Americans on the Camino societies.   

In this Podcast:

- What is a Holy Year?

- What is a Camino Holy year?

- What is St. James Day?

- What is special about a Holy Year?

- What is the Holy Door?

- Pilgrim numbers in Holy years

- Will we see you on the Camino in 2021?

Thank you to all our guests:

Reverend Colin Jones - Confraternity of St James UK

David Donselar - American Pilgrims on the Camino

Mary Virtue - Canadian Company of Pilgrims (Victoria Chapter)

Tom Friesen - Canadian Company of Pilgrims (London, Ontario Chapter)

Check out our blog post on this webinar!

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You can watch the Youtube video of the interview!

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Start planning your Camino route at Follow the Camino for a walking holiday you will never forget!

Buen Camino!

In this episode of our Camino Talks series, Sean from Follow The Camino talked with Mary Virtue. Mary is the coordinator of the Victoria Chapter of the Canadian Company of Pilgrims. She is also a Hospitalero and has walked and cycled the Camino de Santiago multiple times.

At home in Victoria, Canada she is actively working with the Canadian Company of Pilgrims to support future pilgrims, to welcome back those who finished their walking holiday, and to organise training walks and other meetings. Due to her volunteering work and her numerous Camino experiences, she has great stories to tell.   

Check out our blog post on this webinar!

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You can watch the Youtube video of the interview!

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Start planning your Camino route at Follow the Camino for a walking holiday you will never forget!

Buen Camino!

in this episode of Camino Talks, Sean from Follow The Camino is talking with Tom Friesen. Tom is a passionate Camino Walker and the coordinator of the London, Ontario chapter of the Canadian Company of Pilgrims, a non-denominational and volunteer-run association. Tom and many others work together to support Canadians interested in the pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostela.   Due to his work as a Hospitalero, Tom experienced the pure Camino lifestyle, leaving him with a rich treasury of knowledge and stories.   

In this Podcast:

- What is your role within the Canadian Company of Pilgrims?

- What is an Albergue? Why are they important?

- Are Hospitaleros people that volunteer to help out and operate these accommodations?

- Why did you work on the Camino and not a trail in Canada? What is special about the Camino?

- What is the Holy Year and why is it important for the Camino?

- What effect does the Camino have on people?

- What is your favorite memory or place of the Camino?

- What is this pendant you are wearing?

Check out our blog post on this webinar!

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You can watch the Youtube video of the interview!

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Start planning your Camino route at Follow the Camino for a walking holiday you will never forget!

Buen Camino!

In August 2018, ultrarunners and husband and wife, Agnieszka Pami and Marek Pamula took on a challenge of a lifetime... to run the entire Camino Frances.  Agnieszka came back to do it again in 2019 with Follow the Camino. She started from St Jean Pied de Port in July and arrived in Santiago 9 days and 15 hours later. The journey was 772km long. She tells us how she started running and doing marathons before beginning ultrarunning. She tells us how she decided to run the Camino Frances, and about the journey.  Agnieszka says that the Camino transformed her life in ways that she never expected.  

Find out more about Agnieszka's adventures in the links below:

Read the couple's travel diary from their first Camino ultrarun in 2018.

Read Agnieszka's solo run story from 2019.

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Start planning your Camino route at Follow the Camino for a walking holiday you will never forget!

Buen Camino!

In this episode of Camino Talks, Professor Shane O'Mara from Trinity College Dublin explains the neuroscience and research behind the health benefits of walking. 

Do you want to be more healthy? Do you want to look after your brain and improve your memory? Well, walking might be the magic answer you are looking for. Walking is what our bodies are built for and is intricately connected to our health. There are so many ways that our bodies benefit from walking.   

Training for, and walking the Camino de Santiago will increase your steps and help you to benefit from the incredible health-promoting effects of walking. Walking holidays truly are holidays that will make you healthier!

You can read more of Shane's research in his book, "In Praise of Walking". 

