Daniel Beaumont
Walked the VDLP, Frances, Portuguese and Norte.
- Time of past OR future Camino
- 2019
For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
---|
Buen Camino friend.Day 0 - Retracing Old Steps in Seville
Journey: Seville, 0km
Total Distance: 0 / 974 km
Weather: Sunny & clear skies, 34°C
Accommodation: Hostel One Catedral
Feeling: Reflective
--
Lesson: We don’t know what, we don’t know how, but we can be sure that things are going to change.
--
It’s 10 years since I was last in Seville. I was here with my father when I was 18 years old for a much needed father-son bonding session. To give you a little bit of context I didn’t see much of my dad growing up. My mum and he split when I was a young boy, and asides from him taking me to the occasional football match, or climbing a mountain together in the Lake District, he wasn’t really in my life so in many ways it was like going on holiday with a stranger.
It’s funny when I think back to my memories of Seville, and how certain memories stuck with me, and others seemed to flutter away like they never happened. All I can remember from my time here is three things:
1. - My dad begging to stop for an alcoholic drink every 5 minutes.
2. - My dad being amazed by the abundance of orange trees in Seville, wanting to climb them and pick their fruit (even though I’m pretty sure they are not the best to eat).
3 - Finding my dad naked, drunk and passed out in the bath at our hotel.
The trip was all about drinking and bars back then, even for me in many ways, and I find it incredible that as I wandered the streets this morning, I remembered none of them.
it was clear that I was looking at Seville with different eyes back then and never would I have predicted that I’d be back here 10 years later about to embark on a 1,000km pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.
These memories got me thinking about change. Change is the only constant in life; it’s the only thing we can be certain of. Time and new experience have shown me a new way of life, and now here I stand, so different in many ways (and of course still the same in many ways too), but indeed, looking at Seville from a completely different perspective.
This morning I spent my time walking through a couple parks and observing. I noticed the trees, especially the beautiful violet Jacaranda shedding their flowers. I stumbled upon a rainbow in a fountain which is obviously a sign of good things to come, and I spent a good 15 minutes watching a couple of ducks playing and making funny noises.
Asides from being sidetracked by nature, I had a mission to acquire a few essentials for the Camino: a hat, my credential, and a shell for my backpack. I succeeded on the hat and credential, but it seems Seville is more concerned with selling colourful fans rather than Shells. Needless to say, this evening I’ll head to a cafe over the river in Tirana with some new friends, and I’ll try my luck picking up a shell from the Friends of Camino Association Office.
Today’s lesson is to embrace change. In many ways, I feel like this walk is an opportunity to embrace change since my main motive of walking this time is to decide what the next chapter of my life will read.
For me, the Camino is as much therapy and time for self-reflection as it is a walk in nature, and this time I am bringing three questions that I seek to answer. Those questions are as follows:
1 - Who am I?
2 - Where am I?
3 - Where am I going?
Right now it feels right to ponder on those questions as I walk, but of course, anything can change, and maybe the Camino will reveal different questions for me to answer. The only way to discover is to start, to begin, to get moving, by putting one foot in front of the other. And tomorrow I’ll do just that starting my walk at 6am just before sunrise. I’m optimistic, I’m as fit as I’ve ever been and the weather gods are seemingly on my side.
Today was a good day and the universe aligns.
Speak soon.
View attachment 57382View attachment 57383View attachment 57384View attachment 57385
Buena suerte; it is a great walk (I did it last Fall); with much history. Enjoy y Buen Camino y Ultreia.Hey fellow pilgrims,
It’s time to set off to Seville for my annual Camino adventure.
It’s my 4th Camino and this year I’m walking the Camino Via de la Plata. It’s set to be a 30-day walk, covering about 974km, starting in Seville heading north towards Zamora, before joining with the Camino Sanabrés and finishing in Santiago by the middle of June.
I’ve been training hard for this walk for the last 6 months, and I’m feeling as fit as I'll ever be and ready to walk. I have several long days planned that break 40km, and I’m well aware of the crazy heat and temperatures I’m about to face, as well as long distances without water and/or infrastructure, plus the high likelihood of prolonged solitude, with this route being one of the least trodden Caminos.
I’ll touch down in Seville this evening and explore the city tomorrow (it’s 10 years since I last visited and crikey, a lot has changed since then), before beginning my walk on Friday morning.
Since I love writing, documenting and journalling, coupled with the uniqueness and magic of the Camino, I’m going to share my adventure here in the form of daily journal entries that will combine my journey with lessons, ideas, and realisations along with some photos.
I’ll also be documenting my journey on Instagram stories, so if you’re not already following me and you’re interested to come along for the journey, then you can find me here - www.instagram.com/danobeaumont
I’m super excited for this one - here we go, and speak soon!
View attachment 57332
Buen caminoDay 0 - Retracing Old Steps in Seville
Journey: Seville, 0km
Total Distance: 0 / 974 km
Weather: Sunny & clear skies, 34°C
Accommodation: Hostel One Catedral
Feeling: Reflective
--
Lesson: We don’t know what, we don’t know how, but we can be sure that things are going to change.
--
It’s 10 years since I was last in Seville. I was here with my father when I was 18 years old for a much needed father-son bonding session. To give you a little bit of context I didn’t see much of my dad growing up. My mum and he split when I was a young boy, and asides from him taking me to the occasional football match, or climbing a mountain together in the Lake District, he wasn’t really in my life so in many ways it was like going on holiday with a stranger.
It’s funny when I think back to my memories of Seville, and how certain memories stuck with me, and others seemed to flutter away like they never happened. All I can remember from my time here is three things:
1. - My dad begging to stop for an alcoholic drink every 5 minutes.
2. - My dad being amazed by the abundance of orange trees in Seville, wanting to climb them and pick their fruit (even though I’m pretty sure they are not the best to eat).
3 - Finding my dad naked, drunk and passed out in the bath at our hotel.
The trip was all about drinking and bars back then, even for me in many ways, and I find it incredible that as I wandered the streets this morning, I remembered none of them.
