Trepidatious traveller – camino blog | Camino de Santiago de Compostela – before, during and after

Stage 3 – Manzanares el Real to Cercedilla, 22 km

Posted on 26/04/2017 by magwood

The albergue at Mataelpino is only a couple of years old and well equipped with beds for 18, two bathrooms, kitchen facilities and lots of tables and chairs. The cost is 8 euros.

Last evening Paul suggested that he would stay at the albergue in the morning, have a long lie-in and wait whilst Marilyn and I returned to Manzanares to continue yesterday’s stage. This way we could walk the distance without carrying our packs. What an excellent idea! I did take my backpack, but emptied it of almost everything. Oh joy! I might try to get my pack weight down to around 4 kilos next time (in my dreams).

Marilyn and I were up and out by 07:00 and made our way to the bus stop, having no idea what bus to catch or when it might arrive. In the event we waited around 30 minutes and arrived back in Manzanares el Real just after 08:00.

It was a dark and stormy morning, with black clouds hanging over the soaring mountains and threatening to empty their contents upon us at any moment. Loud thunder rumbled behind us and bounced around the hillsides. It wasn’t long before the heavens opened and we made a quick stop to apply some rain gear and continued on our way. The downpour was soon over and as we walked on there appeared in the sky a few patches of blue amongst the black. That looked promising!

The scenery was quite stunning, very rugged and very green. It was a lovely walk and we returned to the albergue at Mataelpino about two and a half hours after we had left, and covered a distance of just under 8 km. Paul was by now ready to go and, so we packed our bags and set off again.

Eli had walked ahead and Carsten met up with Ralf for their next stage. Yesterday we greeted new guy Dave. I knew Dave would be on the camino as he is a forum member and we had been in touch. So now we are seven…well, at least for the time being.

Paul and I matched Marilyn’s pace today and we ambled through beautiful countryside, along narrow tracks flanked by flowering cistus and sweet smelling lavender, following small streams, stepping over large granite boulders and frequently stopping to ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ and the impressive scenery. The weather continued to be kind, with no more rain, and quite a bit of warm sunshine. We stopped for a picnic, perching on a large boulder and all was well with the world.

After passing through the town of Navacerrada there was some steep elevation to contend with and some delightful woodland to walk through. We met some roaming horses, one of which was very happy to receive some hands-on attention, and then we arrived at our destination of Cercedilla. Marilyn and I had walked almost 22 km, but if felt like more. The paths on the route are very well marked with arrows and mojones (marker stones). Today I heard my first cuckoo of the year.

The accommodation options in Cercedilla are a mat on the floor of the sports centre, a youth hostal or several inexpensive hostals. We chose the latter and are staying at Hostal Aribel Longinos. I am sharing a room with Marilyn. Prices here vary from 25 euros for a single ensuite room, 30 euros for a double without ensuite, or 40 euros for double with ensuite.

The bad weather finally caught up with us and the thunder boomed and the sky opened up and dumped all the pent-up rain. Four of us donned our raincoats and tripped through the very wet streets searching for somewhere to eat. Not an easy task at 19:00 when most restaurants don’t serve dinner until 20:30 or 21:00. But we persevered and were eventually directed to a restaurant that would cater for us. We traipsed in, a rather soggy and dripping quartet of pilgrims.

Tomorrow promises to be a tough one, with a great deal of elevation.

Today’s distance 22 km
Accumulated uphill elevation 434 m
Accumulated downhill elevation 12 m
Total distance 76 km
Average per day 25.3 km

Posted in Camino de Madrid, Camino de Santiago de Compostela | Tagged Camino blog, Camino de Madrid, Camino de Santiago blog, Camino de Santiago de compostela, Camino de Santiago. | 17 Comments

Stage 2 – Tres Cantos to Manzanares el Real, 27 km

Posted on 25/04/2017 by magwood

We were up and out by 7 am – that is Paul, Eli, Marilyn and I. Carsten and Ralf made a more leasurely start.

It was a lovely walk right from the beginning. As soon as we left town (an extremely clean and well-maintained town) the walk was delightful. It reminded me of stages on the camino Sanabres. Lots of granite boulders strewn amongst rolling green countryside. There was a variety of narrow paths and wide tracks, with sandy, gravel or stony surfaces. Some large rocks to be negotiated and a few shallow river crossings. An absolute delight. Not far from town I saw a huge, black wild boar running across the track and out into the pastures. Paul also reported seeing a fox, which I missed.

I also came upon a herd of sheep being lackadaisically tended by a couple of mastins (rather large and soppy dogs). I made my customary dog communication overtures and they both came up to say hello, totally forgetting about their job of work and vying for attention. They followed me closely, nudging for an extra scratch and pat. When I reached the shepherd I told him that his dogs were delightful, and he replied that indeed they were very good with people, but pretty useless with sheep!

We turned onto a wide dirt track running between farmland that was still pleasant, but slightly less charming and eventually reached the outskirts of Colmenar Viejo, and walked through an industrial area before entering the town. I had long-lost sight of Paul and walked through the streets until I came across a park where I found myself a bench and took a boots-off / snack break.

Paul and I walk faster than Eli and Marilyn, but Paul walks faster than me, and I am constantly stopping to take photos, so we tend to fall in and out of each-other’s company. I found Paul on the outskirts of Colmenar Viejo and we continued together on and off through more stunning, rugged countryside.

The route is steadily making its way towards the big hills (mountains) that we need to cross in a couple of days and the whole stage has been along a Via Pecuaria, an ancient drover’s path.

At a point in the early afternoon I spied a couple of walkers ahead of me, and thought there were more pilgrims on the route. But as I got closer I thought I recognised their outlines and when one raised an umbrella I realised that they were Eli and Marilyn. How on earth had they got ahead of us? It took me a while to catch up and we worked out that they had somehow taken a shorter route, probably cutting around four km from the track. We had all followed the arrows, but they had come up trumps! The four of us continued to Manzanares el Real and stopped for lunch and were joined some time later by Carsten and Ralf.

The day started at 14 C but soon became very warm and then quite hot. Our original plan of a long stage of 32+ km seemed less enticing as the day progressed. Paul was burning, I developed a bit of a hot spot on my heel, and Carsten and Ralf reported they were flagging in the heat. I came up with a cunning plan. We could take a bus from Manzanares to Mataelpino where I had reserved beds at the albergue (there is no albergue in Manzanares) and we could return in the morning to walk the missing kms. In the end, Eli decided to walk on the additional 7 km as planned, Ralf decided to stay put and find some single accommodation to catch up on sleep, and Carsten, Marilyn, Paul and I caught the bus. This is the first time in all my Caminos that I have done this, and I feel a little sad that I didn’t continue to walk. But we will go back in the morning to complete our walk and I won’t beat myself up about it.

Rain is forecast for tomorrow.

Posted in Camino de Madrid, Camino de Santiago de Compostela | Tagged Camino blog, Camino de Madrid, Camino de Santiago blog, Camino de Santiago de compostela, Camino de Santiago. | 32 Comments

Stage 1, Madrid to Tres Cantos

Posted on 23/04/2017 by magwood

Last night we numbered four camigos at the Hostal Far Home Atocha. Myself, (Australian) Eli, (South African) Marilyn and (English) Paul. This morning we set off at around eight am, heading for the church of Santiago and San Juan. Eli and I went to the church last evening, hoping that I could acquire the rather nice credencial (pilgrim’s passport) that they provide. When we arrived the priest was busy attending to others and when I managed to ask him about my credencial, he suggested that we wait until after the 8 pm mass when he would have more time. So we attended the mass and were given a special pilgrim’s blessing and afterwards waited for at least half an hour. Eventually he appeared and told me that he was finished for the night and instructed me to leave and return at 11:30 am. Yeah, right! That definitely wasn’t happening. Luckily I had a less attractive credencial that I can use without delaying my morning departure. But I was a little sad not to have the official church stamp to start me off. Hey ho, that is how it is in Spain. They say ‘no’ and there is absolutely no arguing.

We took a couple of selfies at the church before taking our first steps on this camino, luckily Eli was prepared with directions downloaded on her smartphone as there are no arrows to indicate the way until we reach Plaza de Castilla, around 6.5 km from the church.

