Walking 780km across Spain resulted in many different reactions from everyone I know.

Some were shocked, some were impressed, some completely understood and some questioned my sanity.

I personally had all reactions over the 27 days it took me to complete the Camino de Santiago.

Many people have heard of the ancient pilgrimage known as the Camino de Santiago (also known as The Way of St. James, St. James’s Way, St. James’s Path, St. James’s Trail, Route of Santiago de Compostela, and Road to Santiago). But for many people I know in far away lands that I come from, where the beaches are pristine and the kangaroos are bountiful, the long walk is a very foreign concept.

Basically The Camino de Santiago is a large network of ancient pilgrim routes stretching across Europe and coming together at the tomb of St. James (Santiago in Spanish) in Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain.

Simple – right?

The ‘American Pilgrims on the Camino’ definitely sum up the origin of the pilgrimage better than I can…

The Camino de Santiago has existed as a Christian pilgrimage for well over 1,000 years, and there is evidence of a pre-Christian route as well. Throughout the medieval period it was one of the three most important Christian pilgrimages undertaken. Indeed, it was only these pilgrimages—to Jerusalem, to Rome, and to Santiago de Compostela—which could result in a plenary indulgence, which frees a person from the penance due for sins.  (American Pilgrims on the Camino)

In 2016, religious pilgrims make up a small proportion of people walking the Camino de Santiago. From my firsthand experience religion was not one of the main motivators for most of the people I encountered during my pilgrimage.

The network of camino routes is similar to a river system – small brooks join together to make streams, and the streams join together to make rivers, most of which join together to make the Camino Francés. During the middle ages, people walked out of their front doors and started off to Santiago, which was how the network grew up. Nowadays, cheap air travel has given many the opportunity to fly to their starting point, and often to do different sections in successive years. Some people set out on the Camino for spiritual reasons; many others find spiritual reasons along the Way as they meet other pilgrims, attend pilgrim masses in churches and monasteries and cathedrals, and see the large infrastructure of buildings provided for pilgrims over many centuries. (Camino de Santiago)

For many people I met along the Camino de Santiago the reason was recreational or spiritual. Or just a very good excuse to go for a very long walk.

In fact, most people don’t seem to be able to even answer the question ‘why are you doing the camino?’ very easily. Myself included.

Now the most popular route (which gets very crowded in mid-summer) is the Camino Francés which stretches 780 km (nearly 500 miles) from St. Jean-Pied-du-Port near Biarritz in France to Santiago (my camino route choice).  But there are many different routes from many different corners of Europe that bring pilgrims together in Santiago.

Walking the camino is not difficult (although for many people finding the time can be). With the exception of some pretty steep days most of the stages are fairly flat on good paths. But most people haven’t experienced walking continuously for 10, 20 or 30 days (once again, myself included). The hard part for most people is looking after your feet.

And let me tell you – there is no greater feeling in the world than arriving in Santiago after a very long walk.

It all starts with one step, and many yellow arrows and shells to guide you along the way…