En camino

We are blessed!  Dublin Airport was quiet as a lamb, our Aer Lingus flight smooth and on time, our pension in Santiago de Compostela delightfully welcoming, and sun shone on the ancient stones of the cathedral as we sipped delicious Albariño from nearby Rias Baixas. Our first dinner was delicious: the pilgrims' life excellent so far!

Light mist greeted us next morning as we headed for the 7.30 Pilgrims' Mass at the resplendent cathedral, entering by the impressive Holy Door which is only opened during those years when St James' feast day (July 25) falls on a Sunday.  This occurred last year, but thanks to the pandemic, 2022 has also been declared a Holy Year, or Jacobea.

The bus we had hoped to catch from Santiago to Valença in Portugal was overbooked, so we took a train south to Vigo and a taxi to Tui just across the Miño River from the famous fortified town. Our walk started on the narrow two-tier bridge (which carries infrequent trains on top, cars and pedestrians below), over into Portugal for a wander through  Valença's cobbled streets, gaining the vital stamps on our Pilgrim Passports to qualify for our compostela at the end of the journey. Then we began our camino proper, back over the river and steeply up to Tui's C12 cathedral, sadly closed when we arrived. 

From there we descended and left the border town, walking mainly on minor roads and woodland paths, very grateful for clouds and reviving breezes: the journey seemed to drag as the day wore on, and the feet protested!   But there were remarkably few walkers, and we were able to enjoy our solitude. My phone registered a very surprising total of 24 kms when we finally reached our hotel at 6.30. The temporal luxury of a reviving bath seemed more vital than the plenary indulgence granted at Santiago Cathedral's Porta Santa! 

Our 55th anniversary day promises fewer miles and happier feet. Watch this space.

Renewed thanks to all our amazing supporters as funds raised so far top 3000 euros. We are keeping you in our hearts and prayers ❤️🙏. 

Hasta la proxima! 

Packing

The scales are looking good. My tried and tested old camino backpack weighs 6.5 lbs, under 3kg, and contains all my needs for 10 days on the road : essential laundry will happen every few days,  and hopefully my rain gear stowed at the bottom won't get much use. It would be tempting fate to hike without it,  even though the forecast looks pretty settled :weather in Galicia,  like Ireland,  can be unpredictable,  so best to expect some heavy showers. 

Donations are pouring in and we are amazed and delighted. Targets continue to climb,  and hopefully our performance en route won't let you down! 

 

Were expecting Dublin Airport to be nice and quiet on Wednesday at lunchtime : we will report from Santiago that evening, before heading to Valenca on Thursday morning to begin the hike 

 

Buen camino y muchas gracias! 

 

New boots for old

 There is just a week to go to our departure, and the excitement is mounting!  Today I decided to replace my less than waterproof "summer" footwear with a brand new pair of Berghaus Supalite leather boots - the latest, lighter version of the models that had served me very well for the past 6 years on several caminos, but sadly breathed their last (and lost their souls!) earlier this year on a tough descent from Montgo mountain near Xavia, Alicante, Spain.  An extravagance perhaps, but these should last me for many more kilometers, and need just a little settling in before setting off.  

There has been an amazing response to the fundraising appeal for Breakthrough Cancer Research,  and the tally is over 1,500 euros.  A heartfelt thanks to all who have subscribed or pledged, offered us encouragement and support - we will keep you all in our hearts during the hike.  Donations may be made here

Packing continues, and as mentioned previously, the key is to stay light.  We will report on our final weight tallies in my next post.  

Trust

Only a week into our appeal and already we have surpassed our original target. We are really grateful for all the support, and spurred on to repay your trust. We so appreciate the many messages of encouragement received which will buoy us up when the miles begin to tell. The recent Irish heatwave has provided good training ground for early-September weather in northern Spain, and made it easy to get out and walk - but we will miss our daily swims which help us keep cool: we won't be near the coast, but hope to take a trip to Muxia from Santiago, and perhaps walk the last part of the Camino Fisterre (or Finistere).

We are beginning to assemble clothes and meds and test out our boots, shoes and backpacks. We will stay ultra light as usual, to make the uphill sections easier. Only two weeks to go and the excitement is mounting!

