Camino video time

Updates see us confimed for Burgos on September 23d and Cardenuela Rio pico on the 22nd, which means we walk over from Montes Des Oca on Tuesday September 21st. https://youtu.be/IxsL4q5pras shows Paul, Stuart and I in 2015 I never like to book too far ahead as it stops you doing long or short days, even when you know the bus timetable! There is always the community thing. You build your community over a month and its always a shame if you lag behind or bolt ahead. The best caminos I've had have seen me drift in and out of communities as we slow down to let others catch up or bus along a stretch after falling a day behind. Pamplona - Wednesday 15th https://youtu.be/kFy5-lhVnZc a wee video from the first 6 days pics going past the wine fountain, Fuente de irache Estella/los Arcos - Friday Logrono - Sunday Navarette - Najera - Azofra Monday Santo Domingo/Belorado/Montes de Oca - Tuesday We've no idea how the accomodation will be with the current covid situation but will keep you all posted!

Camino 14 -2021

How happy we are to be considering the Camino again.

It's definitely been too long!

The plan is to take the train on Tuesday September 13th from London to Biarritz.

A night on the French coast before a train up to to St Jean Pied de Porte.

On arrival we will have a beer and then walk up to the albergue at Hunto. If we are feeling strong we might make Orisson.

On Thursday we should arrive at Roncesvalles, possibly walking on to the town of Burguette where Hemingway, the author, did a bit of fishing. 

Friday is zubiri or larasoanna and Saturday night is alright for fighting according to Elton so Pamplona it is.

Sunday then Monday sees us through puente la reina and Estella and possibly even halfway up the hill to villamayor. Logrono by Wednesday would be good. Navarette Thursday and then onto Azofra. 

I love a Friday night in Azofra.

I've had so many great stays and calamity too. Stu and I got locked out of our room one night, i've been in the old overflow albergue twice and Harry famously got cuatro puntos after falling asleep while walking down stairs.

Yes Friday night in Azofra will be a belter. There are many videos through the ages of cafe Seville. The food and wine are always the same!

Saturday September 25th will see us do the bus dodgems as we make our way to Santo Domingo before bus to belorado and onwards to Montes de Oca and the luxury of the hotel or possibly the hostal at the bottom of the hill.

Sunday sees us trip the light fantastic as we march to Santa Fe in cardenuela riopico. It's the number 11 stop on the Camino and my favourite

Monday 27th will be a Burgos bonanza and it may be the end of the road for young Stu, or we may have a trip to Leon!!

Either way I'll be looking forward to Castrojeriz to Fromista. Stu and I stopped here when my Mum died in October 2019. 

It was quite surreal.

I'd bought a bail out £9.99 flight from Santander 4 months earlier and all I had to do was jump on the train at Fromista and I'd connect with the flight that evening. 

We discussed it that night as Stu was on his way down to Alicante in the morning and I remember hitting the pillow saying I'll decide in the morning. I had an inkling that meant that I'd bought that flight for a reason and it seemed to be the end of that Camino as Stu was heading off, I should too.

I decided in the morning to prevaricate. Stu headed off at 9.30am and my train was 11 if I was to go up to Santander or else I could just walk on to the next town.

I left the hotel at 11 and decided to walk on, all the time thinking, get on the train, go to Santander, if you don't get a call, get a train back down.

I stopped at the next town, 3km,  got a nice room and it was cheap as chips. I sat chatting with Pellegrino people who had head chef children in Copenhagen s 5 star kitchens! They were a great bunch then I got the call.

My mum wasn't looking good. Then I got the real call. Yes, 45 minutes later she's dead. Yes, what a dozy half wit I was. My autism on numbers, that said why bother going up to come back down, had only selected a flight on the day she died as insurance 4 months earlier. What a fuckwit. The clue was there. The whole plan had been given a blessing by Michael O'Leary saying get back for yer mum at £9.99.

I was ok, she was okay, so light candles today. I wasn't there to help my dad which was lucky as he had the care staff who were off the clock great. I visited many a church and lit some outstanding candles for Mum, Maisie and Francis. The three women who held community together and proved that matriarchy was strong in our world. The three of them left this world in 2019 like a wee random domino collapse. 

I just lit candles.

The thing about candles is they burn bright and they dance.

After Stu goes I will get morbid lighting candles but I'll love it.

I'll probably get to a place in Galicia called Eirexe before I turn tail and head for phone.

A lot will depend on fellow pilgrims and how we do on the way. I'll just be happy to see the sunrise, walk another few kilometres and smell the dawning of the day.

