Camino 2016 - part V

So its always changing....like the guard, camino plans are fluid - We have two weeks but probably only 7-8 good walking days as travel gets in the way. I like the Mundicamino.com website as it was the one we used back in 2007 to guage how hard or easy our walks would be and sometimes we would split one of the 34 stages in two, sometimes we would do two stages in one day, it was our first insight into you need a plan so you can ditch it. Where appropriate I have put the Mundicamino stage, eg Burgos - Hornillos 13/34, stage 13 of 34.

WEDNESDAY - Sept 28 - arrive Santander from Edinburgh. 21.00 bus into town and twin room 34euro by station.

Sept 29 - The bus costs 12.90euro and medium, slow and fast are the options. 8am gets in at 11, and the 10:30 and 12:00 both get in about 2.40. Stu will arrive burgos @ 6pm so the 8am would let us go walking - but the 12 lets us walk to the beach and back in Santander.

My bet is on the weather. If Santander is sunny we wait for the 12:00 and walk along to the beach and back. Just far enough to give Paul's feet a hint at the blisters to come. Then when we arrive in Burgos we can get a siesta before Stu arrives. We're staying at the Alda Entrearcos - 63euros for triple room, so 21 euro each.

FRIDAY - Sept 30 - WALKING DAY 13/34, 20km, arrive hornillos or carry on to Hontanas. If we get one of the 12 twin rooms in this town it'll be about 50euro or 7 euro for the dorm. The problem is its a Friday and so the odds are stacked against us as there will be many weekend walkers out. The big trick is to get out of Burgos early and make sure we arrive by 1pm. Then we have the option of rolling onto Hontanas 2hrs or Castrojeriz 5hrs. The other plus is Hontanas has a bus stop and it goes to Castrojeriz. It leaves about 1.15pm/1.30pm.

Saturday - Oct 1 - WALKING DAY, 14/34, 20km to Castrojeriz - a very easy stroll and another 1pm finish, but ideally we carry on to Itero de la vega for the afternoon and stay at my favourite albergue hogar. This would mean we could have a big day walking to Carrion picking up any strays at Fromista, or if nobody coming out we could carry on!

Oct 2 - WALKING DAY, 15/34, 24km to Fromista - SUNDAY - a good MEETING spot as it has the Santander-Madrid train running through it, as well as the grand canal. The 2pm train to my knowledge doesnt stop in Fromista but the 3.30 train does. The Ryanair flight arrives at 10am so plenty time to go to train station and then take in the tapas bars of Santander, or even go a half hour walk up to the beach area. Alternatively get the bus to Burgos and meet up in Carrion.

On this day in Segunda B Arandina are at home to Cultural Leonesa

Monday - October 3 WALKING DAY 16/34 19km to Carrion des los Condes - we will take the normal route out and then the river route through fields culminating in a 5km walk at the side of the road from Villalcazar de Sirga to Carrion. Staying at the far end of town in the 40 euro posh gaff. Its a pretty horst stage this and its because the next stage is 17km without a water stop so you have to take your own food. To be fair its a stiff 3 hours head down and you're there. There is a pit stop area that a guy has fenced off and put a couple of tables up and charges you 3 euros for a juice but to be fair - its worth paying if its hot!

Tuesday - October 4 WALKING DAY, 17 &18/34 - TUESDAY, 28km to Templairios or 43km to Sahagun. This may be Paul's day to enjoy the town and take the 3.55euro 11.51 bus to Templarios and then do the 13km walk to Sahagun or bus it all the way to Sahagun. My plan would be to meet at Templarios for lunch so early out of Carrion. The road is pretty unforgiving for the first 6km but thereafter its a jolly walk in the middle of nowhere and a great contemplative experience. After Calzaduella its marginally more interesting and when you get to Ledigos you know Templarios is 30 minutes away.

If you are stumbling along quite happily there are cafe stops all the way to Sahagun so it can be an enjoyable last 12km as you stop every 40 minutes for a wee sweetener. Simon and I did the 43km in 2007 and we were a bit disorientated by the end. Si took the road and then ended up on a dual carraigeway above me. I said I can see you, you're up on the bridge and waved. He took exit 43 and we were eventually reunited. The next day we walked to Mansilla des Las Mulas which was another 37km and according to our friends at Mundicamino we had just done 4 stages in 2 days. The truth is we had meant to stop at Reliegos but had carried on when they told us the water was unsafe. I digress though, the reason for the slow trip over the meseta is to do with resting your feet in the middle of a marathon walk. Days 17-20 are nice 3-4 hour walking days so you can pummel 2 in 7 hours.

