Living on the camino/long term pilgrimage

[Travellingman]

I seem to recall reading somewhere on here about a ?Polish? woman who'd walked/wild camped the caminos for years and years.
On my walks I have seen others who are apparently doing some kind of long term/permanent walk - any of you seen/heard/know about anyone who has done/ doing similar stuff?
I have a yen to walk a really long distance camino, wild camping, months on end.....

 

[mspath]

Your dream long term walk in Europe would be no problem IF
you are resident of a Schengen country. If not the usual visa for travel is 3 months. See this earlier Forum thread for more info. https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/schengen-visa-issues.11321/

Good luck with your plans!

 

[Travellingman]

Yes, I'm European resident, Schengen is least of my worries!!
Just hoping for some horse's mouth experience, is all.
I mean, it's like all these "secret" lifestyles: ie, the monastery at Lluc on Mallorca has some long term rental apartments - how do people get one of these?

 

[Ekelund]

When I was walking the CP in 2014 I met a Dutch man who had walked for four months. He had walked from somewhere in France and continued on the Frances to Finisterra and then he did the Portugese from SdeC to Lisbon where he was meeting his daughter. He told me that meeting his daughter would help him to stop walking and go back to the Nederlands. He was having a lovely time and did not really want it to stop but he had to. I think some people just have an urge to walk and walk and not stop again. I have not met or heard of people doing it for years.
I do not know where your are from but you can start your walk in the very north of Norway and walk all the way to Santiago and spend the better part of a year doing that.

 

[mspath]

Last October while walking towards El Acebo slowly from the distant horizon appeared a figure walking towards me; tall, tanned, wearing a beret and bearing packs on both his chest and back he strode smoothly along. When I said "Hola" he graciously greeted me in several languages and explained that early in summer he had walked from his home in Germany down to Saint Jean Pied de Port and on to Santiago. Now he was walking back towards southern France, Italy and eventually Rome. What an itinerary! What determination!

After a short pause sitting on a rock while sharing a few cookies as well as several camino confidences we shook hands and sincerely wished each other Ultreia and Adieu. Each of us moved towards our different horizons but strangers no more. ...He to continue his long distance way and I to go only a short distance further.

 

[AJ]

I met a Belgian man on the Voie de Vezelay who was on his way home having walked 11 months. He was in poor physical condition and totally @#$%ed in the head.

The most I have done is 4 months and that was enough for me. YMMV

 

[Travellingman]

Yes, I've often wondered about those walkers coming towards me when en route to SdC - are they on a marathon trek, returning from Santiago,going home to some far off country? I wish I'd had the nerve to stop and ask them....

 

[oursonpolaire]

Years and years ago in Ruesta on the Aragonese, I met a Frenchwoman who had walked from Paris to Santiago, then to Seville, then back to Santiago, and was walking back to Paris via the Aragonese & eventually Pau and then north. She told me that she felt she wanted to do this, but had decided that she was really quite tired of walking and now wanted to go home. She did not say anything about her motives.

 

[Kiwi-family]

http://www.longdistancewalks.com/
http://www.davekunst.com/
http://www.westward-productions.com/bushby

 

[Albertagirl]

I met one Frenchman named Marcel who was living on the camino. I met him first at Foncebadon, at the Monte Irago albergue, where he had been staying for a while. I met him again at the La Faba albergue on the hill going up to O'Cebreiro, where he appeared to be helping out in return for a place in the albergue. As far as I could see, he was a kind of wandering unofficial hospitalero.

 

[lovingkindness]

...in an obscure corner of a courtyard at La Verna Sanctuary (Arezzo province), Italy one might see a headstone for a pilgrim. For many years he wandered Europe and seems to have been friendly with the Brothers. I think he died there...

We all 'live' on the camino...

 

[Anniesantiago]

I met a young woman while I was walking the VDLP.
She and her dog had "lived" on the Camino for several years.

 

[marbuck]

While walking to Santiago in 2014 we uncounted several people walking the other way. They were all a bit strange so if this is what happens when you spend too long walking Camino's, I think I will stay at doing one a year.

 

[Devon Mike]

In 2014 I came across a German guy on the Camino Frances who was a homeless, recovering drug and alcohol addict. He was living his life on the Camino with his dog, living rough and relying on donations. We chatted over a coffee. I hope he has found his Way now.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

There are plenty of people doing that at any particular moment. Most of the hardcore wanderers don't stick to official caminos, except those who depend on the donativo albergues for shelter. We see the same few guys here over and over as they go back and forth. Over time some of them are shifting out of the "pilgrim" category and into "homeless," or "hobo."

