02/04/2007
Stage 1 of my great walk across Spain
- Bondi Beach
Walked
the entire length of the beach but could see no sign of the Pyrenees ,
this could take longer than I thought. Will search again tonight in South Korea
Onwards
and upwards
05/04/2007
Stage 2 -
Downtown Seoul- South
Korea
Nightmare flight, 1 hour to check-in, 11 hour flight, 1 hour to wait for baggage, 15 min walk acrossSeoul airport to
queue for 1/2 hour for 1 hour bus trip to downtown Seoul
Got out onto the streets at 10pm and tried my Spanish out on the locals (who all looked strangely like Chinamen), but they all seemed to think I was asking them where I was because they kept on saying what sounded like 'Ah Seoul'.
Streets look very colourful and neon-lit at night but very drab, dirty and concrete and glass the next morning.
Stage 2 -London Leicester Square
Have to feed camel now
Rogers
Nightmare flight, 1 hour to check-in, 11 hour flight, 1 hour to wait for baggage, 15 min walk across
Got out onto the streets at 10pm and tried my Spanish out on the locals (who all looked strangely like Chinamen), but they all seemed to think I was asking them where I was because they kept on saying what sounded like 'Ah Seoul'.
Streets look very colourful and neon-lit at night but very drab, dirty and concrete and glass the next morning.
Stage 2 -
Have to feed camel now
Rogers
08/04/2007
Stage 2 -
Still in darkest London
Weather is turning very nice and am getting lots of walking done. Strode down toRichmond yesterday and did a boat-trip to Kingston and back on the Thames ,
very enjoyable, especially as they neglected to collect a fare from me and I
saved £6.20! Yay!! Central London is very
busy, you can hardly walk down Oxford St,the tubes are jam-packed and the roads
are choked with traffic. Today I'm in Shepherd's Bush markets (very
medina-like, you'd never know you were in London
On the plane toBiarritz tomorrow then bus/train
to St Jean Pied-de-Port where I have been
informed there are some big pointy hills with snow on top which may or may not
be the Pyrenees , but I've bought a goat-bell
for the camel anyway.
Pip Pip for now
Rogers
PS Apologies to the Elkinses, you must have slipped off my mailing list, and hello to the Henningses who's new email address I have added
Weather is turning very nice and am getting lots of walking done. Strode down to
On the plane to
Pip Pip for now
PS Apologies to the Elkinses, you must have slipped off my mailing list, and hello to the Henningses who's new email address I have added
Stage 3 -
St Jean Pierre-de Port, France - 8th Apr 2007- 774kms to go
Arrived in Biarritz, France by Ryanair flying tube glowered at by scruffy,
bored-looking air hostesses and got bus to Bayonne then 4 hour wait and train
to St Jean. Found Hostel at 10.30pm and slept in room with 6 bunks, raving
party going on next door and serious snorer in bunk underneath me.
Day 1- 9th April St Jean - Roncesvalles Walked: 25kms To Go: 749kms Big disappointment, can´t go over the top of Pyrenees ´cos of snow and British hiker dying last week after getting lost in the snow so have to go alternative route. Under way at 8.45am, sun breaking thru fog and lovely green hills, took wrong turning and climbed bloody great hill that I didnt need to but ended up in the right place. Then walked on main road with hardly any hard shoulder which was pretty hairy, then it was up and up to 1057m, very muddy, small streams running across track and snow drifts appearing. Finally arrived inRoncesvalles and stay in beautiful converted barn with
huge arched ceilings and chandeliers, like sleeping in church. Speaking of
which I actually went to Mass for the pilgrim´s blessing, didnt get struck by
lightning so I guess Jesus still loves me!! Had nice 3 course Pilgrims menu in
restaurante for $13.
Day 2 - 10th April Roncesvalles - Larrasoaña Walked: 27kms To Go: 722kms 8.00am start, lovely day but still cold ´cos of altitude, passed thru several quaint villages then lots of really deep mud and heavy rain in afternoon. Missed another turning and had to turn back putting another 2 kms on walk- you´ve got to really look out for the route markers. Got into Larrasoaña at about 4pm, miserable little village with nothing open and raining again, dined on bread and cheese,washed clothes and slept in tiny room with 14 bunks and nowhere to stash your gear.
Day 3 - 11th April Larrasoaña - Pamplona (Cizur Menor) Walked: 20kms To Go:702kms Walked seemed very easy, must be getting tough - more mud then drying out into nice day and arriving in Pamplona about 12.30pm. Lovely city, this is where they run the bulls in the street in July at the festival if San Fermin. Walked down the street where this happens, glancing over my shoulder frequently but no sign of bull (apart from my normal conversation of course). Looked at cathedral then had lunch in the Cafe Iruña, which is where Earnest Hemingway used to sit and write his stuff. Felt very literary and I´m sure his spirit entered me sometime after the 3rd glass of wine and I began to mumble quotes from "The Sun Also Rises" . Staggered another 5kms in very nice sunny weather to Cizur Menor in the company of two tubby American girls fromMiami
Day 4 - 12th April Cizur Menor - Puente La Reina Walked: 19kms To Go:683 Finally got onto right track after getting lost immediately after leaving the hostel (bloody route signs!) then quite a hard haul up to 750m to a hill with lots of wind turbines and swathed in clouds. I´m walking alone most of the time and really enjoying it, even sing to myself sometimes.
