The Camino Podcast

The Camino del Norte offers some of the most spectacular scenery of any pilgrimage, combining rugged coastal hills, sandy beaches, spectacular cities and small fishing villages. In this series, we will virtually walk the Norte together, bringing together experienced pilgrims and relevant experts in each episode. In this ninth part of the series, we're tackling four traditional guidebook stages, from Luarca to Gontán/Abadín. This leads us from northwestern Asturias into northeastern Galicia, leaving the coastal portion of the Norte behind and beginning the march into more mountainous terrain. John Morrison (www.walkwithustravelco.com) of Brisbane, Australia, shares stories from a winter Camino through those four stages, featuring torrential rain, strep throat, and a memorable ascent into the Galician hills. He's followed by Kenny Stevens of Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA, who offers a completely different way of approaching this section, by following the historic route inland through Vegadeo, bypassing Ribadeo completely. Available on Apple, Spotify, and Youtube. For more information on The Camino Podcast: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

We don't know exactly how many non-religious people make the Camino annually, but it's unquestionably a sizable percentage. What inspires or compels atheists and agnostics to go on pilgrimage? To explore that question, this episode brings together Leonard Vance of Tucson, Arizona and Rhian Sasseen of Brooklyn, New York. Leonard is the author of An Atheist on Pilgrimage: Tales of Humanity from the Camino de Santiago, while Rhian (www.rhiansasseen.com) recently had an essay published in The Nation titled "Walking the Camino in the Shadow of Belief." Together, they discuss the value of losing yourself on pilgrimage, the calming of the mind that can occur over the course of a long walk, and the ways that the Camino did--and didn't--reshape their beliefs. Available on Apple, Spotify, and Youtube. For more information on The Camino Podcast: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

You'll often hear the walk from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostela described as "the full Camino." If that's the case, what would you call a 5500km route that begins in Ireland, makes a complete loop in France, and eventually winds up in the Italian Apennines? For Johannes Schwarz (www.4kmh.com), a Catholic priest from Austria, it's just another year. Schwarz completed the Via Columbani, as this route is known, in 2022, and his book--Following Columban: A Pilgrim’s 4000 Mile Quest for Monks, Meaning and the Meaning of Monks--offers a detailed account of his journey. In the conversation that follows, Johannes discusses how he got started as both a priest and a pilgrim, the larger vision behind his pilgrimages, some lessons we can take from Columban and his fellow monks, and why he determined that he fell short on this journey.

Sure, you might have heard of the Camino Inglés, which has two possible starting points, in Ferrol and A Coruña. Ask an Irish pilgrim about that walk from A Coruña, though, and you're likely to hear a different name for it: the Celtic Camino. And there's a lot more to it than just those 75 kilometers. Back on the island, Irish pilgrims are hard at work developing and recovering a booming network of short pilgrimages that feed into A Coruña, allowing walkers to hit that 100km requirement to earn their Compostela in Santiago, while also tapping into Ireland's own rich pilgrimage history. In this episode, Michael Walsh of the Camino Society Ireland (www.caminosociety.ie) discusses the nine routes currently available in Ireland as part of the Celtic Camino initiative, while Ingrid Boyle takes us deeper into one of those--the Kerry Camino (www.kerrycamino.com) on the Dingle Peninsula. Available on Apple, Spotify, and Youtube. For more information on The Camino Podcast: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

The tour of under-walked Italian cammini continues in this episode with a close look at two emerging routes: the Cammino di San Benedetto (www.camminodibenedetto.it) in Umbria and Lazio, and the Cammino di Sant'Antonio (www.ilcamminodisantantonio.org), which mostly spans Emilia-Romagna, the Veneto, and Friuli-Venezia-Giulia in the northeast. Paul Granville (paulscamino.com) of Brisbane, Australia discusses his experience on Benedict's Way, tracing the saint's life from his birthplace in Norcia to his tomb in Montecassino. Then, Ellen and Mike Leland of Larkspur, Colorado, USA share stories from their time as trailblazers on the northern leg of Anthony's Way, walking from Gemona del Friuli to Padua. While both routes are quite young, they are steeped in history, and hungry for more pilgrims. Available on Apple, Spotify, & Youtube. Come see Dave & Sandy in California (and Dave in Medford, OR!) https://davewhitson.com/sandy-dave-in-california/ For more information on The Camino Podcast: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

