Project Camino

Pilgrim Trevor Cowan Clark stood at St Jean Pied De Port and thought ‘What have I got myself into?’   That was the beginning of a love affair with the Camino that has resulted in him walking it on four separate occasions…. Even after he was informed he would have only lasted another 24 hours alive if he hadn't found a Doctor on his first time on the Camino Frances. Trevor first walked in 2013, 2014, 2016 and again in 2018. After years of clinical depression he saw the movie ‘The Way’ one night and remembered the nuns talking about it in primary school. A week later he heard about it on the radio and then saw a book in a secondhand shop about the Camino. He thought someone was telling him something and 4 months later found himself in France and so it began…. Trevor worked in IT for 40 years along with the surf industry back in the 60’s. He is 69 years young and growing younger each year.   Do you want to be around other pilgrims in a non judgemental & supportive space? Do you want to share how it feels to

Susi Swain walked her first Camino in 2012 and in the following 3 1/2 years walked 10 further Camino’s. Not only did it change her life she also changed her country and profession by following her dream. Not speaking any Spanish, she moved from Sydney in Australia to Trabadelo (173 km from Santiago) on the Camino Francés. She bought and renovated a 300 year old house transforming it into an Albergue called ‘Casa Susi’ Casa Susi is a very unique Albergue, with only 12 beds and freshly cooked meals fresh from the garden each day. It is a place where Pilgrims can rest secure in the knowledge that they will be welcomed and taken care of surrounded by Pilgrim Spirit and love. Not long after opening it’s doors, a man appeared who would be referred to as ‘Pilgrim Number 30’ and Susi’s life would be changed in an instant. Pilgrim Number 30 (Real name Fermin) is still at Casa Susi and they share their rather unique story with us today. Do you want to be around other pilgrims in a non judgemental & supportive space

Pilgrim Ryck Thompson is a retired U.S. Navy Submariner Senior Chief, serving 21 years onboard three different Submarines.  He decided that when he retired from the military he needed to walk the Camino, solo to clear my mind and transition into civilian life. He walked the Camino Frances in 2017 as Ryck needed to know that people were generally good and they are.  Ryck currently live with his wife Frances and three children in Poulsbo, Washington State, USA. He believes that the Camino is the gift that keeps giving. Even when it is over and you are back home, mentally it never ends.  Ryck currently works for the US Government on various projects. He spends his time off work with friends and family onboard his boat in the local marina and in and around the Puget Sound waters and Olympic mountain ranges. Do you want to be around other pilgrims in a non judgemental & supportive space? Do you want to share how it feels to return from your Camino in an environment that you will always be supported & encou

Many people who walk The Way do so to deal with an external life event and David Hardy was no exception. David walked the Camino Frances in 2017 after events in Australia changed his life forever. In 2014 David’s son Joshua was murdered in an act of social violence and since then David has advocated tirelessly for positive change. After the final court case was finished, David sat on a plane to head back to Darwin in Northern Australia. On that flight he watched ‘The Way’ and when he reached his house he booked his flight to Europe. David believes in the power of education to drive cultural change and shares his story with schools, sporting clubs and community groups to raise the profile of the issue of social violence. David hopes to encourage young men to step back and think before they react and make a split second decision that they will regret forever. It was an absolute privilege to meet David in Santiago and to share his story with you all. Do you want to be around other pilgrims in a non judgemental &

Pilgrim & Diabetes Crusader Bob Scheidt has walked five different Caminos in five years and plans to walk one a year till he ceases to be on planet Earth. I met Bob in the Old Town in Santiago and we discussed his thoughts on spirituality, hiking being a ‘walking meditation’ and what he hopes to be thinking about on his deathbed. Bob has walked over 122 000 miles since 1973 and has no intention of stopping anytime soon. He has also had type one diabetes for 44 years, heart disease for 8 and Thyroid disease for 10. Bob has never let these minor things get in the way of his adventurous spirit, he has done 20 marathons, 30 ultra marathons (including walking 132 kms in ONE DAY and 450 Km is a six day event) and he has bicycled across America. Bob walked the Camino Frances and intended to treat it as just another adventure but the Camino had other plans for him. He found it to be a highly spiritual, historical and social endeavour yet he still found it physically challenging. Bob lives in Pennsylvania with his

This episode is Part 2 of a two part series with Annie O'Neil and Phil Volker. You may know Annie O’Neil from the documentary WALKING THE CAMINO: SIX WAYS TO SANTIAGO where she was a featured pilgrim as well as co producer. Since then she has directed and produced the award winning PHIL’S CAMINO, a film about a man who dreams of walking the Camino but cannot, due to suffering from stage 4 cancer. So he did the next best thing, he created his own Camino in the forest behind his house. She knew right away that his story could be inspiring to so many, so she convinced him to let her make a film about his backyard Camino.  PHIL’S CAMINO had its World Premiere at SXSW and has won approximately 20 awards since then. At 28 minutes it packs a strong emotional punch and has inspired many many people all over the world.  Its a fascinating story and Annie & Phil share it with Project Camino. Do you want to be around other pilgrims in a non judgemental & supportive space? Do you want to share how it feels to retu

