Sauntering to Santiago: The Camino de Santiago for Slow Walkers

Just finished Sauntering with the some of the same exhilaration that the authors must have felt on reaching Santiago at the end of their first Camino. I say “authors” because Cline makes clear that the trip was a joint project with his wife, Bina, who is credited with the photos and copy-editing. Sauntering is full of explanations of words, photos, symbols, architecture, food, festivals, etc. One of the wonders of this Camino is the note-taking along the way and the research during and after that must have been required. On one level, Sauntering is a good yarn about a 200-mile hike through multiple, subnational foreign cultures. On another level, the book illustrates that without addressing the spiritual aspect, the trip — and the book — would be incomplete. The author bridges the two journeys with enough attention to detail to make each real for a reader. The physical deals not only with changing hotel reservations and rearranging luggage transfer between towns. It tackles blister avoidance, backpack choices, shoes, travel-clothing fabric, meals for a diabetic and what peregrinos resort to when there’s no toilet for long stretches. Cline names names, and he arms anyone considering a similar Camino route with recommendations for room booking, luggage transfers, taxi vs. Uber anecdotes, smartphone directions app, a particularly helpful Camino website and more. Meanwhile, the spiritual shows up powerfully in descriptions of tradition, such as festivals, and art, including painting and sculpture. The goal of the journey, after all, is the town where a pope has certified that the remains of St. James are buried. You don’t have to believe in gods or the legend of St. James to appreciate the added dimension that such belief adds to a journey such as this one. Cline walks the line between the sacred and secular gracefully, with a religious adherence to respect for the perspectives on each side of that line.

I've been thinking about walking the Camino after several friends have done it in the last couple of years. I checked out other books but most of them were written by people much younger than myself. This book targeted my age range and I was absolutely delighted by the story. The author is very detailed in exactly what to expect on this journey, and gives many helpful hints about how to organize the trip and how to access apps that will give you pertinent information all along the way. I particularly liked the personal observations that were shared as well as some of the historical elements about the Camino, its various routes, and its significance as a deeply personal and spiritual journey. This was a delightful account that should be read by all age groups, but is particularly helpful for those of us who are over fifty who want to have this experience.

This was the strangest book on the Camino I have ever read and believe me I have read a lot of them. This couple spent more time in trains and taxis and Ubers than any pilgrims I have ever read about. They also concocted this strange travel system. They turned a Camino walk into a logistical nightmare which would have NASA scratching their heads. Here’s how it worked....renting a room in Porto, Portugal, and using it as their “base”, leaving from it and returning to it each day via a combo of metro, train cab or Uber. After returning to Porto each night they resumed their trek the next day via the same elaborate logistical system to travel further from base each day. This system allowed them technically to “walk” each part of the Camino. It was expensive and it added three and four hours of additional multi modal travel and cost to each day, which was crazy. The author also continued to talk about apps on “smart phones” and cameras on “smart phones” as if smart phones have been invented yesterday. (We know where they are used) I even found myself flipping back to the front of the page to figure out when exactly this book was published thinking it might’ve been in the very early 2000’s when smart phones began to appear. I think this couple and I could travel about a day and a half together before killing each other. Waaay too anal for me. His preplanned logistics exceeded NASA going to the moon. I don’t think they ever actually enjoyed just sauntering along as their title suggested they were so consumed with catching a metro train bus or Uber back to base camp. Very odd book. All this planning with only 3 pairs of underwear. Go figure...

It is good the see an account of walking the Camino that does not involve walking the route at breakneck speed, ignoring all the beauty on the way. The book is also well written and well edited. It was also great to see a Camino route starting from Portugal instead of France. --- Taking away one star, because the 'sauntering' often involved breaking up a long walk into many sections, and taking a taxi to and from the starting points, and having the luggage transported point to point by a travel company. While there is nothing wrong with this (I cannot judge how someone chooses to complete the Camino), I felt it detracted from the overall Camino experience of walking point to point, and could only be afforded by someone who had extra cash to spare. I was also sad to see almost no interaction with other pilgrims mentioned in the book, which has been the highlight of other Camino books I've read so far.

This was the right book at the right time for me. I intend to walk the Camino Portuguese next year and am still debating on which route I want to take through Portugal. I am thinking of starting from Porto, take the coastal route and then find Arco. I think I will start sometime in September or early October. I'll check the chat rooms for ideas. BTW, thanks for the links to the apps & other media.

An excellent job by the author in pulling together the pre trip thoughts on equipment and planning, and marrying that with the daily handling of those many (sometimes trivial) matters that require attention immediately. He also captured the process of self reflection while executing the walk, closely with his wife. Their journey on a less traveled route to Santiago was seamless in its execution in spite of daily challenges. Well done!!

In an attempt to learn more about the Camino, I read this book after first reading a guide book on the subject. I feel "Sauntering" contained far too much detail to make it interesting and readable. I wasn't interested in what they had for lunch. I found the book and the way they chose to walk the Camino very tedious.

Very entertaining, and will certainly be very useful for when the wife and I go on our camino in 2 week’s time, though on the camino frances. We will certainly pick up on the lessons learned from the authors’ experiences. Glad I read this before going on our camino.