The Camino del Norte offers some of the most spectacular scenery of any pilgrimage, combining rugged coastal hills, sandy beaches, spectacular cities and small fishing villages. In this series, we will virtually walk the Norte together, bringing together experienced pilgrims and relevant experts in each episode. In this eighth part of the series, we push onward from Avilés to Luarca, through a series of small towns, over the Nalón River, and beneath some massive expressway bridges. Richard DeMerchant of Victoria, BC, Canada, guides us through this section, with fond memories of a donativo albergue and time well spent with his son. All that walking will make a person hungry, so it's important to know how to refuel well, and that's where Jon Tillman, the creator of Eating Asturias (www.eatingasturias.com) comes in. Drawing upon years of culinary experience, Jon has written nearly four hundred articles on Asturian cuisine and culture, and he puts that expertise on full display in this wide-ranging conversation. For more information on The Camino Podcast: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

Before everything that followed--the 30+ years associated with and 4,000 miles walked on the Camino, the seed-planting for what would later become the American Pilgrims on the Camino, the founding of the world's only institute for pilgrimage studies at William & Mary, the countless research articles and presentations, and even literal knighthood--it all started with a moment of embarrassment. In this episode, George Greenia shares stories from his decades of pilgrimage and insights into the state of pilgrimage research, and along the way he explains why he has no interest in writing a book about any of it For more on George Greenia: https://www.wm.edu/sites/pilgrimage/leadership/greenia_gx.php For more information on The Camino Podcast: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

What if you could go on the Camino without leaving your home? Well, as it turns out, you can--and you can do it soon! Global Camino 2026 is coming up on January 10 and 11 (and if you're listening to this episode later, the annual event is always right around those dates), and it provides pilgrims around the world with an opportunity to walk together, from a distance, and then to share highlights of this collective experience online. Leanne Prichard, from Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, is the visionary behind this event, which grew out of Tasmania's annual Way to St James Cygnet. In this episode, she discusses the idea behind Global Camino, all of the positives that pilgrims derive from the experience, and the way that we can all get involved. She also describes the Tasmanian Camino--a fantastic annual event in its own right. Available on Apple, Spotify, and Youtube. To sign up for Global Camino 2026: https://www.facebook.com/events/1274566273763679 For more information on The Camino Podcast: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

800 years ago, not-yet-Saint Francis was approaching the end of his 45 years, his body ragged from a life marked by illness and heavy usage, his eyesight all but gone. Those years, though, had been put to exceptionally good use, spurring the establishment of a Catholic order and ethical worldview that would profoundly influence both the Church and generations of exceptional leaders of all backgrounds. While pilgrims walked to Santiago in those years, the Via di Francesco, or the Way of Saint Francis, is a modern construct, linking together the many different towns and sanctuaries that Il Poverello walked through on his life-long pilgrimage. Russ Eanes (www.russeanes.com) keeps finding his way back to Francis and the Francesco, first writing about the pilgrimage route in Pilgrim Paths to Assisi: 300 Miles on the Way of St. Francis, and now about Francis himself in the brand new Good Morning, Good People!: Tales for the Way of St. Francis. For more information on The Camino Podcast: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

On May 20, 1521, Ignatius of Loyola was struck by a cannonball when trying to hold Pamplona against Franco-Navarrese forces. His left leg was wounded, his right shattered. And the city was lost. During the agonizing recovery process that followed, he experienced a profound religious transformation, setting in motion a process that would ultimately lead to the creation of the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuit Order. Father Brendan McManus SJ (www.redemptionroadcamino.com) has brought Jesuit practices and wisdom to his own pilgrimage experience and writings, first in Redemption Road: Grieving on the Camino and most recently in Living the Camino Back Home. In this episode, we explore the applicability and relevance of these practices to all of our pilgrimage journeys. (Available on Apple, Spotify, & Youtube) For more information on The Camino Podcast: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

The Camino del Norte offers some of the most spectacular scenery of any pilgrimage, combining rugged coastal hills, sandy beaches, spectacular cities and small fishing villages. In this series, we will virtually walk the Norte together, bringing together experienced pilgrims and relevant experts in each episode. In this seventh part of the series, we continue westward through Asturias from La Isla to Avilés, passing through beautiful Gijón as well as one of the most criticized stages of the Norte. Paty Matiskella (www.outdoorpilgrim.com), a pilgrim from Eugene, Oregon, pushes back on that criticism, spotlighting some of the significant virtues of this section of the Norte, while Suzanne Henriksen of The Crafty Cask (www.thecraftycask.com) discusses one of the indisputable highlights of walking through Asturias: Spanish cider. For more information on The Camino Podcast: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

Episode 102 - Walking in Southern Italy Southern Italy, a region long overlooked by contemporary pilgrims, demands our attention. In the midst of a growing network of long-distance walking routes, two stand out. First is the Via Francigena Sud, a continuation of the historic pilgrim road linking Canterbury and Rome, leading southward through Monte Sant'Angelo, Bari, and Brindisi, en route to Santa Maria di Leuca. Second is the Cammino Materano, a network of routes that spiderweb out from the unique city of Matera. A pair of Cicerone guidebook authors (www.cicerone.co.uk) steer us through this audio journey: Nicole Bukaty, co-author of Walking the Via Francigena Pilgrim Route - Part 4 - Rome to Monte Sant’Angelo, Bari, Brindisi and Santa Maria di Leuca, and Gillian Price, author of Walking the Cammino Materano - Three long-distance routes through Italy’s Puglia and Basilicata regions to Matera. For more information on The Camino Podcast: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

