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I’ve just completed a very substantial round of updates for the upcoming reprint of the Camino del Norte and Camino Primitivo guidebook for Cicerone. Before jumping into the weeds, a quick semantic note. Cicerone distinguishes between reprints and new editions as follows: a reprint is a new printing of the established book, complete with updated details, while a new edition is a complete overhaul, often featuring a new cover, updated maps and photos, and potentially significant layout changes. The date of the new edition is usually what stands out when people are doing a quick skim of books on Amazon,… Read more: Updates to the Caminos del Norte & Primitivo

Building on my previous post, related to the formation of the Acogida Tradicional Jacobea, I wanted to compile a current list of all donativo-based accommodations on the Camino del Norte and Camino Primitivo. It’s pretty good! Camino del Norte Donativos Irún – Albergue de Peregrinos Jakobi (bed and breakfast) Pasajes de San Juan – Albergue de Peregrinos Santa Ana (bed only) Zenarruza – Monasterio de Zenarruza (bed and communal meals) Bilbao – Albergue Santa Cruz de Begoña (bed and breakfast) Barakaldo – Albergue del Polideportivo de Gorostiza (bed only) Portugalete – Albergue de Peregrinos (bed only) Pobeña – Albergue de… Read more: Donativo-Based Albergues on the Norte & Primitivo

In the wake of COVID and ongoing political and economic challenges, along with a cultural shift unfolding among many contemporary pilgrims, some of the donativo-based, traditionally-oriented albergues and other pilgrim-hosting spaces on the Caminos del Norte and Primitivo are banding together for support and promotion. The new organization is called Acogida Tradicional Jacobea (ATJ), or Traditional Jacobean Hospitality. The following comes from this morning’s email announcement: “Sadly, we are now witnessing the Camino becoming a tourist route, removed from its original spiritual purpose. Given the tendency for commercialisation, the lack of understanding in some administrations, and tourists under the guise… Read more: News: The Creation of the Acogida Tradicional Jacobea

One of my big priorities this past summer was to walk the Camino Aragonés. I’d done this once before, but it was a rushed trip, crammed into a very small window, and it coincided with a very rainy few days in northern Spain. Any pilgrimage is better than no pilgrimage, but those conditions were far from optimal for getting the most out of the route. After starting in Auch, France and walking through Lourdes, I then rejoined the GR653 south of Oloron-Sainte-Marie, which leads to Somport Pass and feeds directly into the Camino Aragonés. The weather was much more conducive… Read more: Linking the Camino Aragonés and Pamplona

The Camino del Norte leaves the coast in Deba and doesn’t return until Playa de la Arena, some 104km later. This includes a lengthy urban jaunt through Bilbao, and some other significant stretches of pavement. To be clear, there’s some great walking in that stretch! It would be a shame, in particular, to miss the lovely wooded stage linking Deba and Markina, and Gernika is a town of tremendous historical significance. Your mileage may vary on the walk through Bilbao, but I’ve always found that to be quite memorable, regardless of which approach I followed. All of that said, I’ve… Read more: Following the GR123 on the Coast Between Gernika and Portugalete

The Via Podiensis guidebook is heading out for a second printing! Thanks very much to everyone who has bought a copy and made this possible so soon. For those who have the first printing, not to fear: you can find the complete list of updates that I’ve just submitted in this linked doc, with the most salient developments spotlighted below. (Most everything else is price changes, which is important but perhaps less crucial to track. Just assume everything got a little more expensive!) Note: For more detailed information on accommodation options and services on the Via Podiensis, click here for our… Read more: Via Podiensis Guidebook Updates – Late 2023

A few years back, a series of changes were made to the Camino Inglés, for better and worse. While some faded waymarks still survive, navigation of the older routes is increasingly reliant upon gps tracks and advanced notice of the alternatives. But which are worth taking? Here’s a quick overview: Stage 1: Short-cuts over the Ría de Ferrol There is now a waymarked route split 11.6km from Ferrol. Pilgrims can go directly across the river, or opt instead to turn left for a wider loop, the advantage of which is getting to walk through the old mill, the Muiño das… Read more: The “Old” Camino Inglés Options

While the Camino del Norte’s routing has stabilized over the past decade, one of the stages that seems to remain in constant flux is the walk between Santander and Santillana del Mar. In the time I’ve been walking the Norte, this stage has moved through three very different permutations, along with smaller tweaks. The choices you make matter, because they will likely determine whether you complete this in one, two, or three days, and they’ll also lead you on either a stunning coastal approach or a fairly mundane, mostly paved itinerary. First, take a look at the map, with the… Read more: Sorting Through the Options Between Santander and Santillana del Mar

Every time I return to the Camino del Norte, I’m caught trying to maintain a balancing act. On one hand, the top priority is to re-walk the official route and established alternatives, in service to updating the guidebook. (You can find that Camino del Norte and Primitivo guidebook here, and at most online bookstores.) On the other, there are so many other possible variants to explore! Time is finite, though, so I have to exercise some restraint. Fortunately, given that I re-walked the Norte from Gijón onward just two years ago, I had a little more freedom to experiment in… Read more: Three Variants Worth Considering on the Camino del Norte Near Avilés and Luarca

If you followed along with my “live updates” from the Mar, you’re aware that I encountered some route changes to the Mar. (Or, perhaps, discovered where the route was actually supposed to be going in the first place.) I’ve finished updating the gpx tracks for the Mar; within a short time, they’ll be uploaded to the Cicerone book page. For now, though, here are some quick-and-dirty maps to help you visualize what has changed (click for full size): Stage 2 – Towards San Cosme de Barreiros Whereas the Mar used to head south immediately after Praia as Catedrais, it now veers… Read more: Quick Mock-Ups of Updated Camino del Mar Route Maps

While I didn’t make it back to the Via Podiensis this summer, it has been a huge point of emphasis for me over these past few years, as we prepared the Cicerone guidebook for launch, and now an upcoming reprint. The guidebook, of course, is a great way to learn about the route, but if you’d like to whet your appetite, or build on what you’ve learned there, I can offer a couple of options for you: The Camino Podcast Via Podiensis Series Over the first half of 2023, I completed a full series of episodes on the route, with… Read more: So You Want to Learn About the Via Podiensis?

