A Mum Walks The Camino (And So Can You!)

Just a Mum on the Camino | Rachel Goodman
Just a Mum on the Camino | Rachel Goodman

A Mum Walks The Camino (And So Can You!)

Rachel goes from full-time mum to Camino pilgrim.

 
After motherhood, Rachel was keen for a new challenge. With no prior history of long distance walking or religious motivations, she decided to walk one of Europe's quintessential trails: the Camino de Santiago
 
Starting from St Jean du Pont in France, Rachel journeyed the 800km to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Like many others before her, she undergoes life-changing experiences and becomes a passionate Camino enthusiast. 
 
Rachel has written a book about her journey. Titled 'Just a Mum on the Camino de Santiago', it's a warts and all story about how she managed to walk the Camino de Santiago and collect her Compostela. If you'd like to buy a copy of her book, email Rachel directly or visit her Facebook page. Keep reading for Rachel's synopsis of her walk.
 
Striking a pose along the Camino de Santiago |  <i>Rachel Goodman</i> The efforts of walking the Camino pay off with the excitement you feel! |  <i>Rachel Goodman</i> Entering Spain on the Camino trail |  <i>Rachel Goodman</i>
 
 

Just a Mum on the Camino

Put down the peeler and have an adventure!
 
I am just a mum, who desperately needed an adventure.
 
I have mothered children for most of my life, and as the kids got older, I’m left wondering who I am and what to do next. Unfit and unmotivated, I somehow find myself wanting to walk 800km across Spain on a thing called the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage trail. 
 
Why? 
 
I honestly don’t know! 
 
I’m not religious. Or a long-distance walker (or short-distance either) but I just HAD to do it.
 
But to even begin to plan this epic adventure, I needed to face some stark realities about my state of fitness. 
 
I am not a sportswoman by any means and I had to train for about a year to get myself up to the challenge. I walked 3 days a week and started a regular gym routine whilst moaning and complaining about how much I hated it and loathed exercising. Not to mention the logistics of escaping mothering duties for five weeks- how was THAT gonna work??
 
At the 100km marker on the Camino de Santiago |  <i>Rachel Goodman</i>
 
So, there were a few challenges that I had to overcome but the excitement of having a real adventure and break from the daily grind of mothering was the fuel that kept me focussed on the difficult days.
 
I developed a real desire to discover who I was again with no one to look after except myself for a month. I had cared for others for so many years that I needed to find my edges and core once more. I couldn’t remember who Rachel was before I became a wife and mother. And I trusted that the Camino would reveal this for me as I walked.
 
The Camino came with its fair share of its own challenges: blisters, discovering the benefits of eating breakfast and a lesson was learned in reading guide books correctly. I found time to think about life, I questioned faith and found it while reaching the edges of my sanity.
 
So close to Santiago de Compostela |  <i>Rachel Goodman</i>
 
What the Camino gave me, in its essence, is time. Time to just get up and walk, think, rest, meditate on my life and see it from the outside. And I think this is what lies at the centre of the Camino experience and why pilgrims want to go back and keep walking. 
 
It is a simple life, pared back to its core and isn’t that what we all crave?
 

Do You Want to Walk the Camino de Santiago?

At UTracks, we offer a comprehensive range of affordable self guided and small group Camino tours. All the creature comforts are taken care of: stay in very comfortable accommodation (no dorms!), have your luggage transferred, local support if you need it. Trips depart daily and the itineraries are flexible so you can tailor your Camino to your needs. We've been helping pilgrims have genuine experiences and collect their Compostela since 2006, so please get in touch if you'd like to plan your Camino journey.
 
 
 
Another marker along the Camino de Santiago |  <i>Rachel Goodman</i> Dressing like St James on the Camino |  <i>Rachel Goodman</i> Very hot and dry along the Camino de Santiago |  <i>Rachel Goodman</i>
 

Buy the Book Now

 If you'd like to buy a copy of her book, email Rachel directly or visit her Facebook page
 
 
Comment below and tell us why you want to walk the Camino. If you've already walked it, what was your motivation?
 
Camino, Spain, Camino de Santiago, Just a Mum

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