Porto to Santiago de Compostela

Worshipful Brother Martin Parrack’s Camino Pilgrimage from Porto to Santiago de Compostela

"Over a number of years, the Camino has attracted me, the challenge, hard work and companionship of meeting people with the same goal reaching the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela and attending the Pilgrims Mass. Although not a regular church attendee will the solitude of walking give me time to think and what will I discover?

"I walked from Porto to Santiago from the 10th to 21st September 2020 covering a total of 359 km (223 miles) It should only have been 250 km (156 miles) but a detour before crossing into Spain and bad decisions extended the trip. Due to Covid the route was very quiet and many of the bars and municipal hostels were closed or I was the only one in the hostel this made the first half of the walk very quiet and lonely this changed marginally once I crossed into Spain for the last 122 km (76 miles)."

The walk raised £ 3050.00 for various charities

Presentation to Kate Davarzadeh of Acacia Family Support - Pre and postnatal depression support services, receiving a cheque for £1,050 to support mothers and families suffering from Postnatal Depression. Kate advised that the last year has been very difficult for mothers and families as the support has been difficult due to the Covid guidelines and they are expecting far higher demand in the next 12 months due to the isolation many mothers and families have experienced.