In this Podcast:

- There is plenty of evidence that walking is good for our health.

- Walking reduces our risk of heart disease.

- Walking improves our immune system.

- Walking can improve your memory.

- We need to move more.

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Start planning your Camino route at Follow the Camino for a walking holiday you will never forget!

Buen Camino!

In this episode of Camino Talks, Professor Shane O'Mara from Trinity College Dublin explains from a scientist's point of view why walking and hiking is so good for us. The neuroscientist has done various studies and researches about the benefits of walking. His findings and conclusions can be read in his book "In Praise of Walking".   

He states that walking holidays can indeed increase your happiness, reduce stress, and make you healthier: The Camino de Santiago is good for you! 

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Start planning your Camino route at Follow the Camino for a walking holiday you will never forget!

Buen Camino!

We interviewed Frank Flanagan, one of the founders of the Boyne Valley Camino in Ireland. This 25-kilometre walk from Drogheda forms part of the Celtic Camino series that runs across the UK and Ireland. 

Since 2014, Drogheda has hosted a walking festival which brings a lot of visitors to the town. They can appreciate how lovely it is there, the historical sites, the forest, and the Greenway. When the Boyne Valley Camino founders found out about the work that the Camino Society of Ireland was doing to designate new pilgrim routes in Ireland, they spotted that as an opportunity.

Frank tells us how the Boyne Valley Camino got started, and about the walk now that it is established. By walking a certified Celtic Camino route and then the Camino Inglés from A Coruna, people can accomplish the 100km necessary to obtain their Compostela certificate at the pilgrim's office in Santiago.

In this podcast:

- How did the idea of creating the Boyne Valley Camino arise?

- How long did it take to develop this Celtic Camino?

- What are the main highlights of this walk?

- Have you been on the Camino?

- How to walk the Boyne Valley Camino

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Start planning your Camino route at Follow the Camino for a walking holiday you will never forget!

Buen Camino!

Francisco and Silvia are two of our longest-running guides on the Camino de Santiago. Umberto sat down with them in Santiago after they had finished a couple of guided tours with our awesome clients. Listen to them talk about how they became guides, what drew them to the Camino, and their experiences as Camino de Santiago tour guides. Follow the Camino run guided and unguided tours along the Camino throughout the year. 

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You can watch the Youtube video of the interview!

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Start planning your Camino route at Follow the Camino for a walking holiday you will never forget!

Buen Camino!

John Brierley, the author of some of the most popular Camino guide books, talks about the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage and the people who walk it.   

John Brierley started his Camino journey in 1989 when he gave up his day job to travel, and walked the Camino de Santiago. He has walked the famous pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela on foot many times and has since written several best selling guide books about the different Camino de Santiago routes. These guides focus on the French Way, The Portuguese Way, The English Way, and the Camino Finisterre. His guide books are not just instructions for walking the trails, but also an excellent companion to your mental and spiritual journey on the Camino.

In this Podcast - Part 3:

- The people of the Camino. 

- How people change and what we discover along the way. 

- Becoming a Pilgrim

Check out our blog post on this webinar!

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Start planning your Camino route at Follow the Camino for a walking holiday you will never forget!

Buen Camino!

John Brierley, the author of some of the most popular Camino guide books, talks about the history of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage.   

John Brierley started his Camino journey in 1989 when he gave up his day job to travel, and walked the Camino de Santiago. He has walked the famous pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela on foot many times and has since written several best selling guide books about the different Camino de Santiago routes. These guides focus on the French Way, The Portuguese Way, The English Way, and the Camino Finisterre. His guide books are not just instructions for walking the trails, but also an excellent companion to your mental and spiritual journey on the Camino.

In this Podcast - Part 2:

- The history and culture of the Camino 

Check out our blog post on this webinar!

or

You can watch the Youtube video of the interview!

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Start planning your Camino route at Follow the Camino for a walking holiday you will never forget!

Buen Camino!