The Camino del Norte offers some of the most spectacular scenery of any pilgrimage, combining rugged coastal hills, sandy beaches, spectacular cities and small fishing villages. In this series, we will virtually walk the Norte together, bringing together experienced pilgrims and relevant experts in each episode. In this sixth part of the series, Austin Cooke, a Norte veteran, guides us into Asturias from Colombres to La Isla, offering a wealth of stories from the road. Dr. Laura Hydak then discusses the historical importance of the Indianos people in the region (www.municipisindians.cat), a legacy most vividly preserved in the distinct architecture on display. Finally, Dr. Mark Pizzato lends insight into the remarkable prehistoric cave art that is accessible in this area, including the Cueva de Tito Bustillo and the Cueva del Pindal. (Correction: Laura would like to clarify that at a couple points she references the city of "Santander" when she instead intended to discuss the region of Cantabria.) For more information on The Camino Podcast: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

In this historic 100th episode of The Camino Podcast, the spotlight turns to safety, both on the Camino and at home. Andrea Parraga Penalver and Juan Manuel Aragon Garcia, representatives of the AlertCops app, explain how the app works and why every pilgrim should have it installed on their phone when walking in Spain. After that, Rebecca Martinez, a moderator of the Camino de Santiago - Women 50+ All Routes group, shares insights into the potential hazards pilgrims face and how to manage that risk accordingly. The most important message running through these conversations is that the Camino is safe! But also, having acknowledged and underlined that, there are always small steps we can take to reinforce that safety, at no cost to the experience. Finally, a very special guest joins--arguably the most important voice in the history of the podcast. For more information on The Camino Podcast: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

The Camino del Norte offers some of the most spectacular scenery of any pilgrimage, combining rugged coastal hills, sandy beaches, spectacular cities and small fishing villages. In this series, we will virtually walk the Norte together, bringing together experienced pilgrims and relevant experts in each episode. In this fifth part of the series, Nik from Australia joins to discuss the route through western Cantabria, from Santander to Colombres, with special attention paid to a much-valued alternative route that follows the coast out of Santander. After that, Lucía González, a Tour Guide at El Capricho de Gaudi in Comillas  (elcaprichodegaudi.com), shares insights into this must-see attraction along the way. Finally, Laurie Plessala, owner of La Joyuca del Pas Hotel Rural (lajoyucadelpas.com/en/), describes her life on the Camino and the journey that brought her to the small Cantabrian village of Mogro. For more information on The Camino Podcast: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

Rome's Jubilees, occurring every 25 years (with some extraordinary Jubilees mixed in for good measure, are traditionally associated with universal pardon, offering a special opportunity for the remission of sin and debt. This year's Jubilee, initiated by the late Pope Francis, centers on the theme of hope--Pellegrini di Speranza. In this episode, Bret Thoman (stfrancispilgrimages.com), author of The 2025 Jubilee in Rome, shares insights into the Jubilee's history and some advice on making the pilgrimage to Rome this year. After that, Dave Whitson shares his presentation from the 2025 Gathering in Vancouver, which explores his three-month walk across Italy on the Cammino Materano, Via Francigena Sud, Cammino di San Benedetto, Via di Francesco, Cammino di Sant'Antonio, and Cammino Via Flavia. For more information on The Camino Podcast: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

Episode 97 - How Pilgrimage Changed the World Dr. Kathryn Hurlock's new book, Holy Places: How Pilgrimage Changed the World, examines 19 different pilgrimage sites around the world. Some are quite familiar, like Santiago, Rome, and Jerusalem; others, though, receive far less attention, like Muxima, Ratana Pa, and Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. In this discussion, Kathryn unpacks her book's subtitle, discussing the varied ways pilgrimage has influenced world politics, been inextricably linked to commerce, contributed to national identity, and facilitated reconciliation. Episode-specific resources: > Holy Places: profilebooks.com/work/holy-places/ > Pilgrim and the Peas: metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/742759 > Lourdes Pilgrimage: youtube.com/watch?v=Uc_OnioxWuA For more information on The Camino Podcast: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

At the 2025 Gathering of Pilgrims in Vancouver BC, an event co-hosted by the Canadian Company of Pilgrims and American Pilgrims on the Camino, Rebekah Scott (www.peaceableprojects.org) delivered a keynote presentation titled "Wisdom of the Elders: A Bridge We Cross Together." She shares the centerpiece of that presentation, her "ten commandments" for pilgrims, in this conversation, including lessons on mercy, grace, silence, and kindness. For more information: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