It was clear that I was looking at Seville with different eyes back then and never would I have predicted that I’d be back here 10 years later about to embark on a 1,000km pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.
These memories got me thinking about change. Change is the only constant in life; it’s the only thing we can be certain of. Time and new experience have shown me a new way of life, and now here I stand, so different in many ways (and of course still the same in many ways too), but indeed, looking at Seville from a completely different perspective.
This morning I spent my time walking through a couple parks and observing. I noticed the trees, especially the beautiful violet Jacaranda shedding their flowers. I stumbled upon a rainbow in a fountain which is obviously a sign of good things to come, and I spent a good 15 minutes watching a couple of ducks playing and making funny noises.
Asides from being sidetracked by nature, I had a mission to acquire a few essentials for the Camino: a hat, my credential, and a shell for my backpack. I succeeded on the hat and credential, but it seems Seville is more concerned with selling colourful fans rather than Shells. Needless to say, this evening I’ll head to a cafe over the river in Triana with some new friends, and I’ll try my luck picking up a shell from the Friends of Camino Association Office.
Today’s lesson is to embrace change. In many ways, I feel like this walk is an opportunity to embrace change since my main motive of walking this time is to decide what the next chapter of my life will read.
For me, the Camino is as much therapy and time for self-reflection as it is a walk in nature, and this time I am bringing three questions that I seek to answer. Those questions are as follows:
1 - Who am I?
2 - Where am I?
3 - Where am I going?
Right now it feels right to ponder on those questions as I walk, but of course, anything can change, and maybe the Camino will reveal different questions for me to answer. The only way to discover is to start, to begin, to get moving, by putting one foot in front of the other. And tomorrow I’ll do just that starting my walk at 6am just before sunrise. I’m optimistic, I’m as fit as I’ve ever been and the weather gods are seemingly on my side.
Today was a good day and the universe aligns.
Speak soon.
View attachment 57382View attachment 57383View attachment 57384View attachment 57385
Hola Peregrino, glad to read about your experiences. The pictures bring back some magnifico memories. Buen Camino y Ultreia.Day 3 - Preparation. Preparation. Preparation.
Date: 19.05.2019
Journey: Almaden de Plata > Monesterio, 35km
Total Distance: 103 / 974km
Weather: Clear blue skies, some winds, 23 °C
Accommodation: Hostal Extremadura
Feeling: Alive
Lesson: Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.
- Today's Walk -
There were many small wins today: I crossed the 100km mark, entered a new province (Extremadura), and walked 35km without even a niggle of a problem with my body, which is certainly a first after 3 Caminos.
The first couple of days of the Camino are always adjustment days and precious time for the body to get used to the strain of walking. This time around my shoulders hurt, right calf got badly sunburned, both knees played up a few times, and a few blisters tried their luck popping through. But fingers crossed, that I'm beyond the adjustment phase.
It was a glorious walk and I spent most of the day walking alone through farmland, happily opening and closing gate after gate. The landscape was bliss, and very different from previous days, but today was definitely the day of animals: I saw pigs oinking and rolling around in the mud, two dozen goats finding shelter under a tree from the burning sun, a snake weaving its way through the grass, angry dogs prisoning a herd of sheep, and a flock of birds flying in perfect synchronicity above.
After a lovely walk, I arrived in Monesterio at about 14:00 and landed on my feet with accommodation this evening, finding a private room and en-suite for €10, which turns out to be the same price as the pilgrim's albergue in town, where you'd share a dorm room with dozens of other people, and of course, potential snorers.
- Some Notes on Preparation -
With every Camino, I walk I play the preparation game and make sure I am as ready as I can be before I walk. The game started 6 months ago. People often say it's difficult to train for a Camino, because of course, when on earth can you find time to spend 8 hours walking?
But I found a regular 6-day schedule mixing running, steps, cycling, and long city walks did the trick. I also studied the route in depth, and created a spreadsheet to map distances, altitude, expected weather, probable routes & stages, as well as good to know information about albergues, water-points etc (I'll include a screenshot below).
One of my philosophies of good preparation is that "prevention is always better than cure", and if you can anticipate and avoid problems before they happen, you're going to have a much more pleasant walk. A few obvious things come to mind here:
Equipment: I buy decent equipment. Don't be fooled by cheap stuff; it's cheap for a reason.
Footwear & Footcare: I buy 1/2 size too big and wear my boots in at least 1 month before. I also wear them out on runs 2 weeks before walking. Vaseline each morning on your feet before putting your socks keeps them fresh.
Other: Carry backup water (at least 2 litres), carry fruit & nuts, plasters, sun cream, familiarise yourself with the day's route and weather before you set off, beat the afternoon sun by starting as early as possible, stay off social media and enjoy yourself!
When you get walking on the way, it's all about your mindset, and how that translates into the pace you end up walking. If you rush, your body will punish you for it sooner or later. People see the long distances I walk, and they often assume I am rushing, but they couldn't be further from the truth. I walk slow and long, at a natural pace, my body feels good at. It's somewhere between 4km/hr and 5km/hr.
The slower the better in my view. I see more and I stop when something in nature catches my attention. I don't walk the Camino simply for the physical challenge. I see it more encompassing than that, and it's as much a social, mental & spiritual walk, as it is a physical pursuit.
So the moral of the story is to always prepare. Not just for walking the Camino but anything in life. I never really got on with my English teacher, Mr L but there was one thing he said to me back in the day that has stuck with me ever since (it's weird how that happens isn't it):
"Failure to prepare is preparing to fail."
Mr L - maybe we didn't see eye to eye on many things, but I totally agree with you on that one.
Time to rest, relax and then explore Monesterio!
