Camino specialist Diane Potter of Uwalk.ie has enjoyed walking a variety of routes along the Camino de Santiago. From walking solo to travelling with groups, Diane has experienced it all and offers six top tips on how to enjoy your Camino experience to its fullest. Read below to find out more about Diane’s personal experiences.
How it really FEELS to walk the Camino
When doing your research on walking the Camino, almost all of the websites will concentrate on giving you the information on routes, distance, hills, fitness levels, footwear, blisters etc..
Ok, so let’s leave all that to one side for a moment and talk about how it really FEELS to walk the Camino!
It’s not a sports event, it’s not a race, or any sort of competition, it’s a pilgrimage. But let me tell you, you don’t have to have an ounce of religion in your body to benefit from what you will experience along the way. A pilgrimage is not necessarily religious, it can be about your own personal growth and journey through life, maybe spiritual, maybe not, but for whatever personal reasons you have, walking the Camino may in fact be the pilgrimage (or therapy) you did not know you needed.
For me, I didn’t have too many expectations, I just knew it was something I wanted to achieve, but it became so much more.
Here are a few things I learned along the way:
📵 Disconnect to reconnect.
Put your phone away and take the opportunity to unplug from everyday life and really connect with your surroundings, nature, the people you will meet, yourself.
🙏 Embrace the solitude.
It’s not often we get to do this in our busy lives, so take some time each day to walk alone.
👫 Talk to strangers, and more importantly, listen.
You never know what you may learn about them, about life, and about yourself.
🥲 Let it out.
Whatever it is that may surprisingly bubble to the surface, don’t hold back, just let it go… (you will know what I mean when you get there.)
😀 Enjoy every moment.
Eat in every café, drink the wine, laugh, love, cry, make new friends, smile, feel all the feelings.
🚶♀It’s a journey, not a destination.
So take your time, soak up every moment and let the Camino in. Somehow, this makes your arrival in Santiago a little more meaningful.
Walking the Camino is one of the most rewarding journeys you will make, so if you are thinking of walking it ‘someday’, take the first step on your Camino journey and make that someday today. You won’t regret it.
Contact our specialist team members and plan your Camino Journey today!
Call: 0818 333 990 Email: info@uwalk.ie
Author: Diane Potter, Adventurer – Uwalk, Camino and Walking Holiday Specialist.
Diane Potter, taking a break along the Boyne Valley Camino. Autumn 2023.