 

[David]

Yes, I'm European resident, Schengen is least of my worries!!
Just hoping for some horse's mouth experience, is all.
I mean, it's like all these "secret" lifestyles: ie, the monastery at Lluc on Mallorca has some long term rental apartments - how do people get one of these?

Hello Travellingman. There are no 'secret' lifestyles. If you want to stay at a monastery just get in touch and ask them. Or go there, knock on the door and tell them you will do any work there for food and a bed - they will expect you to go to all services.
As for how do people get to stay at the LLuc Sanctuary on Mallorca - well, a two second Google search will show you this gateway, just book and hand over your money http://www.lluc.net/eng/ -
But! - I know of one monastery right on the Camino that when I was last there had just a Prior and one monk. They had an absolutely huge but completely unused walled kitchen garden. They might not know it but they desperately need a live-in volunteer to rejuvenate it, bring it back to productive life.
There are more nearly empty monasteries on or near the Caminos! There are also cell apartments at Montserrat near Barcelona, but they aren't too cheap; though they do have a tiny primitive campsite too.
The Camino is there for all, and that includes you - if you stroll along with your pilgrim passport you are just another pilgrim ... you may find it difficult unless you stay within certain cultural norms - turning up wild and hairy and dirty from wild camping for too long might make things a little difficult, to say the least

The Camino grapevine is pretty efficient and non-needy beggars are talked about - so, how do you intend to finance your long term outing? Do you have regular small income to keep you as you go along or do you have a skill you could busk with? etc etc

I have met a few walking back along the way - of the ones I have met they seemed to be 50% confident pilgrims and the other 50% scrambled eggs for brains sad people.

As for 'doing it' - just go and do it

 

[mla1]

A few years ago there was lots of media coverage here, in Canada, about a man from Montreal who had walked around the world for 11 years. http://wwwalk.org/en/

More famously, an American woman known as Peace Pilgrim walked from 1953 to 1981 on a "personal pilgrimage for peace". You can read about her here and download a pdf of a short book about her life: http://www.peacepilgrim.com/

And then for current blogs about really long pilgrimages - you could look up "winter pilgrim," a woman named Ann Sieben who has done some incredible pilgrimages around the world - including in South and Central and North America. She has done her most recent walks without money.

You can find an article about her here: https://adamweymouth.atavist.com/winter-pilgrim

There is a previous thread about her on the forum: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/ann-sieben-winter-pilgrim.8240/

And her incredible blog is here: http://winterpilgrim.blogspot.ca/

She is currently on a pilgrimage from Denver, Colorado in the United States, walking north, crossing the border into Canada at the Great Lakes, where she will walk east to the Atlantic Ocean. As of yesterday she had walked 3475 km. And it is worth noting that the temperature here in Ontario, for the past few days has been between minus 20 and minus 30 C.

Mary Louise

 

[oursonpolaire]

Anna is was supposed to be walking through Ottawa today but there has been a cold weather warning for the last two days (-40°C with wind chill) so she might have wisely holed up for a while.

 

[mla1]

Here is an interview with Ann, in French, conducted by a pilgrim group in Quebec. Partway down the page there is a video of an interview with her that has been translated into Spanish and then further down the page there is a video clip of her in English.
http://bottesetvelo.com/blog/tag/ann-sieben/

 

[Skandinaviangirl]

I'm sorry if I'm ruining the inspiring thoughts, but I have actually been thinking about this a lot before..
But how can they afford walking for months or years?

 

[Mark Lee]

I'm sorry if I'm ruining the inspiring thoughts, but I have actually been thinking about this a lot before..
But how can they afford walking for months or years?

I'm sure there are those of them that are well off financially, but just a wee bit eccentric.
There are others whom I'm sure just depend upon the kindness of strangers. Panhandle a dollar or meal here or there. A place to sleep in exchange for some work, etc.

 

[Mark Lee]

While walking to Santiago in 2014 we uncounted several people walking the other way. They were all a bit strange so if this is what happens when you spend too long walking Camino's, I think I will stay at doing one a year.

Yeah, saw a few of them myself. A couple of them seemed to have morphed over from the eccentric into the just plain crazy category.

