Camino Talks Podcast

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 h...

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 o...

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 pla...

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 differen...

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,...

The Camino de Santiago is an amazing journey and a wonderful physical challenge. We talked to Daniel Quinn from ReBalance Physiotherapy in Dublin about how to get ready for the Camino and set yourself up for success. He gave us a number of awesome tips about things to look out for when you are walking, and how to keep yourself healthy while on the Camino.  He has helped us redesign our 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 t...

In this Camino Talks episode, we interview Flavia Ramil, Managing Director of Santiago de Compostela Tourism .  Flavia tells us how the city of Santiago de Compostela is preparing for the reopening of Spain, what the new normality in hotels and restaurants will look like, and how the preparations for the Holy Year 2021 are going. Check out our blog post on this webinar! or You can watch the Y...

(Spanish Interview) More and more families with children are choosing the Way of Saint James as their holiday destination. They are looking to spend quality time and reconnect with their loved ones in a natural environment, full of history and culture. In this episode of our Camino Talks series, Wanda interviewed Jorge Jesus who has been on the Camino de Santiago more than 4 times and on one of th...

(French Interview) We had the pleasure of interviewing Jean-Louis Aspirot, who is in charge of the Saint Jean Pied De Port pilgrims' office and general secretary of the Pilgrims' Association of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, the region around Biarritz.  In this podcast, Umberto di Venosa, CEO of Follow The Camino talked with Jean-Louis about the Pilgrimage office, how it is organized, general ques...

Author John Brierley discusses why we need to take time to slow down and how the Camino can help us to do that. Listen to his insights from his own journeys on the Camino and what he has learned about giving yourself time to take a break and think. 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 pil...

Author and star of Camino Skies, Terry Wilson, discusses his personal journey on the Camino de Santiago . Terry has walked the Camino three times, to deal with depression, faith, loss, and life changes.  The first time Terry walked the Camino it was a personal journey. He walked the Camino Frances to process the loss of his granddaughter, Maddy, who had passed away from Cystic Fibrosis. He ra...

Author John Brierley discusses how the Camino teaches us lessons and values that can help us during Covid-19 and the lockdown. Listen to his insights on self-discovery, self-resilience, and the power of the Camino .   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 Co...

We had Camino Talks with Reverend Colin Jones who is the Chairman of the Confraternity of St James in the UK. He has been on the Camino himself as both a Pilgrim and a Hospitalero, a volunteer in an Albergue. In the UK, he is actively working within the Confraternity of St James promoting the Camino de Santiago and providing support and guidance to Camino pilgrims. The confraternity also runs two...

In this episode of our Camino Talks series, we talked with Carmen Marriott and David Donselar from the American Pilgrims on the Camino .  Carmen lives in Tuscon, Arizona, and is the Vice-Chairperson of the American Pilgrims on the Camino. She is actively working on supporting various Camino related projects. Both Carmen and David have been on the Camino de Santiago multiple times.   Davi...

2021 will be a very special year on the Camino de Santiago : It will be a Holy Year!  Never heard of it? Don't worry, we collected interesting facts, graphics, and stories for you. Different Camino Experts from all over the world shared their Holy Year experiences with us. We are very thankful for the great conversations with these members of the UK Confraternity of St James, the Canadian Com...

in this episode of Camino Talks, Sean from Follow The Camino is talking with Tom Friesen. Tom is a passionate Camino Walker and the coordinator of the London, Ontario chapter of the Canadian Company of Pilgrims , a non-denominational and volunteer-run association. Tom and many others work together to support Canadians interested in the pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostela.   Due to his w...

In this episode of our Camino Talks series, Sean from Follow The Camino talked with Mary Virtue. Mary is the coordinator of the Victoria Chapter of the Canadian Company of Pilgrims. She is also a Hospitalero and has walked and cycled the Camino de Santiago multiple times. At home in Victoria, Canada she is actively working with the Canadian Company of Pilgrims to support future pilgrims, to welcom...

In August 2018, ultrarunners and husband and wife, Agnieszka Pami and Marek Pamula took on a challenge of a lifetime... to run the entire Camino Frances .  Agnieszka came back to do it again in 2019 with Follow the Camino . She started from St Jean Pied de Port in July and arrived in Santiago 9 days and 15 hours later. The journey was 772km long. She tells us how she started running and doing...

In this episode of Camino Talks, Professor Shane O'Mara from Trinity College Dublin explains the neuroscience and research behind the health benefits of walking.  Do you want to be more healthy? Do you want to look after your brain and improve your memory? Well, walking might be the magic answer you are looking for. Walking is what our bodies are built for and is intricately connected to our...

In this episode of Camino Talks, Professor Shane O'Mara from Trinity College Dublin explains from a scientist's point of view why walking and hiking is so good for us. The neuroscientist has done various studies and researches about the benefits of walking. His findings and conclusions can be read in his book "In Praise of Walking" .    He states that walking holidays can indeed increase...

We interviewed Frank Flanagan, one of the founders of the Boyne Valley Camino in Ireland. This 25-kilometre walk from Drogheda forms part of the Celtic Camino series that runs across the UK and Ireland.  Since 2014, Drogheda has hosted a walking festival which brings a lot of visitors to the town. They can appreciate how lovely it is there, the historical sites, the forest, and the Greenway....

Francisco and Silvia are two of our longest-running guides on the Camino de Santiago. Umberto sat down with them in Santiago after they had finished a couple of guided tours with our awesome clients. Listen to them talk about how they became guides, what drew them to the Camino, and their experiences as Camino de Santiago tour guides. Follow the Camino run guided and unguided tours along the Camin...