Puente La Reina to Estella – 21.8km. A steady walk along dirt roads in an undulating landscape. That’s how we expect life to be. There will be some more difficult uphill walking and some summits to look out from. There will be some easier down hill walking and some hollows where it is difficult to […]
Category: The Way
Pamplona to Puente la Reina – 23.8km. A steady route up to and down from Alto de Perdon, at 790m. In medieval times there was both a Basilica with a pilgrim hospice and a hermitage there. Today there are forty windmills along the skyline generating electricity. There is also a metal sculpture of peregrinos on […]
Today’s route is from Zubiri to Pamplona. A distance of 21.1km. Famous for the Festival of San Firmin and the ‘running of the bulls’, the city is the largest place and population along the Camino route. San Fermin, or Saint Fermin, is one of the two Patron Saints of Pamplona – the other being San […]
After the shock of the first day out of St. Jean and into Navarre, the second day’s walk is a respectable 22.3km, but mostly downwards in direction. As with life, difficulties seems to rise steeply before you and behind one peak, another comes into view, so level or downward routes are never truly that. Hidden […]
Traditionally, any pilgrimage route began from your front door step. Today the most common starting point for El Camino de Santiago begins across the Spanish border in the French town of St. Jean Pied de Port. St. Jean is the historic capital of the Basque Country which encompasses land and communities on both sides of […]
In Sando’s copy of ‘John Brierley – A Pilgrim’s Gude to the Camino de Santiago’ there is a quick 5-point reference page. It lists the following points: Travel – a quick guide; Preparation – Outer; Language; Pilgrim Passport, Protocol & Prayer; Preparation – Inner. Under travel it refers to when and how long. Life questions […]
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The Way After – Day #2
I hadn’t heard this Queen song for a long time until today. When it first was released it was so incredibly poignant and obviously reflected Freddie Mercury’s own life. When I was younger a friend’s elder sister was a massive Queen fan so I had heard about the rumours of his diagnosis with Aids long […]
Yo soy el camino, la verdad y la vida. Sando loved his languages, and foremost was Spanish. I was never sure whether the food and wine were the ‘bonus’ to his linguistic talent, or simply necessary to access the wine and the food! When he spoke Spanish he became more animated than usual. I would […]
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The Way After
Sando and I talked about ‘the Way’ for many years. El Camino de Santiago. The Way of St. James. An 800km pilgrim route through northern Spain. I cannot remember how it first came up in conversation. He mentioned it. He was familiar with it. I was not. It was one of those great adventures we […]
