Camino Talks Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In this interview we speak to Raquel Freiría, a leading member of the Camino's animal protection association, APACA. She discusses the canine 'pilgrim' credentials APACA supply for pets along the Camino and what how the pilgrim spirit applies to animals as well as humans.

NOTE: This episode is in the Spanish language.

In this interview we speak to Aleksandar and Nenad Popovic, two brothers who walked the Camino individually - but with a lot of shared experiences! We discuss new beginnings, building a community, and picking between beer and wine when unwinding after a long day on the Camino!

When Susi Swain first read a book about the Camino she couldn't imagine herself walking the pilgrimage herself. A few years later her life led her to bite the bullet and walk the Camino Frances and everything changed from there. Susi fell in love with the Camino de Santiago and Spain so deeply that she decided to make it her home. 

After plenty of searching, she found the Albergue of her dreams and restored it. Susi has been running the hostel Casa Susi since then and has absolutely loved it. She is such a people person and she absolutely loved the experience of welcoming pilgrims in while they are on their journey. 2020 has been a very challenging year for Susi and the other Albergue owners along the Camino. Susi tells us about the challenges she has had and her hopes for the future too.    

We are all hopeful for 2021 and can't wait to get back on the trails. In the meantime, if you'd like to support Susi and Casa Susi so that it will be there for future pilgrims, you can contribute to her GoFundMe page. 

You can also follow their journey on social media: Facebook / Instagram

You can also watch the Youtube video of the interview!

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Buen Camino!

Discover the secrets of the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in our latest #CaminoTalks webinar with Dr. Jenny Alexander from the University of Warwick's History of Art department.  We interviewed Jenny about her work uncovering the secrets of the cathedral walls. 

While studying the stones that make up the magnificent cathedral in Santiago, Dr. Alexander and the team of archaeologists, historians, and other researchers learned a huge amount about the masons who carved them. One of their most noteworthy finds was a small face at the top of one of the columns - a "selfie" carved into the stone by one of these stonemasons on the past. Learn about this ancient selfie, how masons marks were used to construct the cathedral, and the lives of masons during the time.  

“You may have heard the saying “if these walls could talk”, which is used for saying that many interesting things have happened in a room or building.   Well, thanks to the amazing work of dedicated historians and scholars, the walls of Santiago’s impressive cathedral are starting to share their story.”  

Check out our blog post on this webinar!

or 

You can watch the Youtube video of the interview!

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In this Camino Talk, we chat to Tom Cartwright, the founder of Camino Gin - a company that makes gin in the UK that is flavoured with a special combination of botanicals found along the Camino Frances. 

Tom's journey to the Camino began when he realised that the courses he was doing at university weren't for him. He was struggling to figure out what to do next when a friend recommended that he walk the Camino de Santiago. After watching The Way and doing a bit of reading, Tom started planning his pilgrimage on the Camino Frances. 

Tom met plenty of people along his Camino. One of those people, an Italian man, introduced him to the idea of foraging for edible plants and mushrooms as he walked. This planted the seed for Tom's Camino Gin! He partnered with a local gin distiller and carefully selected botanicals from along the Camino Frances to infuse. After plenty of sampling and testing, they found a full and interesting combination, and Camino Gin was born! 

Check out our blog post on this webinar!

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You can watch the Youtube video of the interview!

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Start planning your Camino route at Follow the Camino for a walking holiday you will never forget!

Buen Camino!

Bradley Chermside is the internationally bestselling author of The Only Way is West - his light-hearted, entertaining Camino de Santiago memoir.  

Brad is also the host of The Camino de Santiago Pilgrims' Podcast, a fun and informative podcast about Camino. The podcast features a range of guests, including our own CEO, Umberto, and is a great way to learn about the Camino. There is plenty of practical advice, mixed in with wonderful stories.

He's currently working on a sequel to The Only Way Is West, The Only Way Is North, due for release in 2020. 

Get your hands on The Only Way is West

Check out our blog post on this webinar!

or

You can watch the Youtube video of the interview!

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Start planning your Camino route at Follow the Camino for a walking holiday you will never forget!

Buen Camino!

