The Camino de Santiago - julia_t begins her pilgrimage. Come join me...
 

I am fizzing with excitement!

In less than 4 weeks I will be setting off on the first of my Camino stages, from St Jean Pied de Port in France, and planning to reach Pamplona in the 6 days I have, walking around 10km per day (apart from day 2, which I have doubts about).

I first became aware of the Camino de Santiago back in the 1970s, as a young teen reading a translated French bodice-ripping romance! Does anyone else remember the Catherine novels by Juliette Benzoni? Anyway, in the fourth, Catherine sets out on a pilgrimage to Santiago, and I can still recall the moment when she thrusts her staff into the ground, throws back her head and sets out singing with a heart full of hope. (PS I went to a RC boarding school, and the nuns would confiscate these books if they found us girls reading them!)

Over the years, various references to the Camino have come into into my life, and more so since I joined Fodors in 2005 and read about members walking some or all of it - cruiseluv, lreynold1, lincasanova (who offered me encouragement), and in particular my dear friend Barb who walked from Sarria to Santiago in 2013. So I gradually became aware that the Camino was calling me...

I thought I would walk it when I retired and had the time, but then various physical issues raised their painful heads, and I began to think it would never happen. I posted something here back in 2010 to that effect.

It was a chance meeting with a French-Canadian pilgrim I shared a taxi with at Toulouse airport earlier this year when I realised I didn't have to do it all at once; living in England with easy access to France and Spain, I could do it bit by bit. So that is what I'm doing!

I am not particularly religious, though I do have a faith. I don't feel the need to go to church to validate my beliefs. I am Church of England, but I was educated in Roman Catholic convent schools. When I applied to the Confraternity of Saint James for my credencial (pilgrim passport) I put my reason down as spiritual. But it is becoming more of a religious pilgrimage as it approaches. The son of one of my very best friends is very sick at the moment, and I strongly want to dedicate this part of my walk to him. But here is where it starts to get personal and I am not going into any further detail.

On 16th September I shall fly to Bilbao - (I originally planned to start from Roncesvalles, but have since changed my mind) - and will get a bus to Pamplona and thence another bus to St Jean Pied de Port. I shall stay my first night in SJPdP, the second at the Refuge Orisson which is 8km up in the Pyrenees.

The third night I shall be in Roncesvalles - though whether I get there having walked the 16km over the Pyrenees, or going back down to SJPdP and getting the bus, I don't know yet.

The thing is, I have sciatica in my left lower back/hip. I have plantar fasciitis in my right foot. I have achilles tendonitis in both heels/ankles. My knees are creaky, and the big toe I broke (well, smashed into 6 pieces!) 2 years ago gives me trouble and hurts when I walk. A sensible person would not consider walking 10km a day for 6 days. Would they? Well, when was I ever sensible! And the Camino is calling me, so loud, I have to go and make my start. Maybe if I was going to be walking for 6 weeks all the way to Santiago I would have second thoughts. But I have discovered kinesiology tape and it is magic stuff.

Anyway, this is just background stuff. And I already have flights booked for the end of April 2016 to walk the second stage of My Camino. This is something I have to do. And I so want to do it even though I shall probably walk in pain.

I am going to be starting a Facebook page on which I plan to do a daily diary with photos - and you are all invited to join me en route! I will post the link nearer the time.

In the meantime, I welcome your comments here.

Please wish me 'Buen Camino'.

Buen Camino! Waiting anxiously to follow along!

Buen Camino! It should be a great adventure.

Buen Camino, looking forward to hearing about your journey.

I have huge admiration for anyone who starts this sort of undertaking but with those physical challenges as well it makes it all the more laudable, Julia.

Buen Camino indeed.

Julia regarding your... pains. Last year I had an accident in Spain that caused me a great deal of pain in my left hip/leg - I could barely walk or turn my body without the help of drugs.

And what a drug... little packets of 600 mgs of ibuprofen that you dissolve in water. It worked faster, and better, than any ibuprofen pill I ever took. Get some in case of pain on the camino. The brand is Kern Pharma (Ibuprofeno...) It still took me 30 minutes to walk 500 meters but at least it didn't hurt.

I am looking forward to reading about your journey. Buen Camino!

Aw, you should have started the <i>chemin de Compostelle</i> from Le Puy-en-Velay! ;-)

Buen camino! I wish I were going with you.

The very best of luck. I have traveled with bad feet, but not walking your distances and not as bad. Congratulations for starting!

The weather in late September should be fine. Hopefully the rain will hold off until mid-October.

The walk up to Roncesvalles from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, the Camino Francés, can be difficult because of the terrain. Sometimes you can walk along side the highway, but most of the trail does not follow the highway.

http://www.turismo.navarra.es/esp/pr...amino-santiago

My first stop would be in Valcarlos (about 11 kms), which takes a little over 3 hours following the Camino. Valcarlos to Roncesvalles is around 17 kms, and would normally take around 4 hours to reach.

Burguete is an easy 30 minutes through the woods along side the highway.

You should be able to do Burguete to Pamplona in three days. It's mostly downhill. There are places to stay in Lintzoain, Erro, Zubiri and Urdániz. The Alburge Suseia in Zubiri (www.suseiazubiri.com) is referred to as the Pilgrims home.

El Molino de Urdániz would be a perfect place to have lunch or dinner. It's top rated for great Navarran cuisine (www.elmolinourdaniz.com).

Buen Camino

Buen Camino, Julia. Wishing you sunny skies and light breezes. Hope to follow you one of these days.

Buen Camino and don't forget the compeed

How wonderful to follow along. Looking forward to hearing about your trip and wishing you a joyful experience whatever the reasons for your journey.

Incidentally, when I was in grad school a friend of mine wrote her dissertation on the Camino and her wonderful book is still in print Pilgrim Stories on and off the Road to Santiago. She and her husband still run a company called On Foot in Spain.

Following along Julia - Good Luck :-)

Buen Camino! I wish I could go, too. I admire your spirit!

Hello Julia,

From a peregrina to another, "Buen Camino"! I wish you the best of luck. I'm heading out in a couple of weeks to do Sarria to Santiago. I've already done that segment but I'm joining a couple of good friends who are doing it for the first time.

Looking forward to following you on Facebook!

If you're on Netflix, look for the movie "The Way."

And Buen Camino!

Buen Camino!!!

And, agree to watch the film, The Way.

Will follow your trip. Although I drove most of the camino so don't qualify for anything, I so felt the emotions of the pilgrims and spirit you on!

Sandals or Boots? On for the piggy back.