WHY WE KEEP COMING BACK TO THE CAMINO: A PILGRIM’S REFLECTION AFTER 5,000km.
I’m standing on a train platform in Mérida, southern Spain. The high-speed train to Madrid pulls in, shunting out the bustle of platform one. People shift quickly: some are clearly on business, rolling sleek suitcases behind them; others have the anxious energy of travellers unsure of where they’re going next. Phones are out. Messages are being checked. Mental to-do lists are being written before the train has even stopped.
Over on platform three, I’m still. My backpack leans against my leg, heavy with the habits of the past three weeks. My hiking shoes are no longer on my feet – a strange feeling, as if something is missing – but instead, they dangle from my bag, mud-caked and split at the seams. They’ve walked over 600km from Almería to Mérida. They’ve waded through dust and dew, survived river crossings and mountain scree, and I suspect they’ve absorbed enough odour to warrant an environmental warning. But I’m fond of them.
As I survey the crowds, I realise that I feel different. Different to the “me” who landed in Spain three weeks a go. More tan, leaner, certainly more tired. But there’s a mental shift too – my thoughts are clearer, my shoulders less tense. Modern life around me feels somehow overwhelming and I long to retreat back to my safe place. Following the arrows with a methodical “thud thud” of my feet. or tucking into my sleeping bag in a bunk bed.
This isn’t our first Camino. Over the past few years, my partner and I have walked more than 5,000 kilometres across Spain. Each time, we’ve returned with sore feet and fond memories. And each time, we’ve asked ourselves the same question: why do we keep doing this?
Here’s what I’ve come to understand.
1/ The bunk bed effect
There’s something oddly comforting about bunk beds. When else, as an adult, do you climb into a top bunk, zip up a sleeping bag, and drift off to the sounds of others rustling below? It’s a return to childhood in some small way – stripped-back, simple.
The Camino often asks you to abandon comfort and luxury, and somehow that makes sleep feel more satisfying. There’s no fancy smelling sheets or memory foam mattress, but after 25 kilometres of walking, you don’t need them.
2/ Communal Living
Modern life rarely requires us to share with strangers. On the Camino, you do it daily – rooms, meals, early morning routines. At first, it’s awkward. But quickly, it becomes part of the rhythm. There’s something grounding about hearing someone else snore, or brewing coffee while a stranger laces up their boots.
It reminds you that life doesn’t need to be private or polished all the time. And crucially, that we are all part of the bigger picture.
3/ Basic needs
On the Camino, decisions are distilled to the essentials: how far to walk, when to rest, what to eat. That’s it. There’s a quiet relief in stepping away from the complexity of daily life.
You don’t worry about your inbox or your online grocery order. Your concerns are immediate and physical – blisters, weather, hunger. In this simplicity, there’s space to think clearly.
4/ Yellow arrows
One of the Camino’s simplest pleasures: follow the arrows. Painted on trees, buildings, rocks, and road signs, they guide you onwards. It’s hard to get truly lost, and in a deeper sense, they offer something rare – a clear sense of direction.
5/ The Beauty and Breadth of Spain
Spain is never one-note. Every Camino route reveals something different. The dry red earth of Andalucía, the lush green hills of Galicia, the big skies of Extremadura. Each province feels like its own country. And always, there’s food: hearty menú del día lunches, pastries from a village bakery, cold beers on plastic chairs outside corner bars.
6/ Becoming a Pilgrim
I must admit, on my first Camino the idea of being called a “pilgrim” or “peregrino” didn’t quite sit that comfortably with me. I didn’t really feel worthy of the name, or somehow it felt at odds with what I was doing. But, the more I’ve walked, the more I’ve understood it and the less I’ve feared it.
The word peregrino carries a quiet dignity. It doesn’t matter if you started for religious reasons or not. Somewhere along the way, walking becomes a kind of practice – slow, deliberate, thoughtful.
People greet you with warmth: Buen Camino! A nod, a smile, an understanding. You’re part of something older than yourself. And that sense of belonging – however temporary – is powerful.
7/ The Allure of Minimalism
Everything you need fits into one backpack. Clothes, sleeping bag, toothbrush. That’s it. And with each passing day, you realise how little you miss the rest. There’s a freedom in carrying your life on your back – not just physically, but emotionally. The weight of “stuff” falls away. What matters most becomes clearer.
And for me, I love to contemplate the thought that “if this was all I had in the world, I’d be OK.”
8/ Disconnection, in a Good Way
On the Camino, you can choose how little or how much you want to be connected to the outside world through your mobile phone.
Many pilgrims walk with their phones switched off, or at least in airplane mode. You tune into the landscape instead: the sound of your footsteps, birdsong, the crunch of gravel.
And when you do connect – to let loved ones know you’re safe – it’s more intentional, more meaningful.
9/ Meeting good folk
One of the great gifts of the Camino is the people. Not just fellow walkers, but locals, hospitaleros, café owners in quiet towns. Conversations range from the mundane to the profound. You share food, stories, injuries, laughter. And occasionally, a few minutes with someone can stay with you for years.
10/ The personal challenge
I am yet to walk a Camino that hasn’t challenged me in some way.
No Camino is without challenge, whatever your fitness levels. For some, it’s physical: a persistent blister, a twisted knee, the relentless afternoon heat. For others, it’s mental: boredom, fatigue, fear.
I’ve had days where I’ve cried from pain, or silently cursed at the terrain. And then there’s the bad sleep, or hunger pangs. But always, something shifts. You adapt. You keep walking. And that’s where the growth happens.
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Written by Emma
Wine Lover. Yogi. Hiker. Writer.
British travel writer and long-distance hiker, native to Kent. Emma has walked the Camino de Santiago more than ten times, completed trails across Europe from the Corfu Trail to the Fisherman’s Trail, and covered thousands of kilometres on foot. She always writes from first-hand experience. Her goal? Inspire just one person to go on their first long-distance hike.
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