Oh Oh! Arrived at Puente La Reina at 1pm, did some shopping and washing and hung out the previous day´s washing which was still wet. It get´s really heavy carrying wet clothes. Very nice hostel and met up with the people I´ve met from previous hostels - an Australian couple from NSW Australia, the tubby american girls and various other characters. That´s where I am now, watch out for next exciting instalment where I get abducted by Basque terrorists and start saving for the ransom!
Rogers
Day 1- 9th April St Jean - Roncesvalles Walked: 25kms To Go: 749kms Big disappointment, can´t go over the top of Pyrenees ´cos of snow and British hiker dying last week after getting lost in the snow so have to go alternative route. Under way at 8.45am, sun breaking thru fog and lovely green hills, took wrong turning and climbed bloody great hill that I didnt need to but ended up in the right place. Then walked on main road with hardly any hard shoulder which was pretty hairy, then it was up and up to 1057m, very muddy, small streams running across track and snow drifts appearing. Finally arrived in
Day 2 - 10th April Roncesvalles - Larrasoaña Walked: 27kms To Go: 722kms 8.00am start, lovely day but still cold ´cos of altitude, passed thru several quaint villages then lots of really deep mud and heavy rain in afternoon. Missed another turning and had to turn back putting another 2 kms on walk- you´ve got to really look out for the route markers. Got into Larrasoaña at about 4pm, miserable little village with nothing open and raining again, dined on bread and cheese,washed clothes and slept in tiny room with 14 bunks and nowhere to stash your gear.
Day 3 - 11th April Larrasoaña - Pamplona (Cizur Menor) Walked: 20kms To Go:702kms Walked seemed very easy, must be getting tough - more mud then drying out into nice day and arriving in Pamplona about 12.30pm. Lovely city, this is where they run the bulls in the street in July at the festival if San Fermin. Walked down the street where this happens, glancing over my shoulder frequently but no sign of bull (apart from my normal conversation of course). Looked at cathedral then had lunch in the Cafe Iruña, which is where Earnest Hemingway used to sit and write his stuff. Felt very literary and I´m sure his spirit entered me sometime after the 3rd glass of wine and I began to mumble quotes from "The Sun Also Rises" . Staggered another 5kms in very nice sunny weather to Cizur Menor in the company of two tubby American girls from
Day 4 - 12th April Cizur Menor - Puente La Reina Walked: 19kms To Go:683 Finally got onto right track after getting lost immediately after leaving the hostel (bloody route signs!) then quite a hard haul up to 750m to a hill with lots of wind turbines and swathed in clouds. I´m walking alone most of the time and really enjoying it, even sing to myself sometimes.
Oh Oh! Arrived at Puente La Reina at 1pm, did some shopping and washing and hung out the previous day´s washing which was still wet. It get´s really heavy carrying wet clothes. Very nice hostel and met up with the people I´ve met from previous hostels - an Australian couple from NSW Australia, the tubby american girls and various other characters. That´s where I am now, watch out for next exciting instalment where I get abducted by Basque terrorists and start saving for the ransom!
Day
5 13th April Puente La Reina -
Estella
Walked:22kms
To Go:661
Bad news, 2 girls from my dormitory had their mobile phones stolen during the
night - so you cant even trust pilgrims! Under way by 8.00am into a steady
drizzle and a nightmare first 7kms, it was all uphill and in ankle-deep mud,
really tiring. Next 15kms the weather dried out a bit and it was a bit flatter
and a lot less mud. Got into Estella at about 3pm and of course everything was
shut, the hostel is a really big one with lots of people staying there. Huge
crowd around kitchen table at dinner speaking a variety of languages, ended up
talking politics with 2 Finns, an Italian and a Dutchman.
Day 6 14th April Estella - Torres Del Rio Walked:29kms To Go: 632 Mild weather,walked a bit with 63 yr old German who´s spent 12years meditating in a caravan in Andalucia, he´s convinced the Jews are taking over the world! Lost him pretty quickly. got to Los Arcos about 12.30, was going to stop here but felt good so kept going to Torres which was a nice little village and found all the people I´d been meeting had the same idea so they had to put mattresses on the floor to get everyone in.
Day 7 15th April Torres Del Rio - Logroño Walked:20kms To Go: 612 Lovely day, no mud, easy walk but drag going thru suburbs of Logroño. Arrived 12.30 but hostel still closed so sat in plaza with gathering crowd of pilgrims and then about 12 of us all went of for a A$17 3-course meal inc wine. Had a siesta then a walk around town, had a look at cathedral. That night, some of the girls(Spanish,French and Brazillian) in the hostel bought a pile of food and made dinner for everyone. We divided up the cost and it came to under A$3 each inc plenty of red wine!
