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When Kathleen Bennett was walking a stretch of the Camino Nova Scotia trail not far from her home in Ketch Harbour, N.S., she felt like she was in a completely different place.

It was 2015 and the avid walker and hiker didn’t know much about the Camino community at home or abroad, but once she put one foot in front of the other and strode in step with other pilgrims, her Camino journey began.

Many people will be familiar with Camino walks. The Camino de Santiago has become the most famous and aspirational route in Europe. Some walkers, referred to as pilgrims, commit two months to the journey but most people choose to walk the last 100-kilometre stretch of the route to receive the coveted pilgrim certificate.

Camino Nova Scotia is the answer for many people interested in the European walks. It currently consists of four routes curated by the association’s founding director, Rob Fennell, a professor at the Atlantic School of Theology. The pilgrimages take four to five days, depending on the route, and will traverse 18 to 25 kilometres a day walking the province’s picturesque seaside villages, dense forests, quiet farmland, and rugged coastlines.

“Many people worry that they cannot walk that far in one day,” says Bennett, who became a walk leader after her first experience almost 10 years ago. “It’s not a race and people are always surprised at how quickly the day goes and how far they have travelled when they immerse themselves in the experience.”

Each Camino Nova Scotia experience this summer will welcome up to 15 pilgrims. There are support staff and support vehicles at different points of the daily journey on the chance that a walker needs assistance. The experience also creates access to local knowledge. Walkers will arrive at the end of day meeting point at different times, as people move at their own pace. They will share a meal and, if they wish, offer their impressions of the day. Accommodations are modest but comfortable in keeping with the pilgrim philosophy of simplicity and living more lightly on the land.   

Nova Scotia Camino is part of the educational outreach of the Atlantic School of Theology.  This history of the Camino is rooted in spirituality but is not defined by any belief system.

“Travelling with purpose is our goal. A good walk in nature, among supportive companions and away from life’s usual preoccupations, can be truly transformative,” says Fennell.

Some participants will come to the walk with the intention of walking solo in quiet contemplation, but as Fennell explains, almost all participants will find themselves in meaningful conversations with people they’ve never met before.

Kathleen Bennett believes that being a pilgrim in your own province is very special and you connect with the land in a different way when you are part of the Camino community.  She did, however, make a good friend on that first walk 10 years ago. They’ve since walked the Camino de Santigo in Spain and are planning more pilgrimages together.