Camino Francés with Maggie McLean
Clare walks with Reverend Maggie McLean today on a stretch of the Camino de Santiago, the world famous pilgrimage route that concludes at Santiago de Compostela’s glorious Cathedral in northern Spain. The Camino can be completed in numerous ways, with one of the most popular routes being the French Way otherwise known as the Francés. It begins in the French town of St. Jean Pied de Port and ends 790km/490miles later in Santiago. Maggie is trekking part of this route and Clare joins her at Triacastela to hear her story as they make their way to the Benedictine Monastery at Samos, which is about 150km from Santiago itself.
Maggie is a lifelong keen walker, and was one of the first women to be ordained in the Church of England. She works as a Canon at York Minster, and would like to see some kind of pilgrimage established there, so her time on the Camino is not just a spiritual journey, it’s also a way of conducting some research. On their walk she tells Clare about her life and journey in faith, including working in homeless centres, probation hostels and a seafarers’ mission in Australia. En route Clare and Maggie bumped into Arthur, a pilgrim who has spent several weeks every year for seven years on the Camino, which he started by walking out of his front door in Switzerland. Despite suffering cancer three times, and having one quarter of a lung removed, he still carries a 10kg backpack and never plans where he’s going to stay overnight.
Presenter: Clare BaldingProducer: Karen Gregor
Ramblings
Clare Balding and guests share inspiring conversations while walking in the great outdoors.
Fresh air and nature, wonderful views and uplifting chat, each week Clare hikes in a different part of our glorious countryside. Walking side by side is the perfect way to cover a huge range of subjects: literature, art, wildlife, nature, taking on personal or physical challenges, dealing with grief, confronting preconceptions about the kind of people who love to ramble.
The conversations are as varied as the landscapes we find ourselves in. If there's a recurring theme, it's the accepted truth that 'solvitur ambulando' - 'it is solved through walking': The sense of wellness, the benefits to mental health, easy companionship, or sometimes just the sense of solitude that being alone in nature brings.
Few things are better than going for a good walk. That's what we aim to share each week on Ramblings with Clare Balding.
- No. of episodes: 286
- Latest episode: 2025-06-19
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