Speak soon.View attachment 57575View attachment 57576View attachment 57577View attachment 57578
You are young and fit, so your body can take punishment to a degree, but please don't experiment with water deprivation. Your body needs to be hydrated - especially when you're exerting yourself in that heat. You may not notice thirst until you are already dehydrated. As a result of dehydration you can feel confused and fatigued. This is risky when you're on the trail alone.I decided while walking this morning that I’d fast for the entirety of today’s walk and attempt walking without consuming any food or water at all. I know this may sound silly at first glance to fellow pilgrims out there,
Hola Daniel; I am really enjoying your thoughtful posts, and your pictures bring back such great memories of my VDLP walk last Fall. With regards to fasting; the primary intention of my VDLP Camino was spiritual, so the fasting that I disciplined myself to was sacrificial in nature. During my entire walk (journey) I fasted from drinking any alcohol (wine, beer, etc), and at times it was difficult; but when I finished my walk, having a beer y vino seemed so much more special para me. I don't think that fasting has only to do with food o drink; but on a spiritual/religious sense may mean to give up (sacrifice) something of meaning to a person - as they are searching for... Anyway, with all the spiritual/religious connotations associated to El Camino, I think it is a great place to fast. Buen Camino y Ultreia.Day 8 - Hunger
Date: 24.05.2019
Journey: Alcuéscar > Cáceres, 38km
Total Distance: 282 / 974km
Weather: Morning clouds, blue skies and lots of wind. 31°C
Accommodation: Couchsurfing with Damian
Feeling: Hungry
Lesson: Everyone can perform magic, everyone can reach his goals, if he is able to think, if he is able to wait, if he is able to fast. - Hermann Hesse
--
Yesterday was a pleasant stay at Dorothea’s Albergue in Alcuéscar. After spending the afternoon hand washing my clothes, and catching up with my journal, Dorothea gathered all us hungry pilgrims together and took us to her favourite local Spanish bar/restaurant for a late evening meal. The bar was very traditional Spanish, and there was a bunch of older Spanish gentleman with their eyes peeled to the TV in excitement as they watched live bullfighting on TV.
Ordering food was a fun ordeal. Asides from myself and Dorothea (who is German) everyone else at the table was Italian or Spanish. Note to self: don’t let Spanish/Italian pilgrims try and decide together what to eat because they will never agree and the waiter will end up deciding what the table eats. Finally, after 15 minutes of discussion about whether to get potatoes or salad, the waiter had the final say on what we were going to eat and within 15 minutes or so our table had turned into a full-on banquet.
There was cured ham, cheese, fresh bread, all kinds of meats, 2 x big tuna salads, roasted peppers, potatoes, wine, and some very hungry pilgrim bellies that wanted to be fed. The food was really good, but when an abundance of food is right in front of me, I can’t help myself but to pick away like a little woodpecker. I call myself a ‘picker’, because while I’m cooking for myself I eat as I go and pick away at the food I make… something like one tomato for me, one for the salad.
And before I knew it I had stuffed myself well beyond 80% full like the Japanese recommend for living a healthy long life. Anyways, I called it a night at 10:30pm, and headed back to the Albergue to get a good night’s sleep, while the Italians and Spanish continued drinking more beer and wine, and cracking jokes at the table. Once I got back I brushed my teeth and fell straight to sleep, but woke up in the middle night with stomach cramps, which was obviously a result of over-eating. My mum always warned me from over-eating when I was little. She would say “don’t let your eyes be greedier than your belly.” My eyes were definitely greedier than my belly, but I managed to fall back to sleep and was up with my alarm by 5:30am pronto for a 6am departure.
I could still feel the heaviness in my stomach as I pushed out with the first kilometres of the day. Asides from water, I wasn’t carrying any food with me because I got caught out by the supermarket closing early yet again yesterday evening.
During this journey, I’ve thought a lot about my relationship to food and even spoke about it on my Instagram stories. I eat when I want at home. I always have a full fridge. I find portion control difficult and got brought up by a mum telling me never to waste any food. I also eat faster than I’d like to eat, and I snack and pick at food like there’s no tomorrow. So all this combined makes unhealthy eating habits.
With feelings, I think it’s important to feel the contrast. In this case, when we’re talking about food, I think that we can learn a lot from the sensation of hungry from time to time,. So since I had no food with me, I decided while walking this morning that I’d fast for the entirety of today’s walk and attempt walking without consuming any food or water at all. I know this may sound silly at first glance to fellow pilgrims out there, especially considering the weather and long distances of the Via de la Plata, but everything was fully under control. I had 2L’s of water packed, plus some backup food in case of an emergency. Since I’ve never fasted properly before, I was more interested in experiencing how my body reacted to the process, particularly under strenuous and long physical activity.
By 10am, about 4 hours into my walk, my stomach was groaning and expecting its daily dosage of morning food. But that wasn’t to be. I walked on and I sat with the feeling of hunger with each step I took. I was conscious of the feeling, I knew it was there, but I was singing, and thinking about new ideas, so my mind was somewhere else for most of the journey. I surprised myself because I felt hungry for the first 4 hours but for the last 4 hours of my walk, it seemed like my stomach had given up hassling me for food.
After a glorious but incredibly windy 38km walk through barren trails coated with an abundance of beautiful yellow Forsythia bushes, I arrived in Cáceres and met my Couchsurfing host, Damian, for the evening. It was 2pm at this point and I hadn’t eaten a thing since 9pm the evening before. Surprisingly I felt calm and balanced, but after telling Damian the story of my attempt to fast for the walk, he insisted that we headed straight home to cook dinner.
By 3pm, I tucked into my first wonderful meal of the day that Damien kindly cooked up. It was an Indian chickpea curry with couscous and a traditional Spanish tomato salad. It felt great to taste food again, perhaps even a slight improvement in my appreciation for it, and after 18 hours away from food, each mouthful tasted even better than usual.
I was surprised by how well my body coped. I was clear in the mind. I was focused on my walk, and it was a lot easier than I expected, even without drinking any water. Now, after realising 18 hours with no food and walking 38km in 30 degrees heat was doable, I am thinking about doing a 24 hour fast of food for a day. I don’t think I’ve ever tried not eating for 24 hours in my life, so I am curious to see how my body responds, especially with the added requirement of walking 30-40km.
