I’m Leading a Contemplative Walking Retreat in France. Here’s Why.
Walk in kinship with the natural, more-than-human world along the first section of the Le Puy Camino route, September 4-12, 2026
I’ve written before about the three dimensions of walking everyone misses.
Mental clarity. Emotional grounding. Spiritual kinship with the more-than-human world.
I discovered these when my body was failing me on the Camino in France—walking slow, walking sick, walking when I couldn’t focus on pace or distance anymore. When I could only pay attention to what walking actually offered beyond the physical.
That discovery changed my experience of walking. It is why I’m leading a contemplative walking retreat on the Le Puy Camino in September 2026.
This is the retreat, the contemplative walk, I’ve been preparing for years. The one that’s weighed on me as I worked through every detail, every intention, every piece of what makes this different from other Camino experiences. The one that’s finally ready for me to offer to others.
I want to tell you about it—not as a sales pitch, but as an invitation.
Why This Retreat Is Finally Ready
I’ve walked the Camino five times.
Each time, I’ve learned something new about what walking offers when you slow down enough to pay attention. Each time, the Camino has taught me that the path itself is the teacher—not me, not any guide, but the land, the rhythm, the silence, the more-than-human world you’re walking through.
For years, I’ve wanted to hold space for others to discover this. To walk not as tourists consuming an experience, but as pilgrims opening to transformation. To experience contemplative walking as kinship with nature, not just mindfulness for stress relief.
But I needed to be ready. Ready to offer something that honors what the Camino teaches. Ready to create a retreat that was intimate enough for real depth, spacious enough for personal discovery, and grounded enough in practice to actually support transformation.
Now it’s ready, and registration is now open.
What Makes This Different: Contemplative Kinship
I’ve written about the difference between mindful walking and contemplative walking.
It’s an important distinction, and it’s at the heart of this retreat.
Mindful walking says: pay attention to your experience. Your breath. Your body. Your sensations. This is valuable. This helps with stress relief. This grounds you internally.
Contemplative walking says: pay attention to your kinship. You’re breathing the same air as the trees. You and the squirrels are both preparing for winter. You’re not separate from the world you’re walking through—you’re part of it. You’re kin.
This retreat is about that kinship.
Not walking through nature as scenery. Not using nature as a backdrop for your internal process. But walking WITH nature—in relationship, in recognition that you’re part of the more-than-human world, not apart from it.
When I was walking sick on the Camino, I couldn’t maintain the illusion of separation. My body was struggling. The land was holding me. The path was teaching me. Other pilgrims were supporting me. I was part of a web, not an isolated self trying to “get my steps in.”
That’s what this retreat opens up: the recognition that you’re already in relationship with the more-than-human world. The practice is just remembering that truth.
An Invitation, Not an Escape
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or disconnected, you’re not alone.
In a world that moves too fast, it’s easy to lose your grounding. The endless demands of work, caregiving, inboxes, social media, global uncertainty, and constant screen time leave little space for reflection, stillness, or renewal.
This retreat offers more than time off, it offers a return.
A return to breath, to presence, and to the rhythms of the natural world. A return to what’s essential. Not to escape your life, but to reawaken to it.
We’ll walk the first section of the Le Puy Camino route, the GR65, the oldest historic pilgrimage route through rural France, dating back to at least the year 951. The same path that Bishop Godescalc of Le Puy-en-Velay walked over a thousand years ago.
We’ll walk through the astoundingly beautiful Aubrac plateau. Through forests and fields, past rivers and stones, along paths that have held pilgrims for over a millennium.
We’ll walk slowly. Gently. At your own pace. With the freedom to have silence as the norm, not because you must be silent, but because silence frees you from the nervous expectation to always speak.
This is contemplative walking as spiritual practice, and I’m inviting you to experience it with me.
What the Retreat Actually Looks Like
Dates: September 4-12, 2026
Friday, September 4: Arrive in Le Puy-en-Velay, France
Saturday, September 5 - Friday, September 11: Seven days of walking
Saturday, September 12: Depart from Conques (or continue your own adventures)
Route: Le Puy-en-Velay to Conques along the Via Podiensis (GR 65 hiking path)
7 days of walking
9-15 miles per day (15-24 km)
Approximately 96 miles total
Gentle pace with space for rest
Group Size: Just 4 participants
Intimate enough for real depth
Small enough for personal attention
Large enough to feel held, and not smothered, by community
Daily Rhythm:
Morning intentions (setting eco-spiritual themes: stillness, thresholds, resilience, gratitude, belonging)
Morning walking (4-8 mi / 8-12 km at your own pace, in silence or conversation as feels right, and without pressure)
Midday pause (rest, simple meal, quiet reflection)
Afternoon walking (4-8 mi / 8-12 km to reach our destination)
Evening sharing (meal, journaling, optional conversation, or guided silence)
Every day is a doorway into presence. You can walk as feels right to you, with as much silence or human engagement as you desire, without the pressure to perform. The Camino itself will be our teacher.
