It’s been a while since my last post (slightly more than three months in fact). I did start writing the following six weeks ago…
As I start to write this (and I may well not complete it for a few days weeks months) it is six weeks since I returned from my latest camino. That just seems ridiculous to me, it feels like an aeon ago. I spent three of those weeks in Spain trying to whip my garden into some semblance of order after six weeks absence during which time there had been an abundance of rain to assist the weeds in growing to unbelievable heights – not all unwelcome – the poppies were so abundant that the garden was reminiscent of the installation at the Tower of London a couple of years ago.
The last three weeks have been spent in the UK, helping my daughter and her partner with support and child care running up to their wedding and post nuptials whilst they enjoyed a child-free honeymoon.
My daughter’s wedding took place on the first sunny day for what seemed like weeks of rain and cloud, she looked absolutely stunning and her husband scrubbed up nicely too. Sophia at 20 months behaved as well as could have been hoped and Mikey at 5 managed to keep clean until the end of the ceremony, although he was sporting some impressive grass stains on his trousers by the time of the reception.
It was a wonderful occasion full of rarely seen family members and friends young and old not so young. Rosie hadn’t left a single thing to chance and the day went smoothly from noon to midnight, with fabulous food, wonderful conversations and irresistible dancing music. I couldn’t have been more proud.
And during all of this six week period many of my limited brain cells were filled with the prospect, and then shocking reality, of Brexit. There has never in my experience been such a turbulent time in British politics. All very absorbing and exciting, particularly now that the vitriolic comments on social media have, to a great extent, died down.
And so my walk along the Camino del Norte has been pushed far from my mind during this time, unlike in previous years when it was never far from the surface of my consciousness during the days, weeks and months that followed.
Whilst walking this year, I was aware that I wasn’t thinking about where my next camino would take me. I remember wondering if I was caminoed-out – at the ‘been there, done that’ stage.
Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed this camino, I met some lovely people and experienced some pretty amazing adventures. But it just seems a world away from me this year…
And now, another six weeks later, I don’t have much more to share. I have done almost no long walks (morning 5 km dog walks excepted), other than with my camino pal Carsten from Germany who was travelling Spain in a motor home and stopped off to see me for a couple of days. This was in the middle of August and it was really scorching here, but we still managed a 15km walk through the mountains to the lost village of Acebuchal where David met us for a bite to eat and a lift home.
I am glad to report that during the last few weeks my camino mojo has made a long awaited reappearance and I am planning a route for next year. And at the moment I am leaning towards the Camino de Madrid (320 km) which meets the Camino Frances at Sahagún. Then 54 km along the CF to León where I will peel off onto the Camino del Salvador (120 km) to Oviedo and then on to the Camino Primitivo which joins back up with the CF at Melide, two stages short of Santiago (314 km). So, a bit of a dogleg that totals 808 km, and possibly a continuation to Finisterre which will round it up to 900 km.
Last evening the first rain in weeks fell on our parched earth and I am hoping that the temperatures will now drop sufficiently to allow my walking season to commence and I can get back into shape after my summer of inaction.
Now that I have broken my silence I hope to soon post a review of the clothes and gear that I took on my latest camino. Watch this space (but don’t hold your breath).
Trepidatious traveller - camino blog 
glad you are alive and
well and taking nourishment again Maggie we missed you xxx
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Thanks Mary. I have missed you also. Hope you have had a good summer xx
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Welcome back, you’ve been missed.
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Thanks Sixwheeler. I’m glad to have discovered your blog and to discover that we have the West Country in common.
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Glad to see you’ve found your Camino Mojo 😀
Hope you had a great summer post wedding and everything!
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I have to say that I am delighted that we have a change of weather (although I could do without the strong winds). Good luck to you in your new home and job.
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Good to hear you are planning another Camino, hope we can also do one next year again. You are keen walking in this heat, we walked from Torrox Pueblo to Nerja and back last week and it nearly killed us, we were trying to finished the view ranger challenge of walking 1,000 miles this year and pleased to report we have done it. Looking forward to reading your next adventures.
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Hi Anita. Many thanks for your comment. Torrox Pueblo to Nerja and back is quite a trek and I can imagine in the heat we have been having it would have been very hard. I have just googled the ‘Viewranger challenge’. Did you do all your walking here in Spain? I might sign up to that for 2017. I usually track my local walks but don’t think to add up all the individual distances. Congratulations on reaching your target so early in the year.
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Glad your Camino mojo returned! Xx
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I just need that mojo to move from my head to my feet now Janice!
