Adventures on the Camino
Preparation
Why? In February 2023 I read a book called Pilgrim by Carolyn Gillespie. It spoke to a need I did not know I had – time out to adjust what I was doing with who I am. I lent the book to my sister Jo, who said, “We are so doing this”..
We started preparing for the Camino in May 2023 on the South West Coast Path between Combe Martin and Woolacombe which was 22.4km. This was to get a sense of what our baseline was physically and mentally. My baseline was a lot lower than Jo’s…
We are flying to Biarritz in April 2024, taking transport to St Jean de Pied de Port in the French Pyrenees; and will start on the Camino Frances on the following day. We aim to be in Santiago around mid May, covering 800 to 850 km over 32 days. We will be staying in Pilgrim Albergues along the way and will hopefully remain injury free. We plan on updating this blog every few days to discuss any spiritual or emotional revelations we have had, or just to update on the weather, food and people we meet. My son Julius will be responsible for updating these pages…
Thames Bridge Trek
In February 2024, as part of our training we did the Thames bridge trek, which covers 25km crossing 16 bridges, starting from Putney and ending at the Tower bridge, with full packs. The weather was clement, the stairs up and down the bridges not too much on the knees, and we did not meet any serious crowds until we got to the Millenium Bridge. Our sister Alicia, her partner and their two twins met us on the last bridge; which was brilliant.
Two days along the Thames Path
In March 2024, we covered a 50km between Windsor and Richmond over two days. In some places it was more Thames than path and we had to take some diversions to avoid the flooded parts. The hotel was in Weybridge and Jo tried to set fire to it when she used her travel water heater on the milk for our coffee; instead a cloud of smoke came off of the cup of milk, so she quickly removed it and the thing burst into flames! I slept through this saga and had a bizarre dream that she had brought her curling irons onto the Camino, which were overheating in the dormitory.
More Preparation
Step 1: Getting the Time Off Work : We both work at full time jobs for reputable organisations, which is to say, it is very difficult to get more than 2 weeks off in a row. It took months of discussion and contingency planning for us to be allowed to take all of our annual leave in one go. Fortunately, as we had both worked for a number of years and we both had very supportive employers, we managed to get this time off. This was good because we did not want to wait until we retired before we attempted this pilgrimage, as perhaps we would not have the physical wherewithal to do it.
Step 2: Equipment : This was our favourite part of the lead up to the Camino. We loved reading up on all the blogs, watching Youtube videos and researching ‘how to’ tips on the net. We looked and tried out a variety of rain gear, shoes, clothes, socks, anti blister techniques, fleeces, etc etc. We both do a bit of project management in our jobs, and this research became our ‘happy place’ when things got too stressful in our day to day lives. Jo got a snazzy espresso maker which needs no electricity for caffeine on the go; but although the size was right, the weight was an issue.
Step 3: Stamina : Jo did not need this, but I definitely had to embark on a ‘Couch to Camino’ strategy. I am not a gym bunny and prior to this year, physical exercise did not run to more than walking to the nearest bus stop. On the South West Coast Path, which I did cold, I did find my four signs of exhaustion; loss of appetite, stomach trouble, cold sores, and dizziness. It took a week to recover, and the blisters lasted for two weeks. We started a regular regime of walking at least 4x a week, with a long walk at the weekends, until I was walking at a moderate pace for 15 km with no down time for recovery afterwards. This took 3.5 months.
Step 4: Ensuring Home Life was Okay : We both have husbands, and I have five children and four grandchildren, Jo has a beautiful cat; We both have lots of commitments to try and put in contingency plans for, ensure bills were paid, etc. Fortunately our respective families are supportive (well, I don’t know about Jo’s cat); and are as committed to this journey as we are.
Please donate if you can to our Just Giving page as we are raising money to get a Molli suit for Terry’s son who lives with cerebral palsy.
