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Stories

Every pilgrim has a story. Meet the pilgrims from Renfrew and Lanark Counties. Read their stories

Ray's Story

Ray did the Camino in 2018, via the Portuguese Coastal Route

I’ve been an eager and energetic walker/hiker for most of my 75 years. As a pre-teen, I walked up and down the Rideau Canal trails near my family home, often doing the 8 km stretch from Lansdowne to Parliament Hill and back in a day. It was the form of most of my adult holidays with my wife.

I’ve walked on trails all over Eastern Canada and the US. I’ve done trails in England, Spain, Italy and Portugal. I’ve walked on pilgrimage routes in Sri Lanka and the Japanese island of Honshu. My wife and I live about 100 yards from the Algonquin Trail as it passes through the Town of Renfrew and I walk on it almost daily, year round. However, it was not until 2018 that I completed 2 separate Santiago routes, the Finisterre and the Portuguese Coastal. 

The Finisterre I did alone. I did the Da Costa along with three friends. One was, like me, new to the Camino, the other two had done caminos alone several previous times. One has done several more since then. It is the glue which holds our friendship together and has taken us for local walks together on more than one occasion.

My camino experience and my experience with extended hikes has shaped and brought health and joy to my life. Now, I want to encourage and support anyone who wants to participate in this life-changing experience themselves

Photos:

The first is a Saint James statue from the monastery hotel in Santiago in 2018. The other is walking past the town sign in Pontevedra, in the spring of 2023

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