The PB big 50 Camino 2022

Its a tough gig to narrow the camino down to 3 walking days while staying handy for an aiport from Edinburgh so over the next few months the May camino will take shape as we pick and choose from a menu full of the views, the walks, the smells of the albergue and some of the best food you'll ever enjoy. The best part of the camino is the communoty of pilgrims you walk with and we'll possibly do these walks in different orders so we meet the same people and for those doing the full camino (like me!) there'll be a bit of continuity. We'll arrive into Bilbao and have lunch in Cafe Iruna before heading down to Pamplona(/Logrono) for the evening. Thursday morning will see us climb the hill to the wee tin pilgrims at mont del perdon before sliding down the other side and enjoying a beer in Muruzabal and Obanos before carrying on to Puente La Reina for 2pm The old boys will jump on a bus while the young team carry on to Maneru (1 hour) where a gentle stroll to ciraqui (1 Hour), then lorca(1 hour) before meeting up and walking to villatuerta (1 hour) and Estrella (1 hour 20) for a drink before carrying on to the evening in Los Arcos by bus (15 minutes). Los Arcos is a fantastic wee place which is a great pilgrim stop. I love Estrella, the vegetarian albergue at Azqueta is a delight and Villamayor Montjardin has superb views in evening and morning but I've chosen Los Arcos as that wee square the pilgrims congregate in has a great day 6 buzz and also it was the topwn with our favourite camino meal in 2007. Friday will be an early start on the stroll to Sansol (1 hour) before jumping the bus to Logrono and a lunch at Calle Laurel before jumping a local bus to Ventosa. The walk fom Ventosa to Najera is a lovely 2 hour stroll through vineyards before a wee drink by the river and getting the bus to ciruena and a 6km or one hour stroll to Santo Domingo for 3pm. There is another option where we get the bus from Santo Domingo back to Ciruena at 8am to then walk back over for 9.30 and pick up our gear if we choose to bus and stay in Santo Domingo! We will then get the JIMINEZ bus to Belorado for the last billiant 3 hour and 4 beer stroll to Villafranca Montes Des Oca. This is one of the top late afternoon strolls on the camino. The first hour takes us to Tosantos and the wee church/cave just a 5 minute stroll from the albergue bar. Next up is Villambistia after a 30 minute stroll, where one of my favourite hospitaleros runs a small albergue with delicious food and has a few chairs in the sun. A quick beer here before another 20 minute stroll to espinosa del camino and another beer and ice cream stop before we arrive 40 minutes later in Villafranca Montes Des Oca. As we will have reservations in the hotel we can relax that we will arrive about 8pm. On the plus side the bus is regular along the route so flagging it down at Tosantos or Villambistia is an option to arrive at the hotel before 6pm. Villafranca Montes Des Oca to St Juan de Ortega is a good morning walk. It's a full 3 hours through a forest and at a fair clip you can save 30 minutes but it is easier to think 12km, have a wee break in the middle if the juice bar is open and then lunch or have a beer in St Juan de Ortega around midday if you start at 9am. Then we hit Ages at 2pm, Atapuerca (3pm) and climb Olmos de Atapuerca over and down into Carednuela Rio Pico (6.30pm). There's a lot of camaraderie especially with pilgrims who stopped at Belorado (2pm), Tosantos at 3pm, Villambistia (4pm) or even Espinosa as they all get up so much earlier than Stu and I and are off and running at 6am to watch the sunrise. They wont catch us rising before 8am by which time they're already up the hill. IT's probably my favourite chuckle on the camino as the push pull nature of the camino pilgrim pass us by in the morning while we sleep and we pass them by as we walk into the setting sun. Those late afternoon beers as we joke about battering on up the trail to get an extra hour in bed! A foolish nonsense argument but past performance has always suggested early into town does not mean early to bed, it means 2 extra bottles of red!!

One option has always been to get the post lunch bus out of Logrono to ciruena and miss out the walk to Najera thus getting to Santo Domingo for 2.45pm before beer and bus but like all caminos the fun is in the planning and the laugh is when we "Rip it up and start again!" On the ground you are having such a good time, or the weather dictates, you just go with the flow. The next day could be Burgos - Castrojeriz - Fromista. Burgos for lunch and a bus to Castrojeriz before walking to Itero Del Rai and then a 2 hour walk to Fromista where the train goes to Santander. Or it may be bus from Burgos to Bilbao and back home! The only issue of note is we dont know what the flight times will be but an early Wednesday out with a late Sunday back from Bilbao has plenty of appeal but so does out via Bilbao and back via Santander. The current timetables for trains and buses suggest that we can get a train to Logrono which might be a good way to see Calle Laurel and then in the morning get out to Ventosa and walk 2 hours to Najera then get bus at 1.30 to Ciruena. Missing PAmplona would be tough but to miss any section is a shame. Thursday would therefore be a big day finishing in Villafranca Montes Des Oca. Friday would see us leave Montes Des Oca and finish in Cardenuela before arriving Saturday in Burgos. So many options but let's update nearer the time!

2011-2018 passports

Passport 2015-18

The most important stamp at santa Fe in 2018 closing another book. Although we did the full camino in 2015, I used it again in October 2016, April 2017/18 and September 2017/18 before it had no space so the cover got stamped in cardenuella rio pico

Passport from 2011-2015

One full Camino, then 2013 from Pamplona and 2015 just a wee one!

2014 to follow with 2007

It is with great happiness some videos are still there - links below!

No idea how it works, but I laughed at bar sevilla from azofra in sept 2011. Its been difficult navigation so I've started deleting old stuff and putting pictures and videos in new locations. Bar Seville - Azofra Castojeriz - Climbing the hill after leaving town www.fatal-bananas early heart starter outside Castrojeriz