This episode is Part 1 of a two part series with Annie O'Neil and Phil Volker. You may know Annie O’Neil from the documentary WALKING THE CAMINO: SIX WAYS TO SANTIAGO where she was a featured pilgrim as well as co producer. Since then she has directed and produced the award winning PHIL’S CAMINO, a film about a man who dreams of walking the Camino but cannot, due to suffering from stage 4 cancer. So he did the next best thing, he created his own Camino in the forest behind his house. She knew right away that his story could be inspiring to so many, so she convinced him to let her make a film about his backyard Camino.  PHIL’S CAMINO had its World Premiere at SXSW and has won approximately 20 awards since then. At 28 minutes it packs a strong emotional punch and has inspired many many people all over the world.  Its a fascinating story and Annie & Phil share it with Project Camino. Do you want to be around other pilgrims in a non judgemental & supportive space? Do you want to share how it feels to retu

Pilgrim Lisa Edmonds came to Australia in 1986 on a 12 month work visa and in 1987 was involved in a serious motorbike accident that left her a paraplegic at 20 years of age.  She decided to remain in Australia to pursue a career and a new life not yet known.  Her career became a sporting one spanning 25 years as she competed at 4 World Championships gaining 2 Bronze medals and 3 Paralympic Games winning a silver medal in Sydney 2000. Sport gave Lisa the wings she had always dreamed of and allowed her to travel around the world. She got to push her body to its limits, and it gave Lisa an avenue to channel her energy, passion and competitive nature to its full potential. After her retirement in 2014 Lisa was left with a hole to fill and she realised she needed something really challenging and that would push the boundaries beyond any expectations. In 2015 she decided to tackle part of the French Camino and in 2016 she flew to Spain and started her pilgrimage in Trabadelo, approximately 170km from Santiago. She

I met an old friend very unexpectedly while on the Camino Frances. I knew Simon ‘Crackers’ Keenan via a mutual friend and hadn’t seen him for several years. I literally wandered into his Pilgrim drop in centre in Montan in Galicia after I got lost on the way to Samos. But did I really get lost? Are any of us who wander on the Camino, whether in Spain or elsewhere, really ever lost if we are following our hearts direction? Have a listen to Simon’s very unique & peaceful outlook on the Camino and life in general. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Buen Camino, Brendan. Do you want to be around other pilgrims in a non judgemental & supportive space? Do you want to share how it feels to return from your Camino in an environment that you will always be supported & encouraged? Then please join my POST CAMINO Support Group FB link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/212558809559077/

Tove Vine is about to walk her first Camino for charity. Her story is like many who were born in Europe just after The Second World war. Millions of people across Europe were trying to recover from the war and Denmark, who had been occupied by Germany for 5 years, had new challenges to face to rebuild their tiny country. Born number 11 in a family of 13 children and the 7th girl, times were tough. Tove immigrated to Australia in 1969 after falling in love with the man who would become her husband. Fast forward 30 plus years and she has owned small businesses in Newcastle & Townsville, studied to be an accountant, divorced, moved to Brisbane and then sold everything she owned and moved to China at 57 years of age. She now has 14 English Schools under the umbrella of Miss Tove’s English Schools. In her holidays she travels to poor orphanages in places like Tibet, Nepal, Northern India Cambodia and Vietnam to teach English as a volunteer. She has also established a philanthropy project in Nepal helping to ed

This is a very personal episode consisting of recordings I did at the end of my Camino. If you are feeling down, out of place or generally ‘out of sorts’ after returning home from your Camino, then please check out my POST CAMINO Support Group. We would love to see you there. https://www.facebook.com/groups/212558809559077/ Take care & use your time wisely people. Thanks, Brendan.

In the Fall of 2015, and after a long 25 years of daydreaming and talking about the Camino to anyone who would listen, Heather Gailey finalised her plans and set out at the age of 52 to walk the Camino Frances, solo. Her friends and family thought she had lost her mind, but she knew deep down that she had actually found it. Heather brought her love of journaling to the Camino to capture her adventure in words. From that experience she decided to create the My Camino Journal: Days in the life of a Pilgrim so that others may also capture their adventures and write their Camino story!  PREPARE FOR YOUR CAMINO HERE! https://projectcamino.thinkific.com/ This course has been created for Pilgrims, by a Pilgrim. This course will help you prepare practically, physically and mentally for your Camino. Project Camino Podcast Host Brendan Bolton has created this course to help people prepare for their Camino- COURSE INCLUDES- • An activated Spanish mobile phone SIM card • Pilgrim credential book • Access to your Members O

