Stuart McCleane

Destination Santiago Stuart McCleane

In 2013, Stuart McCleane took redundancy from work and set off to walk the famous Camino de Santiago or Way of St. James that runs across the north of Spain. Commencing his walk in Toulouse in the south of France, he joined the more traditional 'French' route just after Pamplona. 'Destination Santiago' recounts the story of his journey, the highs and lows, the difficulties he encountered and the pilgrims he met and befriended. The Camino de Santiago is a tough physical and psychological undertaking, that reconnects you to the earth and nature, and forces you to confront yourself and your relationship to the world around you. Yet even after walking for over forty days, and a thousand kilometres to make it to Santiago de Compostela cathedral, he felt the need to continue onto the ocean to find some resolution for his journey. There, faced by the vast waters of the Atlantic, he realized, among other things, that it's not reaching the destination that is important, but enjoying the fleeting moments along the way there.