Day 8 16th April Logroño - Najera Walked :29kms To Go: 583 8am star - Light drizzle and long drag out thru suburbs, lots of road walking and hard clay, got hot in afternoon and lots of roadworks - not very pretty. Had trouble finding Refugio(hostel) - no signs so took long to get there. Big Refugio, clean toilets but you bang your head on the door when you sit on the loo! Same crowd from last hostel made another meal for everyone - Spag Bol, salad, bread, wine, chocolates again for under A$3 each. What great people!
Day 9 17th April Najera - Grañon Walked : 28kms To Go : 555 Cool start, steep climb out of Najera then stopped for coffee in small village, then off thru rolling countryside, green fields, ploughed fields agricultural land rich with the aroma of cow-poo! Got to Santo Domingo de la Calzada at 12.30, had a look around town and cathedral - they keep a live cockrel and hen in a glass cage in the cathedral to commemorate some old legend.(which I´ll tell you all about one day if your really bored) Then pushed on to Grañoñ which is a very small village and met some old friends from the camino: Phillip the German with his 3 dogs, Wica the Slovenian woman, Orwella the Italian woman and Willie the Dutchman. The refugio was in the bell-tower of the village church and was run by the priest, so we all got ushered off to mass and got blessed again - second time for me so now I am twice-blessed!. That night the hostel provided a huge 3 course meal that we all helped to prepare, there was salad, lentil and sausage soup, then pork steaks with chips and all the wine and bread that you could want, there were 22 of us sat round a long table, the next morning they gave us breakfast as well, all this plus the lodging was in exchange for a donation of your own choice!! There was a box for donations with a sign which said " Give what you can or take what you need" - could hardly get it into my backpack!
Day 10 18th April Grañon - Villafranca Montes de Oca Walked: 27kms To Go: 528 Away by 8.30, French couple gave me a straw hat that they found on the road, just as well as it was a lovely day, cuckoos calling, snow-capped mountains in distance and rural countryside. Got to Belorado in 3 hrs and bought bread,cheese and sausage and ate in the town square then pushed on to Villafranca. Major road with huge lorries passing thru village, nobody I know at refugio, had tin of meatballs and instant rice for dinner, then Phillip,Wica and Orwella and the dogs("The Dog Squad" I call them) arrived so chatted to them while they made dinner. Phillip is not allowed to bring the dogs into hostels so he has to stay in a tent with them every night, has to go and find food for them and carry bowls for them to eat out of! What a mission!
Day 11 19thApril Villafranca Montes de Oca - Villafria Walked:32kms!! To Go: 496 Stone-last out of hostel, sunny day and steep climb out of village then hard clay tracks thru forests which was a nice change. Passed the Dog Squad rubbing evil-smelling lotions into each-others feet, I think Phillip´s onto a good thing there! Later reached top of long drag up hill with lovely view in all directions and there was an old sofa parked right in the middle of the track! So set up camera on self-timer to take photo of self reclining on said furniture. Orwella caught up with me here, having left the Dog Squad as she has in a hurry to finish Camino, She´s a strong girl with powerful calves! Runs 2 marathons a year apparently, we walked on for a couple of hours to Villafria where I stopped and she still carried on another 8kms toBurgos
Day 6 14th April Estella - Torres Del Rio Walked:29kms To Go: 632 Mild weather,walked a bit with 63 yr old German who´s spent 12years meditating in a caravan in Andalucia, he´s convinced the Jews are taking over the world! Lost him pretty quickly. got to Los Arcos about 12.30, was going to stop here but felt good so kept going to Torres which was a nice little village and found all the people I´d been meeting had the same idea so they had to put mattresses on the floor to get everyone in.
Day 7 15th April Torres Del Rio - Logroño Walked:20kms To Go: 612 Lovely day, no mud, easy walk but drag going thru suburbs of Logroño. Arrived 12.30 but hostel still closed so sat in plaza with gathering crowd of pilgrims and then about 12 of us all went of for a A$17 3-course meal inc wine. Had a siesta then a walk around town, had a look at cathedral. That night, some of the girls(Spanish,French and Brazillian) in the hostel bought a pile of food and made dinner for everyone. We divided up the cost and it came to under A$3 each inc plenty of red wine!
Day 8 16th April Logroño - Najera Walked :29kms To Go: 583 8am star - Light drizzle and long drag out thru suburbs, lots of road walking and hard clay, got hot in afternoon and lots of roadworks - not very pretty. Had trouble finding Refugio(hostel) - no signs so took long to get there. Big Refugio, clean toilets but you bang your head on the door when you sit on the loo! Same crowd from last hostel made another meal for everyone - Spag Bol, salad, bread, wine, chocolates again for under A$3 each. What great people!
