After a month of to-ing and fro-ing with the podiatrist, I wasn’t sure this Camino was going to happen. However, after getting the go-ahead from the podiatrist the week prior, my mind was put at ease. I still had over 300 km to walk. The morning of the flight was an early one. I woke…
Caminho Portugues from Lisbon – First Thoughts
My Camino from Lisbon has been and passed. I arrived back in Dublin yesterday afternoon with fine weather. I left having walked 345 kms over 11 days from Lisbon in the south of Portugal, to Agueda further north. I caught a train to Porto the following day, stayed the night and few home. But not…
Pre-Camino Thoughts #6 – 13 days to go
13 days left, unlucky for some. Lucky for me, I am not superstitious. Time to get the pack sorted, you might think? Time to check in that flight and get that last preparation walk before you go? No? Not exactly! I’ve a few things I need to do before I can finally switch off and…
Pre-Camino Thoughts #5 – 21 days to go
As I sit and type this evening, I look at the calendar. The days are dropping away. Just 21 days left, 3 weeks. Any organised pilgrim would be packed and ready to go! I’ve a little more to do! This day 3 weeks from now, I will be sitting in my hostel in Lisbon waiting…
Pre-Camino Thoughts #4 – 28 days to go
I hope you are all having a good weekend wherever you are. I have been taking it easy and quietly counting down the days. I bought my pilgrim passport from Camino Society Ireland and got my first few stamps. If you live in Ireland, I recommend getting your passport from them. You can pop into…
Pre-Camino Thoughts #3 – 32 days to go
I woke up this morning, and did what I do every morning – check my Instagram feed. Amongst my followers are many pilgrims who are in the midst of their Camino journey, there are others who are just finished and others who are just preparing. Looking through their photos re-energizes me and gives me food…
Weekend Watch #58 – My Way – Camino de Santiago
We are back on the Camino Francés. One pilgrim has created a short video of his walk to Santiago. It is very difficult to package 800 kilometres in 6 minutes, but he has done a good job of it.
Pre-Camino Thoughts #2 – 37 days to go
Buenos días peregrinas y peregrinos! I hope you are keeping well wherever you are reading this. Here in Ireland, it is a Bank Holiday weekend and the sun has made an appearance. Typically on days like this, I would be taking in as many walks as possible. But not this weekend. Today, I ventured north…
Pre-Camino Thoughts #1 – 42 days to go
Ok! Let me be honest with you. For the last month or so, I’ve been pretty negative about my next Camino from Lisbon and it has been getting me down. I guess I just wanted someone to talk to and to get a few things off my chest. You may call me dramatic, but I…
The Camino Inglés – May 2019 – Where I Stayed
And just to finish off my few posts from my Camino in May, I want to briefly talk about where I stayed during those few days I walked from Ferrol to Santiago and out to Finisterre. This May, I walked with my brother so we decided to mix it up a bit and stay in…
Weekend Watch #57 – Saint James’ Day 2019
Santiago puts on the best celebrations. Lucky pilgrims!
Weekend Watch #56 – Camino de Santiago from above
I was volunteering for Camino Society Ireland at their information centre in Dublin again today. When I volunteer, I start to think ahead about possible routes to take in the future. There are too many I have yet to look into, but the Camino de Madrid and Camino del Norte will keep me occupied for…
Two months to Lisbon..or is it?
First of all, if you like what you see here, I’d really appreciate it if you subscribe to receive my latest posts to your email address. Thanks! 🙂 I hope you are all having a good weekend, wherever you are reading this. The weather is good here in Dublin and I have been out and…
Weekend Watch #55 – León Cathedral
While Santiago Cathedral is under refurbishment, pilgrims may look to other cathedrals for solace. While León Cathedral is undergoing work it is open to the public and I have always enjoyed visiting it. The same goes for Burgos and Astorga. It’s been over 2 years since I have been to León and although I have…
The next one – Camino de Madrid
Ok, I’m not counting my short walk in September when I walk from Lisbon for 10 days on the Camino Portuguese, but I am quietly preparing for next May. The Camino de Madrid is 315 km long and can be walked in about 2 weeks. It starts in Madrid and ends in Sahagún on the…
While in Santiago…
During my stay in Santiago, I had a chance to visit the Camino Companions team in Room 6 upstairs in the Pilgrim office. Camino Companions is an initiative of the Faithful Companions of Jesus Sisters. They offer a space to debrief, reflect and share on your experience of the Camino and prepare to return home….
Camino Inglés – Sigüeiro to Santiago de Compostela – Day 7
A short day – just 16 km to Santiago, but there were a few climbs which made the day interesting. You could be in the Praza do Obradoiro before midday if you wanted to. We decided to aim for a midday finish as I had planned to meet with someone, but I will come to…
Trailhead – City of the Saint
Trailhead or Tobias Panwitz is a singer-songwriter from Germany. He has recorded three albums and has toured throughout Germany, Europe, and Canada. One of his more recent collection of songs, Keep Walking, was born out of walking in Spain. Tracks 4, 5 and the title track are favorites of mine. A number of months ago,…
September’s Camino is a little up in the air…
So as some of you know, I have flights booked to Lisbon to walk some of the Portuguese Camino from September 9th. I booked the outward and return flight from Porto at Christmas. What makes this extra special is I will be meeting Carsten whom I met in Ventosa on the Camino Frances last September….
Camino Inglés – Hospital de Bruma to Sigüeiro – Day 6
Another great day and one with far more people to talk to. On the whole, we were descending from Bruma, but there were many rolling hills to navigate. The sun was out again, which made the first 2 days a distant memory. The albergue cleared out very early and we were on the road before…