Arriving Biarritz @ 10.00 October 31st

I’m filled with anticipation and dread as my countdown app clicks away the days, hours and seconds for the time when I will set foot in Biarritz.

It’s showing 5 days, 5 hours and 5 minutes

I fly from stansted and will make my way to St Jean to the pilgrim office there, to receive a smile, good advice and a credencial and then I’ll decide ......

Do I linger in St Jean or go onward and slip through the Napoleon pass before it closes

The people that love me understand that I have set no expectations for pace or duration for the end of my pilgrimage ....if it’s 40 days or even more so be it.

I’m submitting myself to the way of St James and will embrace everything that occurs as I am polished by the Camino

I’m asked - are you traveling with a group and when I say no - I’m solo - their eyes look down and say - wow alone - won’t you be lonely

And I say and watch them start smiling when they hear ...

“ No there are people walking every step of the way with me and I feel that even if I can’t see another person on the Camino I have the rich companionship of perigrnos from the earliest of days and from the next person that I meet “

I’ve started traveling on Saturday morning and now I’ve made it to my daughter’s home in Northamptonshire for a stop over en route to Stansted.

I attended a beautiful service at the village church in Naseby- the site of the decisive victory of the parliamentarians over King Charles in 1645.