The Camino Levante - Coast to Coast

Hola everyone, 

As I write this I’m flying to Spain to walk the Camino, the route known as the ‘Camino Levante.’ My first stop is the beautiful city of Barcelona where I plan to spend a few days sightseeing and hope to catch up with a friend from a previous Camino. From there I’ll get the train south along the coast to Valencia and see another Camino friend.

The Camino Levante starts in Valencia. There are many paths to where I am heading- and they all lead to Santiago de Compostela - the real  or mythical (depending on your faith leaning) resting place of St James (Santiago) the apostle. 

The Camino Levante is the orange one that starts in Valencia on the shores of the Mediterranean and goes across Spain in a generally northwest direction. At this time of the year, the weather will be hot at times  and I am prepared for that. In my Way I am walking ‘coast to coast’- I plan to end up swimming in the Atlantic. 

Legend has it that Santiago’s bones are housed under the main altar of the cathedral. At least that’s a main reason for what has attracted millions of pilgrims for centuries.  They believe/d the Church teaching that making the pilgrimage is/was  a means of repentance and consequent  time-off in purgatory and thereby a faster track to paradise . It was also a money spinner for the Church and businesses on the way. Santiago along with Rome and Jerusalem were the top three places to go. They still are for many.

There are lots of ways to walk the Camino - in fact you don’t even need to walk. Some people cycle, some drive, in organised groups with luggage transport or as solo pilgrims (peregrinos) like me who carry packs.

And guess what - all this fitted in nicely! This time I’m taking a ‘guitalele’ (a small travelling type of guitar) instead a ukelele  🎸🎵)

There are lots of reasons to walk the Camino too. There are those who (like the pilgrims of the Middle Ages) seek repentance or forgiveness through suffering (blisters, cold, hunger, broken bones stolen luggage…are/were not uncommon- ‘bring it on!’😳) .

On the Camino journeys I have done before, I found some other  reasons - one is the inspiring spirit of community among those who walk with you, another is  the solitary (or as a couple ) meditative  rhythm that comes with the daily pattern of walking, eating, and sleeping.. you talk about stuff to yourself (or with a partner or friend) 

We walk the Camino alone - but we can’t do it by ourselves . Everybody  needs somebody sometime 🎵

So reasons for doing the Camino are not simple. I suppose all of us have complicated motivations.  -  for me the Camino is like taking my  life for a walk.

Over the next 7-8 weeks, you can keep tabs on my ‘travels to the edge’ by following this blog . At some stage I plan to end up at

Santiago de Compostela Cathedral 

And then do a further walk over to the northwest coast of Galicia, Spain to 

The rocks of Muxia

And then wind up at the lighthouse at Cape Finisterre and the beach around the corner

I am very much looking forward to the experience and to welcoming  your reactions, advice, questions and ideas as I shuffle along the way 

Buen Camino 

Mike