What’s Included (and What’s Not)
Included:
8 nights single-occupancy lodging in simple, comfortable pilgrim inns
8 breakfasts and 6 dinners (featuring local produce and regional specialties)
Bag transfer between locations each day
One bus transfer along the route (Day 2)
Daily spiritual guidance and morning contemplative walk prompts
Optional evening group reflections
Optional spiritual direction/guidance (no additional fee—this is included)
Maps, route highlights, and preparation materials
The knowledge that you’ll walk in your own silence but not walk alone
Preparatory videos and meetings to help you feel ready and answer any questions, including how to get to our starting point and home from the end
Not Included:
Airfare and travel to Le Puy-en-Velay
Travel from Conques
2 dinners (one in a town with multiple options, one in a town with a 2-star Michelin restaurant if you want to splurge)
Lunches (suggested picnics along the path)
Personal effects, communication, and travel insurance (required)
Accommodations: All rooms are single-occupancy, private accommodations (which, honestly, is rare along any of the Camino paths). This allows for quiet, personal time to process the experience individually. If you’re traveling with a companion and want to share a room, contact me directly for different pricing.
Who This Is For
This retreat welcomes all: beginners or seasoned walkers, spiritual seekers or simply the curious—anyone longing for presence in nature.
We’ll come with various spiritual, religious, ethical, or secular traditions, united by our desire for a walking retreat through nature. It will not be explicitly religious, though people who bring their own perspectives will be welcome to deepen into them as part of this experience.
This retreat is for you if:
You’re feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or spiritually out of step
You seek kinship with nature and the land
You want to walk slowly, breathe deeply, and discover what emerges in silence
You’re ready to return to what’s essential—not to escape, but to reawaken
You want intimate group size with personal attention
You value silence as a doorway, not awkwardness
You want a Camino experience that focuses on connection with the natural world that also avoids the distraction of crowds and along the walk
This retreat may not be for you if:
You need constant activity or conversation
You prefer large group energy
You’re looking for a fast-paced athletic challenge
You’re uncomfortable with silence or reflection
You want to arrive in Santiago de Compostela (we walk along the path toward it, though we will be 900 miles / 1400 kilometers away)
How to Prepare
Physically: Build up to walking 9-15 miles per day. Break in your shoes. Gradually increase cardio activity.
Emotionally/Spiritually: Journal about your intentions, fears, and expectations. Spend time in nature. Be open to new possibilities, even when you can’t explain them.
After registration, you’ll receive:
An invitation to a personal, live Zoom planning session
Full preparation materials and a detailed packing checklist
Travel guidance to/from the starting and ending points
Invitations to additional optional live Zoom planning sessions
Internal group Q&A
I will take care of all retreat and walking logistics. You just need to show up ready to walk.
Investment and Registration
Base Retreat Fee: $2,900 USD
Early Registration Discount: 10% off if you register by January 1, 2026
Use code Camino10 at registration
Discounted price: $2,610
Payment Structure:
$290 nonrefundable deposit at registration (secures your spot)
2 remaining payments of $1,305 each, due 60 and 90 days after registration
Late Registration: $200 fee added for registrations April 2 - June 1, 2026
Registration Closes: June 2, 2026
Cancellation Policy: Full refund (minus $290 deposit) if cancelled before August 15. No refunds after August 15.
Spaces are limited to 4 participants. Your place is confirmed once your deposit is received.
I’ll Walk This Path Regardless
Here’s something important: there’s no minimum number of participants for this retreat.
I’ll walk this path in September 2026 whether 4 people join me or no one does. The Camino calls me back, and I’m answering that call. This retreat I am offering is an extension of my own connection to the land.
So if you feel drawn to this—if something in you says yes to walking in kinship with nature, to discovering the three dimensions everyone misses, to returning to what’s essential—then I’d love to walk alongside you.
But there’s no pressure. No hard sell. Just an invitation.
If you have questions, use the contact form on the retreat website and I’ll be happy to answer via email or schedule a Zoom call to discuss in real time.
Registration Is Now Open
The retreat I’ve been preparing for years is finally ready.
Registration is now open at WalkingThroughNature.com
Four spots. Seven days. September 4-12, 2026.
Le Puy-en-Velay to Conques through the Aubrac plateau of rural France.
Walking slowly. Breathing deeply. Discovering what emerges when silence and nature meet.
Mental clarity. Emotional grounding. Spiritual kinship with the more-than-human world.
The three dimensions I discovered when my body was failing me. The three dimensions you can discover right outside your door—or with me, next September, on the oldest pilgrimage route in France.
This is contemplative walking as spiritual practice. This is kinship, not just mindfulness.
If you feel the call, I’m inviting you to walk it with me.
Does this retreat call to you? Do you have questions about the experience, the route, or what contemplative walking actually looks like in practice?
Visit WalkingThroughNature.com to learn more and register, or use the contact form to reach out. I’d love to hear from you.
Walking with kinship,
Jeffrey
P.S. Registration is now open and closes June 2, 2026. Early registration discount (10% off with code Camino10) available through January 1, 2026. Just 4 spots available.
I love that you're taking this personal journey and extending it to the world, honestly laying out what it's about! I hope that it's a fun opportunity to reset your sense of belonging with yourself, others, and the world around you (:
what a beautiful idea. My daughter walked the Camino several years ago -- she wanted silence, but got lots of people wanting conversation so took to wearing headphones (not playing anything), but still the conversation came so she settled on getting up extremely early to walk and loved the deep peace.