A Photo Journal taken by Photographer Mark Earthy walking the Camino Francés | All images ©Copyright: Earthy Photography®

Photo Journal along The French Way

Welcome to my Camino Francés Photo Journal. I hope that this diary inspires you to walk one of the many routes that make up the Camino de Santiago. I will share some of the special places we stayed at and the memorable, quirky spots that we discovered.
To keep my backpack as light as possible I did not take any of my professional camera gear with me – just my old iPhone 13 with which I took all the photographs.

Most Camino de Santiago guidebooks & apps break down the route Camino Francés – The French Way into 33 suggested daily stages. Your Camino will depend on you – your fitness level, walking pace, your available time … and not forgetting the weather, the terrain and where you can find a bed for the night.

We decided early on that we wanted to take it easy and really enjoy the journey, not rush through it. Our pace averaged 20 km (12.5 miles) a day, enough to make steady progress but still leave time for long café breaks, exploring villages, photography and resting our feet.
We used John Brierley’s Camino de Santiago guidebook (recommended) as our main reference, following 15 of his suggested daily stages and creating 25 additional ones to better match our own pace.
Including a rest day in Pamplona & Viana, our Camino took us 42 days from start to finish.

Camino Francés – The French Way

In July 2016, Marianne, our daughter Natalie, our good friend Pelle and I walked the final 117 km (73 miles) of the Camino Francés – The French Way, from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela, we absolutely loved it. When we finally arrived in Santiago five days later – tired and happy – Marianne and I promised ourselves that one day, we would return to walk the entire Camino from start to finish.

Walking the Camino de Santiago’s French Way – The Way of St. James

Fast forward 9 years later to 25 July 2025 and we found ourselves standing in Saint Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, buzzing with excitement and anticipation, ready to take on the full 779 km (484 miles) to Santiago de Compostela.
What we didn’t know then was that ahead of us we would face a scorching 15-day heatwave – and some of the worst wildfires Spain had ever seen!