• For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Is it a "Saunter" or a "Hike"? Our Pilgrimages.......

Join our full-service guided tour and let us convert you into a Pampered Pilgrim!
I have to laugh, because when I was working to convince my wife to come along with me on the CF I told her “It’s really not a hike. It’s just a long walk.” By day three trudging into Zuberi after the Napoleon, she told me in no uncertain terms that this was a hike! Of course it got better. Finished our saunter 40 days later and had a great time.
 
It is a beautiful theory of the origin of the word. Unfortunately, the Oxford English Dictionary, which is pretty authoritative in matters of English etymology, does not agree. In fact, the word does not appear to go back to the middle ages. It dates to the 17th century and originally meant "to wander or travel about aimlessly or unprofitably" which, for me at least, doesn't suit pilgrimage too well.

If we want an alternative to "hike", I would humbly suggest "peregrinate", which is related in etymology to the French, Italian and Spanish verbs "to go on pilgrimage".

What, doesn't everyone keep a copy of the OED in their bedrooms to look up these things?
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
What, doesn't everyone keep a copy of the OED in their bedrooms to look up these things?

The Compact edition obviously. The two-volume version with its own magnifying glass in a little drawer for checking out the very fine print. No true pedant should travel anywhere without it! ;):cool:

compact-oed.jpg
 
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
The Compact edition obviously. The two-volume version with its own magnifying glass in a little drawer for checking out the very fine print. No true pedant should travel anywhere without it! ;):cool:

View attachment 50700
That's the one. I don't bother with the magnifying glass, though. I just look really closely at the page.

But I must admit I am not pedant enough to put it in my backpack when I walk the Camino.
 
Any day's section with any incline is a hike ( and sometimes a climb ), and on days that don't require my undivided attention because of terrain, weather, or tricky markings, I guess it would be a saunter. Each pilgrimage route has its own variety of trails and challenges ( and applicable coordinating cuss words ) .I most recently walked the Camino Portuguese, and I considered that a 'mosey'. I've discovered I enjoy the mosey most. I'll be walking the Camino Ingles this Sept ( short route this year because of health and time constraints )...I'm hoping it's a doozie of a mosey.
 
It is a beautiful theory of the origin of the word. Unfortunately, the Oxford English Dictionary, which is pretty authoritative in matters of English etymology, does not agree. In fact, the word does not appear to go back to the middle ages. It dates to the 17th century and originally meant "to wander or travel about aimlessly or unprofitably" which, for me at least, doesn't suit pilgrimage too well.

If we want an alternative to "hike", I would humbly suggest "peregrinate", which is related in etymology to the French, Italian and Spanish verbs "to go on pilgrimage".

What, doesn't everyone keep a copy of the OED in their bedrooms to look up these things?

Too many syllables... The chosen word must flow smoothly from the lips... the syllables should be rhythmic or smooth...
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
considering the noises I make, to mooch?
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
It is a casual stroll into a beautiful village, it is a wine outside a cafe at dusk, it is freindships that will last forever. It is also a gut busting climb, decents that could break or ankle and a sweat soaked body lying on your bunk at three thirty in the afternoon wishing you were dead.
Hope I havn't put any one off.:);):eek:
 
It is a casual stroll into a beautiful village, it is a wine outside a cafe at dusk, it is freindships that will last forever. It is also a gut busting climb, decents that could break or ankle and a sweat soaked body lying on your bunk at three thirty in the afternoon wishing you were dead.
Hope I havn't put any one off.:);):eek:
😟🤐
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
It is a beautiful theory of the origin of the word. Unfortunately, the Oxford English Dictionary, which is pretty authoritative in matters of English etymology, does not agree.

Even more beautiful @David Tallan , is that John Muir, a Scot who pioneered outdoor pursuits in his home country and in western north America, most probably had not heard the the OED. Nor, it would seem, had the OED heard of John Muir.

I elect for John Muir's explanation as it is quite related to what we do (and bugger the experts).

Thanks to @HalfDomeOrBust for bringing this to our attention.
 
The Compact edition obviously. The two-volume version with its own magnifying glass in a little drawer for checking out the very fine print. No true pedant should travel anywhere without it! ;):cool:

View attachment 50700
I suppose that means you have both volumes in your backpack while on Camino?
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
No - I am only a half-hearted pedant and also far too lazy. I walk quiet routes in quiet seasons and hardly meet anyone to practice on. So I leave the dictionaries at home and make up for my slacking when I get back.

No need to leave it behind.... You could always get the OED app for your smartphone. I'd bet the data is a bit lighter than paper :)
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Well, well!! Lots of interesting thoughts on this thread. Every post seems valid and has a good point!!!
 