But what a send off we had! Police were lining the streets and had closed the side roads so that we had easy passage. There were live pop bands along the route to motivate us to keep up our pace. The were loads of stewards with countless hundreds of bottles of water to quench our thirst, and then came crowds of people running to wish us farewell and good luck. Many might have believed that all this effort had been put into action because of some sporting event, perhaps a marathon with over 30,000 participants. But I knew it was all in order to give us the best possible send off, probably organised by the priest who was feeling rather guilty at sending me away last night!

Once we reached the city limits and passed through the area of Fuencarral at 11 km, we were suddenly in the countryside walking through green pastures and, it being a Sunday, we were constantly passed by cyclists, buzzing by in ones and twos and large groups, but there was plenty of room for us all to co-exist.

We received a few ‘buen caminos’ and one cyclist skidded to a halt to talk to us about the camino.

I am stealing an idea of Eli’s and taking a shot at 12 noon each day. This is noon-shot, day 1

It was quite hot – mid to high twenties centigrade and I needed to drape my scarf around my neck for protection. We arrived at Tres Cantos, our chosen end of this first stage, around mid-afternoon. Paul and I overstepped the mark by around 500 metres, but we soon realised our mistake. There is an albergue in Tres Cantos, but it is situated in the basement of the ayuntamiento (town hall) and as it is a Sunday, it is very unlikely that we would be able to gain access. So I booked rooms for us in the hotel VP Jardin, which is really rather nice. We have two family rooms each with three beds, one for the girls and one for the boys for a cost of 23 euros each. Very good value.

I heard from (German) Carsten that he and his friend Ralf had arrived in town (they had made a later start from Plaza de Castilla) and we joined them for a drink and then we visited the huge carrefour store for supplies for tomorrow.

Paul, Ralf, Eli. Carsten and me

Day one done, thirty six to go.

Distance 26.7 km
Accumulated uphill elevation 244 m
Accumulated downhill elevation 163 m

Posted in Camino de Madrid, Camino de Santiago de Compostela | Tagged Camino de Madrid, Madrid, Tres Cantos | 29 Comments

Here I go again…

Posted on 22/04/2017 by magwood

I woke early this morning to take my last shower in the luxury of my own home and was wallowing in the delight of piping hot spray when it started to cool down and I had to rush to wash the conditioner from my hair before it turned freezing. The gas bottle had run out – no such luxury as mains gas in these parts. So that was that! Shower abruptly over. After dressing, the last few items were ticked off my packing list as I placed them in my backpack, and I was ready to go.

I have spent the last couple of weeks touching base with family in the UK over Easter and then meeting friends in Competa for a fabulous mountain hike, various farewell lunches and dinners, and yesterday was spent at our beautiful riverside location of La Fabrica for a Chi Kung class with my women’s group, followed by a picnic. So my energy should be well centred, ready for my walk. David wished me a fond farewell at the station and I have received some lovely messages from friends. I am very lucky to have so many loved ones to say goodbye to.

So here I am, sitting on the AVE high speed train at María Zambrano station in Málaga, awaiting my 10:55 departure. The station is very well organised and spotlessly clean and I am very excited to be about to have my first experience of the AVE. The train was waiting when I arrived 30 minutes early, we were allowed to board and the seats are very comfortable with oodles of leg space. And now that we have left the station there is a film show – ‘I, Daniel Blake’ – a fabulous and moving film that I have already seen, but well worth a re-run.

And now a new adventure begins. I will meet up with three of my camino pals this afternoon, and two more tomorrow. We are quite an international band, including two Brits, two Germans, an Australian and a South African. Who knows how we will all get along or how long we will stay together. Three I have walked with on past caminos and one I feel I know from all the correspondence we have shared.

Here is a story waiting to be told…stay tuned.

Posted in Camino de Madrid, Camino de Santiago de Compostela | Tagged Camino de Madrid | 33 Comments

A pre-camino adventure…

Posted on 09/04/2017 by magwood

I’ve been on a bit of a jaunt! We packed the dog off to be cared for by friends and left a mound of food for the cat, and off we went! We drove west, and our first stop after some 240 km was in the elevated town of Arcos de la Frontera in the Andalucian province of Cádiz. This charming town of 28,000 inhabitants divided between the ancient quarter perched high above the Guadalete river on a narrow spine of towering sandstone cliffs, and the newer area lower down. The old town is choc-a-bloc with ancient monuments and fabulous characterful buildings dating back centuries. The town was declared a national historic-artistic monument in 1962, a well deserved accolade.

images copied from the internet

We stayed in the hotel Casa Mirador San Pedro with a roof terrace that overlooked a lake on one side and on the other it seemed that if I stretched my arm, I would be able to touch the tower of the San Pedro church.

views from the hotel roof terrace

I had done my homework and read the reviews which without fail recommended that we leave our car in the more modern area of town and take a taxi the short distance to the hotel. The very narrow roads are definitely not for the faint hearted (David is not so faint hearted and would have risen to the challenge – but I would most definitely not have been sitting next to him. It was sufficiently daunting in the back seat of the taxi – there was about an inch spare on each side of the car – quite an experience! It is a constant game of cat and mouse with pedestrians having to hop into doorways to make way for the cars. In high season it must be a nightmare for anyone who has to drive these streets on a regular basis – they would make extremely slow progress.

We had a lovely time mooching around, visiting churches and viewing points, and taking a drink on the Parador terrace. An impressive castle presides over the town, but unfortunately it is in private ownership and there are only four open days per year. The temperature was so hot that I needed to buy a hat to prevent my scalp from burning.

Semana Santa (Easter) is obviously very important in this town. The streets are decorated with giant Semana Santa posters from as far back as the 1970’s and, as it is now the lead-up to easter, we witnessed much activity in getting the huge thrones out of storage and into commission for the many processions that will take place over the coming days. We stopped to watch some such activity. A group of young-ish men were crowded around garage doors, obviously about to ‘do something’. We watched as they wrapped their mid-sections in long, wide sashes/scarves. They took turns to breath in and pull in their stomachs, (much harder work for some than others!) holding one end of the sash to their waist whilst another guy held on tight to the other end and the first guy would twirl around so that the sash wound around his waist to provide support. The end was tucked in and voila – instant corset. Many also put on a weight-lifter’s belt on top. They had padded yokes around their necks and then they were called in order to crawl under the curtain that surrounded the throne and when they had all disappeared from sight, the ‘jefe’ made a loud tapping noise and, as one, all the guys behind the curtain stood up and took the weight of the throne and then the very exacting procedure of leaving the garage commenced. They made tiny shuffling steps in precise time and, exactly like the cars negotiating the streets, the throne moved ever so slowly out of the garage doors with just an inch or so leeway each side.

Adornments (candle holders) were then placed on the platform and we wandered off back towards the hotel. The next stage for the throne would be to walk it to its church to have the statue put in place. There are a series of life-sized statues that are each placed on the throne depending on the day of the parade, including The Virgin Mary and Jesus in various poses.

Often the men carrying the throne are on view, shouldering huge cross bars protruding from the sides. I can’t imagine how hot it must be for the guys under the throne behind a curtain, wearing restrictive clothing and in very close proximity to each other with no fresh air, and often walking up very steep hills. It must be like doing weight lifting in a very hot and smelly sauna.

It was a privilege to watch these young men joining together to serve their community. I love the way that all ages pull together for public events in Spain. A real community spirit.

After we had changed and returned to the streets, we came across the throne again, with the hard-working men painstakingly making their way up the steps to the church. They were joined by another team lifting a second, unadorned throne, weighted down with sandbags. I guess there are two teams for each throne and they were both hard at work.

I made this little video that will give you some idea of the effort involved in shouldering these thrones. I didn’t notice it at the time, but when I was making the video I saw that one of the guys exited from the throne whilst talking on his phone – another great example of a man multi-tasking!

We ate a fabulous selection of tapas dishes for supper at the Taberna Jóvenes Flamencos, and wandered back to the hotel via the Parador square where we were treated to the sound of the town band practising for the forthcoming parades. I find the Easter music really rousing.

The next morning we took a stroll around the Palacio del Mayorazgo – a really interesting place with so many different exhibitions to see. We wandered down to the vaulted cellars where paintings were being hung, and back up to the beautiful internal patio and all the time entirely alone, without charge and seemingly without restriction.