Day 9 17th April Najera - Grañon Walked : 28kms To Go : 555 Cool start, steep climb out of Najera then stopped for coffee in small village, then off thru rolling countryside, green fields, ploughed fields agricultural land rich with the aroma of cow-poo! Got to Santo Domingo de la Calzada at 12.30, had a look around town and cathedral - they keep a live cockrel and hen in a glass cage in the cathedral to commemorate some old legend.(which I´ll tell you all about one day if your really bored) Then pushed on to Grañoñ which is a very small village and met some old friends from the camino: Phillip the German with his 3 dogs, Wica the Slovenian woman, Orwella the Italian woman and Willie the Dutchman. The refugio was in the bell-tower of the village church and was run by the priest, so we all got ushered off to mass and got blessed again - second time for me so now I am twice-blessed!. That night the hostel provided a huge 3 course meal that we all helped to prepare, there was salad, lentil and sausage soup, then pork steaks with chips and all the wine and bread that you could want, there were 22 of us sat round a long table, the next morning they gave us breakfast as well, all this plus the lodging was in exchange for a donation of your own choice!! There was a box for donations with a sign which said " Give what you can or take what you need" - could hardly get it into my backpack!
Day 10 18th April Grañon - Villafranca Montes de Oca Walked: 27kms To Go: 528 Away by 8.30, French couple gave me a straw hat that they found on the road, just as well as it was a lovely day, cuckoos calling, snow-capped mountains in distance and rural countryside. Got to Belorado in 3 hrs and bought bread,cheese and sausage and ate in the town square then pushed on to Villafranca. Major road with huge lorries passing thru village, nobody I know at refugio, had tin of meatballs and instant rice for dinner, then Phillip,Wica and Orwella and the dogs("The Dog Squad" I call them) arrived so chatted to them while they made dinner. Phillip is not allowed to bring the dogs into hostels so he has to stay in a tent with them every night, has to go and find food for them and carry bowls for them to eat out of! What a mission!
Day 11 19thApril Villafranca Montes de Oca - Villafria Walked:32kms!! To Go: 496 Stone-last out of hostel, sunny day and steep climb out of village then hard clay tracks thru forests which was a nice change. Passed the Dog Squad rubbing evil-smelling lotions into each-others feet, I think Phillip´s onto a good thing there! Later reached top of long drag up hill with lovely view in all directions and there was an old sofa parked right in the middle of the track! So set up camera on self-timer to take photo of self reclining on said furniture. Orwella caught up with me here, having left the Dog Squad as she has in a hurry to finish Camino, She´s a strong girl with powerful calves! Runs 2 marathons a year apparently, we walked on for a couple of hours to Villafria where I stopped and she still carried on another 8kms to
Day
12 20th April Villafria -
Burgos Walked
8kms
To Go:488
Horrid 8kms slog on motorway thru endless rows of factories and gas stations,
found the cathedral and did the obligatory tour and found Willie and the Dog
Squad(now minus Orwella) in a cafe on the plaza. Took photos of each other
with a statue of a pilgrim and went our seperate ways, found an internet cafe
and sent last newsletter then had a Doner Kebab for lunch and decided to stay
in Burgos
Day 13 21st AprilBurgos Sweden
and Udo and Matteus from Germany
Day 14 21st April Hontanas - Boadilla del Camino Walked: 29kms To Go:430 Another lovely day, easy and cool to Castrojeriz then dirty great hill followed by dusty and hot trek to Boadilla - did the whole walk non-stop. Met Mick fromAustralia and Robin from UK
Day 15 22nd April Boadilla Del Camino - Carrion de las Condes Walked: 25kms To Go: 405kms Nice weather again but long boring track running beside main road for most of the way. Passed Mick and Robin who were going slowly and only doing about 20kms a day so wont see them again. Got overtaken for the first time on the Camino, eveyone says I walk fast but today I got overtaken by an 80 year-old German who told me later he´d been trying to catch me for 10kms. Oh well, hope for all of us yet!
Got into Carrion at about 2pm and everything was closed for the whole day because of a public holiday, was hoping to buy food in supermarket and have a cheap day, but another boring dinner with the 2 Huns and the Swede. Got to lose them!
Day 13 21st April
Day 14 21st April Hontanas - Boadilla del Camino Walked: 29kms To Go:430 Another lovely day, easy and cool to Castrojeriz then dirty great hill followed by dusty and hot trek to Boadilla - did the whole walk non-stop. Met Mick from
Day 15 22nd April Boadilla Del Camino - Carrion de las Condes Walked: 25kms To Go: 405kms Nice weather again but long boring track running beside main road for most of the way. Passed Mick and Robin who were going slowly and only doing about 20kms a day so wont see them again. Got overtaken for the first time on the Camino, eveyone says I walk fast but today I got overtaken by an 80 year-old German who told me later he´d been trying to catch me for 10kms. Oh well, hope for all of us yet!
Got into Carrion at about 2pm and everything was closed for the whole day because of a public holiday, was hoping to buy food in supermarket and have a cheap day, but another boring dinner with the 2 Huns and the Swede. Got to lose them!
