The Camino de Santiago de Compostela, also known in English as The Way of St James, are a collection of old pilgrimage routes which cover all Europe. They all have Santiago de Compostela in north west Spain as their final destination. For more than 1000 years pilgrims have walked along the Camino de Santiago.
The main Camino route is the Camino Frances. This part of the Camino de Santiago traditionally starts in St Jean Pied de Port and finishes in Santiago de Compostela about 780km later, after traveling the breadth of Northern Spain, (In Santiago you can collect your Compostela). However you can start anywhere and even continue past Santiago to the sea at Finisterre. Finisterre was thought to be the end of the world in medieval times.
Camino Forum – Join, ask questions, answer some, and help others
These pages are intended to help you plan your pilgrimage and hopefully keep you in contact with other pilgrims after you have gone back to your daily life. Leave any messages on the Camino Forum.
The Camino de Santiago is for everyone, young, old, fit, unfit, religious or otherwise. One of the surprising observations I had was that people I thought would drop didn’t – and most of the people I saw with problems were younger people – perhaps trying to push their walking too fast. One great bit of advice I got was – slow down – a Frenchman I met kept telling me this – I listened after a while and traveled as far, but with much less pain and strain.
I did not set out on a Spiritual or religious journey – but it ended being that way – accident? I don’t know… Maybe that is just the Camino de Santiago at work.
If you want to be included in the free news letter just add your name and email into the form on the top right, we will never disclose your email address to anyone else – for more information join the Camino forum and ask questions or have a read at my Camino Blog which also lists many other Camino Blogs.
Camino Directory lists other Camino websites and a full list of Confraternity site where you can sometimes get a pilgrims passport before you head off, Camino Guide Books for a list of good books, Packing lists for essential advice regarding feet, good boots and how little to pack, Albergues (hostels) – explains what they are and provides a full list, Travel – how to get there and back, Articles – explains itself (if you have any please send them to me and I will publish them on this site), Photos to give you a bit of a taster.
Camino history page and a few pages listing the major cities along the Way, I hope this is enough to get you interested and started, if you need any other information please ask your question on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela Forum and I will answer it there, thanks. I count on your help to let me know of any broken links and anything you would like to see added.
FAQ on the Camino is a new addition. I expect it will never be finished as I keep getting sent questions that I would never have thought of. If you have any other questions on the Camino de Santiago, just go to the forum and post them there.
Can you help translate? I am in the process of getting parts of the site translated, I need volunteers to translate into Spanish, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Korean, Chinese, Greek, Japanese, and Turkish. From my statistics page I am able to see where people come from that visit the site and these are the most popular languages. So your help would be welcome, even if it is only one page – Thank you.
I have a request of pilgrims walking or cycling the Camino de Santiago. Keeping this site up to date is a must, a few pilgrims email me information on new hostels and I add them to the list. My request is this – if you can send me by email or post any information you collect along the way about new Albergues – Refugios – Hostels, or anything else you think should be included for information for other pilgrims. Scan and email would be easiest or email me and I will send you my postal address here in Ireland.
Get used to the sound – Buen Camino – it can be a beautiful journey.
In 1985 2,491 pilgrims completed the Camino. In 1995 there was 19,821, then in 2005 there was 93,921. These are only the pilgrims that asked for and received a Compostela, therefore many more completed the routes. Figures complements of the Office de Acogida al Peregrino. More Camino maps
If you have an interest in long distance walking another site that may be of interest is the West Highland Way – this is a 7/8 day walking route from Glasgow into the Highlands of Scotland.
My personal blog is Life in Ireland. And lastly this is my current work in progress, Prague – a new and expanding site.