We both absolutely loved Arcos de la Frontera and wouldn’t hesitate in recommending a visit.

We then moved around 30 km further west to Jerez de la Frontera. I visited Jerez (home of countless sherry bodegas) in 2015 with my daughter Ella and I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to do all the same things again. We visited the fabulous castle and this time were able to enjoy the Camera Obscura, and then we took a tour of the Tio Pepe bodega, and afterwards ate lots of lovely food. I wrote about Jerez after my last visit which you can read here. It’s a lovely vibrant small city and well worth a visit. We stayed in the very central Hotel Doña Blanca, well situated to stroll to all the attractions.

The following day, we returned home via a different route and stopped off at Vejer de la Frontera, another small town perched high on a cliff. It boasts that it is the ‘prettiest village in Spain’ and it is indeed very charming, but I think Arcos would beat it in a beauty contest!

And as this trip was my birthday treat, I came home with a present – a beautiful hand-painted fan from Arcos. Something that I will treasure for years to come.

Posted in A view of life, Expats in andalucia | Tagged Across de la Frontera, Jerez de la Frontera, Semana Santa, Vejer de la Frontera | 21 Comments

Time to start making plans…

Posted on 19/03/2017 by magwood

Well, the countdown has begun! Only five weeks until the new adventure starts. I have decided to travel to Madrid by train, which is a little more expensive than flying, but with much less hanging around. I am taking the AVE (Alta Velocidad Española), the super-fast train that will take me from Málaga to Madrid in just 2 hours and 45 minutes and deposit me right in the centre of the city. I have booked accommodation in Madrid for our merry band of pilgrims and we will set off on 23 April to find our way to the first stop at Tres Cantos, a mere 22 km for an easy start.

New boots have been purchased (Merrell Accentor Mid Vent WP). Not what I was hoping to buy, but after spending way too long researching and trying on over a period of months, I ended up determined not to leave the Go Outdoors shop without a pair of boots, and as there were no women’s styles that I liked in my size, I settled for this men’s style, which are very comfortable. I have worn them for around 100 kms with no sign of discomfort, so I have now put them to one side until I set out from Madrid. I’m not sure that the tread will be ‘man enough’ for the job, but there will be opportunities to buy replacements along the way if necessary.

I have been taking some fairly long and arduous walks here in the mountains to build my stamina and am definitely feeling improvement in my performance. But I am not stressing too much about this camino (famous last words!) because the first couple of weeks on the Camino de Madrid is relatively flat with only one significant climb, so by the time I hit the more challenging Camino del Salvador I should be ready for it.

Spring has most definitely sprung here in Andalucia and I have been snapping away on my walks. We have experienced a lot of rain so far this year and the hillsides and terraces are looking ridiculously green and the early spring flowers are stunning, as always.

And with the green hillsides comes the garden full of very healthy weeds that I am forever battling. But nevertheless, the garden is a riot of colour and the bees are busy at work – particularly around the wisteria.

I am continuing with my plant-based alcohol free diet when at home, and eating and drinking what I am given when out with friends. This is working well for me and I have lost another few pounds over the last several weeks. I am hoping to start this camino at the weight I normally drop to after walking for five or six weeks. It will be interesting to see what I weigh when I return this year. Amongst our group is a vegan and a vegetarian, so I am hoping their influence will help me stay focussed on eating well. However, I expect I may well be imbibing the odd glass of wine en route!

So, only 35 days to go…it will fly by. I really need to knuckle down and do some planning of my expected stages. I normally make a spreadsheet of where I expect reach each day with accommodation contact information, so that I have a rough idea of the progress I am likely to make. But it is just a plan and can be changed for any reason along the way. I have thus far planned days 1 and 2, so have a way to go.

Posted in A view of life, Camino de Madrid, Camino de Santiago de Compostela, Camino del Salvador, Camino Fisterra, Camino Primitivo | Tagged Camino blog, Camino de Santiago blog, Camino de Santiago de compostela, Camino de Santiago., Expats in Andalucia, long distance hiking, Spain, travel | 60 Comments

A week of variety

Posted on 17/02/2017 by magwood

Last week was the start of my new eating regime (not vegan after all, as I am reliable informed that one cannot be a part-time vegan). I had great fun researching interesting recipes for my plant-based diet and have enjoyed eating bean burgers, barley bake, falafels, rice & lentil loaf, and red lentil chilli (although not all at the same time). I have to say that I am finding it much easier and more pleasurable than I expected, but I promise not to bore you every post!

Last weekend saw David and me taking a trip to Málaga for our first visit to the Teatro Cervantes – a beautiful old theatre dating from 1870. I had seen an item in a Málaga newsletter that John Mayall was playing there to kick off his European tour. Now I didn’t know a great deal about Mayall, except that he played at one time with Eric Clapton, and if he was good enough for Clapton he would certainly be good enough for me. I booked tickets online and was amazed to see the cheapest tickets available at just 14 euros each. The next price bracket was 30+ euros and there were several other tiers at higher prices. I looked at the theatre layout and decided that I would go for the cheap seats (yes, I am that much of a skinflint!) After completing the transaction I realised that I had not been allocated any seat numbers and was rather anxious that we might be standing up for the duration.

As it happened, we were seated, but in the ‘first come, first served’ wooden benches of the gods (in Spanish – paraiso, translated as paradise) situated at the slightly vertigo-inducing heights at the back of the third circle. We found that the back row was favourable as we could lean back against the wall and as we were both wearing warm coats we could use them as cushions. It was actually comfortable enough, but a proper cushion would have made it a bit less of a pain in the arse (since dropping a few kilos I have lost my natural padding).

Now, John Mayall was born in 1933, making him an impressive 83 years old. This is the age that my poor old Dad died, and for the last year of his life he suffered with vascular dementia and was only able to shuffle around and not really capable of looking after himself.

I was so impressed with Mayall, he performed for the best part of two hours, playing keyboard and harmonica and occasionally lead guitar and singing every number. He was accompanied by a bass guitarist and a drummer and was very generous in letting them shine with several solo spots. What energy this guy has, he was standing almost the whole show and seemed as lively at the end as he had been at the beginning. It was a fabulous performance in a beautiful theatre – a real joy.

On Sunday we went to the ‘pre-opening lunch’ at a new venue in Cómpeta – Finca Las Sierras. We definitely wanted to support this venture as it was hosted by the couple that are renting David’s property (you may remember that I asked help with marketing it last year). It was never our home, we continue to live in a tiny house overlooking the tiny neighbouring village of Canillas de Albaida. In the event, the property was rented to a charming Belgian couple, experienced hoteliers and restaurateurs, who are soon to welcome their first B&B guests, and they are planning to serve lunches to the public several times a week.

Wilco and Manon have made the place feel really cosy (which is not an easy task in a huge room of 150m2) and have furnished the place with style and good taste. On this occasion the weather was a little chilly for eating al fresco (well, what do you expect in February), but we spent a very pleasant time on the terrace looking out over the green valley towards the sparkling Mediterranean (yes, I used to write descriptions for a property agent) whilst chatting to the other guests and being served cocktails, and four irresistibly presented hors d’oeuvres, including prawn and avocado, strawberry soup with razor clams, mussels, and chilli.

When it was time to take our table, we were served four courses of the most excellent and beautifully presented food, including pear and gorgonzola salad, prawns in spicy coconut sauce on homemade tagliatelle, fillet steak in porcini-pepper sauce with fresh veg, and fruit marinated sabayon. Every morsel was delicious and every plate was left clean. I am not in the habit of photographing my food, but on this occasion I made an exception – unfortunately I was several spoons-full into my dessert before I remembered. The service was attentive without being intrusive.

So I obviously took the day off from my plant based, alcohol-free diet – and it was worth every taste-bud popping second.

I hope anyone local to the Cómpeta area will look out for the forthcoming schedule of lunches. If the food is anywhere near the quality we experienced on Sunday, I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed. It seems Cómpeta has a new jewell to top its already sparkling culinary crown.

I’ve also put in a couple of longer walks this week in lovely warm sunshine. I shall be upping my distances over the next couple of weeks in order to build up my camino fitness, and to wear-in my new boots once I have finally purchased them. As I was walking back through the village yesterday I came across my old riding pal Pepe, who invited me to ride out with him some time soon, which was lovely as I haven’t ridden for a couple of years and I miss my horse terribly.

