Estella to Villamayor de Montjardin

We set off towards Villmayor de Montjardin to a forecast of 16°C on a generally good track with some fairly steep hills (some refer to these as ‘undulations’, I prefer the term ‘hill’).  There were some great views across the valley, and soon we were approaching the 100km mark – …

Cirauqui to Estella

The day dawned bright for our journey onward to Estella “Next there is Estella, which is fertile in good bread, excellent wine, meat, and fish, and full of all sorts of felicity” ~ Codex Calixtinus We departed our hostel before sunrise and headed down the hill as the first rays of …

Pamplona to Uterga

With a quick last look out of our window overlooking the Town Hall square, we packed up and headed out early to the outskirts of the town, past the University of Navarre en route to Uterga. There we found a cafe/bakery and enjoyed a pot of tea and a Napolitana …

Camino 2022: The Weight Of Your Pack Is The Sum Of Your Fears

The Camino is both an external and an internal journey. The weight of our pack reflects our concerns as the outer journey reflects the inner one. Today, travel is more comfortable than in times past — and far safer.

Mezquite Cathedral, Cordoba

The Mezquita, or mosque-cathedral in Cordoba, Spain is an extraordinary piece of architecture, symbolising the intermingling of Christian and Islamic culture.

Camino 2018 – It’s All in the Mind

What about the mind? You reach Logroño, and by now you are getting settled into the Camino’s routine, and you are starting to feel like a pilgrim on a pilgrimage. But what does that even mean, and how might we think about it? What makes this different from, say, a …

Camino 2018 – Care of the Self

How do you conceive of walking 800km/500 miles when, like me, you typically take the car to the local shops less than a kilometre away? It’s a scary number, even more so when you look up at the Pyrenees, and see the vultures circling. Does that bell toll for me? …

Bridges across the Camino and across the world

Bridges. We cross them routinely, often barely noticing they are there. Yet without them, we would have to take long and circuitous detours or make dangerous crossings. So I like to pause sometimes and reflect on the bridge builders, whether physical or metaphorical, and nod my thanks to them for …

People of the Camino

At a small Fiesta in Puenta de Orbigo on the Camino de Santiago, we saw this young woman playing the bagpipes. Her face was a study in concentration as her fingers moved skillfully over the chanter. Life did not appear to be easy in these towns. It is said that the weight …