Pilgrimage – Page 3 – Following your feet

Day 143: Gambassi Terme to Colle di Val d’Elsa

A day of two parts, a morning trip of 13km to San Gimignano and an afternoon trip of the same length to Colle di Val d’Elsa. A lot of climbing, 713m on a day that was mostly overcast, but the temperature still reached the higher 20’s at times. There was no chance of an early…

Day 142: San Miniato to Gambassi Terme

“Only” 24km and not quite 700m in elevation, but a brutal stage, with no infrastructure, limited water supplies and a hot sun beating down all day – the average temperate whilst I walked was 27C, but well above 30 in the middle of the day. Rod and his friends were on their way by 8am,…

Day 141: Galleno to San Miniato

I got a good nights sleep and didn’t make it down for breakfast until 9am. There was another Italian pilgrim at breakfast. She was walking for a few days, before going back to work. I was on the road by 9.45, hoping for a better day than yesterday. It was going to be hot, it…

Day 140: Lucca to Galleno

An uninspiring stage, at least until Altopascio where most pilgrims end today’s stage. I continued to Galleno, making it a predominantly flat 26km day, and shortening tomorrow’s walk. I was up early, and went to a nearby laundry to wash my clothes for the first time this trip. After a later breakfast I was on…

Day 139: Pietrasanta to Lucca

A long day. It ended up being 35km with a couple of steep hills with almost 700m in elevation, and a steep downhill on a track that could barely be called a track. It was beautiful weather all day, if anything too hot to walk. I was up early and had finished the ultra-processed breakfast…

Day 138: Avenza to Pietrasanta

Avenza is a small town close to Carrara, in the Apuan Alps. The town is world famous for its marble, an almost white marble that has been mined since Roman times when it was a sign of prestige and high status. Likewise, the Catholic Church used it on important Churches and Cathedrals and it has…

Day 137: La Spezia to Avenza

It rained off and on throughout the night, but had stopped by the time I got up at 7am and was eating breakfast at 7.30 breakfast. Italians like a sweet breakfast with lots of different cakes and croissants full of cream – whilst I love cakes, it isn’t my dream breakfast, preferring cornflakes and oatmeal…

Day 136: Copenhagen to Genoa and Voltri to Genoa

I left Copenhagen on the 9.20 flight to Amsterdam. With a very short connection to Genoa, I was hoping that there wasn’t going to be a delay. We boarded on time, but the first thing the captain said as I found my seat, was that there was traffic congestion in Amsterdam, and we would be…

Day 111: St. Gilles to Arles

Spring had arrived in Provence, as we started off on the first day of my through hike between St. Gilles and Roquefort on the Côte d’Azur. My wife joined me for the 22km hike between St. Gilles and Arles, primarily along the Petit Rhone river, a branch of the Rhone that runs from Fourques (just…

Day 99: Vila Nova de Santo Andres to Brejos de Carregueira

The dreaded second day and on a Saturday, the day where many of my wettest, longest and least memorable walks have taken place. This Saturday was no exception. At breakfast I had a long chat with an American couple who wished they could move to Europe instead of flying home. I set off at 9.30…

Day 98: Porto Covo to Vila Nova de Santo Andres

Two years and three days since I was in Porto Covo on the Fisherman’s Trail, I’m back. Last time I left Porto Covo on a bus, with broken shoes and travelled to Lisbon to buy a new pair. In Lisbon I had planned to take a train the 50 or so kilometer’s to Azambuja, where…

Day 81: Lourdes to Lestelle-Betharram

After yesterdays marathon 12 hour effort, today was a short day, only 17km and 380m in elevation. I slept late, and the lady at breakfast took a pity on me, and gave me two of everything at the French breakfast (2 coffee, 2 croissant and 2 pieces of baguette). I spent the morning walking around…

Day 78: Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges to La-Barthe-de-Neste

Van Morison sang “There will be days like this” and Paul Simon “Slip sliding away”. They pretty much sum up my day. Although a short day, 24km with 650m elevation, it was a day of challenges. It rained through the night with lightening every 5-10 seconds. Even the French had never seen anything quite like…

Day 77: Saint-Gaudens to Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges

I am my own worst enemy. I was supposed to walk 22km, but ended up doing almost 30km, as I chose a different route that added 5km, and then walked a 3km diversion for lunch (which is the positive way of saying that I missed a turn and didn’t realise before I was close to…

Day 74: Muret to Carbonne

Today it was hot. 11C when I left at 8.00, 33C when I arrived at the hotel at 16.30 after 34km and over 1.000m elevation – before even reaching the Pyrenees. I left Muret without seeing a statue for Clement Ader, despite seeing several other statues of (very) historic people (men). Walking back towards the…

Day 74: Toulouse Airport to Muret

A long first day, with a 7am flight from Copenhagen, leaving Toulouse airport by 10.30. The first five days follow the Garonne river from Toulouse towards its source in the Spanish Pyrenees. In total the river runs 529km with its mouth at the Gironde estuary, north of Bordeaux, I will be walking ca. 150km along…

Ribadeo to A Coruna – Conclusion/Hotel list

My overall conclusion is that this is a fabulous walk. This is the ultimate alternative route on the Camino del Norte, staying on the coast after Ribadeo and joining the Camino Ingles in Ferrol for those wishing to walk to Santiago. The views are spectacular, the signage excellent, at least whilst still on the Ruta…

Day 73: Pontedeume to A Coruna

My last day before flying home and the day I missed a turn and walked almost 2 kilometers before realising and having to walk back. Typical on my last day and typical on the hottest day so far. I slept well, and went to one of the four bars in the town square to eat…

Day 72: Valdovino to Pontedeume

My legs were tired as I walked to the bar for breakfast, not a great sign with ca. 35km to walk, for the most part along roads passing through Ferrol, before joining the Camino Ingles and meeting other walkers. I left at around 9am, after the customary, coffee, toast and juice breakfast. It was pretty…

Day 71: San Andres de Teixdo to Valdovino

For the very last time on this trip, I’m writing this waiting for my clothes to be washed and dried. It’s ca. 6pm, and I haven’t even reached this evenings hotel. Last night at the excellent Casa Rural in San Andres, I slept badly. No idea why, it was an excellent bed and it was…

Day 70: Ortigueira to San Andres de Teixdo

Legend has it, that if you don’t visit the church at San Andres de Teixdo whilst alive, you will eventually do so after your death, as a tormented soul or as a reptile or insect. I didn’t want to take any chances so here I am, after passing the highest point of my walk to…