Oh, come all ye faithful and atheist – the Camino Frances is for anyone with walking boots

The Camino can be a healing, transformative, religious experience,as well as an epic walk through an abundance of history, culture and cuisine

Pilgrims trek the trail to O Cebreiro on the final section of the route to Santiago de Compostela, Galicia

Catherine Murphy

“Covid closed the Camino,” a fellow pilgrim on the Camino Frances tells me. “Not even Spanish flu or the plague had the same impact.” The pandemic certainly forced the closure of churches, cathedrals and albergues (hostels) in 2020 but, as they say on the Camino, “ultreia et suseia” – onwards and upwards.

To compensate, Holy Year 2021 has been extended to 2022 and many Camino fans will be desperately hoping to get back on the open road this spring.