Day
16 24th April Carrion de Los Condes - San Nicolas del Real Camino
Walked:33kms To Go:372
Hard 17 kms to start along flat straight rocky boring track, a region called the Meseta which goes on for miles.Stopped at village for bocadillos(sandwiches made with baguettes) and beer, Huns Matteus and Udo were there. On to next village where every body was going to stay but decided to push on to San Nicolas. Passed a sign saying 'Secret Garden New Zealand ),
Blondine(lady from France
Day 17 25th April San Nicolas - Bercianos de Real Camino Walked:17kms To Go: 355
Rain. Achilles tendon started to hurt after an hour, gradually got worse and had to stop at Bercianos because of pain and heavy rain. Mick and Robin arrive and go off to bar, i try and join them later but am driven back by pain and torriential rain, so sit all afternoon in Hostelmn with ice-pack on tendon. Big dinner at hostel with all pilgrims sitting round kitchen table. Each nationality goup had to sing a song from their country, Germans sang jolly marching song, Korean guy(Mr Yoo) sang poignant ballad of love and revenge, us Pommies mumbled "Yellow Submarine" and then Mick and myself belted out "Waltzing matilda". Then it was prayers for pilgrims time and each nationality group had to read out a prayer from a book in their language. We English got some bizarre psalm featurig lambs and serpents etc. Leg hurting and can hardly walk. Could this be the end?
Day 18 26th April Bercianos - Villarente Walked:32KMS!!! To go:323
Rubbed Ibuprofen gel into leg and took painkillers and decided to try and hobble to next village(8kms). Leg seemed to improve as I walked so pressed on. Character in red poncho and white beard looking like Santa Claus directed me to bar in very posh English accent at next village. Met him at the hostel that night and his name turned out to be Nicholas (Santa Claus-Geddit?) Hostel I was going to stay in was very small and ful of walkers so pushed on to Villarente and met Mar in the shop.Really nice hostel with washing machine so washed all clothes. leg a bit stiff. Met English couple Bob and Morag, Morag is "Healer/Masseuse" and gave my leg a rub.
Day 19 27th April Villarente -Leon
Breakfast in hostel and away by 8.30. Leg now very bad (so much for massage) and limped very painfully intoLeon
Day 20 28th April Leon - Villadangos del Paramo Walked:24kms To Go: 287
Left at 10.10, leg feels great - was it the "healing" or was it the ice??!! had a look aroundLeon
Day 21 29th April Villadangos - Astorga Walked:28kms To Go: 259
Took wrong turning immediately but noticed after 100m, passed John and Tony, then later on passed Mick and Robin. Stopped at a bar in Orbigo and in walk Mick and Robin again! left them behind and entered Astorga in time to see traditional dancing in the town square.Checked into hostel and went for a pizza in the plaza, about 2 hours later in walk Mick and Robin who´d got lost somewhere. Then Mar showed up followed by Matteus then Mr Yoo the Korean and we all ended up having a nice Pilgrim´s dinner in a restaurant
Day 22 30th April Astorga - Rabanal del Camino Walked:21kms To Go: 238
Had to wait till 10.00am for shops to open so I could buy a new poncho as mine had split. bitterly cold wind blowing, poncho acted as good wind-break.I was now at 869m and would be going up to 1149m today. At second village bumped into Mar and we had coffee and brandy to keep out the cold and I walked on!! Reached hostel to find Mick and Robin already installed, we all went for a drink and in walked Mar who proceeded to chat up a lorry-driver and wangled herself a lift onto the next village. Later on it snowed and everyone was leaping about taking photos. Had a pilgrims dinner in bar.
Day 23 1st May Rabanal - Ponferrada Walked:33kms To Go:205
What a day, started very cold with light drizzle, climbed up to the highest point on the whole camino 1517m, there was snow everywhere and the spring flowers were coming out as well. Beautiful views of countryside, got to the Cruz de ferro which is a monument erected for pilgrims to place a stone on from their own countries and get a free pardon for all their sins!! So I duly chucked on the minute pebble I´d carefully nursed all the way from our garden in Glenorchy. It was snowing quite heavily now as I started the descent into Ponferrada which is down at 543m.
