pilgrimage Archives - Books And Travel

British Pilgrimage: On This Holy Island With Oliver Smith

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What makes a place sacred, and can you find spiritual transformation without traveling thousands of miles? Why do ordinary English villages and Scottish islands continue to draw seekers from around the world? Award-winning travel writer Oliver Smith talks about British pilgrimage sites from Lindisfarne to Iona, and Walsingham to Glastonbury, and how these ancient places still draw even secular pilgrims today.

Oliver Smith is a multi award-winning travel writer and author of The Atlas of Abandoned Places, and On This Holy Island: A Modern Pilgrimage Across Britain.

The double lives of pilgrimage places, and how ordinary locations can offer transcendent experiences
Lindisfarne’s tidal causeway
The tension between commercial tourism and genuine spiritual seeking at sacred sites
Iona’s remote Scottish island setting and the challenging journey required to reach it
Walsingham’s remarkable history from medieval powerhouse to modern multicultural pilgrimage destination
Why Glastonbury might be Britain’s best pilgrimage
The philosophy of traveling deeper not further, and finding extraordinary meaning in familiar places

You can find Oli at OliverSmithTravel.com

You can find more Pilgrimage Resources here, as well as my book, Pilgrimage: Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three Ancient Ways.

To The End Of The Earth: Walking Spain’s Camino de Santiago With Bradley Chermside

Podcast

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How can a physical journey trigger profound inner change? What draws a non-religious person to undertake a Catholic pilgrimage? What happens when you encounter both the best and worst versions of yourself on the same path? Bradley Chermside, international best-selling author, entertainer, and host of the El Camino de Santiago Podcast shares his transformative journey.

You can also find my memoir, Pilgrimage, and lots of pilgrimage and Camino resources here.

Bradley Chermside is an international bestselling author, copywriter and multi-award winning singer and entertainer. He’s the host of the El Camino de Santiago Podcast, and today we’re talking about his book,The Only Way is West: A Once in a Lifetime , 500 Mile Adventure Walking Spain’s Camino de Santiago.

Life before the Camino and why walk a pilgrimage if you’re not a Christian
Spiritual and personal influences
Highlights of the Camino, and the challenges along the way
Meeting people, walking together and alone
Balancing life after Camino — and why Bradley continues to walk the routes
Recommended books

You can find Brad at BradleyChermside.com and also on the El Camino de Santiago Pilgrims Podcast.

I was also on Bradley’s Camino podcast talking about my own Camino experience here.

The Call To Pilgrimage, Resilience, And Embracing Challenge With J.F. Penn

Podcast, Religious

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Why is resilience such an important part of pilgrimage? How can embracing the challenge of the way help in daily life? Why do we need to heed the call to pilgrimage before it’s too late?

I’m Jo Frances Penn and in this episode, I share some clips from podcast interviews I’ve done around my new book, Pilgrimage: Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three Ancient Ways. Thanks to Travel Writing World with Jeremy Bassetti, Into the Woods with Holly Worton, and Sacred Steps with Kevin Donahue, podcasts you will enjoy as listeners to this show.

As this goes out, Pilgrimage is available now in a special limited edition signed hardback, as well as a paperback, ebook, audiobook narrated by me, large print edition, and a workbook.

In this episode, I talk about:

Which were the three ancient ways I walked and why they’re interesting even if you’re not religious
What I learned along the way
The three types of energy you need at the different stages
How pilgrimage reminds us we are animals, and how it gives a much-needed perspective on life.

Pilgrimage: The Perspective Of History And Glimpses Of The Divine

Podcast, Religious

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How can walking in the path of history put life in perspective? How can you find a glimpse of the divine in unexpected places?

In this episode, I share two chapters from my book, Pilgrimage: Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three Ancient Ways. You can buy the audiobook, as well as the special edition hardback, paperback and ebook, at www.JFPenn.com/pilgrimage

A Pilgrim In The Path Of History. Solo Walking The Camino De Santiago Portuguese Coastal Route With J.F. Penn

Podcast, Travel Memoir

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In September 2022, I walked the Camino de Santiago along the Portuguese Coastal route. It was around 300 kilometers from Porto in Portugal north along the coast and then inland to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, which took 14 days of back-to-back walking.

I walked alone and carried my pack with everything in it, and I organized my accommodation through Macs Adventure so I knew where I was sleeping every night. I’ve posted a day by day breakdown of the route and my gear list separately, and in this episode, I go through some of my lessons and thoughts from the Way.

JFPenn at Farolim de Felgueiras lighthouse, Porto

Show notes

How walking in the path of history puts life in perspective
If you’ve lost direction in life, pilgrimage can help
Pilgrimage proves you can do hard things, and that knowledge helps back in your daily life
A fusion of sacred and secular
The Camino is an industry — and it always has been
Your Camino, your way. Practical considerations and tips.
Why I needed these last years of walking alone across a seasonal change in my life

You’ll find additional reflections and tips in Pilgrimage: Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three Ancient Ways, out now at jfpenn.com/pilgrimage.

Walking The Camino Portuguese Coastal Route From Porto To Santiago De Compostela: Overview

Religious, Walking

In September 2022, I walked the Camino Portugues Da Costa, the coastal route, from Porto in Portugal to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. It was around 300 km in 14 days with links to each day’s walk below as well as extra decisions and packing info, as well as links to my other pilgrimage content. Bom caminho! Buen camino!

Preparation: Decisions to make, packing and gear list

Day 0: Exploring Porto, Portugal

Day 1: Porto city around the coast to Matosinhos (13km)

Day 2: Matasinhos To Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal (31km)

Day 3: Póvoa de Varzim to Esposende, Portugal (21km)

Day 4: Esposende to Viana do Castelo, Portugal (27km)

Day 5: Viana do Castelo to Vila Praia de Ancora, Portugal (19km)

pilgrimage

How can walking in the path of history put life in perspective? How can you find a glimpse of the divine in unexpected places?

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