On Saturday, 8 February 2025, Dave spoke at the Spring Gathering of the Canadian Company of Pilgrims' Victoria Chapter, about the reconciliatory potential of pilgrimage, building around the three definitional forms of reconciliation: 1) To restore to friendship or harmony, 2) To cause to submit to or accept something unpleasant, and 3) To make consistent or congruous, e.g. to reconcile an ideal with reality. This episode features those remarks in full. For more information: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

Dr. Nora Berend's newly-published El Cid: The Life and Afterlife of a Medieval Mercenary (tinyurl.com/elcidcampeador) offers an updated study of the (in)famous epic hero, more myth than man at this point, and his ongoing relevance to Spanish history and politics. In this episode, Dr. Berend discusses what we actually know about the man's life, his transformation as a defining figure of the Reconquista, and the ways his legacy was employed by the Franco regime. That conversation is followed by an excerpt from Dave Whitson's upcoming book, The Camino Compendium, focused on the Portomarín dam and its connection to Franco. For more information: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

The Camino del Norte offers some of the most spectacular scenery of any pilgrimage, combining rugged coastal hills, sandy beaches, spectacular cities and small fishing villages. In this series, we will virtually walk the Norte together, bringing together experienced pilgrims and relevant experts in each episode. In this fourth part of the series, we travel through the region of Cantabria, from Castro-Urdiales to Santander, along some of the best beaches in Northern Spain. Brien Crothers (www.briencrothers.com) offers the pilgrim perspective on this section, drawing special attention to the albergue in Güemes, which has offered exceptional hospitality for decades now. He's followed by Dr. Jesús Ángel Solórzano Telechea (sciprofiles.com/profile/solorzano-telechea) of the University of Cantabria, whose focus on the region's medieval history lends insight into its four great ports--Castro-Urdiales, Laredo, Santander, and San Vicente de la Barquera--three of which are situated in this section. For more information: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

Why not consider Canada for your next pilgrimage? In this episode, two pilgrimage leaders discuss how the country can be seen, and its histories more richly accessed, on paths bridging the past and present. Brad Aaron Modlin (www.bradaaronmodlin.com) shares insights from his semester abroad program in Quebec, following the Chemin des Outaouais (www.chemindesoutaouais.ca) and Chemin des Sanctuaires (www.chemindessanctuaires.org) through some of the oldest French settlements in North America. Then, Matthew Anderson (www.somethinggrand.ca), author of The Good Walk: Creating New Paths on Traditional Prairie Trails, shifts our focus to the prairie, where he has developed a series of pilgrimage walks following historic tracks through rural Saskatchewan, employing these as an opportunity to bring together indigenous and settler perspectives on these lands and the peoples who have inhabited them. For more information:www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

The Camino del Norte offers some of the most spectacular scenery of any pilgrimage, combining rugged coastal hills, sandy beaches, spectacular cities and small fishing villages. In this series, we will virtually walk the Norte together, bringing together experienced pilgrims and relevant experts in each episode. In this third part of the series, we carry on the walk from Gernika, continuing through the dynamic city of Bilbao en route to Castro-Urdiales. Kirsten Brown, who resided in Bilbao for a number of years, serves as our guide to the city and the many different variants looping around it. What today's pilgrims might struggle to appreciate, though, is how profoundly Bilbao has been transformed over the past five decades; to illustrate this remarkable achievement, often attributed to the founding of the Guggenheim Museum, the episode also examines the phenomenon known as the "Bilbao Effect." For more information: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

Lindsay Teychenné wasn't satisfied with his life, so he made a dramatic change. He left his home in Australia, traveled to Europe, and forged a new home on the Camino, spending the last year walking all across Spain and France. In this episode, he offers insights into the many different Caminos and Chemins he has now traversed, unpacks some of the complexities of a year of continuous pilgrimage, and reflects on the personal growth he has achieved. It's an amazing story that speaks to the power of the Camino, as well as Lindsay's courage and self-awareness. For more information: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

The Camino del Norte offers some of the most spectacular scenery of any pilgrimage, combining rugged coastal hills, sandy beaches, spectacular cities and small fishing villages. In this series, we will virtually walk the Norte together, bringing together experienced pilgrims and relevant experts in each episode. In this second episode, Susan Alcorn (www.backpack45.com), the author of Healing Miles: Gifts from the Caminos Norte and Primitivo, shares insights on the section of the Norte leading from Deba to Lezama. She is followed by Iratxe Momoitio Astorkia, the director of Gernika's Museo de la Paz (www.museodelapaz.org), who discusses the town's infamous bombing in the Spanish Civil War, its recovery, and the museum's ongoing efforts to promote peace and human rights today. For more information: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

