It did not follow a fluid start-to-finish course, but
rather was broken into three distinct attempts. I initially began alone, on the
eve of my 65th birthday in May 2010, at the walled town of Manzilla de las Mulas near Leon. Frank joined me twelve days later at Sarria, which has become an increasingly popular launch pad
for Santiago, being the required 100+km from the cathedral (120 km). Five days later we proudly collected our certificates of completion - the
compostelas - and added them to those gained after our Camino Ingles in May 2007 and Camino Portugues in September 2009. I had walked about 340km and was grateful to
receive wonderful sponsorship towards a Cork based African charity. This walk in covered earlier in my blog
check here
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| Monument to pilgrims at Manzilla de las Mulas |
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| At Leon Cathedral after rain - May 2010 |
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| Maker of sturdy pilgrim staffs (bordon in Spanish) |
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| Church at Vilar de Mazarife - with protection for storks' nests! |
In
September 2013 Frank and I tackled the very start of the Spanish Camino Frances
from the French Pyrenean village of St Jean Pied de Port and made the demanding
ascent to Orisson and Roncesvalles. I never thought I would be able to
manage such a sustained mountain climb, but we sensibly made our first day a
short one of only 8 km and were thus more able to manage the continuing ascent next
morning, covering a climb of 1280 m! There was a huge sense of
achievement when we finally reached the Col de Lepoeder and could coast down
the remaining 5 km to Roncesvalles where the large Dutch-run albergue
Orreaga, originally founded in 1127, provided
spotless accommodation. We were blessed with fine weather and the views
were breathtaking, though altitude sickness made the going an extra bit
tough. Three days later we were in the famed city of Pamplona.
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| The evening before departing St Jean Pied de Port - Frank cut staves for us both |
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| View from the hostel at Orisson |
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| Day 2 begins and the climb rewards |
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| Hostel at Roscesvalles: one has been in existence here since 1127 |
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| Gate in the city walls at Pamplona |
In
October 2014 I decided again to walk for charity, this time ironically for the
Cork-based
Breakthrough Cancer Research (not knowing that our youngest daughter was to be diagnosed with Stage VI bowel cancer shortly after my return home). The final 340km section of my Camino Frances awaited, from Pamplona to Manzilla.
Frank accompanied me for the initial 10 days until Burgos and nine days later I
completed my camino at Manzilla and walked on the additional 18km to revisit Leon. Having already tackled the tough mountain stages this was a relatively easy and varied walk.
Occasional blisters and aching bodies are soon cured and one becomes hardened after a few days on the march. The terrain was mixed and beautiful : huge undulating fields of dying sunflowers, acres of
grazing for herds of sheep, vineyards and villages and magnificent cathedrals
and sections of Roman roads. Alone I made good friends along the way, and was heartened by the generosity and kindness extended by young and old alike. In
celebration at having finally completed my Camino Frances I spent the final night
of luxury at Leon's beautiful
Hotel Real Colegiata
An account of that walk is
here
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| Cloister, Pamplona Cathedral 2014 |
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| One of Spain's few canals - Canal de Castilla |
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| Sheep and Shepherd near Estella | |
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XII century Templar church at Villacazar
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| Full circle: back at Leon Cathedral - this time in sunshine Oct 2014 |
I
came home to the reality of our youngest daughter's cancer: how fitting
that a charity based on cancer research had been the beneficiary of my
final section of the Camino Frances. I plan to walk again for
Breakthrough Cancer Research, this
time with more determination as Sarah's continuing path towards good health
depends so much on quality research for newer and better ways to combat
metastatic cancer. Check out Sarah's uplifting blog
here.
And
to answer my initial question - which camino is the best? Each of the four I have sampled has its
highs and lows, but I feel more and more drawn towards the path less traveled. The last 120 km of the Camino Frances are in my view over busy with chartered groups, and as a solitary pilgrim I seek quieter routes to Santiago. Now actively in training I look forward to walking in September, and depending on fitness level will spend one or two weeks on the road - on which path I am not yet sure! The glorious weather we are currently enjoying in Ireland is a big help in getting fit.
Over the summer a donation site will be set up and notification given. Thanks so much for your continuing interest and support!
Go n-éirí an bóthar linn
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