Kenneth Cline

Sauntering to Santiago Kenneth Cline

Have you ever thought of walking the Camino de Santiago? Many people have. Maybe they've seen the Martin Sheen movie, The Way, and said to themselves, Gee, I'd like to try that! But it's also easy to come up with excuses, like, I'm too old, I've got a bad back, I'm not fit enough, I don't have time ... fill in the blanks. In the summer of 2018, the author and his wife walked over 200 miles from Porto, Portugal, to Santiago de Compostela and arrived with zero blisters or other injuries. And they did this despite some age on them (mid-60s him, late 50s her) and a few health issues (arthritis for him, diabetes and asthma for her). Experienced hikers? Not! Until embarking on this month-long trek, they had never done anything more ambitious than a day walk in a park. So, relax. Sauntering to Santiago: the Camino de Santiago for Slow Walkers will demonstrate that it is indeed possible for people who are not particularly young and fit to walk the Camino and enjoy the time of their lives. Of course, some preparation is required, and the book will take you through those steps. The author shows you how to pick the route that's most appropriate for your level of conditioning, suggest how you can approach your equipment choices and then how to pace yourselves on the trail so that each walking day is a comfortable experience rather than a stressful chore. And then, he will take you through each day of the journey, from Porto to Santiago, and describe all of the wonderful sights along the way. If they could do it, so can you.

Note: In 2021, we published a companion volume on Amazon entitled Sauntering the Spiritual Variant of the Camino de Santiago. The Spiritual Variant is an alternate route on the Portuguese Way that includes some of the trail's best scenery.