For Camino veterans who are considering branching out, not just beyond Spain but beyond Europe entirely, Japan has emerged as the easy entry-point. The Kumano Kodo is super accessible, thanks to Kumano Travel and its compact route length. If you've got more time, though--probably in the six-week range--Shikoku is the most prominent pilgrimage route in Japan. And Ian Reader, author of Making Pilgrimages: Meaning and Practice in Shikoku and Pilgrims Until We Die: Unending Pilgrimage in Shikoku, is one of the foremost authorities writing in English about Japanese pilgrimage generally and Shikoku specifically. In this episode, we explore the religious underpinnings of Japanese pilgrimage, distinct practices along the Shikoku circuit, and the phenomenon of perpetual pilgrims around the island.  Ian Reader's Amazon author page: https://tinyurl.com/ianreader For more information: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

When Victoria Preston reached a transitional point in her life, she decided to go on a pilgrimage. And then she paused and wondered: what was behind that impulse to go on pilgrimage? That set in motion a process that culminated in We Are Pilgrims: Journeys in Search of Ourselves, which explores the central importance of pilgrimage to humans across place and time, ranging from Stone Age Anatolia to her own walk on the Via Francigena. In this discussion, Victoria addresses the inclusive nature of pilgrimage, the power of following in the footsteps of centuries of other pilgrims, and the possibilities for finding solace and hope on pilgrimage. For more information: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

The Camino del Norte offers some of the most spectacular scenery of any pilgrimage, combining rugged coastal hills, sandy beaches, spectacular cities and small fishing villages. In this series, we will virtually walk the Norte together, bringing together experienced pilgrims and relevant experts in each episode. In this first episode, Dennis Garnhum, author of Toward Beauty: Reigniting a Creative Life on the Camino de Santiago, gets us started with reflections on the first three stages, between Irun and Deba. He is followed by Paul Fee, a geologist who helps explain what's happening in the remarkable flysch of Zumaia and the Basque Coast Geopark, along with Iberia as a whole. For more information: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

What does a pilgrim need from a guidebook in 2024? Does a pilgrim even need a guidebook? Tim Mathis (www.timmathiswrites.com) set out to answer those questions and the outcome was a different kind of guidebook, The Camino for the Rest of Us: A Comprehensive Guide to a Life-Changing Journey on the World's Most Approachable Pilgrimage. In this discussion, we explore his own experiences on the Caminos Francés and Portugués, unpack what kinds of advice and information are essential for today's pilgrims, and compare pilgrimage journeys with wilderness treks. For more information: www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

The Camino magic struck Maryjane Dunn early in life, when she found herself in David Gitlitz's classroom, the foremost American scholar on the Camino de Santiago. She traveled with him on the Camino Francés as part of a student group in 1979, setting in motion a life's work that resulted in her being awarded the 2024 Aymeric Picaud International Prize for her contributions to the Camino. She is the translator of The Sermons and Liturgy of Saint James as well as The Miracles and Translatio of Saint James, which comprise the first three books of the Liber Sancti Jacobi. In this episode, we discuss her impressions of the Camino in those early days, her research on miracles and the Cruz de Ferro, and the origins of the American Pilgrims organization. www.davewhitson.com www.facebook.com/CaminoPodcast www.patreon.com/davewhitson

By design, the Camino of the present is a remarkably inclusive pilgrimage. All are welcome. Encouraged even. For many, this is one of its most cherished qualities. Inclusion does, however, bring certain complications. While cultural appropriation is a phenomenon that is much discussed, religious appropriation receives far less consideration, and Liz Bucar (www.lizbucar.com) sought to attend to that in her book Stealing My Religion: Not Just Any Cultural Appropriation. How can non-Catholic pilgrims and walkers approach the Camino in a respectful, appreciative, and historically aware fashion? Note: this will be the last episode of the Camino Podcast for a few months, as Dave sets out to complete his coast-to-coast walk across the USA. Follow along at www.davewhitson.com, www.instagram.com/davexusa, and www.patreon.com/davewhitson

Well before the Camino Francés was considered safe to walk, there was the Camino Primitivo, linking Oviedo--the center of a small, Christian enclave that was holding out in the northwest corner of the Iberian peninsula--with Santiago de Compostela and the recently rediscovered relics of St. James. In this four-part series, we will virtually walk the Primitivo together, bringing together experienced pilgrims and relevant experts in each episode. This episode concludes the series, taking us from O Cádavo, through Lugo, and then on toward Santiago following two different options. The official Primitivo continues directly to the Camino Francés in Melide. Mel Trethowan (www.lifeonebigadventure.com) shares her impressions of that approach. Meanwhile, an alternative route, the Camino Verde, diverges from the Primitivo immediately after Lugo and eventually joins the Camino del Norte shortly before Sobrado dos Monxes. Susan Faillettaz & Angus Carrick (www.carrick.ch) offer insights into that much-less traveled option, where they experienced an uncanny series of coincidences. The episode concludes with a closer look at Lugo, one of the major highlights of the Primitivo. Dr. Rob Portass, of the University of Lincoln, offers insights into the city's Roman origins and the persistence of its magnificent walls.

