The Virtual Camino
At a moment when so many are struggling and in need of community, we decided to lead a Virtual Camino to awaken the pilgrim spirit in all of us. We led an online virtual walk on the French Way for past and future clients, and 3,000 people from 75 countries around the world who joined together to celebrate all the gifts of the Camino. Each day we posted a new stage and detailed what pilgrims might see, hear, eat, and taste, sharing moments, memories, pilgrim talks, movies, books, and hopes with each other.
Although our virtual walk was over a period of the lockdown we have kept the group alive and new members can choose to complete the stages. We continue to post about the Camino, its history, architecture, culture, and gastronomy. Come join us!
Here’s what some of our members had to say about the experience:
Fiona Jeffcoat-Yu You have provided exactly those things you mention - community, support and purpose. This has been a hard strange time and the time I spend on this camino with you is a real pleasure, thank you SO much! Buen Camino to us all on our life journeys!
Grace DeGrazia My friend and I have walked the Camino and we were to do it again in September this year - now deferred to September 2021. It’s been wonderful to follow this virtual Camino as there were so many places I recognised. It also made me excited for when we are able to go again. The Virtual Camino has also encouraged me to research some of the towns along the way more. I was surprised at how much there was to see and explore in some of them. We tended to shower and rest and eat and then go the bed most walking days. I’m now going to spend time looking into each town that we stop in so I can make sure we see more of the sites along the way. Thank you for inspiring me to do this as I think it will enrich our 2021 Camino.
Tracy Sites Thank you for this journey together. It has made this stay at home easier.
Teresa Pilgrim Thank you for creating this space to meet and share with like-minded pilgrims. It’s been such a joy to take part in this beautiful endeavour… I have absolutely loved seeing everyone’s progress and pictures, so thank you once again. Buen Camino!
Maureen Bjorklund This has been an amazing journey, thanks all for sharing!
Alison Cantwell I know for a fact that coping with lockdown would have been incredibly more difficult without taking part in this Virtual Camino. Knowing also that ordinarily I would be walking in Spain at this time, makes it even more special. I can’t thank the creators of the Virtual Camino enough for their foresight in setting up this group and I thank the many friends I’ve met along the way so far, it really has been and still is a great joy. With time differences around the world, waking up to new posts every morning just makes my day. A million thanks to all! Buen Camino.
Geoff Darcy I would like to take the opportunity to thank [the organizers] for their incredible efforts to get our Virtual Camino up and running. It has been a huge success and rewarding . It has brought so much joy to so many people throughout the world . It’s what we all needed and has given birth to many new friendships.