A New Face!
XirCammini has a new face! A new logo has been rolled out and is already visible on the website.
The new logo
- Incorporates the name, merging Xirca (the precursor of Xirka in Maltese) and Cammini to intrinsically state what we are i.e. an association dedicated to hiking
- Retains our tagline: Corpus, Mens Anima (body, mind and soul) Our focus on heritage-faith hikes is intended to provide physical exercise, intellectual stimulation and a spiritual focus
- Highlights colours that are synonymous with the Camino de Santiago and also that we previously embraced in addition to the Concha, the universal symbol of the pilgrim.
You will shortly be seeing this logo adorn our shirts, caps, bags and other livery, projects, waymarks, Credencials and literature.
On TV
On Friday 24th February 2023 XirCammini was on TV (courtesy of Stephanie Spiteri). Thank you Odette (one of our members) for the introduction. This gave us the opportunity to showcase XirCammini, Caminos and faith-based hiking or pilgrimages to a TV audience. You can watch it again by following this link.
XirCammini would like to thank Stephanie for her ‘contagious’ enthusiasm and curiosity that enabled us to deliver to her TV audience.
Camino Maltés and Universal Peace Walk 1543AD
Following the airing of the programme last Friday as well as thanks to other NGOs (such as Ramblers) supporting this event, participation in these walks on 12th March is expected to be of around 100 persons. There is still room if people wish to and have not booked .. but registration closes on Friday 3rd March at 17:00. This would then allow us sufficient time to organise transport, certificates and other logistical/event management requirements.
Most waymarks are in place, save the few on which Transport Malta have voiced concerns and the Universal Peace Walk 1543AD app is freely available on Google Play. We are still waiting for Apple to clear it for uploading for iPhones.
In the meantime people have started walking it and we are receiving favourably and constructive feedback from both locals and foreigners. This is a snapshot of a photo and comment by Polish tourists who read about it and decided to walk it. This comment was uploaded when they were in the area of San Niklaw. They later sent photos from Zejtun:
People taking part on the 12th March will also receive a copy of the guide-book.
Other XirCammini Projects
The Universal Peace Walk 1543AD, with waymarks, Guidebooks and incorporate Credencials etc. would not have been possible without the financial assistance of the Malta Tourism Authority, Several other persons and entities gave their time, intellect and muscle power to also bring this to fruition, but the financial assistance and moral support of the Malta Tourism Authority went a long way on this journey. Thank you MTA. A clear example of public -private partnership that we hope to continue on our other upcoming projects.
Our ‘pet project’ – the cream on all our projects – at the moment is our own , internationally recognised Credencial which will soon go to print.
Local and Overseas Trekking Events
With relatively cooler weather numbers have picked up considerably on our Wed and Sat walks. We have also added the Tue and Sun walks as Camino training for those who are joining one of our Caminos this year, Plata, Portugues, San Francesco, Irish and San Salvador.
These caminos filled up pretty quickly and there are no more places available save for – perhaps – one or two on the Irish Camino of the 14th – 21st Aug. The one in the following week (21st – 28th Aug) is fully booked and bursting at the seams.
We are also glad to be assisting a number of individuals and groups (one as large as 30) on their own Caminos. This is what XirCammini is all about … we want to be there to assist and advise and to provide Credencials and this is not something we do only for our members. Work on the conchas continues unabated! Thank you Tiziana.
For our local events, please continue to consult the Events calendar on the website. All our localc events are free and open only to members. There are a few local events that are subject to a charge if, for example, we need to book transport. These are the only local walks that require prior registration for obvious reasons. The next such event is the Victoria Lines on Friday 7th April 2023. A link will shortly be added to register for it. A Euros 5 charge applies to cover one-way transport.
New Faces
Membership continues to grow and – as a result – we are seeing many new faces. Our appeal to all of us is to try and get to know more people on our walks. Social interaction and making others feel welcome is as essential if not more than the benefits of the physical exercise itself.