What, doesn't everyone keep a copy of the OED in their bedrooms to look up these things?
Not in the bedroom, but somewhere in the house there are the Shorter, Illustrated and first Edition of the Australia Pocket OEDs, as well as two Concise Macquarie Dictionarys (both 1st and 2nd Eds) and a paperback edition of The University English Dictionary. As a child, my family relied on a Webster's, a wonderful tome!

As @davebugg notes, there are apps and other web resources. For those of us who delight in both the highways and byways of the English language and its many varieties, we are never far from a good dictionary, thesaurus or similar resource.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
As a child, my family relied on a Webster's, a wonderful tome!

I agree. Way back in another century I was part of a school quiz team and we won a three-volume set of Webster's each as the runners-up in an inter-school competition. Still here on my shelves. The first prize was a long weekend in Copenhagen plus a full set of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Would have kept me out of mischief for a while :)
 
Not in the bedroom, but somewhere in the house there are the Shorter, Illustrated and first Edition of the Australia Pocket OEDs, as well as two Concise Macquarie Dictionarys (both 1st and 2nd Eds) and a paperback edition of The University English Dictionary. As a child, my family relied on a Webster's, a wonderful tome!

As @davebugg notes, there are apps and other web resources. For those of us who delight in both the highways and byways of the English language and its many varieties, we are never far from a good dictionary, thesaurus or similar resource.
Sounds just like my house Doug and, ditto on the growing up with Websters...lol
 
It is a beautiful theory of the origin of the word. Unfortunately, the Oxford English Dictionary, which is pretty authoritative in matters of English etymology, does not agree. In fact, the word does not appear to go back to the middle ages. It dates to the 17th century and originally meant "to wander or travel about aimlessly or unprofitably" which, for me at least, doesn't suit pilgrimage too well.

If we want an alternative to "hike", I would humbly suggest "peregrinate", which is related in etymology to the French, Italian and Spanish verbs "to go on pilgrimage".

What, doesn't everyone keep a copy of the OED in their bedrooms to look up these things?

By extension, in Spain, we pilgrims are known as Peregrinos.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
By extension, in Spain, we pilgrims are known as Peregrinos.
Wilsti I do agree in some ways with 'saunter', maybe not beig the right word in this discussion, I would just like to add here....So many of or newer members here, actually Don't think of Walking the Camino, which ever route they choose to walk, as a Pilgrimage, or of themselves as 'Pilgrims' and therefore, perhaps Perigrinate, is also the incorrect word for what They are doing. A goodly portion of walkers who I connected with in April and May last year where walking for other reasons and had very little, if any, knowledge of the History or other traditions associated with their walk. Just sayng here so 'please don't shoot me dwn in flames'. Cheers.
 
I always refer to this as a stroll.
 
I often found myself saying out loud or to myself that the Camino is just like life. It contains ups and downs, opportunity to laugh at oneself as well as with others; times to feel urges to give up, to give to another, to take from another. For me and many others the journey is more about making forward progress in understanding ones life; remembering the future. Just do it.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
"The etymology of the word saunter features in an essay by Henry Thoreau (‘Walking’ published 1862) where the same reference to the Holy Land is made."

"Thoreau’s explanation for the word saunter: from à la Saint[e] Terre, describing pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land. There goes a Saint[e] Terrer, a saunterer, a Holy Lander. But it was a false etymology, apparently spread from a book called Country Words, by S. and E. Ray, 1691. Although since the origins of the word were obscure, it might in fact be the true story."

"The book is John Ray’s Collection of South and East-Country Words (1691)"

"The word is used (and explained as indeed referring to the Crusaders going to the Holy Land) in A Political History of the Devil by Daniel Defoe (pub 1726)."

I found the above information on line. So looks like John Muir read Thoreau, but not the OED. Thoreau is a good read.
 
How wonderful that Thoreau and Muir played out their respective roles in life as bookends from opposite sides of America, but with the same aim: to educate, enlighten, and compel enduring love for Nature in all her depth, breadth, and beauty. So saunter on, brave pilgrims, saunter on, or stroll, or promenade, or walk about, or peregrinate, or hike, or mosey, or...
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
...or perambulate.
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
According to my trusty OED, "pram" (in the sense of a baby carriage) is just a vulgar and colloquial abbreviation of "perambulator". ;-)
Then you would have learned the history of both perambulator and pram are far older than their association with baby carriages in the late 19th century.
 