Sauntering is a must read for anyone in my age group (I am 74) who is thinking about hiking the Camino but who is wondering “Can I do it?” Kenneth Cline’s account of his and Bina’s (his wife) two hundred mile hike starts with the seminal question, “Can we do it?” With a realistic summary of their physical limitations and their personal preferences, they set modest goals for themselves- not too many miles each day. Cline provides detailed information about the range of services available to hikers, all the way from roughing it in hostels, to having your luggage transported from lodging to lodging so you don’t have to carry it on your back. Cline is obviously a meticulous researcher and from my perspective has covered all the questions I would have if were planning such an adventure. The book is sprinkled with personal reflections and colorful descriptions of local people, places, and events they encountered along the way. A useful and entertaining read for anyone considering hiking the Camino.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It is well written and easy to read. Although walking almost 300 miles of the Camino is no "walkl in the park," this book demonstrates that it is possible for people of any age with the right plan and preparation. I walked the Camino Portugues at the end of September 2018 at the age of 71. I did not meet the author or his wife. I am also writing a book about my experience. This book, besides being an enjoyable read, imparts a lot of good information. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for an alternative way to walk the Camino. The infrastructure is in place to make it possible.

Just finished Sauntering with the some of the same exhilaration that the authors must have felt on reaching Santiago at the end of their first Camino. I say “authors” because Cline makes clear that the trip was a joint project with his wife, Bina, who is credited with the photos and copy-editing. Sauntering is full of explanations of words, photos, symbols, architecture, food, festivals, etc. One of the wonders of this Camino is the note-taking along the way and the research during and after that must have been required. On one level, Sauntering is a good yarn about a 200-mile hike through multiple, subnational foreign cultures. On another level, the book illustrates that without addressing the spiritual aspect, the trip — and the book — would be incomplete. The author bridges the two journeys with enough attention to detail to make each real for a reader. The physical deals not only with changing hotel reservations and rearranging luggage transfer between towns. It tackles blister avoidance, backpack choices, shoes, travel-clothing fabric, meals for a diabetic and what peregrinos resort to when there’s no toilet for long stretches. Cline names names, and he arms anyone considering a similar Camino route with recommendations for room booking, luggage transfers, taxi vs. Uber anecdotes, smartphone directions app, a particularly helpful Camino website and more. Meanwhile, the spiritual shows up powerfully in descriptions of tradition, such as festivals, and art, including painting and sculpture. The goal of the journey, after all, is the town where a pope has certified that the remains of St. James are buried. You don’t have to believe in gods or the legend of St. James to appreciate the added dimension that such belief adds to a journey such as this one. Cline walks the line between the sacred and secular gracefully, with a religious adherence to respect for the perspectives on each side of that line.

I've been thinking about walking the Camino after several friends have done it in the last couple of years. I checked out other books but most of them were written by people much younger than myself. This book targeted my age range and I was absolutely delighted by the story. The author is very detailed in exactly what to expect on this journey, and gives many helpful hints about how to organize the trip and how to access apps that will give you pertinent information all along the way. I particularly liked the personal observations that were shared as well as some of the historical elements about the Camino, its various routes, and its significance as a deeply personal and spiritual journey. This was a delightful account that should be read by all age groups, but is particularly helpful for those of us who are over fifty who want to have this experience.

This was the strangest book on the Camino I have ever read and believe me I have read a lot of them. This couple spent more time in trains and taxis and Ubers than any pilgrims I have ever read about. They also concocted this strange travel system. They turned a Camino walk into a logistical nightmare which would have NASA scratching their heads. Here’s how it worked....renting a room in Porto, Portugal, and using it as their “base”, leaving from it and returning to it each day via a combo of metro, train cab or Uber. After returning to Porto each night they resumed their trek the next day via the same elaborate logistical system to travel further from base each day. This system allowed them technically to “walk” each part of the Camino. It was expensive and it added three and four hours of additional multi modal travel and cost to each day, which was crazy. The author also continued to talk about apps on “smart phones” and cameras on “smart phones” as if smart phones have been invented yesterday. (We know where they are used) I even found myself flipping back to the front of the page to figure out when exactly this book was published thinking it might’ve been in the very early 2000’s when smart phones began to appear. I think this couple and I could travel about a day and a half together before killing each other. Waaay too anal for me. His preplanned logistics exceeded NASA going to the moon. I don’t think they ever actually enjoyed just sauntering along as their title suggested they were so consumed with catching a metro train bus or Uber back to base camp. Very odd book. All this planning with only 3 pairs of underwear. Go figure...

It is good the see an account of walking the Camino that does not involve walking the route at breakneck speed, ignoring all the beauty on the way. The book is also well written and well edited. It was also great to see a Camino route starting from Portugal instead of France. --- Taking away one star, because the 'sauntering' often involved breaking up a long walk into many sections, and taking a taxi to and from the starting points, and having the luggage transported point to point by a travel company. While there is nothing wrong with this (I cannot judge how someone chooses to complete the Camino), I felt it detracted from the overall Camino experience of walking point to point, and could only be afforded by someone who had extra cash to spare. I was also sad to see almost no interaction with other pilgrims mentioned in the book, which has been the highlight of other Camino books I've read so far.

This was the right book at the right time for me. I intend to walk the Camino Portuguese next year and am still debating on which route I want to take through Portugal. I am thinking of starting from Porto, take the coastal route and then find Arco. I think I will start sometime in September or early October. I'll check the chat rooms for ideas. BTW, thanks for the links to the apps & other media.