THE CARER CAMINO IS MORE THAN A WALK
It is an immersive, nature-based wellbeing experience that invites people to step outside their everyday routines and, sometimes, gently beyond their comfort zones.
Participants walk together through beautiful natural environments, with time to talk, reflect, learn, laugh and simply notice what is around them. Along the way, facilitated activities introduce practical ideas from positive psychology, neuroscience and wellbeing science.
The aim is not to provide all the answers. It is to create the time, space and supportive conditions in which people can reconnect with themselves, learn alongside others and consider what might help them move forward, one step at a time.
Carer Caminos and shorter Camino experiences can be thoughtfully designed for organisations, teams and community groups.
Image Credit: https://www.colletts.co.uk/
INSPIRED BY THE
CAMINO DE SANTIAGO
The Carer Camino was inspired by the principles and experience of the Camino de Santiago, a journey that is about far more than the distance walked.
My own connection with the Camino began in 2014, when I walked the French Way from Roncesvalles to Santiago de Compostela and continued to Finisterre. In 2017, I returned to walk the Portuguese Way from Lisbon to Santiago, continuing on to Muxía and Finisterre.
Those journeys shaped my thinking about what can happen when we step away from everyday routines and walk with intention.
There is space for movement and stillness, companionship and reflection, challenge and discovery. We do not need to know the entire path ahead. Sometimes, we simply need to take the next step.
Drawing on this experience, the Carer Camino was developed as a carefully supported four-day wellbeing journey, combining walking through nature, shared experiences and gentle challenge with evidence-informed approaches to wellbeing.
THE CARER CAMINO WITH INTERCHANGE GIPPSLAND
I have had the privilege of developing and facilitating the Carer Camino in partnership with Interchange Gippsland since 2021.
Created especially for informal carers, the experience recognises that caring can be meaningful and deeply connected to love. It can also be complex, relentless and exhausting.
Carers can become so accustomed to carrying responsibility that there are few opportunities to pause, reflect or attend to their own wellbeing.
For a few precious days, the Carer Camino gives carers an opportunity to put down some of what they carry and, instead, be cared for themselves.
Interchange Gippsland makes this experience possible through extensive planning, participant preparation, logistics and practical support. A member of their team also walks alongside participants throughout the journey.
Together, we create an environment where people can feel welcomed, understood and supported, while having the space to focus on themselves
WALKING TOWARDS WELLBEING
There is something powerful about walking side by side.
Conversation can feel more natural. Silence can feel comfortable. The rhythm of walking creates room to think, while being in nature can gently shift our attention beyond immediate worries and responsibilities.
Research into green exercise and nature-based walking suggests that combining physical movement with time in natural environments can support mood, reduce stress and encourage restoration.
The Carer Camino brings these benefits together with practical opportunities to develop greater wellbeing awareness and literacy.
Move
Walking and gentle physical activity are woven naturally throughout the experience.
Movement becomes an opportunity to notice how the body feels, experience the restorative qualities of being outdoors and explore the role physical activity can play in supporting wellbeing.
Participants are encouraged to slow down and become curious about what they notice around them and within themselves.
Mindfulness, reflection and savouring help create opportunities to recognise positive moments, reconnect with the present and consider what restores energy or creates a sense of steadiness.
Notice
Connect
Walking alongside others can create a different kind of connection.
Participants may share stories, encouragement and insights, or simply enjoy one another's company. There is space for meaningful conversation without any expectation that anyone disclose more than feels right for them. Some moments are reflective and deeply personal. Others are full of laughter and lightness.
Learn
The Camino introduces practical ideas from wellbeing science in a way that can be experienced rather than simply discussed.
Participants explore their character strengths, reflect on what supports them during challenging times and develop a stronger language for understanding their own wellbeing.
Questions participants may ask themselves on the walk might include:
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What helps me feel safe, steady and supported?
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What restores my energy?
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Which strengths do I draw upon when things are difficult?
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Where do I experience connection, meaning and hope?
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What does my body tell me when I need to pause?
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What is one small wellbeing practice I could take home with me?
The learning unfolds along the path, through conversations, shared experiences, quiet moments and the insights that can emerge when we give ourselves permission to slow down.
PRESENCE IN PRACTICE
The Carer Camino also provides an opportunity to experience elements of my PRESENCE model for mental wellbeing, brain health and healthy ageing.
PRESENCE brings together eight modifiable lifestyle areas:
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Protect your head
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Reduce risks
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Exercise
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Sleep well
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Eat nutritiously
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Nurture your mind
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Connect
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Engage your intellect
On a Camino, many of these ideas become tangible.
Participants move their bodies, spend time in nature, nurture their minds, form connections, engage their curiosity and consider the everyday choices that can support their wellbeing.
PRESENCE is not about making sweeping changes. It encourages small, realistic and personally meaningful actions.
The Camino gives people the space to recognise what they are already doing well, consider what they might strengthen and decide what they would like to carry with them beyond the final kilometre.
WHAT PARTICIPANTS SAY
The circumstances waiting for someone at home may not have changed by the end of a Carer Camino.
What can change is the way they understand and respond to those circumstances.
Participants can return with new language, practical strategies, supportive relationships and a clearer understanding of what they need.
Previous Carer Camino participants have reflected:
"I feel like it has lifted a load of stress and worry, helped me connect to my body, created optimism and given me a framework for my carer story."
CREATE A CAMINO FOR YOUR PEOPLE
Could your organisation's next wellbeing experience take place beyond the training room?
I welcome conversations with organisations, community groups and potential partners interested in creating a Camino experience for their people.
This may include:
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carer, disability and community organisations
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health, mental health and grief-support services
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workplaces and professional associations
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councils and community organisations
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schools, universities and education providers
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aged care and healthy-ageing organisations
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philanthropic organisations and funding partners.
A successful Camino involves more than choosing a walking route.
It requires thoughtful planning, participant preparation, consideration of accessibility and risk, practical support, skilled facilitation and, importantly, a clear understanding of the people who will take part.
I can work with your organisation to explore the purpose of the experience, the needs of your group, appropriate themes and activities, the location and duration, participant preparation and ways to evaluate and learn from the experience.
Whether you are considering a multi-day journey, a one-day Camino or a shorter introductory experience, we can create an approach that is meaningful, inclusive and appropriate for your community.
TAKE THE FIRST STEP
You do not need to know exactly what the journey should look like before beginning the conversation.
If you are interested in participating in a future Carer Camino, partnering to support carers or exploring how a Camino could be created for your own organisation or community, I would love to hear from you.
Sometimes growth begins when we step beyond what is familiar.
Sometimes greater clarity comes when we stop trying to think our way forward and begin to walk.