Posted in A view of life, Expats in andalucia | Tagged Canillas de Albaida, Cómpeta, Expats in Andalucia, Finca Las Sierras, John Mayall, long distance hiking, Málaga, Teatro Cervantes | 12 Comments

2017 camino plans

Posted on 11/02/2017 by magwood

On a very rainy and misty day when I have no desire to leave the house, my thoughts turn to my next camino (or I should say…caminos).

My plan for 2017 is to set off from Spain’s capital city on the Camino de Madrid which leads north west over 12 stages until it meets the Camino Frances at Sahagún. A couple of stages (about 55 km) along the CF will see me in the city of León where I will join the start of the five stage Camino del Salvador over the Picos de Europa to Oviedo. I will then take the Camino Primitivo for eleven stages when I will join once again with the CF at Melide, which will leave two further stages into Santiago, and a possible four more stages on to Finisterre and Muxia.

So, possibly four complete caminos, plus a spell on the Frances.

Camino de Madrid (330)
Camino Frances (Sahagún to Leon) (55 km)
Camino del Salvador (120 km)
Camino Primitivo (260 km)
Camino Frances (Melide to Santiago) (53 km)
Camino Finisterre / Muxia (120)

Totalling approximately 940 kms taking around 35 days

my 2017 route marked in green

And it seems that I will have a ready-made ‘family’ on this camino. I heard today from my fellow pilgrim Eli from Australia with whom I walked eighteen days on the Camino Portuguese (2014). Eli is coincidentally planning the exact same route, and I am hoping she may be persuaded to start on the same date.

Then there is English Paul who I walked with from Cáceres to Santiago on my Camino de Mozárabe (VdlP) in 2015.

Carsten from Germany who I met last year on the Norte will join me for the first two parts of this camino.

And Marilyn from South Africa who walked the Mozárabe from Málaga last year will set off with us from Madrid (after much correspondence and an arrangement to meet in Málaga, sadly timings went awry and we missed meeting eachother by a few hours)

If only I could persuade my daughter Ella, or perhaps Dutch Peter, both of whom I walked with on my first camino along the Frances route in 2013, to join me for a few stages, I would have a full house – someone from each of my four caminos. That would be incredible.

We are all experienced caminoists, and will be happy to ‘walk our own walk’, setting off each morning in our own good time and bumping into each other along the way. But it will be good to have company in the evenings, particularly on the Caminos de Madrid and Salvador which don’t get a great deal of pilgrim traffic and could be a bit lonesome for a solo walker.

With a start date during the last week in April I have only ten weeks to study the routes and get myself camino-fit. I still have to buy new boots for this trip and I am planning on making a couple of items of clothing, but I’m glad to say that practically all my existing gear will see me through yet another camino. Ten weeks will pass in a flash.

Posted in Camino de Madrid, Camino de Santiago de Compostela, Camino del Salvador, Camino Fisterra, Camino Primitivo | Tagged Camino blog, Camino de Madrid, Camino de Santiago blog, Camino de Santiago de compostela, Camino de Santiago., Camino del Salvador, Camino Fistera, Camino Primitivo, long distance hiking | 77 Comments

A healthy and prosperous start to 2017

Posted on 10/02/2017 by magwood

It’s been an interesting start to the year. Or maybe interesting is entirely the wrong word. Perhaps boring will better describe my experience of January 2017.

January 1st saw me returning to Spain from ten days with my family over Christmas which included a fabulous surprise visit from my oldest daughter so that we were all together for a few hours over Christmas eve and Christmas morning.

Meanwhile, during the last couple of months of the old year I had latched onto two particular ideas that sparked my interest. The first was to resolve not to buy any clothes during 2017. This wouldn’t be much of a hardship as I have more than enough clothes to last me a decade, let alone a year, but nevertheless I have made an exception to the rule with regard to camino related necessities.

The second idea was likely to be more of a challenge. A camino facebook friend of mine posted a link to a Rich Roll podcast of an interview with Andrew Taylor. Andrew is an Aussie who, at the end of 2015 was suffering clinical depression relating to weight/food issues. The second he started talking I recognised and resonated with what he was saying. He explained that he had a food addiction and although he had been a vegan for years, he was making bad choices around food and found it impossible to lose weight.

Someone who is addicted to drugs, cigarettes or gambling (or buying clothes) can stop that activity entirely. It might not be easy, and withdrawal symptoms are likely to be hard to cope with, but having made the decision to quit, no further choices have to be made. With a food addiction it is not so straightforward. You cannot quit food and decisions about what you eat have to constantly be made. For someone with a bad relationship with food, this makes keeping to a strict eating regime fraught with the possibilities to make bad choices. Andrew Taylor knew that he needed to take decision-making out of his eating regime and decided upon eating only one food type. After a lot of research he decided to eat solely potatoes and nothing else for the entire duration of 2016 (with the exception of vitamin B12, potatoes provide all the minerals and nutrients to sustain a healthy body).

I’m sure many of you will have seen news items over the new year when Andrew (Spud Fit) Taylor was interviewed worldwide about his year-long challenge, during which he lost a third of his bodyweight and came off his medication for depression within a couple of weeks of starting.

I have also had a bad relationship with food for most of my adult life. For the most part I eat fairly healthily, a great deal of fruit and vegetables, but also meat or fish every day. But my body seems to have forgotten to acknowledge when it has had sufficient sustenance and I am in the habit of grazing and overeating. My weight usually varies by 6-8 kilos during the year and it is a regular pattern. I want to reset my body mechanisms to reliably advise me when I am hungry and when I am full. And that is the whole point of this potato only diet. To make eating so boring that you do it purely to refill the tank, not for enjoyment. You eat to live, not live to eat. You get your enjoyment from activities other than eating. A lot of people who have taken up the ‘spudfit’ challenge are reporting huge improvements in their health after a very short period of time, relating to blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar levels and inflammatory problems.

On day 17, as I am writing this, I can report success. I have lost 4 kilos and am not thinking about food and have no cravings. I am only planning to continue this regime for 4 1/2 weeks when I have a function that I am looking forward to. But I am seriously considering eating a great deal less meat in the future.

I am very fortunate that I don’t have any health issues (that I am aware of) other than slightly raised cholesterol level. Hopefully this will have dropped by the end of the month along with my weight.

Oh, and my third challenge was to forego alcohol for the month, which has also been relatively easy.

I wrote the above three weeks ago now and at the end of my 32 day potato only diet, have lost a total of 8 kilos, with which I am absolutely delighted.

I have transitioned onto a ‘sort of’ vegan diet, eating only whole-food, plant based foods. So lots of legumes, rice, vegetables and fruit (with no added sugar, oil or salt) and no alcohol. I say ‘sort of’ because I have decided to eat ‘normally’ when out of the house at a dinner party or in a restaurant and I will certainly enjoy a glass of cava on such occasions – probably around 3 or 4 times a month.

Thus far I am enjoying doing lots of reading on the subject and searching out tasty recipes (and for someone who has always hated beans that is quite a challenge!). It would be nice to lose a little more weight, but the main point of this new eating regime is to boost my health. I have become very aware recently of my good fortune in being relatively healthy all my life, and I would very much like to stay that way.

I am not so rash as to state that I will become 100% vegan in the future, I may well lose the impetus that I feel at the moment, but I owe it to myself and my family to make the effort and give it a go.

And there is a bonus to my new life style – steering clear of the January sales and eating only spuds for a month has had a very beneficial effect on my purse!

If you have taken the trouble to read this post to the end, then I think you deserve something nice to look at – and rather than show you some photos of various ways to serve potatoes, here are a few views from my January walks…

Posted in A view of life | Tagged Andrew Spud Fit Taylor, The Spud Fit Challenge | 27 Comments

Review of clothes and gear (II)

Posted on 26/11/2016 by magwood

Part two of my ongoing missive reporting on items taken on my Camino del Norte in April/May 2016

part (I) on clothes can be seen here

part (II) on gear and equipment appears below

part (III) on technology will be available some time in the future

For ease of referral I will include all items here, even if they haven’t changed from my previous review (in 2014). You can see my 2016 packing list here.