 

[Tincatinker]

Take a couple of Pilgrims...
One has grabbed the time out from a rewarding career, or a busy retirement or is in a 'Gap'. They've got a cell or a smart-phone to stay in touch with their loving family / kids / net-family. They've got some cash in their pockets, and some in the bank, and a credit card (just in case). Their travel / health insurance will cover them if 'something' happens and any-way it won't. They've got the app or the guidebook and they're going to Santiago - a pilgrim with love and hope in their heart.

The other hasn't had a job since, when? They kind of lost touch with family a long time ago. Dad was always a cipher, Mum died or just didn't come home one day. The wife and the kids and the dog and the social worker and the bailiffs just got to be too much. There isn't really anyone to stay in touch with. They've got some cash in their pockets, some days. They just have to suck it up if 'something' happens and it often does. They know the road to Santiago, and to Fatima and to Lourdes and to the very end-of-the-world and that is where they are going - a pilgrim with hope in their heart.

Living on 'the Road' is easy. Choosing to live on the road and understanding why you made those choices is probably harder. Choosing to get off again is easy too, but doing it. Now there is a challenge.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

There are plenty of people doing that at any particular moment. Most of the hardcore wanderers don't stick to official caminos, except those who depend on the donativo albergues for shelter. We see the same few guys here over and over as they go back and forth. Over time some of them are shifting out of the "pilgrim" category and into "homeless," or "hobo."

Rebekah, how interesting. Is there a common story, thread, of this "progression" from pilgrim to homeless that you can think of?

 

[Damien Reynolds]

I wonder if maybe I could make a living writing books or something along the way. Or maybe I could start a travel company. 10 years ago this would have been a wild dream... Oh well, tomorrow I will wake up again and do the 8 to 5.

I have already decided, that in 3 years, I will take a leave of absence and spend 90 days on the way. I figure that isn't enough time to go crazy.

 

[HeidiL]

My husband and I have been talking about going for some really long walks in 15-17 years or so, when we're pensioners, We will then have a steady income, depending on exchange rates, of course, and possibly we could rent out our flat in Oslo for some months while we're walking.

We, too, met some people who lived on the Camino full time, and that is not a lifestyle I could imagine choosing. Some of them seemed to have lost everything in life, and were of varying levels of sanity.

 

[rappahannock_rev]

I had the thought more than once that, with a little cash and some thoughtful preparation, a man on the run could 'disappear' on/into the Camino for a very long time indeed - hiding in plain sight.

(Forgive my thinking that way, but I have occasionally dealt professionally with, ahem, men on the run.)

 

[Tincatinker]

In my itinerant days I remained invisible as long as I kept moving, or working. If I landed work I was welcome to the shed, barn or camping spot. When the work ran out so did the welcome. If I was moving, passing through, then I received little attention. No one wanted to know my name, my back-story, my needs: no one paid any heed at all other than to ensure I kept moving.

I still remember the sudden kindness, and sometimes even the faces, of strangers who gave me food, cash, shelter or even just acknowledged my existence with a smile rather than a flat suspicious stare.

The OP has a yen to take a really long walk. I hope he does. I just hope he doesn't get lost to the road. As a child I was taught that the more you leave behind the less you have to return to.

 

[Rob the Slob]

I had the thought more than once that, with a little cash and some thoughtful preparation, a man on the run could 'disappear' on/into the Camino for a very long time indeed - hiding in plain sight.

(Forgive my thinking that way, but I have occasionally dealt professionally with, ahem, men on the run.)

They caught a wanted criminal on the Appalachian Trail a while ago, I see to recall.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

The men (and they are always men, in my experience) who live on the camino are not insane. They are wily, though, and tough as nails. One in particular comes to mind, he's been stopping here periodically for six years. Every time he has a longer beard and fewer teeth, he stays longer, does nothing to help out, and has come to expect us to give him money to send him on his way. He used to be a "gentleman of the road," but now he's turning into a freeloading pain in the --s.
I think the difference between a "permanent pilgrim" and a hobo is his willingness to work, and his level of expectation.

I feel guilty about resenting him. I m a Christian, and should treat him like I would treat Christ himself, with dignity and generosity and without judgement.

The other long-term travelers are just like regular pilgrims; some are great, some are just what they are.

 

[lovingkindness]

...In some parts of Europe it appears to be common for a pilgrim to leave home without money and food, carrying little. Perhaps it is even expected of him/her. Last year, as I was following caminos from Slovenia on through Poland I met a number of pilgrims living like this. One said that as he walks from village to village he trusts that he will discover the love which God has for him through the goodness and compassion which others show him. He was heading to Santiago d C. My own experiences were curious.

