Restarting our Camino

In 2019 we cycled through France from Calais to Tours going through Paris. Our intention had been to continue the cycling journey in 2020 from Tours to St Jean Pied de Port at the foot of the Pyrenees. That didn’t happen due to the pandemic and then Julian broke his hip in 2021.

We have decided to restart our journey at St Jean Pied de Port and walk the first 200 km or so through to Burgos. Our travel starts on Thursday 11th May 2023 with a train trip from London to Paris and then from Paris to Bayonne. The following day we’ll take the local train to St Jean. Walking starts on Saturday 13th May.

We’ve needed to get back into walking fitness which we’ve primarily done through walks through the Surrey Hills. The greensand hills have been fairly dry through the winter and it has been a pleasure to explore our local area.

In 2022 we walked over several individual days from Farnham to Winchester following the Pilgrims Way. It was a pleasure to see the churches en route. Taking inspiration from Tracy Chevalier’s A Single Thread we walked from Winchester to Salisbury over two days following in part the old Roman road. It was a damp journey but enjoyable.

We’re now eagerly anticipating our next journey. A pilgrimage, yes, but not so much in a religious sense, rather an opportunity to meet people, see different scenes, experience the walk, and to reflect on life.