Backpack
Osprey Exos 34 litre
1,070 grams

Remains the same – now in its fourth year, showing almost no sign of wear and tear. I knew nothing about backpacks and hiking when I purchased this for my first camino, and relied on research I had done on the camino forums. The current version seems to have some additional features.

I do look enviously at other pilgrims’ packs with comfortable looking padded waist belts, whereas the Exos seems very utilitarian in comparison, but it’s an expensive item to replace and it functions well, so it remains, and will probably continue to do so for a few years to come. I particularly like the trampoline back that leaves a large air gap between the pack and my body which helps to keep cool.

I have added padding to the underside of the chest straps where they sit on my collar bones. I think bruised collar bones seem to be a problem that women suffer, and a small bath sponge tucked into the foot of an old pair of thick black tights and stitched to the straps helps to ease the discomfort. Even with this, I still get a bit sore each camino for a week or so before I toughen up.

I have also applied copious amounts of hi-viz tape to my pack, in the hope that it makes me more visible when I am walking on the road.

There is a stripe down each water bottle carrier and dangling end of chest straps at the front, and also three stripes on the back. They have surprisingly stayed firmly in place over two caminos and 2,350 kms, although have become rather faded now and I will renew them for my next pilgrimage.

Backpack rain cover
194 grams

I have a theory that pack straps over a waterproof jacket cause that area not to be waterproof. This theory was developed during my first camino, when walking in the rain in a waterproof jacket and getting soaked inside the jacket. I don’t like the idea of a poncho partly because I dislike the look. But they serve a purpose by completely covering the backpack (straps included) and therefore you should stay dry inside. Except that they are normally not very breathable and so a lot of humidity is caused through sweat and some people prefer to be wet through rain rather than through sweat.

My first home made pack cover evolved from the accidental purchase of a cover for an 80 litre pack. I made some adjustments and voila – my pack cape emerged. It was a great success, my top half kept entirely dry without over-heating.

I also made some slits to the inside of my rain jacket pockets so that I can thread the pack waist straps through to fasten inside, therefore leaving my jacket untouched by exposed straps. Of course my legs get wet, but shorts or trousers dry exceedingly quickly when the rain stops.

Having used it successfully for two years, I decided to slightly refine the design and make one from scratch this year. Fluorescent yellow – highly visible. I also used it a couple of times in dry weather when walking on a busy road, so that I absolutely couldn’t be missed. It is easy to tuck the front flaps under the pack lid so that it is solely covering the pack and not my shoulders.

All in all it is very pleasing to have an item that I have designed myself and that works so well (even if I do sound rather smug about it!)

Rain kilt (new)
242 grams

This year I was expecting a lot of rain on the north coast of Spain. In the event there was very little, certainly not enough to justify this item. Again I made it myself, but would have done well to dump it early on in my walk, alas my ‘just in case’ tendency came to the fore and I carried it the whole 900+ km. It shall not accompany me again.

Hydration system
268 grams

First camino I used a camel back hydration system. Didn’t like it one bit for the following reasons

extra weight in the backpack – one kilo per litre
the need to remove and undo the pack to refill
not being able to see how much you have drunk and how much remains

Year two I used a 750 ml Raid Light bottle with a long tube and bite valve and hung it from my waist pack. This worked well, except when it rained and my waist pack fitted inside by rain jacket, but the bottle didn’t so I had to place it in the side pocket of my pack.

Year three I used the Raid Light bottle with the chest strap holder. Result! This is such a good system. The bite valve is right there to the side of your mouth and it is only necessary to move your head slightly to take a drink – I stayed much better hydrated with this system. I kept a 750 ml plastic bottle in my pack side pocket for refills, or I could very easily refill the Raid Light bottle if I was passing a fountain or in a bar. I could even refill from my spare bottle whilst on the move.

Year four I purchased an additional chest strap holder and bottle and carried both drinking bottle and backup supply on my straps. It was comfortable and convenient and I feel that the weight on the chest straps counters the weight on your back to some extent.

Hydration sorted!

Hiking poles
556 grams

I need say no more than ‘Pacer Poles‘. They are so comfortable to use, a really natural grip. I don’t have experience of any other type, and don’t feel the need to try. I always take spare tips. The Pacer Pole rubber tips don’t wear out very quickly, but it is possible to lose them in boggy muddy conditions. I always put tips on when walking on a paved surface (so as not to annoy anyone around me), but often forget to remove them when I return to soft ground. It is possible to buy replacements in a ferreteria en-route but they probably won’t fit very well and will wear out quickly.

As you can see in the photos above I have wrapped Hi Viz tape around the poles as another aid to being seen when walking on the road under low light conditions.

Waist pack
296 grams

It was necessary to buy a new waist pack this year. I found one with a large capacity that would hold all my paraphernalia, but half way through my camino I discovered that it wasn’t very good quality and the seams started to give way. Luckily I had the means to carry out running repairs along the way and it is still being used for local walks. I will buy a new one next year.

Contents of said pack on camino are…

camera
iPad mini (iPhone usually resides in my pants pocket)
battery charger and cables
discarded gloves, arm warmers and buff
loose change
tissues
lip balm
snacks
pen knife
waterproof wallet for passport and credencial
tiny zip lock bag for bank cards and cash
first aid – pain killers, tape and patches

Carrying these valuable items in a waist pack means that they are always with me, even when I remove my backpack in a bar or the albergue. Valuables should never be left at any time. Most people are honest, but there could always be someone awaiting the opportunity to steal. I have never suffered any losses on the camino, but remain very vigilant.

Sleeping equipment

Mont Bell down blanket
434 grams

I am still using the sleeping bag that I purchased for my second camino. During my first camino I discovered that I didn’t get on with a mummy shaped bag and made a huge investment in a Mont Bell spiral down thermal sheet weighing 430 grams. The new bag completely unzips to be used as a quilt and packs down into a tiny compression sack. The fabric of the new bag is cut on the bias (hence the name ‘spiral’) and so allows for more movement and stretching than a traditional straight cut bag. It was my biggest single expense, I love it. I tend to use it unzipped as a blanket so that I am not restricted.

Silk liner (new)
114 grams

I bought this new sleep sack in white silk. It is rectangular with plenty of room to move my legs around. It has a section at the top to put a pillow which anchors it in place. I like it a lot. I wanted white so that I could easily check it for bed bugs which are virtually impossible to detect on a dark colour. But the downside of white is that it is rather see through, which for most of the time isn’t a problem. I am very happy with this product.

Life Systems pre-treated under sheet
174 grams

For my first camino I purchased a single sized under sheet. It barely covered the mattress and as there was no tuck-in, it tended to move around and ruck up, which kind of spoiled the effect of having bed-bug protection. For this year’s camino I bought a double sized sheet which is so much better, albeit a little heavier.

I am a bit paranoid about touching bedding that unknown bodies have been using. I find it astonishing to see pilgrims arrive at an albergue and throw themselves down on a bed without covering it first. I expect other pilgrims think I am a little eccentric with my bedding routine, but it keeps me happy! My bedding items are all packed at the top of my backpack so that they are always easily reached. On being allocated a bed I will immediately cover the mattress with the under sheet, put the pillow into the silk liner, and lay my down blanket on top. The blanket isn’t overly warm but I can wear warmer items to bed or put my down jacket on top if necessary. There are often dubious looking blankets available at the albergues. I doubt these are washed very often, but I have on occasion been very pleased to have an extra layer, just so long as it doesn’t at any time touch my face or body.

All three items are thoroughly sprayed with permethrin before I leave home. Thus far I have avoided being bitten but I think it is less likely that bed bugs are causing many problems in the spring when I always walk.

First aid bag including…

blister pads (Compeed – I already have a supply so I take them with me, but would only use them as a last resort.)
Hypafix tape
ENGO patches (If you are not familiar with this product, follow the link and read about them. I think they are an excellent blister prevention item)
iodine (small amount decanted into an eye-dropper bottle)
gauze
sterile wipes
elastic knee straps (really just a 2cm strip of firm elastic with a velcro fastening) – another ‘just in case item’ that has come in useful on various occasions as an aid to keeping my crocs on my feet whilst wading a river, straps to hold up my home-made gaiters, on loan to a fellow pilgrim to keep a carrier bag over his foot in the shower. There may well be many other uses before they are actually employed for their intended purpose
small scissors for cutting tape and snipping blisters
Hikers wool – another great product for cushioning blisters or tender areas – I wouldn’t leave for camino without a pack. I purchased mine from Germany, but it is produced in New Zealand
toe caps – gel lined sleeves. I get blisters under my fourth toes and these sleeves have prevented an occurrance of this for the last two caminos. Really convenient to pop on in the morning, much quicker than taping. However I can’t use them on my on big toes, which tend to become a little tender, because they don’t stay in place throughout the day, even when taped.