Well before the Camino Francés was considered safe to walk, there was the Camino Primitivo, linking Oviedo--the center of a small, Christian enclave that was holding out in the northwest corner of the Iberian peninsula--with Santiago de Compostela and the recently rediscovered relics of St. James. In this four-part series, we will virtually walk the Primitivo together, bringing together experienced pilgrims and relevant experts in each episode. Part 3 picks up the Primitivo in Berducedo, descending sharply to the lovely Embalse de Salime, before climbing back up to the Alto del Acebo. At that point, the Primitivo enters Galicia, proceeding through the town of Fonsagrada before finishing this section in O Cádavo. Jeff Monroe (www.wanderingvirginia.com, www.hikingupward.com), a first-time pilgrim on the Primitivo, shares stories from a snowy climb in the offseason. Dr. Noelia Bueno Gómez, a professor of philosophy at the University of Oviedo, then discusses her research into the ‘Coplas del Comandante Moreno’--a ballad about a massacre that occurred along the Primitivo in the Spanish Civil War near the village of El Acebo.

What makes the Camino special? We are often advised today to embrace the fact that it’s “your Camino,” to do it “your” way. While there is certainly some legitimacy to that perspective, it also risks diminishing some of the most meaningful and potent qualities of the experience, qualities that are embedded in the communal nature of pilgrimage. By thinking instead about pilgrimage as both “our Camino” and “their Camino,” and conceiving of ourselves as North Americans as guests joining a larger whole, we can simultaneously respect the traditions and practices of the way, while also increasing the possibilities of a truly transformative experience.

Well before the Camino Francés was considered safe to walk, there was the Camino Primitivo, linking Oviedo--the center of a small, Christian enclave that was holding out in the northwest corner of the Iberian peninsula--with Santiago de Compostela and the recently rediscovered relics of St. James. In this four-part series, we will virtually walk the Primitivo together, bringing together experienced pilgrims and relevant experts in each episode. Part 2 focuses on a shorter section of the Primitivo, just 41 kilometers between Tineo and Berducedo, but it includes the most famous and talked about walk--the famous Ruta de los Hospitales. Lainey Silver and Shawn Forno (www.dayswespend.com) share stories from some soggy--and yet still exhilarating--walking in this section, including Spanish soap operas and an innovative use of socks. They are followed by David Guardado, author of Asturias: Nunca Vencida, who speaks to some of the defining aspects of Asturian identity and language.

Well before the Camino Francés was considered safe to walk, there was the Camino Primitivo, linking Oviedo--the center of a small, Christian enclave that was holding out in the northwest corner of the Iberian peninsula--with Santiago de Compostela and the recently rediscovered relics of St. James. In this four-part series, we will virtually walk the Primitivo together, bringing together experienced pilgrims and relevant experts in each episode. Part 1 focuses on the first three stages, between Oviedo and Tineo, covering roughly 70 kilometers. Nadine Karel (www.nadinewalks.com), a two-time Primitivo veteran, offers insights on the route, while Allison Bixby-Bemus discusses her experience taking over as co-owner of the legendary Albergue de Peregrinos in Bodenaya. Finally, Anthony Hemingway discusses one of the most noteworthy features of the region--the pre-Romanesque churches distinctive of Asturian Architecture, including several that are clustered in Oviedo.

If you have walked the Camino, you've encountered donkeys. Sometimes they're looming on a field's far end, watching the world go by, a presence immediately recognizable even from a hundred meters. Sometimes, they're pressed against the barbed wire fence, curious and eager for engagement. And very, very occasionally, you'll see a pilgrim walking with a donkey. This episode features an interview with one such pilgrim, Barbara from Poitiers, France, on her journeys with Dalie on the Camino del Norte and other routes. She is followed by Mark Meyers, the Executive Director of Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue (www.donkeyrescue.org), who explains the donkey's many virtues, the valuable roles donkeys can still play in 2024, and the reasons they are in need of rescue today.

