Guy Thatcher walked the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage route, hoping to discover the reason for the compulsion that drove him there. What he found instead was the timeless land of northern Spain, beauty, silence, mountains and plains, rain and relentless sun, snow in May, heartbreaking climbs, fatigue and injury; friendly and welcoming people, new friendships, despair, transcendental joy, birth and death, and churros con chocolate. He came away with the renewal of his belief in ...

The Camino de Santiago is a walk across northern Spain. No one is quite sure of its origins which predate the Christian era. Today the majority of walkers are Catholics who regard it as a pilgrimage which is the main reason why it attracts people from all over the world.The minority are a mixed bag of people who follow other religions and some with no set beliefs which includes the author. Historically the Camino has been walked by a spectrum ranging from Kings and Generals to pett...

The Kiwi Sisters' Camino de Santiago gives practical advice on the preparation for the walk; shares the many challenges and joys pilgrims face along The Way; offers humerous, wry observations on themselves, fellow pilgrims and village life; identifies six Camino lessons as touchstones for life; and considers the broader, life-changing ramifications of completing the trip.

In Grandmas On the Camino, author Mary OHara Wyman, a 72 year old grandmother from San Francisco, relates her 2010 adventures walking 500 miles alone as a pilgrim on the Camino Frances. Her journey takes her from St. Jean Pied de Port in France, across the Pyrenees to Spain, then westward to the ancient spiritual destination of Santiago de Compostela. Through back-home reflections based on journal entries and postcards sent to her grand daughter, Mary describes engaging encounters with pil...

The Path is the journey of a lifetime to self discovery. It is the story of a group of international travellers who walk the Camino de Santiago, the ancient eight hundred kilometre pilgrimage from the Pyrenees to the remains of the apostle Saint James in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostella in Northern Spain. The group are of all ages, all professions, all religious denominations (and none.) They include a sexobsessed British ex army captain, a beautiful Danish businesswoman, a manic A...

What do you like most when reading about adventures: descriptions about the terrain, the culture, the challenges, the personal growth, the interactions between other adventures? Women of the Way: Embracing the Camino successfully combines all these elements in a heartfelt and personal recounting of Jane V. Blanchard’s 2011 five-hundred mile pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago—hiking from St-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France over the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles in Spain, and then westward across no...

Emmett Williams was joining his wife on her pilgrimage along El Camino de Santiago de Compostela (an ancient 500 mile walk across northern Spain). It had been a “bucket list” item for each of them, but for different reasons. His wife was going in search of an epiphany, and Emmett was just taking a walking vacation. He found a personal freedom and joy previously unknown to him. Emmett is a sexagenarian “every day” man. On the onset of his journey, Emmett is a healthy man, but has some minor...

The Camino de Santiago - an 800 kilometre hike across Northern Spain spanning two mountain ranges, one barren wasteland, four different provinces and, most daunting of all, five weeks sharing dorm rooms with exhausted snorers, and bathrooms with enthusiastic wine drinkers. The whole concept sounds absurd and unbearable. But Dean and his wife did it anyway, and nothing was more surprising than how much they enjoyed it. The camaraderie, the sense of community, the satisfaction that accompani...

"Love this book! My Bible for the El Camino..."The classic book used by thousands to learn what you should take on a Camino journey.Includes:Pros & Cons for difficult gear choices (poncho or rain jacket? water bottles or pack hydration system? sleeping bag or sleeping sheet?)A "skin-out" (everything!) pack list with the weight of each itemExperienced backpacker tips show you how to create a lightweight pack (to wal...

Despite quadruple heart bypass surgery, fear of failure, and concern also at being labelled a copycat for repeating the theme of the movie The Way—walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in memory of a lost son—64 year-old Melbourne writer Michael Thornton takes on the often gruelling 800km Spanish pilgrimage.Michael's 27-day trek from St Jean in southern France to Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain is plagued by self-doubt at having to walk 25 kilometres a day for a m...

Noel Braun yearns to walk the Camino, the ancient pilgrimage route that leads across France and Spain to Santiago de Compostela. Since the suicide of Maris, his beloved wife of forty-two years, he has struggled to find himself. But is it pure madness? He's an old bloke. At seventy-seven-years, he should be sensible, act his age and relax in a rocking chair. Can his body and spirit withstand the demands? Can he leave family and friends behind? Noel believes this is a journey he MUST underta...

Fully revised and updated in May 2026.This book is intended for people planning to walk a Camino for the first time. It contains detailed, practical, impartial information and advice to help you prepare. It is based on the author's personal experience gained over nearly twenty years walking Caminos and on the experiences of many other pilgrims.The following topics are covered in detail:Which Camino? - which Camino is best for a firs...