I still haven’t decided when I’ll do it yet, but I’m interested to know: Have any other pilgrims tried fasting before on any of their walks? And if so, how did it go for you?
Speak soon!View attachment 57887View attachment 57888View attachment 57889View attachment 57890
...was surprised by how well my body coped. I was clear in the mind...
You are young and fit, so your body can take punishment to a degree, but please don't experiment with water deprivation. Your body needs to be hydrated - especially when you're exerting yourself in that heat. You may not notice thirst until you are already dehydrated. As a result of dehydration you can feel confused and fatigued. This is risky when you're on the trail alone.
Dehydration-Dehydration - Symptoms & causes - Mayo Clinic
Dehydration is especially common and dangerous for infants, young children and older adults. Learn more about treating and preventing dehydration.www.mayoclinic.org
I don't know of any benefits to dehydration - only negative effects.
Love that story Daniel. Thanks for sharing. Ultreia!!!Day 6 - The Cool Days Are Over
Date: 22.05.2019
Journey: Villafranca de los Barros > Mérida, 44km
Total Distance: 211 / 974km
Weather: Scorching hot, some clouds, 31 °C
Accommodation: Albergue Molino de Pancaliente, €8
Feeling: Tired
Lesson: Clean the Inside of your cup.
--
Last night was one of those special occasions on the Camino. I stayed with Sandra, a Spanish lady, who, with a passion for sustainability, gardening and preserving the planet, travelled all over the world volunteering and woofing on farms, and eventually ended up in England where she put all her skills and experience into practice running her own farm in Devon for 2 1/2 years.
6 months ago she decided to move back to Spain so I was lucky to catch her in Villafranca de los Barros last night. We spent the evening together chatting about all kinds of things, as well as cooking up a beautiful lentil curry together, using herbs, spices and vegetables picked from her garden. We picked lemons, mint and raspberries from the garden and made fresh lemon juice, and Sandra also showed me her recipe for spicy humus! Given that food and eating healthy on the Camino is a highly unpredictable affair, it was a blessing to cook and then share a nutritious and healthy meal with Sandra. After some great chats, and losing track of time, I ended up getting to bed at 12:30am. I slept like a baby, and surprisingly didn’t feel tired when I woke at 6:30am, and was out the door by 7am pronto.
Today was my biggest day so far in distance. I walked 44km, and for 25km of those were dominated by grape and olive fields. Despite the lack of variety in landscape today, I was accompanied by Pascual, walking a solid 27km with him. He’s great company; full of energy and walks with a big smile on his face. We sang along together like good old friends, and before we knew it, we were dusting “away in a manger”. Pascual stopped for the day in Torremejía. It’s not likely we’ll see each other again on the route, so we said our goodbyes and gave each other a hug, and on I went to Merida.
The final 15km of my walk was painful on my feet, and largely dominated by highway walking. It was scorching hot and humid by 1pm with temperatures hitting 31 degrees Celsius. As I walked down the highway, I looked to my right and noticed a tremendous amount of rubbish nestled beyond the barriers and down the banking. There was paper, plastic, foil and cans. You could tell the rubbish had been there for a while because the colours had faded, and no one wants a stale brown can of coke. As I walked on I observed the highway. It was immaculately clean, but “hidden” just metres away was a continuous waste pit of unwanted items that will be sticking around for a long time.
It got me thinking back to an experience I had in 2014 when I was hitchhiking across Canada back in 2014. I was in Ontario when I got picked up by a priest called Jeremy who was from England. Jeremy had lived a very colourful life, and liked using analogies to explain the deeper philosophical questions of our existence.
The analogy that stuck with me the most was one where he was talking about life and cups. Jeremy said that we all have a cup, and we love keeping the outside of it clean and tidy. Some people decorate the outside of their cup with materials and possessions, others with power, prestige, distraction, or anything else that can be acquired in the external world. Although the outside of our cup can look pretty, exciting and colourful, it isn’t really us; it’s the image and persona we show to the world.
Jeremy went on to explain the inside of the cup contains our true self - our dreams, fears, traumas, values and destiny. But if we fall into the trap of spending most our time cleaning and decorating the outside of their cup, the inside of the cup gets neglected. Over time, and with continuous neglect, the inside of the cup becomes dirty and mouldy. Sure, the outside of the cup looks great, because we spend our energy preserving it, but the inside is dirty and full of mould, and worst of all, if you dare to drink from the cup, you can be sure you’re going to get ill.
Jeremy suggests that the answers to our destiny are not found on the outside of the cup, but on the inside of the cup - ironically the part of the cup that no one sees apart from you - and until we face the inside of our cup, we’re going to come up against ourselves time after time.
After all these years this analogy has stuck with me. In many ways, bringing it full circle, the Camino is one of many ways we can attempt to clean the inside of our cup. A long walk in nature mixed with introspection, away from the endless distractions of the external world, gives us the chance to reflect and work through the mental baggage we’re carrying.
Finally, walking is primal, and when there isn’t much to worry about each day apart from finding food, preventing a blister popping up and working out where you’re going to sleep that night, it gives you the time and space to be able to see ourselves with much more clarity. And of course, there’s no guarantee you’ll finish the Camino with a clean cup inside and out, but by walking with intention, and choosing to go on a journey, you at least entertain the possibility of change and stumbling upon an experience that could change your life for the better.
Speak soon!View attachment 57822View attachment 57825View attachment 57827
@Daniel Beaumont, what is your definition of 'couchsurfing'?
I've thought about giving it a go. I like the concept but something about the site puts me off.Couchsurfing with locals too. It's a different way of doing the Camino and i enjoy it!
Hilarious writing!It seemed that Hartmut’s fog horn started as soon as he shut his eyes, exemplifying German efficiency.
Enjoy the route we walked 11 years ago. Yes, sometimes solitary, and sometimes an alberge to ourselves, but I still dream of doing it again. I look forward to following your progress.Hey fellow pilgrims,
It’s time to set off to Seville for my annual Camino adventure.