Years ago, I remember staring at a map of the different Caminos. OK, that part is hardly unusual, even today. But at that time I was focused on the blank space on the northern coast between Ribadeo, where the Camino del Norte veers inland, and Ferrol, where the Camino Inglés begins. Wouldn’t it be cool, I thought, if you could actually stay on the coast, all the way to Ferrol? Well, you can actually stay on the coast, and it is, in fact, very cool. The route is called the Camino del Mar, aka the Camiño do Mar, aka the… Read more: Get to Know the Camino del Mar

He made the bells toll. The image remains vivid: cramped into a wooden belltower, students and other visitors wedged around me, and the bells clanging rambunctiously overhead. Never mind the sound; the noise churned the bones, surged upward into the teeth, and then poured into the hairs on your forearms. More than any of that, though, was the glee tattooed across the elderly priest’s face. He did this, he told us, and then told us again. He did this. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – When I planned this summer’s walk,… Read more: Nobody Beats the House: On Tarasteix and Lourdes

It’s awesome to be back on the Camiño do Mar, and to really see the route taking shape. When I came here the first time, it was like a treasure hunt, cobbling together an almost useless map with comments from a handful of forum members, and then searching assiduously at every trail intersection for a rumor of a waymark. Now, though, yellow arrows are plentiful! It’s not perfect yet, of course, and there are some places that need attention. (Albergues are needed, too!) But through the first three stages, at least, I think you could easily make it through 80%… Read more: News and Notes from the Mar

This is my first time back on the first half of the Norte since COVID. It’s good to be back! The walk remains as stunning as ever. Some assorted observations on developments, changes, and other stuff on the stages I’ve walked (Irún-Ribadeo). I’ll revisit some of this down the road, once I’m home and can dig into it in more detail: It sure looks like they’ve re-routed the “official” route in Stage 1 through Leko, instead of staying at the high level until the final descent to Pasaia. I don’t get it. They’ve also wiped out the old yellow arrows,… Read more: News and Notes from the Norte

Calling it a rookie mistake would be an insult to rookies everywhere. In my defense, meager as it is, I hadn’t made things easy on myself. Here is the hourly log of the events leading to the “mistake.” Thursday, 4pm – After the last meeting of the year ran long, I finally bolted downhill to reach the metro station Thursday, 6pm – Surprise! Construction on the metro line turned a one-hour trip into a two-hour one. Mercifully, the security line was short enough to speed me through Thursday, 7pm – Board flight to London Friday, 1am – Fall asleep for… Read more: A Rookie Mistake on the GR653 in Barran

I’ve just completed the Camino de Madrid. (OK, flight delays cost me Madrid-Tres Cantos, so technically the walk was Tres Cantos to Sahagún. Someday I’ll fill in that gap. I only had the spring break week to make the pilgrimage, so it was a whirlwind affair, but I loved it, and found myself frequently wondering what had taken me so long to follow this Camino. It was certainly a joy, though, to get to experience it for the first time now. I’m a planner and a detail-minded person, but even still, my walking in recent years—mostly guidebook-oriented or leading high… Read more: A Spring Break Pilgrimage on the Camino de Madrid

Over on The Camino Podcast, I’m now three episodes into a series focused on the Via Podiensis. It’s a fun way to build on the work with my new Cicerone guidebook, and it has kind of taken on a life of its own. My original plan was to carry forward the framework that I followed with the Camino Francés series of episodes, combining conversations with different pilgrims on two different chunks of the route in each episode. Instead, I’ve settled into a different flow, with only one pilgrim conversation per episode. That, in turn, is combined with an interview with… Read more: Via Podiensis Podcast Series

At long last, I have returned my attention to producing new episodes of The Camino Podcast! There are two new episodes available, with more to come. If you’re new to the podcast, it’s housed on Soundcloud, but available from all the major podcast services, so pick your distributor of choice and subscribe. Here are some details on the two new episodes: Episode 58 – In Pursuit of Wild Geese The Camino de Santiago has often been characterized as a sort of palimpsest–a foundation upon which layers of stories have been created and shared over the years. As new dominant narratives… Read more: Two New Episodes of the Camino Podcast

Pilgrimage: A Medieval Cure for Modern Ills, available for pre-order on Kindle now, available for free through Kindle Unlimited, available in paperback on January 6! I have a new book coming out on January 6. Did you know that? In case you didn’t, let me write that again: I have a new book coming out on January 6. Click the link above (or this link right here, or this one in the UK, or this one in Australia, or…) to learn more about my new book coming out on January 6. Today, I’m going to spotlight some of the works… Read more: Pilgrimage: An Annotated Bibliography, Part 3