Why blog on the VdlP Camino?

Some people have asked me and even more probably wonder why on earth do you maintain a blog while you are walking on the Camino? Why do you shoot all of these videos? Doesn’t it take up a lot of time and doesn’t it distract from the whole Camino, which, after all, should be a period of reflection, meditation, and all those good things? Well, let me explain. It is because blogging enhances my Camino.

I like to walk alone. The reason I like that is that it gives me the freedom to walk at whatever pace I want, to go wherever I want. It is a little bit selfish, perhaps, but I do not have to worry about how another person is doing physically or worry about, you know, what they might want to eat and where they want to stop and all that kind of stuff. So, it gives me sort of total freedom to do that. Actually, blogging, in a weird sort of way, gives me somebody to talk to. If you had a look at the blog from 2015 and 2016 and 2018, I very often carry a little teddy bear called Mr. Bean, and I talk to him. But Mr. Bean did not make it on this trip because I am really trying to keep the weight down, and he is an 80-gram teddy bear! Apart from Mr. Bean, I still like to do blogs and videos because it is like I have someone to share the experience with in the moment. It is a little bit like Tom Hanks talking to his football, Wilson, on Cast Away, and I find it quite therapeutic.

The other reason, purely for my benefit, is that I love to keep a really detailed record of these journeys. I actually go back and read these blogs myself. It reminds me of what it means and what experience. In this particular one, the VDLP, I don’t think I am ever going to do this again, that’s huge. It’s going to be 1,100 km for me. If I make it, it will really be a one-off. So, I would love to be able to record, not just what I saw, but what I felt and so on. That’s another reason for the blog.

And then finally, I’m sorry to put you guys last, but really the last reason is to just share with others who might be considering walking the Camino or walking this particular Camino. Not that I’m a great Camino expert, this is only my 4th Camino, but I think I’ve been very lucky in my Caminos to have had a great experience and to have avoided some of the things that can upset a Camino like blisters and stuff like that. I’m more than happy to sort of share those tips with others, so that, hopefully, your Camino can be as rich and rewarding as mine have been. Particularly on your first Camino, it’s very easy to make some rookie mistakes or get injured or something else that is going to impact your enjoyment.

That is the same reason that I do the Robscamino YouTube channel, probably couple of reasons really. One is just showing those experiences, again, it’s just my views, my opinion, but the feedback seems to be that people find them very helpful. That’s encouraging and I will keep doing that. The YouTube channel also gives me an opportunity to keep that Camino spirit alive – and myself. If you ever walked a Camino you will know your family and friends soon tire very quickly about hearing you talk about the Camino. The YouTube channel gives me the opportunity to constantly talk about it without upsetting anyone.

If you have not been over onto the YouTube channel, it is the same title as the blog here, Robscamino. And on that channel, I try to do a mix of things like, you know, there is the gear stuff, how to pick boots and bags and things like that. There are also things that other channels do not really talk about – some of the emotional stuff and spiritual stuff. So, it is a bit of a mixed bag of everything.

For now, if you’re following along on the blog, I hope you find it interesting. I hope you feel that your are on the journey with me. That’s part of it, too, that you can get a sense of what it is like being on a Camino.

Yeah, thanks for listening to my ramblings. I do like to ramble when I am walking.

This is a list of my stages.   For Dave (in comments below).