Plastic is everywhere in our lives, but some plastics are more harmful than others. The Camino de Santiago is one of the best-known pilgrimages in the world, with thousands of walkers every year. This means it has its fair share of plastic litter. 

In 2019, Sandra and Carla from Plastic Free Camino decided to walk the Camino from Estella to Burgos – a total of 172 km - and pick up all the plastic they saw along the way. The idea came about while the pair were walking in the Dublin mountains and noticed how much plastic pollution there was. 

Sandra was kind enough to share some of her insights and thoughts about the Plastic Free Camino Project with Follow the Camino. 

She talks about:

- how they chose the Camino route that they walked

- why they decided to focus on plastic waste

- how the Plastic Free Camino went

- what they learned and felt along the Camino

- and what they would do differently if they were to do it again. 

You can see more of the Plastic Free Camino's adventures on their social media channels - YouTube / Facebook / Twitter

Check out our blog post on this webinar!

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You can watch the Youtube video of the interview!

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Start planning your Camino route at Follow the Camino for a walking holiday you will never forget!

Buen Camino!

Author John Brierley talks to us about the relationship of nature on modern-day pilgrimages in this Camino Talks episode. John Brierley started his Camino journey in 1989 when he gave up his day job to travel, and walked the Camino de Santiago. He has walked the famous pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela on foot many times and has since written several best selling guide books about the different Camino de Santiago routes. 

These guides focus on the French Way, The Portuguese Way, The English Way, and the Camino Finisterre. His guide books are not just instructions for walking the trails, but also an excellent companion to your mental and spiritual journey on the Camino.  

In this podcast:

- It is summer, the flowers are blooming this makes us think about nature and the Camino de Santiago. What does the theme of nature and pilgrimage bring to you? 

- What do you think would be the proportion of unspoiled nature compared to more farmland, which I think it's maybe a bit more of a majority. 

- How would you weigh the natural value of the various routes of the Camino with national parks, that people may have discovered at the weekends and so on? 

- What would be a great memory you had with fauna or flora on the Camino? Is there an image or picture, a moment that you can share with us?

Q&A section: 

- Considering your experience in the Camino, what do you think makes the Camino different from other trips or vacations? 

- Is the Camino safe to go now due to the COVID-19? 

- What’s the best location from which you recommend I should start the Camino?

Check out our blog post on this webinar!

or

You can watch the Youtube video of the interview!

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Start planning your Camino route at Follow the Camino for a walking holiday you will never forget!

Buen Camino!

To many of us, travel writing sounds like the absolute dream job. You get to go to exotic and interesting places, sit on beaches, try the local food, and on top of that you get paid to be there! 

Sean from Follow the Camino interviewed two travel writers, Rupert Parker and Portia Jones, who have plenty of experience in the industry. They discuss the realities of the job, the good and the bad, and all the hard work. They also talk about what things have been like over the past few months. Coronavirus has had a massive impact on the travel industry. It was very interesting to hear their perspectives.    

Check out our blog post on this webinar!

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You can watch the Youtube video of the interview!

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Start planning your Camino route at Follow the Camino for a walking holiday you will never forget!

Buen Camino!

The Camino really is achievable for everyone, with the right planning and support. What makes a big difference is getting yourself ready in the best possible way. That is where strength and stability training for the Camino comes in. We talked to professional physiotherapist Daniel Quinn at ReBalance Physiotherapy in Dublin about the best way to train for the Camino de Santiago. 

Daniel put together a comprehensive Camino training plan for us, this easy plan will help anyone to get ready for the Camino in just 12 weeks. It includes both walking and strength and stability training. Combining these means that you'll build up your fitness and stamina as well as looking after yourself. Adding stability exercises will help you to avoid injuries along the way. Strengthening your supporting muscles will help you to handle the uneven surfaces and slopes more easily.

Check out another podcast with Daniel on getting your body ready for the Camino

If you have any pains or twinges as you train for the Camino, remember to rest them as soon as possible and see a physiotherapist if they continue to cause you issues.   If you are in Dublin, you can find ReBalance Physiotherapy in Dublin 2.

Check out our blog post on this webinar!

or

You can watch the Youtube video of the interview!

Please subscribe if you like our content.

Start planning your Camino route at Follow the Camino for a walking holiday you will never forget!

Buen Camino!