Sandy Brown (Sanford “Sandy” Brown) is an American writer, long-distance walker, and guidebook author specializing in historic pilgrimage routes. He is the author of multiple internationally respected guidebooks on the Via Francigena, the Camino de Santiago, and the Way of St Francis, published by Cicerone Press. Since planning his first long-distance pilgrimage in 2008, he has walked or cycled more than 19,000 kilometers on pilgrimage routes in Europe and the United States.
Brown is the founder of Pilgrim Paths, a travel company offering guided and self-guided walking journeys on historic pilgrimage routes. He has been a featured speaker at major international pilgrimage conferences and, in 2023, received the Honor Award of the European Association of Francigena Ways. He divides his time between Italy and the United States.
Sandy Brown is an American travel writer and pilgrimage guidebook author specializing in the Camino de Santiago and Via Francigena. A long-distance walker and ordained minister from Seattle, Washington, Sanford “Sandy” Brown shares his adventures through his popular guidebooks and in his travel company, Pilgrim Paths.
He earned his undergraduate degree in medieval history at the University of Washington in Seattle, his MDiv at Garrett Theological Seminary, which honored him in 2005 as Distinguished Alumnus, and his doctorate from Princeton Theological Seminary in gender, sexuality and spirituality. He was executive director of the Church Council of Greater Seattle and served as senior pastor of Seattle’s historic First United Methodist Church. In 2023 he was honored by the European Association of Via Francigena ways for his contributions to development of the Via Francigena route.
Since 2018 Sandy has been dealing with the effects of Primary Lateral Sclerosis, a form of Motor Neuron Disease that affects his ability to speak and swallow. In spite of his illness, he maintains an active schedule of walking and writing.
Sandy Brown is one of the world’s most prolific and trusted pilgrimage guidebook authors. A long-distance walker and ordained minister from Seattle, Washington, in 2020, Sanford “Sandy” Brown joined Cicerone Press as Associate Publisher for Caminos and Pilgrimages.