Sahagun has a great cafe on the corner where you can sit and greet the pilgrims as they go by. Waving your vino tinto and your tuna pastry tapa as you become used to the idea that all the food you need comes in the shape of free tapas with every drink.

The pilgrim tends to glide through Sahagun but there are hidden treasures as the main plaza is down the hill from this cafe, but the cafe I describe is like the iron building in New York so if you go left past it with the camino you only see a convent with rwon rooms for 40 euro on the route, if you go right, you will hit the plaza. Often the way and most spectacularly the way at El burgo Ranero. If you stay in Sahagun a good place is just next to the cafe. Follow the camino for 15 yards, or the convent 150m down the hill cheap and comfortable but religious curfews!

Oct 5 we get to Leon 21/34, possibly by train from Sahagun, El Burgo bus from Mansilla or just walking 20km beside a motorway! - its a WEDNESDAY so anyone flying from Edinburgh could get a late bus or the RENFE train from Santander via Palencia, Sahagun, El Burgo to LEON- or we just walk to El burgo ranero and any late arrivals can get off the train earlier.

The early bus at 9.45 from Mansilla would allow us to do a lunch in Leon and evening in Astorga - aka - I think we could possibly do a Leon / Astorga doubler. I love Leon so much though I figure a good session doing both might just win.

Oct 6 Leon - Thursday means that bar will be open - but we'll be on our way to Rabanal. Astorga to Rabanal is 20km, 24/34. More trees on this stretch once you get past the towns and into the hills.

Oct 7 Friday we get to Rabanal - Cruz de Ferro - then El Acebo and on to Molineseca. WALKING DAY  25km walk 25/34.  Its very steep downhill in parts so a taxi may be required after El Acebo, or stopping at the house/cafe 1 hour past El Acebo where the owner or kids often give you a run in their car.

Oct 8 saturday walk Molineseca to Ponferrade and make up our minds! If we are here then we will make it to Eirexe 31/34 no problem

At this stage of the walk we'll be thinking about our movements back to Santander and how best to get there. If we get a bus from Ponferrade to Vega Valcarce - we would then have an easy 5 hour hike up one of the best mountains on the Camino and arriving there will be a great end.

So we could stroll into the town  of Ponferrade - have a tapa or two, then get the bus up to Vega then walk to the Place Paul and I stayed at before. - oh enough planning, lets get off walking!

Oct 9 Sunday WALKING DAY to O'Cebreiro only question mark is the starting point - before thinking about Monday homeward bound. - PONFERRADINA are at home to Guijuello so it may be wise to stay in PONFERRADE that night and arrive in O'Cebriero on the Monday - or we could travel back to Leon for the game with Cuadal Deportivo!

Oct 10 MONDAY - Walking stopping and more bevy as we enjoy an O'Cebriero morning or a walk to O'Cebreiro and then make our way to bus link to go via LUGO or back via LEON.

Easiest is taxi down to Perdafita O'Cebreiro (4km away on busy twisting road) then we bus to LUGO. The 7.50 from LUGO arrives at 13.40 so its the obvious route, others are discussed below. Stu would get it on Tuesday and Paul and I would decide to get it with him or on the wednesday.

We can take a bus to Arzua which means we might get to stop at the town called Eirexe. The important thing is to make sure Stu makes it to Santander for his tuesday flight. If we can connect with the Santiago to Barcelona bus that arrives at Santander airport at 2.55pm or 6.50pm it will work well. The 7.50 from LUGO arrives at 13.40 or can involve a change after arriving 11am at Oviedo. The change option leaves Oviedo at 11.45 and arrives at the Santander Airport at 14.55. Handy if you want to break your journey with a quick bite to eat.

If we connect with the bus that arrives at Santander airport at 6.50pm it will also work well. The 9.00 from Santiago hits VILLALBA (a taxi from LUGO) at 11.15 before heading through Ribadeo 12.15 then arriving 14.30 at Oviedo. It leaves Oviedo at 15.45 and arrives at the Santander Airport at 18.50. As it goes into Santander first at 18.40 its perfect for a 9pm flight. Either way Monday is our last real walking day. We will wave our camino pals good bye and set our sights on the camino home.


