About Me

I walked the Camino. It changed my life.

Pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago

In 2013 we I took a holiday in Northern Spain. I kept seeing hikers which I thought odd; Spain is glorious so why hike beside a road? Gerry called them ‘shellers’ but they were pilgrims. I watched through the window as we drove. By Leon I was curious and by the coast I was committed. I was going to walk the Camino. I sat on a beach not far from Finisterre and my hand rested on a shell. It’s the shell that Gerry presented me with on the steps of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela after finishing my 800 kilometre hike across Spain.

Pre Camino Colleen

I was never a natural hiker. I have no idea why I decided that walking 800 kilometres across Spain would be the right challenge for me but nonetheless I did. I’d had cancer and I’d recovered.  I was drawn to the Camino like a moth to a flame.  I told my husband that I would tell no-one but I told everyone.  Once I’d decided that I was going to walk I had absolutely no doubt that I would finish. 

Walking The Camino Was The Beginning

I’ve continued to walk at least one Camino every year since that first walk and when I’m not walking I’m planning my next walk. 

I was named International Woman of the Year twice in France for my walking and I’ve given presentations and speeches about those journeys.  I’m a regular contributor and speaker with the Camino Confidence group and the International Camino de Santiago forum.  I’m trying to write a book about my incredible 1000 kilometre trek from Seville but walking and travel gets in the way.  I have a walking club in France, I’m a walking guide, I’ve trained with the British Mountaineering Accredited Leader courses and I’ve escorted many many groups along the Camino de Santiago in Spain and Portugal.

I’ve Walked Thousands of Camino Kilometres

I’ve walked the Camino Frances many times, alone and with groups. I walked from Seville to Santiago on the Via de la Plata, I walked the Camino Sanabres, the Camino Primitivo, the Camino Del Norte, the Camino Aragones, the Camino Lebaniego, the Camino Portuguese Central and the Camino Portuguese Coastal several times, and the Variente Espiritual. I’ve walked parts of the Camino Vezeley in France and parts of Le Puy and Chemin d’Arles too and we walked part of the Rota Vicentina in Portugal until a fall forced an early stop. Further afield I try to find walks where ever we go be that Jordan, Cambodia, or the USA !

I kept a blog since my first Camino and I love the process of writing at the end of a day.  Friends and strangers alike read my blog and as we continue our journey of walking around the world, I hope like-minded folk will find something useful or entertaining within these pages. In time I’ll add not just my own walking journals but resources and information about each Camino I’ve walked, where I stay, what to pack, where to find great information, what to eat and I’ll share with you the tools to help you plan your own walk.