it gradually warmed up and everything turned green again, stopped at next bar for lunch and in walked Mick and Robin closely followed by Mar. Mick and Robin decided to sleep there and I walked on with 4 Germans and we caught up with Mar again who turned out to know the Germans too. Checked into the hostel and went in search of food. Got to main plaza and yet again bumped into Mar who had Matteus in tow now so we ducked into a bar only to find the 4 germans again and a nice dinner ensued
Hard 17 kms to start along flat straight rocky boring track, a region called the Meseta which goes on for miles.Stopped at village for bocadillos(sandwiches made with baguettes) and beer, Huns Matteus and Udo were there. On to next village where every body was going to stay but decided to push on to San Nicolas. Passed a sign saying '
Day 17 25th April San Nicolas - Bercianos de Real Camino Walked:17kms To Go: 355
Rain. Achilles tendon started to hurt after an hour, gradually got worse and had to stop at Bercianos because of pain and heavy rain. Mick and Robin arrive and go off to bar, i try and join them later but am driven back by pain and torriential rain, so sit all afternoon in Hostelmn with ice-pack on tendon. Big dinner at hostel with all pilgrims sitting round kitchen table. Each nationality goup had to sing a song from their country, Germans sang jolly marching song, Korean guy(Mr Yoo) sang poignant ballad of love and revenge, us Pommies mumbled "Yellow Submarine" and then Mick and myself belted out "Waltzing matilda". Then it was prayers for pilgrims time and each nationality group had to read out a prayer from a book in their language. We English got some bizarre psalm featurig lambs and serpents etc. Leg hurting and can hardly walk. Could this be the end?
Day 18 26th April Bercianos - Villarente Walked:32KMS!!! To go:323
Rubbed Ibuprofen gel into leg and took painkillers and decided to try and hobble to next village(8kms). Leg seemed to improve as I walked so pressed on. Character in red poncho and white beard looking like Santa Claus directed me to bar in very posh English accent at next village. Met him at the hostel that night and his name turned out to be Nicholas (Santa Claus-Geddit?) Hostel I was going to stay in was very small and ful of walkers so pushed on to Villarente and met Mar in the shop.Really nice hostel with washing machine so washed all clothes. leg a bit stiff. Met English couple Bob and Morag, Morag is "Healer/Masseuse" and gave my leg a rub.
Day 19 27th April Villarente -
Breakfast in hostel and away by 8.30. Leg now very bad (so much for massage) and limped very painfully into
Day 20 28th April Leon - Villadangos del Paramo Walked:24kms To Go: 287
Left at 10.10, leg feels great - was it the "healing" or was it the ice??!! had a look around
Day 21 29th April Villadangos - Astorga Walked:28kms To Go: 259
Took wrong turning immediately but noticed after 100m, passed John and Tony, then later on passed Mick and Robin. Stopped at a bar in Orbigo and in walk Mick and Robin again! left them behind and entered Astorga in time to see traditional dancing in the town square.Checked into hostel and went for a pizza in the plaza, about 2 hours later in walk Mick and Robin who´d got lost somewhere. Then Mar showed up followed by Matteus then Mr Yoo the Korean and we all ended up having a nice Pilgrim´s dinner in a restaurant
Day 22 30th April Astorga - Rabanal del Camino Walked:21kms To Go: 238
Had to wait till 10.00am for shops to open so I could buy a new poncho as mine had split. bitterly cold wind blowing, poncho acted as good wind-break.I was now at 869m and would be going up to 1149m today. At second village bumped into Mar and we had coffee and brandy to keep out the cold and I walked on!! Reached hostel to find Mick and Robin already installed, we all went for a drink and in walked Mar who proceeded to chat up a lorry-driver and wangled herself a lift onto the next village. Later on it snowed and everyone was leaping about taking photos. Had a pilgrims dinner in bar.
Day 23 1st May Rabanal - Ponferrada Walked:33kms To Go:205
What a day, started very cold with light drizzle, climbed up to the highest point on the whole camino 1517m, there was snow everywhere and the spring flowers were coming out as well. Beautiful views of countryside, got to the Cruz de ferro which is a monument erected for pilgrims to place a stone on from their own countries and get a free pardon for all their sins!! So I duly chucked on the minute pebble I´d carefully nursed all the way from our garden in Glenorchy. It was snowing quite heavily now as I started the descent into Ponferrada which is down at 543m.
it gradually warmed up and everything turned green again, stopped at next bar for lunch and in walked Mick and Robin closely followed by Mar. Mick and Robin decided to sleep there and I walked on with 4 Germans and we caught up with Mar again who turned out to know the Germans too. Checked into the hostel and went in search of food. Got to main plaza and yet again bumped into Mar who had Matteus in tow now so we ducked into a bar only to find the 4 germans again and a nice dinner ensued
Day
24 2nd May Ponferrada - Cacabelos Walked
:15kms To Go:190
Lovely day, walked thru vineyards and arrived at Cacabelos, was going to go further but looked at hostel in Cacabelos and facilities were very good and had a lot of washing to do so decided to stop.Later on John and Tony the South Africans arrived followed by Mr You the Korean. The hostel was like a motel with small rooms and 2 beds to each room (luxury) Shared room with Mr You which disappointed him as he was hoping for a "beautiful lady".