October 11 Tuesday Travel to Santander via Lugo for Stu while we will have a night in Lugo?


October 12 Wednesday leave LUGO @7.50am

working again? no just walking again!

I was asked recently if I missed working. I said not really. I loved being a pimple on the bottom of humanity, that little raised tissue that needed scratching, yet every scratch made it even itchier. I loved being the Tartan Pimpernel. Fixing things before people had seen them broken, messing with tools I'd never used before and sometimes creating something superb. I'd sit supping my favourite tipple dispensing answers faster than the bar could pour them.

"You're so good at thinking outside the box"

"No, I'm just good at thinking and crushing boxes."

And that's pretty much what I did. I crushed boxes. The imaginary helpful metaphors that people invented to make their working life that little bit harder. The training courses 'would be' managers had attended to help improve their own and their staff's productivity. I was rarely baffled how such an increase in productivity by everyone could lead to a lowering of profit and productivity for the firm, but then I wasn't in the box.

My theory had been simple. You speak to people and ask them what they liked doing and what they were good at. You asked them what they wanted to do, if they had any ambitions. Finally, you asked them questions a coach would ask to see where they would best maximise their effort for the team. I called it the one pint review. If it couldn't be done in 10 minutes it wasn't worthwhile for either party.

I always felt like a golfer's caddy. The firm was the golfer, the clubs were all the workers. I provided the husbandry. Like any golfer my putting team could excel one day and be a bit flat the next. The driver was the same. The further you try to hit it the wilder it gets.

I remember watching one guy in the work get through twice as much as he normally did while his neighbour sat doing the same amount as she always did. He mumped his chops about speeding up but she was resolute. She hit 18 fairways, he hit 9. I rest my case. Well not completely as when you venture into the rough, you are reminded that the rough is not your friend. In processing terms, its a nightmare. You have to think how to recover from this situation. The rough is not your friend, your 8 iron is your friend. So as any decent boss would do I sent for my 8 iron to help this poor panicking person. She was superb at recovery, but unfortunately she was also on maternity leave and the wags in HR had sent a Meerkat. Apparently, her skill set had been sent to the agency and this was the nearest match.

I looked the Meerkat up and down and thought, you're not an 8 iron, you're a mischievous one. Put to the test this Meerkat was clearly a wise one. As we addressed the ball, the Meerkat sank its teeth into the ball and on the down swing spat it out a few inches further up the rough. It seems the Meerkat had indeed been an 8 iron before but realised after losing an eye and a couple of teeth, not to mention the broken nose that gripping the ball was better than being hit by it. After a few more swipes with the '8 iron' Meerkat the ball flew off at right angles. "I cant use this 8 iron, its hopeless" shouted the hapless holder of the Meerkat and sure enough back it went into the bag to be used sporadically until the end of the maternity leave when the good 8 iron returned.

Spotting Meerkats is a lot easier than people seem to think. They just look different and I dont consider myself to have a professional eye, they just stand out from the crowd and swing nothing like a golf club.

Once a coach knows what each club in the bag can do, their job of increasing productivity is simple. For fast results, use your clubs the way they work. In time you might want to buy a new set of clubs, especially if you've inherited a set of Meerkats.

Camino 2016 part IV

Yes, like every camino, the best part is the plan. Its the excitement and of course as all us peregrinos know, we change a plan quicker than sweaty socks.

So we fly out from Edinburgh to Santander on Wednesday September 28 and by Thursday 29th we will be eating tapas in Burgos in the cafe Pancho, cafe espana and yes you know the drill, any cafe!

Awake on Friday and walk to Hornillos

Awake on Saturday and walk to Castrojeriz and if strong Itero de la vega and the fine twin bedded albergue hobargue.

On sunday you walk through the grand canal and train town of Fromista on your way to the hotel Zoilo in Carion des los Condes

On Monday we will walk to Los Templairios and on Tuesday stagger to Sahagun.

Once in Sahagun we will decide if we quickly shoot forward by train to Leon or if we are calm in our camino ways and just following the amarillo fleschas. The search for enlightenment and tranquillity follows us while we follow the yellow arrows.

Another plan will follow, ha ha ha