It’s my 4th Camino and this year I’m walking the Camino Via de la Plata. It’s set to be a 30-day walk, covering about 974km, starting in Seville heading north towards Zamora, before joining with the Camino Sanabrés and finishing in Santiago by the middle of June.
I’ve been training hard for this walk for the last 6 months, and I’m feeling as fit as I'll ever be and ready to walk. I have several long days planned that break 40km, and I’m well aware of the crazy heat and temperatures I’m about to face, as well as long distances without water and/or infrastructure, plus the high likelihood of prolonged solitude, with this route being one of the least trodden Caminos.
I’ll touch down in Seville this evening and explore the city tomorrow (it’s 10 years since I last visited and crikey, a lot has changed since then), before beginning my walk on Friday morning.
Since I love writing, documenting and journalling, coupled with the uniqueness and magic of the Camino, I’m going to share my adventure here in the form of daily journal entries that will combine my journey with lessons, ideas, and realisations along with some photos.
I’ll also be documenting my journey on Instagram stories, so if you’re not already following me and you’re interested to come along for the journey, then you can find me here - www.instagram.com/danobeaumont
I’m super excited for this one - here we go, and speak soon!
View attachment 57332
Those long distances are not needed. With a little forethought, perhaps a taxi assist once or twice, and the time, you can avoid all distances over 30 km.not the long distances needed.
I think a good term for these people is ‘armchair pilgrims’ - who are quick to judge, drop their opinion on you and love to tell you the ‘right’ way to walk your journey.
Hola, keep up the good walk, and "hike your own Camino". UltreiaDay 19 - Judgement
Date: 04.06.2019
Journey: Santa Marta de Terra > Mombuey, 36km
Total Distance: 690 / 974km
Weather: Cloudy with periods of Sun, 21°C
Accommodation: Albergue de Peregrinos Mombuey
Feeling: Renergised
Lesson: Judge them not too harshly; they are as you would be given the same circumstances and situation - Abraham Lincoln
- Today’s Walk -
Yesterday’s short walk gave way to a much needed day to relax and recharge. I was in for the day by 11 am and spent most of the day writing, as well as washing, cooking, backing up photos, and caring for my poor blistered feet. After a productive day, I was in bed by 22:00 and I slept all the way through till 5:45 am. To my surprise, even though the room was dominated by 5 men with an average age of 60+, there wasn’t one single snorer in the room so I woke up feeling refreshed and in a very good mood.
Today’s walk was different. The walk passed through forests, with tall lanky trees (I’m not sure what they are called) elevating strong into the air, symmetrically placed in lines of perfection. I then followed a few canals and met with the river Tera which I followed until I crossed a large dam, admiring the power of water as it spurted out ferociously from a bottlenecked spout.
My boots were still squashing my toes, and although the pain wasn’t as severe yesterday, I decided to walk the last 15km of today’s journey in my flip flops, which after 20km feeling like I was walking on needles, felt like I was walking on feathers. Although my feet were incredibly mucky by the time I reached Mombuey, it was a trade-off I was happy to take today instead of pain.
- Notes on Judgement -
I’ve kept a journal since I was 7 years old and I’ve been writing journal entries like this one for a large part of my life and for a long time I wouldn’t let anyone read the words I wrote. I’d hide my journals from my mum in fear that she’d read them and judge me for what I’d written. It wasn’t anything personal against my mum; I was afraid of anyone reading my journals for that matter because writing has always been a highly intimate affair and something that I’ve kept very private. That was until a couple of years ago when I finally opened up and let a close friend read some of my journal entries for the first time. It felt strange at first, knowing someone had access to the rawest thoughts of my mind, but I rolled with it, and to my surprise, the judgement I’d worried about so much, never materialised, and instead, abundance took its place.
This experience made me rethink my approach to writing, and in 2016, when I walked my first Camino, I decided to make my journal entries public. I knew that by putting my raw thoughts on social media, I was opening myself up to scrutiny and the possibility of judgement and ridicule. But to me, there’s nothing more important than the truth and speaking from the heart, so I knew that by putting my words out publicly I was opening myself up to a good opportunity to learn to be ok with authenticity and vulnerability.
Since posting my first entry in 2016, I’ve received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from people. In many cases, my words have inspired people to walk their own Camino, or find courage in other areas of their life, and in some cases, even feel comfortable opening up to me about some of the difficulties they are going through. However, there is a downside to posting publicly which I was fully aware of before pressing publish on my first post. The downside is that there will always be critics. I call them the 5% club; the 5% of people who you simply cannot please. They dislike what you do and say; and given any opportunity will be there to put you down, ridicule you, or tell you how the world works right from their armchair.
In the context of my current journey, 95% of the comments and messages I’ve received from people have been abundant, beautiful and positive. The remaining 5% of messages made rash assumptions about my journey and criticised the way I am approaching my journey. It’s been really interesting to observe. Many of these people have never met me. They don’t know anything about who I am or my back story. They don’t ask questions, and I don’t get the feeling that these people really want to discover the truth, but instead simply push their frame of reality on my walk.
They tell me things like:
•I’m not prepared and I’m walking too long distances.
•I’m walking too fast, rushing and not seeing anything.
•I must not walk on the highway.
•My spreadsheet is doomed to fail.
•I’m depriving myself of eating.
But the funny thing is none of this is true. They would understand this too if only they took the time to ask questions and get to know me. I think a good term for these people is ‘armchair pilgrims’ - who are quick to judge, drop their opinion on you and love to tell you the ‘right’ way to walk your journey. So to avoid any more comments like the ones above, I want to clarify the assumptions above:
•I’m not prepared and walking too long distances - I am 28 years old, young, healthy and fit and have been a passionate sportsman since I was 5 years old. I did 6 months of dedicated training for this Camino. It’s my 4th Camino, and when I am not on the Camino I train 6 days a week, running on average about 70km and cycling about 100km a week. With my current level of fitness, walking 60km a day is comfortable without incurring any injuries. I planned to walk 2/3 of my walking comfort zone, somewhere in the region of 30-40km daily with the occasional longer day. I also did my research and laid out a mock route in a spreadsheet well before I even took my first step, so that I knew where I was going and whether there was going to be food, water and accommodation available.