Day 25 3rd May Cacabelos - Vega de Valcarce Walked: 26kms To Go: 164
Another sunny day, more vineyards, passed thru Villafranca del Bierzo- nice town but heard later that only one hostel was open and was very crowded and dirty so hooray for Cacabelos. After Villafranca there was a choice of routes, I took the hard one which went right up on a mountain with beautiful views and lots of wild flowers.Stayed at Brazillian-run Albergue and had a Brazillian dinner that night
Day 26 4th May Vega de Valcarce - Triacastela Walked:34kms To Go:130
This walk took me over the 3rd mountain range of the Camino, from 630m to 1337m, very tough climb up to O Cebreiro then Alto de Poio with beautiful views and no snow this time, just green meadows and flowers.Then it was all downhill (tough on the knees) to Triacastela.Met 2 English people I´d seen before- Helen and a guy called Robbie Williams would you believe! Achilles tendon playing up again so more ice-packs. Dinner of Cheese and wine in hostel kitchen
Day 27 5th May Triacastela - Ferreiros Walked:34kms To Go:96
Sunny but cold,walked thru very rural area, small villages and farmyards, cow-poo and silage smells everywhere - reminded me of Somerset! Arrived in next big town Sarria at 12.30 and pushed on thru lots of deserted little hamlets without seeing any other walkers then rounded a corner to find a whole flock of them sitting at an outdoor bar. And there was Matthias who I hadn´t seen since Ponferrada, so a beer was had and we pushed on together to Ferreiros and stopped at a small hostel then later a pilgrim´s menu dinner in an empty bar. What a Saturday night!
Day 28 6th May Ferreiros - Palas do Rei Walked:31kms To Go:65
Last to leave hostel at 8.30,started in the sunshine but descended into very cold clammy fog which lasted until about 11.30, hands so cold that I could hardly open water-bottle. Stopped for coffee and cake in Portomarin. Then a bit of a climb out and then on thru several small hamlets with weather getting hotter and hotter after being so cold in the morning, a group of Italian walkers sitting at a picnic table invited me over for a glass of wine and we had a chat in a mixture of English,Italian and Spanish. Next minute, up pops Matthias again who´s actually turning out to be a really nice guy, he was duly offered wine and we pushed on together for an hour until I left him at a bar with tummy problems. Got into Palas do Rei at 5pm after a long day and checked into a really nice hostel where they hadn´t crammed the bunks right on top of each other. Did usual routine of shower and wash socks and knickers etc , went for a walk and bumped straight into Matthias who was staying in another hostel. Were having dinner together when in walks Mar who I haven´seen since Ponferrada we all agree to meet up in Santiago which is only 3 days away now.
Day 29 7th May Palas do Rei - Arzua Walked:26kms To Go:39
Got away at 9.30 after session on internet, overcast and cool day, not pretty but OK for walking.Lots of steep climbs and descents passing thru villages and farmyards.Had a beer and a tortilla (Spanish omelette) in Furelos then after 4 hours caught up to Matthias and walked with him to the outskirts of Arzua where his boot fell apart and he stopped at a garage to get it glued up. On to albergue which was OK and did washing, Matthias arrive with glued-up boot and we had a bottle of wine in the main plaza and of course Mar rocked up with 2 English guys in tow. Bought snacks in supermarket for dinner, had a couple of conacs in bar by myself as Matthias went to bed early as he wants to do the whole 39kms to Santiago tomorrow
Day 30 8th May Arzua - Monte de Gozo Walked :35kms To Go: 4
Nice day but descended from town into cold, clammy fog which lifted after an hour, more climbs and descents, lots of pilgrims now as you only have to do the last 100kms to Santiago to get the same certificate that I will get after doing 774kms, to pass the time decided to count the number of pilgrims that I passed, got to 40 before I gave up. Last 10kms were a killer, very hot long straight white sandy track, felt like I was walking in a desert. Monte de Gozo is a huge pilgrim complex with long barrack- like buildings and beds for 2800 pilgrims.Wished I'd pushed onto Santiago
Lovely day, walked thru vineyards and arrived at Cacabelos, was going to go further but looked at hostel in Cacabelos and facilities were very good and had a lot of washing to do so decided to stop.Later on John and Tony the South Africans arrived followed by Mr You the Korean. The hostel was like a motel with small rooms and 2 beds to each room (luxury) Shared room with Mr You which disappointed him as he was hoping for a "beautiful lady".
Day 25 3rd May Cacabelos - Vega de Valcarce Walked: 26kms To Go: 164
Another sunny day, more vineyards, passed thru Villafranca del Bierzo- nice town but heard later that only one hostel was open and was very crowded and dirty so hooray for Cacabelos. After Villafranca there was a choice of routes, I took the hard one which went right up on a mountain with beautiful views and lots of wild flowers.Stayed at Brazillian-run Albergue and had a Brazillian dinner that night
Day 26 4th May Vega de Valcarce - Triacastela Walked:34kms To Go:130
This walk took me over the 3rd mountain range of the Camino, from 630m to 1337m, very tough climb up to O Cebreiro then Alto de Poio with beautiful views and no snow this time, just green meadows and flowers.Then it was all downhill (tough on the knees) to Triacastela.Met 2 English people I´d seen before- Helen and a guy called Robbie Williams would you believe! Achilles tendon playing up again so more ice-packs. Dinner of Cheese and wine in hostel kitchen
Day 27 5th May Triacastela - Ferreiros Walked:34kms To Go:96
Sunny but cold,walked thru very rural area, small villages and farmyards, cow-poo and silage smells everywhere - reminded me of Somerset! Arrived in next big town Sarria at 12.30 and pushed on thru lots of deserted little hamlets without seeing any other walkers then rounded a corner to find a whole flock of them sitting at an outdoor bar. And there was Matthias who I hadn´t seen since Ponferrada, so a beer was had and we pushed on together to Ferreiros and stopped at a small hostel then later a pilgrim´s menu dinner in an empty bar. What a Saturday night!