I call it my Stroll Across Spain. For those of my friends and family who don't understand the spirt and energy of the Camino, I call it my Boutique Vacation: eat all the lavish dinners and delicious fresh food I want; drink a bottle of wine every night; visit medieval churches, castles, monasteries; stay outside in the fresh air nearly all day; meet hundreds of new friends from all over the world and visit old friends from previous Caminos; AND lose weight in the process!
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
Going on camino: "I am going on a long walk". The family then know they will not see me for six weeks. Around the local suburbs: "I am going on a short walk". Anything from an hour to a day.

The dictionary according to me: A stroll is taking the dog out, a saunter is on a beach, a wander is what happens with small children, a hike is bushwalking.
 
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
I am trying to slow down, change my gate to allow all these body changes to occur. However, put my poles in my hands, iam off to the Races! imo.
 
I called it a saunter (also called it walkabout). Hike is a four letter word :cool:
 
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
It is a beautiful theory of the origin of the word. Unfortunately, the Oxford English Dictionary, which is pretty authoritative in matters of English etymology, does not agree. In fact, the word does not appear to go back to the middle ages. It dates to the 17th century and originally meant "to wander or travel about aimlessly or unprofitably" which, for me at least, doesn't suit pilgrimage too well.

If we want an alternative to "hike", I would humbly suggest "peregrinate", which is related in etymology to the French, Italian and Spanish verbs "to go on pilgrimage".

What, doesn't everyone keep a copy of the OED in their bedrooms to look up these things?
HA! NOT ANY MORE.....
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
It is a beautiful theory of the origin of the word. Unfortunately, the Oxford English Dictionary, which is pretty authoritative in matters of English etymology, does not agree. In fact, the word does not appear to go back to the middle ages. It dates to the 17th century and originally meant "to wander or travel about aimlessly or unprofitably" which, for me at least, doesn't suit pilgrimage too well.
What, doesn't everyone keep a copy of the OED in their bedrooms to look up these things?
Not in my bedroom, David, but I did find a secondhand micrographed 2 volume copy cheap, now on the bottom shelf.
So, confess! Are you the insane proud owner of all 20 volumes of this remarkable publication?
The typeface in my copies is so minute I need both reading glasses and a powerful magnifying glass. Easier is to photograph an entry on my iPhone then zoom in!
IMG_2933.jpeg IMG_2934.jpeg
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
The second photo is actually one quarter of a page. Sorry, I didn’t upload it in full definition.
 
Last edited:
Not in my bedroom, David, but I did find a secondhand micrographed 2 volume copy cheap, now on the bottom shelf.
So, confess! Are you the insane proud owner of all 20 volumes of this remarkable publication?
The typeface in my copies is so minute I need both reading glasses and a powerful magnifying glass. Easier is to photograph an entry on my iPhone then zoom in!
View attachment 113332 View attachment 113333
I have the two volume set with magnifying glass. I don't use the magnifying glass, though. I just take off my glasses and look real closely.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Yeah, this is what I do on the occasions I go shopping with my wife; I am thoroughly uninterested in the shopping yet thoroughly interested in being with her. I guess that makes me a situation-based saunterer.
Although, in that case your aim may be to spend time with your wife, and you may find the experience of being with her profitable (in the broad sense of the term).
 
That's the one. I don't bother with the magnifying glass, though. I just look really closely at the page.

But I must admit I am not pedant enough to put it in my backpack when I walk the Camino.
Have a version on my computer, and a link thereto on my desktop, top left.

OED has "of obscure origin".

Personally, I'd call it a long walk, a pilgrimage, and a "hike" in the French sense of a "grande rando" -- and a Camino or a Via Romea as the case may be. Not a "saunter" though ...

I don't see these senses as contradicting each other whilst on these Pilgrim Ways.
 
Could possibly be derived, via Anglo-Norman, from an Old French verb (se) senter, meaning "to absent oneself" ?
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.

Most read last week in this forum

Could I ask what may be naive question. This will be my 1st Camino and I will be mostly staying in alberques. Could you please explain the bathroom/shower etiquette to me? I have no idea what...
Do i need both these apps? I want to spend as little time my device as possible so if one app will do fine that’s my preference.
I was planning to document my journey through my blog (or Vlog, as I would probably take lots of videos). I was thinking of using my iPhone, and I ordered a foldable keyboard to facilitate typing...
I did the Norte in 2017. This set off a wild ride of changes in life - shifting many things. I am now at a new plateau and it feels like the right time to do Camino #2, this time the...
Hi to all, I'm looking for a really, really good place (an artist) to get a Tattoo in Santiago, it could be before Santiago but I presume in Santiago I will be ready to have my first one. The...
My daughter and I will be on the Portuguese on June and July starting in Lisbon. We will arrive in Porto about the 27th of June. We want to stay for three nights. Can we stay in an albergue for...

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top