•I’m walking too fast, rushing and not seeing a thing - No I’m not. I walk slow and long. I walk at about 4 - 4.5 km/h. That’s a comfortable and natural pace for my body. People see the long distances I walk and assume I am rushing and don’t see a thing. It’s not true. Let’s look at this with a hypothetical example. If Pilgrim A walks 20km over 4 hours and Pilgrim B walks 36km over 12 hours, who is the faster walker? At first glance, if we only see the number of kilometres walked then we’d assume Pilgrim B is walking way faster. But it’s simply not true. Pilgrim B is walking at 3 km/h, whereas Pilgrim A is walking at 5 km/h. Not only is Pilgrim B walking slower, but they also spend more time on the trail (albeit at the expense of socialising and resting), which ironically means they have more time on the trail each day to ‘see more’. Conclusion: there’s always much more context than simply the distance that’s being walked daily.
•I must not walk on the highway - What’s wrong with walking on the highway? People assume that because they don’t like walking on the highway, someone else won’t either. But I love highway walking - I find it oddly beautiful and a good chance to mix things up. The other day I opted to do a 44km day that took a diversion on the highway to Tabara so that I could gain an extra day at the end of my trip to head to Muxia. Someone got mad at me on the comments. They said it was dangerous and silly of me. I am fully aware it’s not the safest option, but his comment also confused me because quite a large portion of most Caminos involves highway walking that all pilgrims must do unless they get transport to the next part of the trail. To add to this, even parts of the Via de la Plata have been on the exact same highway I walked on that day.
•My spreadsheet is doomed to fail - I received this comment this morning after sharing my spreadsheet for the Via de la Plata to help pilgrims who are going to walk the route. Someone commented telling me he was a Chief Financial Officer and said: “your spreadsheet is doomed to fail.” Maybe he knows something I don’t about my journey, but I am 19 days into my journey, and using my spreadsheet It has actually been one of my most useful tools for organising my journey and making sure that I am in the know about where I am going and the distances between towns.
•I’m depriving myself of eating - I said I was hungry in one of my posts and someone jumped to the assumption that I was depriving myself of eating. That day I had already eaten a yoghurt, a full avocado, a punnet of cherry tomatoes, 500g of strawberries and a muesli bar. I’ll say no more about that.
I understand that most people have good intentions and want the best for me, but in many cases, I often feel like people are trying to push their reality onto mine, and it just doesn’t mesh. They speak from their frame of thinking, making rash assumptions without knowing me, and it’s tiring to explain myself again and again. In addition, to my detriment, the posts I write daily are only about a 1% reflection of my journey stating what I am feeling and what I am going through. I write them quickly once I arrive and most of the time my writing is sloppy and raw because I’m tired, so I probably don’t explain things as well as I should.
So this is a post for the 'armchair pilgrims' out there - please let us all hike our own hike, just like you are free and welcome to hike your own hike too without judgement too. Let us be free to make decisions for ourselves. Let us go fast if we want to. Let us go slow if that’s our style too. Let us walk backwards, forwards, do handstands every 5km if that’s what we want to do.
Because there’s one truth that stands and that is that there is no right, better, or superior way to walk. All ways are equal. And in the words of Abraham Lincoln, ‘“judge them not too harshly” - by all means ask questions, be curious, and take time to try and understand. But in the grander perspective of things; it’s their life, it’s their path, and they have the right to choose how they walk it.
Speak soon.
View attachment 58497View attachment 58498View attachment 58499
Hey,I can only assume you are talking about us?
A forum like this is intended in large part as an exchange of information and opinions about the Camino. It is different from a personal blog.
[Edited]
Great perspective Mike - i like your way of thinking. Present some info, and let people to take what they need - food for thought. Thanks for sharing this!Daniel,
Don't get too caught up with others opinions. remember they are simply others opinions. I have really enjoyed your blog. But I never read these sorts of things to judge. Everyone has a different opinion based on their experience or lack there of. Just keep feeding us information. That's what I really like about reading your blog. It's food for thought and another perspective. As more and more people seek conformity from themselves and others I for one value a different perspective and it is quite irrelevant whether i agree or not.
Buen camino.
Thanks for the kind words - I'll do just thatHola, keep up the good walk, and "hike your own Camino". Ultreia
Love this! Thanks for sharing - i've written the quote down, and will do some journalling on it later. Take careDaniel, in 2016 we met a couple who were doing 40km/day on the VdlP. We were only able to have one evening with them, because we do about half that. The wife gave us a great quote about how they do it. She said, referring to her husband: "He is in charge to make sure it all works out OK, I am in charge to enjoy it". (English was not their native language, but we thought it perfect the way she worded it). We marveled at how they could walk so many kms, but we were never critical. Good on you for doing the Camino your way. I'm loving your journal, and cheering you on from across the pond. Buen Camino.
I'm sorry that you were offended by these words, but i was referring to the people who had given scarcity driven comments on Facebook, not 'armchair pilgrims' in general. For a bit of context: these posts are first posted on my personal Facebook page and then i copy and paste them to here and add a few photos. I wasn't shooting at anyone in this community; and particularly people who i've never spoken to, who are, like you say, "current armchair pilgrims".Until now I’ve been enjoying your posts.
But, “armchair pilgrim”! Many current armchair pilgrims have walked the way as well, some many times over.
That’s some volley to shoot at others.
Wow!
May Santiago guide you literally and figuratively.
Buen camino.
Hey Hel/Scott,Hi Daniel, glad you took a short day after your long day to Tabara. I suspect your recent foot problems are due to the long haul on the Tarmac, this really punishes your feet and lower legs, no matter how young and fit you are. I find that weeks on the road makes your feet swell, even faster if you are on Tarmac. Add to that the heat of the VdlP and I not surprised you are in flip flops.