Day 28 6th May Ferreiros - Palas do Rei Walked:31kms To Go:65
Last to leave hostel at 8.30,started in the sunshine but descended into very cold clammy fog which lasted until about 11.30, hands so cold that I could hardly open water-bottle. Stopped for coffee and cake in Portomarin. Then a bit of a climb out and then on thru several small hamlets with weather getting hotter and hotter after being so cold in the morning, a group of Italian walkers sitting at a picnic table invited me over for a glass of wine and we had a chat in a mixture of English,Italian and Spanish. Next minute, up pops Matthias again who´s actually turning out to be a really nice guy, he was duly offered wine and we pushed on together for an hour until I left him at a bar with tummy problems. Got into Palas do Rei at 5pm after a long day and checked into a really nice hostel where they hadn´t crammed the bunks right on top of each other. Did usual routine of shower and wash socks and knickers etc , went for a walk and bumped straight into Matthias who was staying in another hostel. Were having dinner together when in walks Mar who I haven´seen since Ponferrada we all agree to meet up in Santiago which is only 3 days away now.
Day 29 7th May Palas do Rei - Arzua Walked:26kms To Go:39
Got away at 9.30 after session on internet, overcast and cool day, not pretty but OK for walking.Lots of steep climbs and descents passing thru villages and farmyards.Had a beer and a tortilla (Spanish omelette) in Furelos then after 4 hours caught up to Matthias and walked with him to the outskirts of Arzua where his boot fell apart and he stopped at a garage to get it glued up. On to albergue which was OK and did washing, Matthias arrive with glued-up boot and we had a bottle of wine in the main plaza and of course Mar rocked up with 2 English guys in tow. Bought snacks in supermarket for dinner, had a couple of conacs in bar by myself as Matthias went to bed early as he wants to do the whole 39kms to Santiago tomorrow
Day 30 8th May Arzua - Monte de Gozo Walked :35kms To Go: 4
Nice day but descended from town into cold, clammy fog which lifted after an hour, more climbs and descents, lots of pilgrims now as you only have to do the last 100kms to Santiago to get the same certificate that I will get after doing 774kms, to pass the time decided to count the number of pilgrims that I passed, got to 40 before I gave up. Last 10kms were a killer, very hot long straight white sandy track, felt like I was walking in a desert. Monte de Gozo is a huge pilgrim complex with long barrack- like buildings and beds for 2800 pilgrims.Wished I'd pushed onto Santiago
Day
31 9th May Monte de Gozo - Santiago
Walked: 4kms To Go: 0
Left the concrete prison complex at 9.00pm and walked in fine sunlight, as I
approached Santiago the little yellow arrows that had guided me/led me astray
for the last 770kms disappeared for ever (thanks a lot) and the roads were
dotted with pilgrims scrutinising maps and searching for any indication signs.
Struggled onwards thru narrow old city streets and bumped into Udo the German
guy I hadn't seen for a week, then finally into the impressive, cobbled
Obradoiro Plaza and the cathedral. Went in and did the obligatory pilgrim hug
of the statue of saint James(Santiago) then off to find a room (luxury) very
close by and back to the cathedral for the midday Pilgrim's mass. Very
theatrical with lots of priests and a nun who sang beautifully, must have been
close on 1000 people there. Met my old chum Matthias then Philip with the Dog
Squad, then Dutch Willie who I had met on the first day of the walk, then Udo
again. Myself, Willie and Matthias then went off and had lunch, heard a
huge bellow from across the road and there was the ubiquitous Mar of course. So
all four of us met up that night and had the final supper in a little
non-touristy restaurant then it was goodbye, Willie back to Holland, Matthias
back to Germany, Mar back to her home town of Ponferrada and me on a plane to
UK to see my beautiful and much-missed wife before our holiday next week in
Portugal.
So, 774kms in 30 days,(I dont count the 4kms of the 31st day as I deliberately left them so I could arrive in the morning)
Average of 25kms per day, never thought I'd achieve that, but I'm glad I did it before I turn 60 next year. Gonna seem strange not walking every day, but I wont miss washing my socks!!
So, 774kms in 30 days,(I dont count the 4kms of the 31st day as I deliberately left them so I could arrive in the morning)
Average of 25kms per day, never thought I'd achieve that, but I'm glad I did it before I turn 60 next year. Gonna seem strange not walking every day, but I wont miss washing my socks!!