In Poland when I asked if there was work which I might do as an act of appreciation for hospitality shown, one Priest said, I do not understand why you are offering. Here in Poland we have a saying. ‘When a guest comes into the house God comes into the house.’ We do not expect a guest or God to work for us. Besides, if I accept your offer what message would I be sending the village folk about hospitality, that it must be earnt? A pilgrim is a guest.’ I replied, ‘Coming from the West I have a different understanding. I have been taught that a pilgrim is a servant not a guest, someone who comes into a community to help and bless. Besides, I like to work’

In Slovenia one day, as I was passing an elderly woman shouted ‘Kristus, Kristus’, then dragged me into her house, sat me at the table and within minutes provided a feast. In another village when I offered a donativo for shelter the local priest took the money and threw it on the floor. He looked furious. I wondered what I had done wrong. The following morning as I was about to leave the Priest prayed a blessing over me then handed me 50 euros. I felt mightily perplexed. Did he expect me to throw the money back at him or on the floor as he had? I really wasn’t sure. In the end I bowed low then raised my hands and shouted, Hallelujah! Thank you! And he shouted, Hallelujah!, too. We parted laughing…

 

[Rebekah Scott]

wonderful experience, Lovingkindness! This is what I wish for, or envision.
I walked my first bits of Camino Frances in 1993, and was greeted with glasses of vino and great kindness in parts of Leon and Galicia. There were few pilgrims, so the people on The Way didn't feel overrun or ill-used.
The same stretches of pathway nowadays are lined with Coke machines and Casas Rurales. There are hundreds of thousands of pilgrims passing every year. I wonder what effect the crowds of tourists and pilgrims and "gentlemen of the road" would have on the kind people of Poland and Slovenia?

 

[lovingkindness]

... I wonder what effect the crowds of tourists and pilgrims and "gentlemen of the road" would have on the kind people of Poland and Slovenia?

…in Poland I sometimes heard it said that to be Polish is to be a pilgrim. Whether you are a catholic, an atheist or an activist/politician, walking or cycling to the Black Madonna at Chestahowa is a rite of passage. During the Communist era this was forbidden. Individuals did make their way there, though in secret.

Today in the months of July and August thousands of pilgrims converge on Chestahowa. In many villages which I passed through young people were preparing. Groups of 20 or so set off on foot or bicycles following dusty drogis and local roads for a couple of weeks. It is a time of celebration. In the villages which the pilgrims pass through the locals are waiting, often preparing a feast. As the end of a day approaches a couple of pilgrims are sent on ahead to announce the group’s arrival. They door knock and scout about until everyone has a place to sleep. Then when the group arrives it is Fiesta! or the Polish equivalent.

Lednica is another such place in Poland. It is just before Gniezno on the Wielkopolska Droga Sw Jakuba. As for Slovenia not only are there fantastic national trails there are a variety of pilgrimage trails: the Jakobova Pot; the via Sancti Martini, the Jerusalem Way; The Hemma Pilgrimage trail and The Marian Trail. In some places there are so many pilgrimage signs on a post it is confusing...

 

[Anemone del Camino]

@Rebekah Scott , regreting yor choice as things change?

 

[lovingkindness]

...ps... Hi there, Travellingman. Greetings from one of the horses

 

[Kanga]

Those who wander permanently remind me of Janis Joplin's words: "freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose"...,

 

[Alan Pearce]

Those who wander permanently remind me of Janis Joplin's words: "freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose"...,

Or even Kris Kristoffersons'- [smile]

Alan

Be brave. Life is joyous

 

[Kanga]

Ah yes Alan - he did write it. But he says he now always associates it with Janis.

 

[lovingkindness]

...nothing left to lose
everything else to gain...

 

[lovingkindness]

..... There are hundreds of thousands of pilgrims passing every year. I wonder what effect the crowds of tourists and pilgrims and "gentlemen of the road" would have on the kind people of Poland and Slovenia?

Rebekah, hello again. What I meant to say yesterday but forgot is that in Poland they are already experiencing this. Vast numbers of pilgrims converge at Chestahowa and in places like Lednica. Along the Drogi św Jakuba, though, it is not like this. The drogi/caminos to Santiago d C have only recently been signed -about 10 years ago, I think. Traditionally the Polish pilgrims travel in groups. It was still unusual in the villages I passed through for a solo pilgrim to appear....

I haven't been to Chestahowa yet and when I arrived in Lednica it was empty. Pilgrims arrive there in June so I only know what others told me...