Over the last few years, there has been an exciting development, wherein the Santiago archdiocese has collaborated with other routes outside of Spain to offer official "alternative" starting points for the Camino de Santiago, allowing pilgrims to begin their journey closer to home, earn some kilometers towards the 100km requirement, and then pick up the trail in Spain. This episode focuses on three such routes. In the United States, El Camino de San Antonio Missions (caminosanantonio.org) in Texas offers a 30km, established pilgrimage route linking the four historic mission churches and San Antonio's cathedral, while the still-in-progress Camino de la Unidad in Florida currently hosts an annual Baby Steps Camino (www.babystepscamino.com) between Jacksonville Beach and Saint Augustine. Meanwhile, in England, Saint James' Way (britishpilgrimage.org/portfolio/st-james-way/) links Reading and Southampton, and offers a natural starting point for the Camino Inglés, from Coruña onward.

If you want to know what's happening on the Camino, ask a group or forum moderator. Those tireless, kind-hearted shepherds of Camino discourse perform one of the most thankless tasks of the online world, helping to ensure that new pilgrims can hit the Camino with confidence, and that experienced pilgrims can have a place to connect with a shared community. This episode features two prolific moderators--Laurie/peregrina2000 on Ivar's Camino Forum and Paul Garland on the Camino de Santiago All Routes Facebook group--to look back on major developments and overblown issues on the Camino in 2023. We discuss the general state of pilgrimage discourse, the pushback of some albergues against luggage shipment, the perceived overcrowding crisis in May, the local unhappiness with tourist crowds in Santiago de Compostela, and the recent controversy surrounding the Cruz de Ferro, along with a bunch of other stuff. Along the way, we confirm some concerns, brush away others, and even arrive at some positive developments worth celebrating.

Beyond Jerusalem, Rome, and Santiago de Compostela, Canterbury stands out as perhaps the most significant pilgrimage destination for Christians in the Middle Ages. While Chaucer famously commemorated the route from London in the Canterbury Tales, pilgrims of course traveled from their homes, following a network of different trails. For centuries, one of those was lost to history, until the Old Way, paralleling the coast from Southampton eastward, was rediscovered on a medieval map. Since then, the pilgrimage has been redeveloped, and this episode explores the route with two recent pilgrims. Gail Simmons (travelscribe.org) walked the Old Way during the pandemic, and then documented her experience in vivid detail in her book, Between the Chalk and the Sea. Carol Donaldson (caroldonaldsonwriter.co.uk) took to the trail in post-COVID England, writing about her section walk in the Guardian.

79 rounds of chemotherapy. 4 radical surgeries. 60% of her liver, ten inches of her colon, 2 inches of her stomach, her right lung, and part of her throat--all gone. And yet, however one measures it, Edie Littlefield Sundby (www.themissionwalker.com), author of The Mission Walker, is a living miracle. After being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2007 and told that she had months to live, Edie took to walking first as a means of survival and later as an act of joy and thanksgiving. In time, this led her to the California Mission Trail, for a journey that spanned 1600 miles across the full length of the old Spanish missions in both Alta and Baja California. In this episode, Edie describes her journey of healing, her love of walking, and her latest pilgrimage following the Old Spanish Trail through the southern US.

Let's walk the Via Podiensis together! Whereas many of the pilgrim interviews on the podcast take a thematic approach, focusing on a few big picture issues, this series of episodes will dig more into the specifics of walking. In this tenth and final episode in the series, we finally make it to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, thanks to the combined wisdom of four experienced pilgrims. Robert Deming of Fredericksburg, Texas leads us onward from Aire-sur-l'Adour to Navarrenx, and then three high schoolers from Portland, Oregon pick up the baton from there. After completing the journey to Saint-Jean and discussing the suitability of different endpoints for the Via Podiensis, we then cap the series with a "draft" of favorite places along the way. Spoiler alert: the Lot and Célé Valleys do very, very well.

Let's walk the Via Podiensis together! Whereas many of the pilgrim interviews on the podcast take a thematic approach, focusing on a few big picture issues, this series of episodes will dig more into the specifics of walking. In this ninth episode in the series, the Pyrenees are finally breaking the horizon as we continue southward from Condom to Aire-sur-l'Adour. Kevin Greenstreet shares tales from the road, including a visit to the tiniest fortified village in Gers, a lunch he couldn't pass up in Nogaro, and one of the most memorable gites of the whole walk. And since Roman ruins feature prominently in this section--most notably in Éauze and Séviac--Dr. Simon Esmonde Cleary, Emeritus Professor of Roman Archaeology at the University of Birmingham, joins to offer insights into Roman Gaul and lessons learned from an excavation at Éauze.

Let's walk the Via Podiensis together! Whereas many of the pilgrim interviews on the podcast take a thematic approach, focusing on a few big picture issues, this series of episodes will dig more into the specifics of walking. In this eighth episode in the series, we carry on southward from Moissac with pilgrims Dennis and Laurie Brooke of Tacoma, Washington (www.worldrovers.com), following the canal towards Auvillar, slaloming through the hills to Lectoure, greeting the cats in La Romieu, and finally posing for photos at the entrance to Condom. Many pilgrims in this stretch will find their culinary journeys leading them towards duck, which features prominently on the menus in the region. Dr. Jean Lavigne, Professor of Environmental Studies at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, then shares insights into its prominent role in French cuisine, and the ongoing controversies surrounding foie gras production.

