John Finn
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Camino de Frances - Sarria to Santiago (2013), Burgos to Leon (2014), St Jean Pied de Port to Logrono (2015), Logrono to Burgos (2016), Leon to Sarria (May 2017).
.... when I start planning my next Camino trip.
I take the Brierley guide down from the bookshelf and with pen and paper to hand I write "Day 1".
This year Day 1 will be from Leon to Villar de Mazarife and my final walking day, Day 8, will be from Triacastela to Sarria.
That will complete my Camino Frances. Over the last four years I have done Sarria to Santiago; Burgos to Leon; St Jean Pied de Port to Logrono; and, this year, Logrono to Burgos.
First thing to do is book the flights - Aer Lingus from Dublin to Madrid (I'll go by train from there to Leon) and from Santiago back to Dublin. I will book the trains and buses later (it's not possible to book most of them this far ahead).
Then it's on to Booking.com to book accommodation along the way. I'll stay in albergues a couple of nights but it will mostly be in hotels or guesthouses. Sorry if that offends the Camino purists but I am a light sleeper and I need my rest. Being woken in the small hours by noisy pilgrims is a feature of the Camino I can do without, thank you very much. I also like to set out very early (circa 4:30 am) on at least one night and walk from the darkness into the light - a wonderful numinous experience but not something that one can do from an albergue because of strict closing/opening times and/or out of consideration for one's fellow pilgrims.
If you are of like mind I would recommend that you don't delay booking - several properties are already fully booked for May when I'm going.
Between now and then it will be a matter of getting training in - going for longer and longer walks to (a) build up my stamina and (b) condition my feet to the daily pounding they will experience.
And it's all because we want to do something that is folly to a lot of people - walking pointlessly (as they would have it) over often difficult terrain day after day, suffering blisters and other ailments and eating mediocre food (the typical Pilgrim's Menu is not exactly haute cuisine).
So what is the attraction? I would list (in no particular order) - the often interesting and/or funny people one meets; the wonderful countryside; the shared objective of heading in the same direction; the feel-good factor from all the happy endorphins released by the hard daily exercise; the sense of achievement in having reached one's goal. Not to mention the wine and beer
Whatever it is, it brings people like me back year after year.
Long may it continue.
Regards,
John
I take the Brierley guide down from the bookshelf and with pen and paper to hand I write "Day 1".
This year Day 1 will be from Leon to Villar de Mazarife and my final walking day, Day 8, will be from Triacastela to Sarria.
That will complete my Camino Frances. Over the last four years I have done Sarria to Santiago; Burgos to Leon; St Jean Pied de Port to Logrono; and, this year, Logrono to Burgos.
First thing to do is book the flights - Aer Lingus from Dublin to Madrid (I'll go by train from there to Leon) and from Santiago back to Dublin. I will book the trains and buses later (it's not possible to book most of them this far ahead).
Then it's on to Booking.com to book accommodation along the way. I'll stay in albergues a couple of nights but it will mostly be in hotels or guesthouses. Sorry if that offends the Camino purists but I am a light sleeper and I need my rest. Being woken in the small hours by noisy pilgrims is a feature of the Camino I can do without, thank you very much. I also like to set out very early (circa 4:30 am) on at least one night and walk from the darkness into the light - a wonderful numinous experience but not something that one can do from an albergue because of strict closing/opening times and/or out of consideration for one's fellow pilgrims.
If you are of like mind I would recommend that you don't delay booking - several properties are already fully booked for May when I'm going.
Between now and then it will be a matter of getting training in - going for longer and longer walks to (a) build up my stamina and (b) condition my feet to the daily pounding they will experience.
And it's all because we want to do something that is folly to a lot of people - walking pointlessly (as they would have it) over often difficult terrain day after day, suffering blisters and other ailments and eating mediocre food (the typical Pilgrim's Menu is not exactly haute cuisine).
So what is the attraction? I would list (in no particular order) - the often interesting and/or funny people one meets; the wonderful countryside; the shared objective of heading in the same direction; the feel-good factor from all the happy endorphins released by the hard daily exercise; the sense of achievement in having reached one's goal. Not to mention the wine and beer
Whatever it is, it brings people like me back year after year.
Long may it continue.
Regards,
John