Hospitalera Sylvie Hanes is from Ottawa Canada and is a wife of 30 years and Mom to two daughters. She retired from the corporate world in April of 2011 and 15 days later started the first of her four Camino journeys. Sylvie has experienced multiple hospitalera adventures and says that the Camino is now simply a part of her life. She shares her Camino stories from her three journeys on The Way with us at Project Camino. Sylvie also tells us about what it takes to become a Hospitalera (it's not that complicated people!) and why it's such a rewarding thing to do. PREPARE FOR YOUR CAMINO HERE! https://projectcamino.thinkific.com/ Please ‘Like’ & ‘Share the Project Camino Facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/ProjectCamino/ TAKE THE CAMINO HOME WITH YOU WITH SUSEIA BRACELETS! Womens bracelet link: https://www.facebook.com/commerce/products/1266466986787525/ Unisex bracelet link: https://www.facebook.com/commerce/products/1626690604033801/  

Camino Author Ashlee Cowles is an award-winning author of the novels, Below Northern Lights and Beneath Wandering Stars. Ashlee first discovered the Camino as a college student while living abroad in Spain and in 2011, she decided to go back and walk part of it.  That journey in 2011 inspired her debut Young Adult novel, Beneath Wandering Stars (Simon & Schuster, 2016), which is about two teens who walk the Camino (one of them is a young soldier who's just returned from Afghanistan). Ashlee has released the sequel to this book called Below Northern Lights which follows the same characters taking another pilgrimage across Scotland. Raised in a military family without roots, Ashlee currently makes her home in Colorado, though she is often assailed by wanderlust and constantly longs for a café con leche and Tarta de Santiago. PREPARE FOR YOUR CAMINO HERE! https://projectcamino.thinkific.com/ Please ‘Like’ & ‘Share the Project Camino Facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/ProjectCamino/ TAKE THE CAMINO H

Pilgrim Annie Love currently lives in Seattle, Washington but grew up in North Idaho. Her natural love for the outdoors means Seattle is one of the perfect places for her to live. Her hobby of geocaching became a career as she now works at Geocaching Headquarters. She shares her Camino story with us! Thanks Annie!  PREPARE FOR YOUR CAMINO HERE!   TAKE THE CAMINO HOME WITH YOU WITH SUSEIA BRACELETS! Womens bracelet link: https://www.facebook.com/commerce/products/1266466986787525/ Unisex bracelet link: https://www.facebook.com/commerce/products/1626690604033801/   Click HERE to find out how you can take the Camino home with you! Please ‘Like’ & ‘Share the Project Camino Facebook page!  

Bob Scheidt has walked five different Caminos in five years and plans to walk one a year till he ceases to be on planet Earth. He has also had type one diabetes for 44 years, heart disease for 8 and Thyroid disease for 10. Bob has never let these minor things get in the way of his adventurous spirt, he has done 20 marathons, 30 ultra marathons (including walking 132 kms in ONE DAY and 450 Km is a six day event) and he has bicycled across America. Bob walked the Camino Frances and intended to treat it as just another adventure but the Camino had other plans for him. He found it to be a highly spiritual, historical and social endeavour yet he still found it physically challenging. Bob lives in Pennsylvania with his wife of 41 years and they have two daughters in their 30’s (who occasionally join Bob along stretches of the Camino) His three year old Grandson is being groomed to accompany his 'Pap Pap' on the Way. It's pretty obvious that the Pilgrim spirit is very strong throughout Bob and his family.

Bill Artz biked the Camino Frances from Roncevalles to Santiago de Compostela in September 2014. He completed a second Camino with his girlfriend last June walking the Frances route from Leon to Santiago. While watching the movie, “The Way, he decided to do the Camino if he fully recovered his vision from a detached retina. Living in the moment, appreciating the value of life and the importance of love and forgiveness are some of the lessons he gained from his two Camino's.

Camino addict Stewart Gordon has walked 13 Caminos in 6 years. He first walked the Camino Frances in July 2012. He followed in September by the Portugese rote from Porto in September. Working as a vounteer in April in the Office brought about walking the Ingles prior to taking up Duty. He then ventured onto the Via de la Plata followed soon after that same year and another short camino on the Portugese. 2014 brought around the Sanabres from Ourense then the Primativo. 2015 was begun with his first ‘Camino Virgin’ from Tui. He then walked to Finesterre and Muxia and 2016 brought another Ingles. 2017 was the Portugese from Porto and then the Finsterre loop from Santitiago to Muxia, then Finsterre and back to Santiago. He finally brought his second Virgin on the Ingles. This May he will be back on the Primativo with the now experienced former Newbie from the Ingles and yet another Camino Virgin!! Hear all about them on this episode with a hard core Camino addict.

My last day on the Camino Sanabres… I was feeling a bit sad (as well as grateful) as I was about to re-renter back into ‘the real world.’ I talk about a lack of anxiety on the Camino, accepting others for all that they are, creating monsters in our mind and much, much more. I hope you enjoy it!

While I was on the Camino Sanabres I bumped into a Galician farmer named Daniel who happened to have lived in Western Australia for over 30 years. He invited me into his house for a tea and conversation with himself and his wife Winnie. I hope you enjoy the show!