10th Anniversary Edition!
Ten years have passed since I set off on 22 April 2016 to walk the Camino. I’d planned it since 1990 but it was only in early April that I decided the time to walk had come. There was too little time to do much research and the learning curve was steep. I made so many mistakes. My pack was weighed down with ridiculous clutter and I was crippled with blisters before I was halfway to Portsmouth. But I had an absolutely unbreakable conviction to walk every step of the way from my home in Weybridge to Santiago de Compostela.
In 2016 I learned what it means to make a pilgrimage and I’ve repeated the experience every year since. Every single one has been precious in one way or another. So, this year it makes sense to return to Spain but along a different path. Instead of the popular Camino Frances, I’ll take the Camino del Norte which runs close to the coast for much of the way before turning into the mountains for the final week. I can’t wait to order my first cafe con leche and to swap the fancy hotels for the albergues and their dormitories.
However, my first challenge is to walk down to Portsmouth in time for the ferry to Bilbao. I won’t make the same mistake as last time. I’ve changed the route to keep away from roads so it’s slightly longer. I’ll take an extra couple of days, just to be sure those blisters don’t return for a tenth anniversary celebration.
Starts April 2026
- Days 1 to 4 – Special Tenth Anniversary Camino Edition
- Day 5 – Bluebells on the South Downs
- Day 6 – Sea Ahoy!
- Days 7 & 8 – Onto the Camino del Norte
- Day 9 – into the hills of Cantabria
- Day 10 – A special Camino experience?
- Day 11 – These boots are made for walking
- Day 12 – A long walk to Santillana del Mar
- Day 13 – Catalan Architecture in Cantabria
- Day 14 – Workers’ Rights Day
- Day 15 – Coastal march
- Day 16 – Abandon Albergue
- Day 17 – Dinosaurs walked this Camino
- Day 18 – An authentic Asturian Feast
- Day 19 – The Day of the Locust
- Days 20 & 21 – A day of stunning scenery
- Day 22 – Breakfast in Spain
- Day 23 – Comical Ending
- Day 24 – Norte people
- Day 25 – Long way to La Caridad
- Day 26 – Goodbye to Asturias
- Day 27 – Galicia, here we go
- Day 28 – Perfect Day
- Day 29 – Dead Cow Day
- Day 30 – The 100Km Milestone
- Day 31 – Monastery Night
- Day 32 – of 34
- Day 33 – Out of my way please, I’m coming from the Norte
- Day 34 – Buen Camino from Santiago de Compostela
Pilgrimage 