Let's walk the Via Podiensis together! Whereas many of the pilgrim interviews on the podcast take a thematic approach, focusing on a few big picture issues, this series of episodes will dig more into the specifics of walking. In this seventh episode in the series, we finally leave Cahors in the rearview mirror and cross the halfway point en route from Le Puy to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. France Fehr, author of On Foot in France: An Unforgettable Adventure on the Camino de Santiago, shares stories from the walk between Cahors and Moissac, a region that also carries scars from the Albigensian Crusade in the early 13th century. Dr. Mark Gregory Pegg, author of A Most Holy War: The Albigensian Crusade and the Battle for Christendom, then explains why everything you think you know about the Cathars is wrong.

Let's walk the Via Podiensis together! Whereas many of the pilgrim interviews on the podcast take a thematic approach, focusing on a few big picture issues, this series of episodes will dig more into the specifics of walking. In this sixth episode in the series, we make our third and final walk between Figeac and Cahors, this time following the GR651 through the Célé Valley. The route is much beloved by walkers and pilgrims, featuring dramatic cliffs, troglodyte villages, medieval fortifications, and prehistoric cave paintings. Kerri Daniels of Sacramento, California, USA offers insights from her two past forays on the route, and then Maureen Cashman (www.maureencashman.com), author of Charlie & Me in Val-Paradis: How My Dog Learned to Bark in French, shares stories from her three years spent living in Espagnac-Sainte-Eulalie.

Dr. Nancy Louise Frey was looking for a topic for her doctoral research when she stumbled into Santiago de Compostela around Saint James Day and discovered a very different sort of pilgrimage than she had previously considered. This set in motion a complicated and extensive process of field work, and ultimately culminated in one of the essential Camino books, Pilgrim Stories: On and Off the Road to Santiago, Journeys Along an Ancient Way in Modern Spain. Since then, Nancy has remained deeply connected to the Camino, living in Galicia, studying the impact of digital technologies on pilgrimage (www.walkingtopresence.com), and leading group pilgrimages (www.onfootinspain.com/tours). This episode explores each of those subjects: Nancy's reflections on the Camino in the 1990s, the risks of smartphones and other technologies on the pilgrimage experience and practical advice for managing that, and the ways that a group pilgrimage can be enriching and rewarding.

Let's walk the Via Podiensis together! Whereas many of the pilgrim interviews on the podcast take a thematic approach, focusing on a few big picture issues, this series of episodes will dig more into the specifics of walking. In this fifth episode in the series, we find ourselves back in Figeac, for the second of three route options leading pilgrims onward to Cahors, the Rocamadour route. And as the name implies, this variant features one of France's most famous and spectacular pilgrimage shrines, clinging to a cliff overlooking the Alzou Gorge. Prolific pilgrims Sean Morton and Sonya Richmond of Ontario, Canada (comewalkwithus.online) share their experiences from the route, and are then followed by Dr. Deana Weibel (deanaweibel.space), author of A Sacred Vertigo: Pilgrimage and Tourism in Rocamadour, France, who discusses the sacred site.

Let's re-walk the Via Podiensis together! Whereas many of the pilgrim interviews on the podcast take a thematic approach, focusing on a few big picture issues, this series of episodes will dig more into the specifics of walking. In this fourth episode in the series, we arrive at the major decision that pilgrims face on the Via Podiensis: which route to follow from Figeac to Cahors? Bronwen Perry talks us through the default approach for many pilgrims, sticking with the GR65 all the way, strolling through the Causse de Limogne. And while Cahors today is increasingly well known for its wine, the picture was very different 150 years ago, when the future of wine was cast in doubt by a small bug from the United States, phylloxera. Dr. George Gale, author of Dying on the Vine: How Phylloxera Transformed Wine, tells the tale of how this threat was overcome through international collaboration, but also why we can never grow complacent.

Imagine that it is your dream to run an albergue, and then that opportunity comes knocking in the middle of COVID. Do you make the leap? And then imagine that you dive in headfirst, alive with all of the dreams and possibilities of what will be. Even as the pandemic ebbs, though, your reopening is first delayed by family obligations, and then thwarted entirely by necessary repair work. Two years in, your albergue has been closed more than it has been open. This is the story of Giulia Sottanis, the hospitalera at Albergue Izarra in Caborredondo, Spain on the Camino del Norte. This is also the story of the central importance of donativo-based albergues, though, and the philosophy and people behind them.