Miscellaneous gear
(weights can be checked in my packing list)

sun glasses
spare insoles
foam to sit on (piece cut from yoga mat)
pen knife
dry bags (all clothes and other items in my pack are separated into three waterproof dry bags)
washing line and pegs (safety pins can also be used)
microfibre towels
spork
needle, thread and safety pins
sun lotion
personal items (listed in packing list)

Posted in Camino assessments and reflections, Camino de Santiago de Compostela, Preparations | Tagged Camino blog, Camino de Santiago blog, Camino de Santiago de compostela, Camino de Santiago., camino packing list, long distance hiking, packing list, review of clothes and gear, travel | 20 Comments

A pilgrim’s reminiscence

Posted on 01/11/2016 by magwood

Pilgrim and Camino Forum member William Garza wrote this poem and posted it to the forum today. It really resonated with me and he has kindly given me permission to reproduce it here. It reminds me of my walk along the Camino del Norte, and the many times I stopped to watch and occasionally film the surfers waiting for the next wave. I hope you enjoy the following words and photos by William Garza as much as I do…

Boys of summer

Did you count your steps to Santiago?

And when did it stop mattering.

I always seem to keep track of whats wrong
What now…
What next…
Ohh no….

I was at the shore Sunday
Large rollers were coming ashore and the hiss and roar and subliminal vibrations were in the cool air.

A shoot had been canceled that day…but…I was at the Beach!
So off I go!!

As I walked up the same pier I had photographed so many times…a little excited thrill went up from my bare sandy feet…bare…i dont usually dare
But it was a beautiful day and I no longer had time for the small things.

The warm concrete vibrated as a wave would impact
The cool easterly sea breeze, the salty tang of the waters.

I was a strong swimmer… I remember
Waves like this were a challenge
But I was young
And full of life’s juices that ebb and flow like the tides.

The Surfers…so full of that unconscious life, merely answering a call…like birds lofting into the wind…because they can…because it is there…because there is something special about today.

Vicariously…I watched and pointed 200 mm lens this way and that

Remembering
F Stop and ISO
apature and contrast

The breeze ruffled my hair
The small grit under my feet
The waves…hissing and roaring…important!…unto themselves
Important to the surfer
Important to me

Back to the warming sun
Surfers doing surfer things
Me…doing Photographer things

But more than that
The cessation of merely being things.
To…Being.

My back ached from the barefoot standing
But
I was standing barefoot on a pier…that the last time i had walked on…I was 16 or 17

I transcended my usual shyness at my weight, my limping, lurching walk
My bent at the waist walk

My hands hurt
Still..hurt
A fierce burning ache
But they held my camera steady as I willed them to work…my hands, my work…my art

And the surfers rode as the sun goes down
Men
Boys
Adventurers
Some smile when they see some feat of surfdom caught, a shout of glee, that inner power transcending time, place and space.

Once again
I…
I am out there among them
Stout of arm, leg and back
Swimming against the current

As I am now
The sun is setting
A sense of urgency
A serious-ness setting in

The sun is going down!
I must use all the light left to live before its gone…they seem to show.

The sun is going down
And I must leave.

Reluctantly
I look at the surfers
Some look back at me

But…who will see what we are?
Who we are?
What we have done?

The sun…insistent and inevitable
Casts its golden net afar
I am walking west…toward the shore
Toward…”a”certain reality

Looking back at the boys of summer
I am one
We are
We…were, the boys of summer

One surfer looks back at me, and waves
And I him

We understand

I had…many many joys those few tens of minutes
Instead of counting them
I lived them

I could not help but to live
Life called
I…allowed myself a few moments of joy and peacefull comfort for my soul

Knowing full well the price to be paid.

Tonite…I have counted my joys
There are many others
But they are far simpler

Count your joys
All of them
Or
The one of them

The point is

I made time and room for them
Because
Somewhere inside
The Boys and Girls of summer are calling
I see them
Waving to me as I have to turn and go

For a few moments…
For a few moments
Fall…turned warm again.

The Pilgrim goes I think
And lofts forward because the “winds”
They feel the winds, the solidity
They feel their wings
Testing those wings…and realising
This will carry me

And off you go Pilgrim

It does not matter what the “winds” are
They are there
They will carry you to Santiago

Young or old does not matter
The sap within is running
You feel it
As a flower toward the sun

Or as my surfer story
It is there

The Wave is there
Important…no
Until it finds you staring at it

You were young once
The vigor and strength of youth recalled as you wonder

Then the call is upon you
Come and visit me Santiago whispers into the winds

The wind finds you wondering
Once upon a…
To
I remember
To
I was young once
I could
I did

Dare I do it again??

Wind and wave carry you Pilgrim
The Fey light of days gone by…compared to this?

Shake off the age you feel
Feel the age you were

You feel the winds under you
Those impatient waves march west

Its time to go Pilgrim

Be Blessed on the Way!

Posted in Camino de Santiago de Compostela | Tagged Camino blog, Camino de Santiago blog, Camino de Santiago de compostela, Camino de Santiago., Camino poem | 9 Comments

Taking the good with the bad

Posted on 26/10/2016 by magwood

I’m coming to the end of a fortnight’s visit with my youngest daughter. Partly for some quality time with Rosie and her beautiful family, and partly to baby-sit whilst Rosie and her new(ish) husband go away for four days. It’s really lovely to be home alone with the grandchildren, if rather exhausting – it being half term and having sole charge for 24 hours a day

My 22 month granddaughter is a little angel, strong minded but easily distracted and very, very cuddly. Even though she hasn’t seen me for three months she welcomed me back into her life as though we had been playing together only a few days previously. On the other hand (or other planet) my almost six year old grandson is a boy!

I have two daughters and have always been very happy about that. Boys are definitely made of a different mixture altogether (as in sugar & spice v slugs & snails). He is unremittingly boisterous, finds it necessary to tease his little sister in equal measure to being adorable towards her, and he chatters NON-STOP. Please don’t think I don’t love my grandson with all my heart, he is funny and loving and bright and entertaining, but he never stops talking, and he always expects an answer. I am used to living a very quiet life and can happily pass many hours without uttering or hearing a word.

Amongst many other chores, there were two tasks that I had to take care of on this visit – one very pleasurable. Rosie and I realised, after the event, that we didn’t have any photos taken of the two of us at her recent wedding. That was a shame and we put it to rights with a visit to her friend, who is a professional photographer, for a ‘winter’ shoot. Lisa has the patience of an absolute saint and managed to get some lovely natural shots of the children and a couple of nice ones of Rosie and me. We haven’t got the un-watermarked copies yet, but here are a few images from the viewing gallery. If anyone local to the Bristol area is interested in a shoot, contact Lisa at lisavictoriaphotography.co.uk.

photo-shoot

Warning…Stop reading now if you are at all squeamish. I sent a preview of this post to a friend for her opinion as to whether it was too gross to share, but she felt strongly that it was an important subject matter that we should all take seriously (although I hope you will also see the humorous side in my description).

The next necessity wasn’t such a treat. In fact it was a bit of a sh!tty job. I had been invited to take part in an NHS bowel cancer screening programme. I had done this last year, but it was such a horrible job that I had flushed the details from my mind.

This time around I had already spent more than a week tending to my granddaughters pooey nappies (and they were pretty disgusting), so I thought doing this exercise couldn’t be so awful. Wrong! There can be few things so very gross as having to deal with your own poo at such close quarters.

A helpful leaflet accompanies the ‘poo harvesting pack’. No 3 of the instructions is entitled “Collecting the first sample” and suggests three ways “to catch your bowel motion”

hold folded lengths of toilet paper
cover your hand in a small plastic bag
use a clean disposable container, eg an ice cream or margarine tub

Well, I wasn’t about to try any of these ‘helpful’ suggestions. After some serious thought (and you know where the best ideas are hatched!) I decided I would make a sling out of several layers of loo-roll that would hang inside the toilet bowl whilst the two ends would extend across the seat and would be anchored by my weight. Good plan I thought.