When we took this route in 2008, the road to Tabara was a quiet country road with a good gravel verge for walking. When I did it again in 2018 it was a very busy road filled with trucks and little verge so I wouldn't recommend this short cut. The other route is longer but has a couple of places to stop for the night.
I can understand your recent post and how you may feel the need to defend yourself. But get over it. We all walk the Camino our own way, and fellow Veterans of the VdlP know this better than anyone.
I for one am amazed you are able to stay up at night and see more of the local towns you visit. The stamina of youth! And as a solo walker you also go out of your way to meet with locals, something we don't often do when walking with a companion.
All the best for the rest of your trip, you still have miles to go before you rest. And you have the hills of Galicia before you.
For many years I was listed as an Active Member on the forum, which if really liked as it implied I was still capable of plenty more caminos. Then one day with out warning Active became Veteran, How? Why? Had Ivar spotted the grey hairs I was sprouting? Had I passed some magic threshold, like your millionth step. Yes I know I can change it. It is just a label, assigned to me by the forum, but I will wear it along with others that I have picked up along the way, like Stroppy and Widow.Curious to know, what do you mean by a "veteran"?
I am going to miss your posts, Daniel. And while it is a pity that trouble reached you, at least you are almost in Santiago.Day 26 - Off-Balance (The Night Before Santiago)
Date: 11.06.2019
Journey: Oseira > Bandeira, 46km
Total Distance: 940 / 974km
Weather: Cloudy and blue skies, 19°C
Accommodation: Albergue de la Xunta de Bandeira
Feeling: Overwhelmed
Lesson: Every day is a good day, but some are better than others.
It’s 20:00 and I’ve only just sat down to write. It’s the final evening before I arrive in Santiago tomorrow afternoon, and I’ve spent my day in a very different way to what how I expected it to pan out.
I’ve been in a good mood for the majority of this Camino. It really has brought the best out of me, but I can’t say that about today so in truth, I want to tell you that today hasn’t been my finest. I trust my intuition, and yesterday evening I felt a negative feeling of energy when I arrived at the monastery in Oseira. I’d been told before I arrived that you could only stay in the ‘pleasant’ part of the monastery if you were staying 2 nights. I’m not fussy when it comes to accommodation, but I arrived at the front door of the monastery to be ushered away by a smiley monk and told to go and find the albergue for pilgrims who are only staying one night, which I later found out from speaking to some pilgrims was known amongst the monks as the “refrigerator”.
The ‘refrigerator’ was an accurate description, and as I walked through the door and took my bed for the evening, the eerie damp feeling of the space hit me. There was nothing majorly wrong with the accommodation, everything a simple man like me needed for the evening. I just didn’t feel good there, and sometimes there isn’t an explanation for that.
I sat outside on the bench for a while watching my clothes dry on the rack when I heard the bells of the monastery ring for 5 o’clock. Something was off with the sound of the bells as well though, and as I concentrated on the dings and the dongs I realised that the sound of the bells was playing from a speaker, not being orchestrated by a monk, which dug at my eerie feeling even more.
A little later I went over for dinner at the only restaurant/bar in town. I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I haven’t had the best luck with food on this trip, and that theme unfortunately continued last night. From reading her body language, the Spanish lady seemed upset that she had to cook but eventually took my order. I don’t know why but I ordered Eggs, Chorizo and Potatoes, and I won’t say anything else other than I didn’t eat much and that I am now scarred for life from anything cooked in vegetable oil.
I decided to call it a night early to sleep off the fuzziness. I slept quite well until 4am in the morning when I woke up with a strong inclination to get out of the monastery and leave for walking. I left with no fuss by 4:30am and the best part of my experience came at that moment, leaving, and seeing a full night’s sky lighting up the sky above the monastery. It was dark, wet and miserable this morning, kind of in-line with my state of mind. I put my head down and listened to some music, using the light on my phone to help me navigate pools of water (welcome to Galicia) until the sun came up.
I thought the sun would change my state, but the day had different plans for me as my phone buzzed and a problem with my business back in Bucharest came up. Little did I know that for the next 8 hours of walking, I would be buried in my phone trying to solve issues that were 3,352km away in Bucharest.
I am fully aware that those problems are there and I am here, but at the end of the day I am also responsible for my business and I don’t have the benefit of choosing when problems occur. With that said, although the 45km of walking went fast today, I didn’t see much, because I was on the phone making calls most the day. I got into my albergue for the evening in Bandeira at 3pm, and then I received an email with an even bigger set of problems related to my business which has occupied my headspace for the last 5 hours or so. I’m finally done with all the issues and things are in better motion now, and I have a couple of hours before bed to enjoy and mentally prepare myself for my arrival in Santiago tomorrow.
Of course, I had visualised today being different, not on my phone, but looking around with childish eyes, admiring the landscapes I am privileged to walk through. But sometimes life has different plans and the day doesn’t always turn out how we expect it to be. But these feelings and states are temporary. They are like seasons. They don’t last forever, and now I am feeling good again. As I sit writing this, a quote from my good friend Russ from the USA comes to mind, whom I admire for his positive outlook on life. Here it is:
“Everyday is a good day, but some are better than others”
I’ll write a bit more before bed, listen to some piano music and get an early night for the 6am wake-up call and final 34km to Santiago de Compostela.
Speak soon.
P.s. No matter how overwhelmed I’m feeling, I’ll always find time for a smiley picture.View attachment 59075View attachment 59074View attachment 59072View attachment 59076
Wishing you the best for your arrival. I won't be watching though, as I never open facebook for anything. I will just wait for your final post...Hey guys,
Thanks for all the kind comments. Since many people have been with me along the way, from afar I want to share the walk into Santiago with you all live on Facebook from about 2pm Spanish time (GMT+2).
It’ll be posted publicly on my profile, so you’ll be able to follow along even if we’re not friends on Facebook.
Here’s the link to my profile: www.facebook.com/danobeaumont
Catch you later!