...as for Slovenia, in April/May when I walked I met only one pilgrim group and a couple. The Jakobova Pot is still being developed. Perhaps the EPW will be the trail which draws in crowds.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Anemone, I have no regrets at all. Coming here to live is the best decision I ever made. I cannot imagine living anywhere else.

 

[Lynda t]

In 2010 I met a Frenchman named Louis with his dog Johnny. They seemed well known on the Camino. I wondered about Louis' past and what had caused him to walk for so long. He seemed to sleep in church door ways . I think people donated food for the dog. The dog looked well fed and cared for. Louis was a bit dishevelled and probably needed the offer of a shower. I wish them well.

 

[lovingkindness]

...as I was passing by one day I met a Danish theologian. He said that since ancient times there have been spiritual folk who have walked from village to village. Not only in the Judeo/Christian tradition but also in others eg. the Sadhus of India and the walking Buddhists. Most walk with little or nothing… He said that in early Christendom there were two types of believers with an apostolic calling, those who stayed at home and those who were ‘sent out’ or ‘went out’, (I’ve forgotten which one. There might be a difference). Those who stayed welcomed & sheltered those who were sent…or something like that.

Somebody else along the way suggested I read the writings of Eusebius of Caeseria, a 4th century Roman historian. They thought that my experiences in Poland and Slovenia might have had something to do with this:

On wandering apostles Eusebius wrote, ‘but let every apostle that cometh unto you be received as the Lord. And he shall stay one day, and if need be, the next also, but, if he stay three he is a false prophet. And when the apostle goeth forth, let him take nothing save bread, till he reach his lodging, but if he asks money, he is a false prophet… ‘The New Eusebius’ 1987, page 11:3-6.

Of course not every pilgrim out there is an apostle or prophet nor are they necessarily a believer in g/God or a religieuse in some form or persuasion. What is marvellous, though, is the great freedom we have at this time here in Europe to walk, regardless. And whilst we might not all be pondering Life’s meaning as we go or consciously trying to be a blessing, it seems to me that the pilgrim fulfils a very important function –even the ones who walk with dogs, sleep on church porches and are insane. We pose a challenge: Will the ones we meet along the way respond to our need with trust and compassion or will they be afraid/fed up/perhaps angry and say, No. Please go away. Walk on to the next village….

 

[Galuh]

Walking the Dog (Rolling Stones)

 

[Mark Lee]

[QUOTE="l We pose a challenge: Will the ones we meet along the way respond to our need with trust and compassion or will they be afraid/fed up/perhaps angry and say, No. Please go away. Walk on to the next village….[/QUOTE]
I suppose that all depends on how bad they smell.....

 

[lovingkindness]

...in my dreams
a washing machine...

 

[Victoria_Peregrina]

Last year, as I was following caminos from Slovenia on through Poland I met a number of pilgrims living like this. One said that as he walks from village to village he trusts that he will discover the love which God has for him through the goodness and compassion which others show him. He was heading to Santiago d C. My own experiences were curious.

When I have reached Santiago in May 2015, I stayed at Seminario Menor. In the dining room I met a Polish man who walked several thousand kilometers for several months, starting at his home. He walked without money and with no knowledge of Spanish or English. Churches and kind people gave him shelter and food.

 

[lovingkindness]

When I have reached Santiago in May 2015, I stayed at Seminario Menor. In the dining room I met a Polish man who walked several thousand kilometers for several months, starting at his home. He walked without money and with no knowledge of Spanish or English. Churches and kind people gave him shelter and food.

I wonder what he did next....

 

[koilife]

The men (and they are always men, in my experience) who live on the camino are not insane. They are wily, though, and tough as nails. One in particular comes to mind, he's been stopping here periodically for six years. Every time he has a longer beard and fewer teeth, he stays longer, does nothing to help out, and has come to expect us to give him money to send him on his way. He used to be a "gentleman of the road," but now he's turning into a freeloading pain in the --s.
I think the difference between a "permanent pilgrim" and a hobo is his willingness to work, and his level of expectation.

I feel guilty about resenting him. I m a Christian, and should treat him like I would treat Christ himself, with dignity and generosity and without judgement.

The other long-term travelers are just like regular pilgrims; some are great, some are just what they are.

That internal conflict has deep roots, and long answers.

2 Th 3:10–13 --- If any one will not work, let him not eat. For we hear that some of you are walking in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work in quietness and to earn their own living. Brethren, do not be weary in well-doing.