First attempt I missed altogether.
Second attempt, good catch, but unfortunately I had peed on the paper and it broke almost immediately, jettisoning my prize into the water.
By day three I had learned the exact positioning required, had remembered to completely finish with my weeing before I got to work on the job in hand, and bingo, I had my catch of the day. I was able to take the two tiny specimens required for the first of my three days’ samples. I felt a ridiculous sense of achievement – I had this task sorted. Two further successes ensued on the following days and the test kit was complete, and is now safely on its way to the poor guys at the testing centre. What a job!

The last time I did this I took the envelope with me on my way back to Spain to post in the letter box at the airport. When I arrived at passport control I reached into my handbag to extract my passport and instead found myself extending a poo envelope in the direction of the customs officer. I’m glad that he didn’t think that I was offering him a bribe and ask me to open it! I eventually posted it back to the UK from Spain. My poo is very well-travelled.

There is an obvious serious side to this tale. A good friend has just been operated on for bowel cancer, thankfully caught in time and contained. But it was a wake-up call – we all (particularly those of us of a ‘certain age’) need to do all we can to proactively look after ourselves.

I am sure you will be overwhelmingly relieved to know that I don’t have any photographs to share with you on this subject.

Better by far are a couple of snaps from a trip to the beach at sunset with my two little darlings…

sunset1

sunset2

Posted in A view of life | Tagged bowel cancer screening, Lisa Victoria Photography | 12 Comments

Review of clothes and gear (I)

Posted on 15/10/2016 by magwood

Here is the first part of my long overdue gear report. I will divide it into three parts

clothes (herewith)
gear and equipment (see here)
technology (to follow in separate post)

My last such review was in 2014 and I have made several changes since then. I will include everything here, even if it hasn’t changed, for ease of referral. You can see my 2016 packing list here

Hiking clothes

Boots (new)
(1.086 grams)
I think I must be quite hard on my boots, although this surprises me because I don’t think I am particularly heavy on my feet. I have needed a new pair every year. In previous years I have worn textile uppers with vibram soles, and the same areas always get worn, namely on the outer soles, on the outside edge of heel and to a lesser extent in the mid-section of the fore foot. The uppers normally remain in fairly pristine condition both inside and out, except last year when I walked a particularly long camino (over 1,300 kms) and they were completely wrecked.

This year I thought I would invest in a pair of leather boots and purhcased a pair of mid-height Ecco Xpedition III. The model I bought no longer seem to be current on the Ecco site. They were expensive (list price around £160 I think, although I paid 120 euros on Amazon). They are light enough at 1.086 grams and I liked the leather uppers which kept my feet very dry on almost all occasions, but again the soles wore badly – I noticed wear after only 500 km on the camino, which I feel really isn’t good enough.

So I have to invest in replacement soles at around £80 or new boots – decision yet to be made.

Insoles
(64 grams, included in the weight of my boots above)
I use replacement insoles to provide support. The available options are many and confusing and for the last two years I have opted for ‘Pro II Orthotic Insole “designed to support and help re-align an over pronating foot“, ie plantar fasciitis amongst other things. Actually, as far as I am aware, I don’t suffer from these problems, but I do find these insoles very supportive. I guess they may be the cause of the hard wear I put on the heels of my boots. I may go for a stride analysis some time soon and order some personalised insoles.

Rain Jacket
(386 grams)
I’m still wearing my Berghaus ‘Arkleton Shell’ for the third year running. It doesn’t get much wear between caminos, so I hope it will last a few years yet. I love it. It looks smart and washes beautifully. It doesn’t have the long ‘pit zips’ that my North Face jacket has, but I discovered that if I pull up the sleeves to above my elbows, so that my bare forearms were exposed, this regulates my body temperature and I didn’t overheat with my jacket on. I employed this trick most of the time, it didn’t matter if my arms got wet, it was rather refreshing.

I made a slight modification to it a couple of years ago when I cut small holes in the pocket linings so that I could thread my backpack waist straps through the pockets and fasten them inside my jacket. The reasons for this will become clear in my next instalment when I talk about my pack cover.

**New this year**
Home-made gaiters
(94 grams)
I quickly made these the day before I left for my camino. I was expecting plenty of rain on the north coast of Spain, particularly in Galicia, but in the event I was very lucky. I did use the gaiters a few times and discovered they are great for walking in thick mud as they keep a fair amount of it away from your boots and trousers. I made them with velcro fastening up the back which wasn’t very practical as they were fiddly to fasten at the back of my leg. I will make another pair for my next camino with side fastenings. I applied patches of velcro to the top and back of my boots to keep them anchored. And I used a pair of (multi-purpose) elastic knee supports to hold them up). I also discovered that they provided a considerable amount of warmth, which would be useful if it was particularly cold. When not in use I stored them in a small waterproof stuff sack that came with some other item – this was useful so that they could be stashed when wet and muddy.

Buffs
(Total 164 grams)
Both ‘infinity’ style and normal. The long tube infinity Buff gets worn a lot, both as a sun and wind barrier and also as an extra layer of warmth on my shoulders and chest. The normal hat style Buff is worn less often, only on really cold days, but for its weight it is definitely worth having along for the ride. The infinity buff is shown below worn with sleeveless T-shirt and arm warmers up and down. For me, the perfect combination.

Home-made visor
(48 grams)
Made with a peak from a baseball cap attached to a strip cut from my buff as a sweat band, this item has been indispensable on four caminos and all my mountain walking in between. The peak finally started to disintegrate during this year’s walk and I have now remade it by stealing another of David’s freebie (they are freely given away at local fiestas) caps, and I reapplied the original strip of buff. This item is so useful and acts primarily as a sweat band and shield from the sun, but also serves to keep my hair from my face, the rain from my eyes, and keeps the hood of my raincoat from covering my face when I turn my head. When it’s chilly I can cover the tips of my ears with the buff band for an instant lift in body temperature (my ears seem to act as thermostat). It is an all-round must have as far as I am concerned. Photo evidence above.

**New this year**
Cyclist’s arm warmers
(74 grams)
As you may know, in past years I have used fleece sleeves tucked into my T-shirt sleeves to keep my arms warm in the mornings, and then as I warm up I can remove them without need to take off my pack or jacket. This system has always worked well for me, but I didn’t realise that someone had already invented such an item, generally used by cyclists. I purchased a pair this year, make DHB Regulate Warm Arm Warmers and they were a great success, worn most mornings for various amounts of time. They feel a little restrictive at first as they are quite tight, but soon become very comfortable and the silicone strip around the inside of the top of the sleeve holds them up very securely. When not being worn they roll up to the size of a small fist and are easily slipped into a side pocket or waist pack. Highly recommended.

**New this year**
Home-made hiking skirt
(185 grams)
Made in the style of the popular make ‘purple rain’, with some lightweight showerproof fabric and a yoga style waistband. I only wore it a couple of times for hiking. It was lovely to feel a breeze in places that don’t benefit when wearing shorts, but I didn’t really feel comfortable in it, although it was actually very comfortable to wear. It swayed too much as I walked (rather like the movement of a well made kilt worn by a marching guardsman) and I was very conscious that I looked rather silly with a swingy skirt and heavy hiking boots. I actually made it because I thought I might want to wear runner’s tights for walking this year (I was expecting it to be a bit colder than it was) and I wanted a bit more coverage than they would provide and planned to wear the skirt on top. I did wear it a few times in the evening and I still think a hiking skirt is a good idea, but not one that has such a flare. I may try my hand at making another, but much narrower style. Watch this space.

Hiking trousers
(248 grams)
Third camino for these Ex Officio (BugsAway Convertible Ziwa) zip-off hiking pants, mostly worn as shorts. Just the one pair, as last year. They are very light-weight and quick drying and don’t need washing too often. In my opinion they have perfect pocket placement, which is a vital requirement as far as I am concerned. Although priced at 100 dollars in the above link to the US Ex Officio site, I actually purchased them in a UK ‘Orvis’ outlet shop for something like £25. I am dreading the day when they wear out – hopefully not for a while yet. Obviously not modelled by me in this picture, but I am wearing them in most of the photos above.