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Hi Maggie – so glad your get up that left you has come back – it just happens sometimes – maybe a bit like writers block so we get walkers block 😳- looking forward to more news of this one and maybe this time we can spend some time on the road together – email on its way soon – 🤓🤓🍾
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Wouldn’t that be great Marilyn. We MUST get to meet sometime xx
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you are the human energizer bunny. wow. what months are ya thinking? would be grand to walk along side of you!
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Hi Kristina. How wonderful if all my blog buddies could join up for a walk along the camino. I haven’t made any firm plans yet but will probably stick to my usual timeframe of mid-late April.
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Delighted to hear you are planning your next Camino. Our lives would be bereft without your annual Camino blog! xx
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Thanks my friend. Now that it’s a bit cooler we shall have to take some walks together xx
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Good choice for next year. I was thinking the Madrid again next April / May but you mentioning the dog leg add-on must be worth investigating …
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From Sahagún there are about two days on the Frances, five on the Salvador and 12-14 into Santiago. I haven’t done much research yet. What did you think of the Camino de Madrid? I have read varying reports.
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And I was just singing your praises for “how not to retire” to my girlfriend Nancy who I met for lunch yesterday. Another journalist, she has just emailed me to say she as impressed by your natural writing skills as I am. And lo and behold, there you are again! This sentence from today’s blog made me giggle as it sounded as if you might be piggy-backing David all the way back from Acebuchal:
“but we still managed a 15km walk through the mountains to the lost village of Acebuchal where David met us for a bite to eat and a lift home.”
I’m not sure even you could manage that.
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Hi Lyn. What an image you conjure – I definitely wouldn’t have been up for that after walking 15 km in the hot sun (or at any other time – ever!)
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Hola Maggie,
It is so lovely to hear you again, especially as tonight I’m sitting in Merida eating delectable tapas washed down of course with an equally elegant red, as I wend my way up the VdlP. This Camino has been a long while in the planning after previous ones, but in no short part inspired by your daily writings. Muchos grazias from the Aussie at Fernanda’s 2 years back.
Much Metta (and keep writing),
Brian
PS: Congrats on the pride you so deservedly shared with your family wedding!!💕
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Wonderful to hear from you Brian. Your messages always put a big smile on my face. We shared such a short space of time on the Camino Portuguese, just an hour or so walking into Pedra Furada, where I stopped and you walked on, and then amongst the crowd at Casa Fernanda. A true camino bonding. Thanks for keeping in touch.
You must have been battling with very high temperatures thus far on the VdlP, hopefully a little cooler in the last couple of days. I would love to hear how you progress along the way.
Buen camino, amigo.
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Great to hear your news Maggie, enjoying a red as I read your news … Will await the next instalment
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Good to see you back. I’m planning to walk from Malaga starting in a few days. What’s the terrain like? Heavy duty walking boots or lighter trail shoes as it should be dry? Advice please. Thnx Val
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I have always worn mid height boots so have no experience of trail runners. The terrain wasn’t particularly hard going as far as I recall, other than the elevation. Be sure to have something with you for wading through shallow rivers on a couple of occasions. My walking partner George managed with flip-flops, but I would have felt very vulnerable in those. I strapped my croc sandals on with elastic knee support straps which worked a treat.
Would love to hear how you get on. Please keep in touch.
Buen Camino!
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Thank you so much. One last question, do you have any info on the locations of albergues? I’ve searched. Weekdays it’s not an issue with Ayuntamientos but on weekends… y gracias por su aconseja. Val
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I have just responded on the forum Val…
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/starting-mozarabe-in-september.42410/
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Lovely to hear from you again Maggie, i was wondering what had happened with you!!??
looking forward to read more from you.
after such a summer, we start also making rutas in the area of the Guadalhorce valley and medio october we are going off for the Camino Mozarabe desde Málaga.
regards Harry.
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Hi Harry. I am very interested to hear you are walking the Mozarabe. This route seems to be gaining popularity. I wish you an amazing Camino and hope the weather is kind to you.
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Really interesting
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Hi Maggie!
As always, a look into your blog makes my heart warm and my feet wanna start walking and never ever stop again!!!
Aaaaaand: just a hour ago I did my vacation request for the next CaMiNo! Hell-Yeah!! 🙂
Your 2017-Camino-plan is mine also…at least for the first half of it:
from Oviedo I will take the 2nd half of the Del Norte, which I left out this year, when switching to the Primitivo.
From the last week of April on, I’ll have 4 weeks. Not much for about 880 km, but I plan to “cheat” a little bit and take the last 2 days before Santiago by bus to avoid the “Miniature-Backpack-Daywalkers”. 🙂
It would be a honour & pleasure to share some dusty spanish roads with you again!
All the best for you and David!
Carsten
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You have a date Carsten. It will be great to have your company. Let’s keep in touch and make arrangements nearer the time.
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