…so long that I’ve forgotten how to blog! My last post was sent out on 12 March 2020. I’ve occasionally thought about posting in the meantime but haven’t really had very much to say. Fortunately the pandemic hasn’t been too unkind to me – I finally succumbed to the virus in January this year, albeit with very mild symptoms.

Since last writing I’ve been given a new hip and a new granddaughter – though not simultaneously. The hip has been trouble free and the granddaughter is an absolute delight.

And now it will very soon be time to set off on a new camino. Nothing too adventurous this time. I feel slightly uncertain how my new hip will stand up to the inevitable pounding that will be required of it and I am just a little anxious about how easy it will be to camino this year. There will be many pilgrims raring to walk after a couple of years of confinement, in addition to which 2022 has been granted holy year status which always sees more people heading to Santiago. Add to this the likelihood that some private albergues will have gone out of business during the lockdown period. More pilgrims and less beds could well be a problem.

So I have decided to walk within my comfort zone this year. I fly into Bilbao and will start walking the camino del Norte from there, and cross over to the Primitivo. I’ve walked both these routes before, although in different years, so it will all be familiar. I shall ring the changes where I can on the Norte by taking every opportunity to walk coastal alternatives to the official route where possible.

I shall have the company of two special camigos. Renate, my Dutch friend who I know from my time living in Spain. We walked together regularly in the mountains, but this will be her first camino. And we will be joined by my serial camino buddy Paul who I have had the pleasure of walking with on three previous caminos.

I’ve just finished planning my stages. The Norte has been a bit complicated because there are so many opportunities to take alternative routes and I want to take them all. Of course if you are wiggling around the coastline rather than taking a more direct route it will obviously add kms. And if the weather is inclement there will be no point prolonging the stage.

I’ve started to gather my gear. But have the perennial footwear problem. There are only two weeks until I go and I have not yet sourced my boots. I’ve had my old boots repaired as a backstop but am hoping that the shoes due to arrive in a couple of days will be perfect.

I’m writing this by way of reminding myself how to post to my blog. I’m not taking my iPad this year so need to become accustomed to posting from my phone. In addition to which there appear to have been a lot of changes to navigate on WordPress in the last couple of years. So I offer advance apologies for any glitches that find their way to being published.

Incidentally the header photo is from the Norte when I walked in 2016.

I hope there are still some followers of this blog after my extended absence. I often dip into past posts and am always struck by the wonderful comments left by friends, those I know personally and those I know only through this blog. They warm my heart. Thank you.