Page 6 - Eagle Eye Autumn 2022

Camino Eagle 2022
by AS1 Luke Lane
From the 10th – 17th of September, I had the pleasure of taking part in Camino Eagle; a 110km pilgrimage through Northern Spain, from Orense to Santiago de Compostela. The history behind the Camino de Santiago (the way of Saint James) is to recreate one of the medieval Christian pilgrimages that leads to the shrine St. James in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. It is believed that St. James’s remains were carried by boat from Jerusalem to northern Spain, where he was buried on the site of what is now Santiago de Compostela.
The aim of the trip is to promote and encourage mindfulness and reflection, whether you choose to reflect to the rest of the group or to yourself is entirely up to you, the Padres were not overbearing and left us to decide our own journeys. The trip was very relaxed, there were no strict timings (other than breakfast and dinner!) and we were reminded
that it is our week and we could complete each day of walking at whatever speed we wanted. The walk could be completed alone, as a group or moving fluidly between where we wanted. If we felt like stopping at every café for coffee and cake, or power through to the end and spend more time relaxing at the next hotel then we could. If we wanted to take our time enjoying the various forests, hills, rivers and bridges that was also fine, the week was ours to complete as we saw fit.
The amount of walking varied day-to-day; on day one we walked 22km in about 6 hours, day two we walked 30km in 8-9hours but as the days went on, the distances got shorter and the group dynamic improved. We shared career experiences, life experiences, banter, bad jokes and most importantly, snacks. Accommodation ranged from basic hostels to a spa hotel at the end of the third day, which is definitely needed after 70km of walking!
The sense of achievement and relief once we arrived at Praza do Obradoiro in Santiago de Compostela was overwhelming. Praza do Obradoiro was full of other pilgrims from across Europe which created a positive buzz all around the historic city which is filled with culture, architecture and life. The remainder of the day and the entire next day was spent recovering, exploring, shopping, eating and drinking before one final night in the beautiful city of Santiago de Compostela.
Whether you need a period of reflection and mindfulness, or you need a break from the everyday stresses of military life by walking through the Spanish countryside, I would strongly encourage anyone to take part in Camino Eagle. A special thanks goes to Padre Sqn Leader Rebecca Cannon, Padre Sqn Leader Kevin Capelin-Jones, the entire PEd team and the rest of the participants for enabling such an enjoyable week.
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