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Keep trucking. There is no timeline. I started from Canterbury in 2022 and am tonight in Siena, 14 days from Roma. This is the third of 3 stages. The Confraternity has been and continues to be a storehouse of great information. TimR and others have provided much useful advice in previous...
This is a generous group and wonderful resource. And they made my start in Canterbury, then on across France, a smooth walk with all the tips and postings from their group. Money well spent to support them and use their knowledge base.
Hand wash and hang dry is the most common option. I'm starting the last leg from Lucca to Roma in 2 weeks, having walked from Canterbury to Martigny in 2022 and Martigny to Lucca in 2023. In France, there are very few accommodations that have any laundry facilities, so I wore only quick drying...
A fine beginning and well done, sir. My wander in wonder, from Lucca to Roma, begins in 24 days.
The dogs will most likely be in Martigny, but not yet up at San Bernardo this early. Wishing you very happy wandering through the mountains and down the Val d’Aosta. Bon Viaggio
Thanks for the remarks and advice. I'll be on that route, but without the Colle Val d'Elsa detour, starting in Lucca on May 1. Plan to arrive in Roma on 5/19. Will consider your advice on which cities you would prefer for rest days... they all look good, but time is short so choices must be...
Bob from L.A. ! -- Happy New Year and thanks for all the posts on your epic trek this past Spring/Summer. I got to Lucca and stopped, but will finish in May or early June from Lucca to Rome. Your posts were inspirational and gave me some great ideas and tips. Hope 2024 is healthy and happy...
Walked from Canterbury to Martigny in 2022 and Martigny to Lucca in 2023. As noted by others, the path across France wanders around, particularly in the Western parts of the country. A host explained to me that the French folks who use these paths for weekend and day hikes do NOT want to walk...
Oh, my. I did reserve a place that appeared to be only 2 km off the VF in Switzerland (Vevey), only to discover that the elevation was almost 300 meters above town, way up on the hillside above Lac Leman. The views were great, but I was not appreciative of them until after I'd had a restorative...
I used Gronze.com and All Trails apps this past September to walk from Martigny, SW to Lucca, IT. Note well -- Gronze.com doesn't start until the top of the GSB Pass and continues on the route to Rome. Using these offline resources makes navigating the route much safer/easier than it was in...
Buon Cammino!
Just finished the Martigny to Lucca part of the VF on 19 Sept. Trail conditions were good (mostly) and there were a lot more pilgrims than I met last year walking from Canterbury to Martigny. Tourists were a bit of a problem (too many of them) in some the more popular towns...
Congratulations and safe travels from here to wherever is "next".
Thanks for sharing your work with us. It was truly inspirational in getting me out the door on my training walks each day.
Kudos and Buon Cammino!
SWEEEET!! Enjoy the final miles. Been a great inspiration to read your posts and know I'm going to be on that route in three weeks... Hope the post-camino recovery is swift and your next one is on the planning board already. Buon cammino!
Thanks. I'm just about to start the second leg of my VF (from Martigny to Lucca) and this is a useful overview. Last year, I walked from Canterbury to Martigny and the route was not clearly marked in several places and my offline maps often suggested a different route than the official route...
Unfortunately, that "downhill is easy" myth is hard to overcome, but as an old distance runner who participated in several multi-stage races (150-250 miles of relay stages), the veterans would always opt for running uphill vs a steep downhill. Downhill makes "hamburger"out of your quads as they...
Yeah, and the coffee was probably $7. I went to a Starbucks in Geneva and it was $5.65 for a tall black coffee! Had to do it just to say I did it... joining Paris, Kyoto, Basel, London, Lisbon, etc... as places I've had SBUX coffee. (I formerly lived in a Seattle neighborhood where several of...
PS -- I see that Trecile agrees with my musical "taste" or "distaste", but I love your story and your friend back home will be very happy to hear that you now know from whence she came.
Keep on truckin' and be well.
Buon Cammino!
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