Bye for now, Daniel. Thank you for your sharing. Buen Camino. And when you hit the high road next year, mind how ye go!Day 31 - It’s Time To Move On
Date: 16.06.2019
Journey: Finisterre > Muxia, 28km
Total Distance: 1,092 / 1,092km (Done)
Weather: Sun, 17°C
Accommodation: Apartment Vida Muxia.
Feeling: Fulfilled
Lesson: Sometimes it’s time to move on in life.
It’s a strange feeling putting your boots on for the last time, not knowing when you’re going to be coming back to Spain to walk the Camino again. For the last 3 years, I’ve spent my holidays hiking in Spain. I’ve walked 4 different Camino routes and spent more than 100 days covering 3,000km through some of the most splendid nature I’ve ever set my eyes on while meeting some of the kindest and compassionate people I’ve ever met in my life.
Since my first walk in 2016, I always knew I was going to come back and do another route each consecutive year but this time I’m leaving with a different feeling. After all the time I’ve spent walking the Camino, I feel like I am ready to move on, and I’m not sure when I’ll be back in Spain to walk again. Of course, I cannot say this with certainty, because life is unpredictable and has a funny way of bringing out the most spontaneous experiences, but what I can say, is that in my heart, I won’t be coming back to walk anytime soon. And I feel good about that because compared to the difficult place I was in with myself back in 2016 when I first walked, I feel like I am leaving Santiago content, fulfilled and excited for new challenges ahead.
I decided to walk alone for my last day yesterday. I’ve walked from Muxia to Finisterre, but never the other way around. It’s an interesting feeling when you walk the same route but in the opposite direction. When viewed from a different perspective, even a well-trodden path looks different and I could barely recognise the route even though I’d walked the other direction twice before. Before leaving Finisterre I received a bit of advice from a veteran pilgrim and took it upon myself to take the coastal route to Muxia instead of the traditional Camino route. At some point, probably because I was in my own little world, I lost the trail but instead of instinctively opening Google maps and trying to determine my GPS location, I opened my compass and decided to have a bit of an adventure for my final day walking.
Following my compass North, I crossed beaches, took my boots off to cross a river, and meandered through overgrown trails and small Spanish towns and farms, making my own way to Muxia. I called the route ‘Camino Dano’, and taking my own path and dropping the need to follow those cute little yellow arrows reminded me of that thirst for adventure that has been inside me ever since I was a kid. The story has a happy ending too, because I managed to find my way to Muxia, and had a fantastic day not knowing, concretely, where my route was taking me.
The Camino has given me a special gift, and now i need to take that gift and do something else with it, so one of the reasons I am moving on from the Camino is that I want to try something a bit different next year for my annual adventure. I want to cycle across Britain to rediscover my home country; a place I haven’t lived for the last 7 years. Instead of following the traditional route from Lands End to John O’Groats, I’ll make my own route, passing good friends along the way.
I spent the evening in Muxia with Ioana and Ivan. We went out for a wonderful meal at a seafood restaurant in Muxia and then wandered down to the shorefront to set catch the sunset. It was a magical ending to my Camino. We found the perfect rock; a front row seat right on the doorstep of the Atlantic ocean for one of nature’s finest shows - the Final Sunset. Despite the rock being littered with Seagull poo galore, it wasn’t enough to dampen our enthusiasm, and we managed to find a nice row of space where we could perch our bums for 45 minutes to watch Nature’s show. And boy, did she turn up - it was a magical sunset gifted by a clear horizon. And to our delight, as we turned our heads to look behind us, we were spoiled when we witnessed the finest full moon illuminating majestically just above the church to top off a great evening.
We had all felt the end coming and now the journey was coming to a close so it felt like a fitting time to play a song. The song that came to my mind first was Fatboy Slim - Praise You, so I flicked open my Spotify account and pressed Play, and we all sung our hearts out until the sun had gone down. I want to paste the lyrics here because I think they are fitting for everyone because we all know what going on a journey feels like:
“We've come a long, long way together
Through the hard times and the good
I have to celebrate you, baby
I have to praise you like I should”
And as my final journal entry for walking, I think that’s where I’d like to leave this for all of you who have been on a journey. I am beyond grateful for all the love, compassion and kindness that I have been shown on my own journeys in the last years, not to mention the people I’ve been fortunate enough to meet along the way.
The Camino literally changed my life, and after every single one of those 3,000km I’ve walked, and all the wonderful people that I got to encounter along the way, whether physically in presence or virtually on social impact, have been part of my journey... I’d like to celebrate and praise you all. Every single one of you.
I am back in Santiago now and I feel ready to return home. Tomorrow morning I have an early flight out to Madrid and I’ll spend the day there waiting for my flight back to Bucharest at 4pm. I’ll use this time to write my Final Report and Reflection about all 4 of the Camino routes I’ve walked since 2016 and that will be me closing the chapter on this journey, which I’ll post tomorrow.
As a final note, a lot of people asked me why I I was so public about documenting my raw feelings and thoughts from this journey. After many years of keeping my journal entries private, the first Camino I walked had such a profound effect on my life that I decided I wanted to share that with others in hope that my words, pictures, videos and stories would encourage others to walk.
And it’s funny, because after trying so hard to depict the spirit of the Camino, I’ve realised that no words, pictures and videos can ever truly capture its essence, and means that the only way to really understand how the Camino feels is to put your own boots on and walk your own path.
So if you’re sitting on the fence about going walking the Camino, hesitating whether you should spend the next month of your life walking 1,000km across Spain, don’t think twice - just go - because journeys like this are once in a lifetime, and a beautiful opportunity to get to know yourself.
I feel like I know myself a little bit more than when I started out walking in 2016 now, but my journey here is up, and it feels right to move on… But before I leave I want to leave future pilgrims with the two most important words you’ll hear every single day, without fail, while you walk your way….
Buen Camino.View attachment 59512View attachment 59513View attachment 59514View attachment 59515
Thanks C clearly!Those long distances are not needed. With a little forethought, perhaps a taxi assist once or twice, and the time, you can avoid all distances over 30 km.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?