Fundraising page

Our fundraising page is now up and running and you can keep abreast of donations here Hopefully our training will keep us fit and well until the walk starts on September 1. Weather will probably be fairly hot so our packs will not need to be too heavy - plenty of sunscreen most important! Picture shows us without our loads, but we promise they will be attached throughout! Thanks so much for your continuing support!

Finally, plans afoot ....

Today is St James' Day, July 25th, 2022, a very fitting date to announce that Frank and I are finally set to don our boots and backpacks, and set out once more on the Camino Portugues. But our ambitions are not as lofty as in times of yore: we won't be tackling long daily distances, and will favour small hotels in place of hostels. We will carry our light backpacks, so we can allow for flexibility along the Way, and we will bring our begging bowls!

The plan is to set out from Valenca in northern Portugal, on the river Mino, and cross the International Bridge into Tui in Galicia, arriving into Santiago some 9 or 10 days later. A distance of about 120 kms, with a rest day allowed for, mid route. So no heroics, covering ground first tackled together on our second Camino way back in 2009, and repeated by me four years ago. A tried and tested route, but this time considerably shorter than those previous rambles.

We want once again to support the wonderful work of Cork-based Breakthrough Cancer Research as it continues record-breaking research into cures for the most obdurate cancers. Please follow our footsteps, and help this amazing charity fund lifesaving breakthrough projects. The walk is planned to commence on September 1, on the eve of our 55th wedding anniversary, so there will be early celebrations and perhaps a glass or two of rioja to help us on our way. Watch this space! (Updates en route will be from a mobile phone, so I'm not sure how the technology will work!)

Holy Year

This must be the world's worst blog! Only a single post in the dreaded 2020, but that at least was a positive one.  Though the word "positive" now, in these Covid times, has sinister connotations.  It is now a full year since we ceased to live normally, but we have survived these long and lonely 12 months, and despite entering into our third, and most scary lock-down on December 30th, reaping the results of frenetic shopping and socialising over the Christmas period,  we are trying to remain buoyant as we hopefully face a slow return to a new normal.  The various vaccines are our key to survival, and will mean that the younger generations don't have to worry so much about their older relations.  But the newly emerging variants have us worried.

Quite by accident I discovered that 2021 is indeed a special Camino Holy Year, when the feast of St James falls on a Sunday.  The last one was in 2010, when I walked 325 kms from Mansilla de las Mulas, 17kms east of Leon on the Camino Frances, and was joined by Frank at Sarria for the last 120kms into Santiago.

Lock-down III has brought more and more people out into the paths and parks to exercise, and there are walkers and joggers everywhere.  As coronavirus numbers rise alarmingly, and the population of seaside trippers expands (despite the 5km permitted travel limit), we are once again limiting our exercise to the fields during the weekends, to severely limit our contact with others.  Conditions are more difficult than during the warm welcoming days last spring.  The ground is wet and rough, but the views are still amazing, and we are so privileged to have these acres open to us. Weekdays are not so busy, and it is wonderful to be able to walk along the shoreline and breathe in the restorative sea air. 

Keeping fit hasn't been a problem.  There is more than enough time for a couple of hours' walking each day, and according to my phone I have completed 445 kms since January 1 -  that's about 44.5 kms per week :  I would need to up the mileage considerably to complete a 100km+ Camino in ten days!  But as soon as we get the all clear to travel, and have had the necessary jabs, I would hope to head for the Camino Porugues once more - tried and tested twice before, and relatively quiet and level.    Once again I will be calling on the generosity of family and friends to support the marvelous work done by Breakthrough Cancer Research

This will be an entirely different year for pilgrim walkers.  I cannot envisage staying at any of the hostels, in shared dorms.  Neither do I see  problems in securing single bedrooms in simple hotels along the route, as there will be a general air of caution about undertaking a trip of this nature.  And if things become too difficult I can decamp back to Tango, still moored safely in Vigo. 

 But with the way things are going, travel abroad this year may only be a pipe dream.  Please watch this space in the coming months as preparations get underway.

Myrtleville Beach

 

Chapel of Santo Antonio, Ponte de Lima

Roman bridge over the Lima river

Cooling shade

Warm springs, Caldas de Reis

Early morning shadows

The end of the road