**New this year**
Runners’ tights
(230 grams)
Purchased from Marks & Spencer, probably not very technically advanced. In the event I didn’t wear them at all for hiking, but did wear them many times in the evening (under my skirt) when it was rather chilly and even in bed on a couple of cold nights. I would take them again.

T-shirts
(154 grams)
Short sleeve merino which has been worn on all four caminos, although not so much on the last two, since I have taken to wearing a sleeveless merino T-shirt (148 grams). I very much like not to be restricted in the armpit area and much prefer something sleeveless on anything but the very coldest day. Merino wool is great at not getting too whiffy and although it is ideal to wash on a daily basis, they can actually go several days before becoming a health hazard.

Underwear
Sports bra
(74 grams)
Brand Triumph, style Triaction, purchased from a discount store as a twin-pack, one black, one white. Worn for the fourth year running, not pretty, but comfortable and one of the few sports bras that have a hook and eye back fastening. I can’t be doing with pull on bras – way too difficult to cope with in a mixed dorm situation (or at any time as far as I am concerned). I hope to keep it going for a few more years. Big tip – take only dark colours – white doesn’t stay white when you are only able to launder by hand. First year I took both black and white bras, but soon learned better. From year two onwards I took one black sports bra for walking use and one normal bra for evenings which was comfortable enough to wear during the day if necessary.

pants (knickers) x 2
(total 116 grams)
Merino wool – large and grey, not likely to disappear from the washing line! Brand – Montane, quite an investment – I have never spent so much on pretty underwear!

Socks
(Total 92 grams)
Smartwool merino low rise x 2. These had to be replaced for my latest camino but I bought the same make and style as previously. Low rise to minimise the silly sun-tan marks. They seem to last a couple of years of heavy use.

+ liner socks
(38 grams) A ‘just in case’ item, merino, which I wore in the evenings when necessary, but not for hiking.

Gloves
(34 grams)
An absolute necessity for me some mornings. It can be very cool before the sun comes up and my hands do not operate well when they are too cold (and if you are using hiking poles the hands are always exposed).

Evening wear

**New this year**
Down Jacket
(262 grams)
Ultra light ‘Uniclo’ down jacket. I love this item. So lightweight and packs very small into its own stuff sack. It got a lot of wear and will definitely go again.

Bag for valuables
(44 grams)
Waterproof tote so I can take my valuables into the shower cubicle with me. Also useful for food shopping and for a laundry bag. Now resides as an emergency shopping tote in the bottom of my handbag. I bought it new this year, only because I was bored with my original bright turquoise bag that I have used for the last three years.

Light-weight cargo pants
(244 grams)
They have served me very well over four years. May replace them next year.

Skirt
(104 grams)
Purchased from a charity shop, nice and bright and much admired by female pilgrims along the way. If I make a new hiking skirt for my next camino, I would probably not bring an additional skirt for leisure wear.

Cardigan
(198 grams)
A cosy red merino cardy to keep me warm. Next year I think I will buy a ultra-light full zip fleece, which will be warmer and probably lighter, and certainly harder wearing and easier to wash.

Silk scarf
(34 grams)
Colour coordinated to match my evening clothes and doubled as pillow case if necessary.

Tops
(total 144 grams)
Vest tops/camisoles x 2 for evening and sleep wear.

Underwear
(92 grams)
Normal bra comfortable enough to wear for walking if necessary.

(Total 90 grams)
Three (yes, three!) pairs of normal lightweight pants for the evening. I don’t see the point in having less as they weigh so little. I put on a pair after my shower, wear them to bed and change into the woollen granny pants in the morning. So I will always have a clean pair for after my shower and a spare in case the worn pair has been washed and not dried.

Shoes
(332 grams)
Crocs, Huarache style. Well tried and tested and absolutely fit for purpose.

A wonderful surprise meeting with Peter, from the Netherlands, with whom I walked the first week of my first camino in 2013

Posted in Camino assessments and reflections, Camino de Santiago de Compostela, Preparations | Tagged camino, Camino de Santiago blog, Camino de Santiago de compostela, Camino de Santiago., camino packing list, Clothes and gear, long distance hiking, review of clothes and gear, Spain, travel | 26 Comments

A long and lazy summer

Posted on 14/09/2016 by magwood

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.

camino-map

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).

Posted in A view of life, Camino de Madrid, Camino de Santiago de Compostela, Camino del Salvador, Camino Primitivo | Tagged Camino blog, Camino de Madrid, Camino de Santiago blog, Camino de Santiago de compostela, Camino de Santiago., Camino del Salvador, Camino Primitivo, long distance hiking, travel | 32 Comments

Local trio join forces for fundraising ‘triathlon’

Posted on 12/06/2016 by magwood

Actually each of us independently organised our own event, but it just happened that they culminated at the same time…and I couldn’t resist the headline!

As you will know, I have recently completed my latest camino walk and whilst I was away my partner David was busy raising sponsorship funds. We gave our generous contributors the choice of donating to local charity CUDECA Cancer Hospice or Save The Children. Many opted to divide their contribution between the two good causes, whilst others preferred to donate entirely to one or the other. One hundred percent of the money raised goes directly to the charities – I fund my camino entirely from my own pocket

My contact at CUDECA is PR & Fundraising officer Natividad Gómez Ramos. Nati visited Cómpeta last week to support the fundraising efforts of Martin Robinson, who made a big splash for the charity during his ‘Swim for Life’ when he completed 200 lengths of the 25 metre Cómpeta public swimming pool only a year after suffering bowel cancer and undergoing a major operation and gruelling chemotherapy. I was at the pool with many other supporters to watch his last few lengths and he amazed us all, after 3.25 hours of swimming, when he completed his very last length entirely underwater. An amazing achievement which, at the time of posting, has raised over 2,500 euros for the cancer charity.

Two days later Debi Bond completed a cycling challenge when she pedalled from sea level at Algarrobo up the mountain to Cómpeta at an altitude of 636 metres. Debi has always kept herself very fit but last year she also had a shock to discover she was sufferring from cancer and had to undergo an operation to remove a kidney. Cycling is a new challenge for Debi and she completed the 16 km climb in a time much quicker than she anticipated. Another huge achievement. Not all of the funds raised by Debi have been counted yet, but so far has raised well over £200 for Cancer Research UK and most likely over 400 euros for CUDECA.

Meanwhile, not only have our friends and neighbours given so generously to sponsor my walk, but a couple of local restaurants, Taberna de Oscar in Competa and La Plaza in Canillas de Albaida each donated a meal for two and these have raised 175 euros. In total David has collected 470 euros for CUDECA and 468 euros for Save The Children.

David and I with Nati from CUDECA

When you consider that fundraising was going on at the same time for all three events, and we were all asking many of the same people for contributions, it is incredible that we all raised such substantial amounts.

However there is still room for more contributions. If you are local to the Costa del Sol and Axarquia area of Spain and would like to donate to the wonderful work of CUDECA you can do so via their website at http://www.cudeca.org. At the top left of the home page is a purple “donate now” box. There is a facility under the box for the amount you wish to donate to indicate “Are you making this donation in memory of a family member or friend?” if you tick this box you can insert “Maggie’s Walk” and then the fundraisers at CUDECA will know to add the amount to the total that David and I have collected.

From left, Debi, Nati, Cindy who is the local CUDECA coordinator and fundraiser extraordinaire, me and Martin

I have also set up a Just Giving page on behalf of Save the Children. I have used an online currency converter to calculate that the 468 euros raised for this cause is equivalent to £368.22. And to allow for any fluctuations I have transferred the sum of £380 to this account. I do hope that some of you might feel inclined to add to this amount and help children around the world to have a brighter future.

I know many of you have enjoyed my blog and that makes be very happy. If you might consider making a contribution to either of my chosen charities then I would be even happier. You can reach my Just Giving page here, or if you don’t want to follow the link, type “Just Giving” into your search engine and in the box that states “search for a charity, friend or project” type in Maggie Woodward and my page will be listed.

Very many thanks for your consideration and whether or not you decide to contribute, I sincerely hope that you will continue to follow my blog and comment whenever you have the time.