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Via @ 70
  • Stuart Kilpatrick
jul. – okt. 2023

Via @ 70

Walking from Canterbury to Rome Les mer
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  • Reisens start
    13. juli 2023
    Stuart KilpatrickVia @ 70Reisende

    Canterbury

    12. juli 2023, England ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    And the fun begins.

    Fairly uneventful train journey here although I did find St Pancras International Station a tad confusing when I had only a few minutes to make a connection.

    After a somewhat excessive family meal yesterday evening I couldn’t face my sushi in a box lunch. Had it for tea instead but a day spent in my rucksack being lugged on and off trains didn’t help its appearance very much.

    Just to get into the mood of this pilgrim lark I attended the evening service at the cathedral. Undoubtedly my first and last Anglican service or Choral Evensong to give it the proper title. Apart from the guys in white gowns parading up and down it featured the girls choir. Made for an interesting comparison with the last choral event I attended, namely Glynice’s Sing in the City choir performing in the Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens. Audience participation seemed to be frowned on and to be fair I didn’t recognise any of the songs or tunes. The notes seemed higher than my comfortable range. The lassies did very well though, even if they didn’t attempt any of the choreographed movements that SitC choir insist on doing.

    Now spending the evening trying to set up this Penguins caper. It’s all go.    Les mer

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  • Stuart KilpatrickVia @ 70Reisende

    Shepherdswell 12 miles

    13. juli 2023, England ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Had to have the full breakfast as it’s my only chance of a proper start to the day. Don’t think the Europeans have quite got the hang of it yet.

    Then a quick keek at the Kirk as it was next door. Bloody huge so knackered by the time I finished.

    Met my first other pilgrim or nutter. He had just finished walking back from Rome so looked somewhat hairier and thinner than myself. I have been seriously stockpiling round the midriff for a while in anticipation of future shortages. He was very keen to talk as I suspect he hasn’t met many others on his trip. He mentioned that he had been fined by the French authorities as he had been 100 days in Schengen area. And banned for the next 6 months. So my plan to finish within the 90 days looks like a good idea.

    Lesson of the day - just because the sun is shining when I start the day and no rain is forecast, don’t pack the waterproofs at the bottom of the bag because when it does start raining everything has to be emptied out into the rain to get to the damn things. In the stramash I managed to dislodge an earphone. After walking another couple of hundred yards I realised it was missing. Couldn’t find it anywhere so concluded it must have dropped in the grass either on the path as I walked or where I had stopped. Luckily I have many years of experience hunting for golf balls in long grass. Took a bit of time to find but there wasn’t a 3 minute rule to worry about. I was in no hurry and I couldn’t just whip another out of my bag.

    Nice short day so despite the late start I managed to get here before the only place to get food closed at 4pm. However the best that could be managed was a processed cheese and tomato roll. Dire but I was hungry. Camping tonight in a basic campsite. A field with portaloos in fact. So dinner will be a banana. With breakfast going to be another banana tomorrow I will start to make progress on that midriff.    Les mer

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  • Stuart KilpatrickVia @ 70Reisende

    Calais 14 miles

    14. juli 2023, Frankrike ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    An early start. Walking by 7.10am. Not by choice obviously but I had 11 miles to cover before a 12.10pm deadline for ferry check-in.

    Uneventful walk although I did have my first barbed wire fence to cross. Amused by some of the local signs. Not sure if they have had folk blindly following sat-navs and driving whopping SUVs down these little paths but strangely they don’t see a problem for half the year.

    Had a horrific ferry crossing as rain forced me inside only to be faced with thousands of over-excited school children on bus trips abroad. Suspect their minders had sensibly found solace in a bar somewhere leaving their charges to go feral. Oddly there seemed to be less of them the longer the crossing went on. Suspect we were leaving a long trail of gently bobbing heads behind us, or perhaps they had just found someone else to annoy.

    It took some time to negotiate leaving the port. Barbed wire everywhere. I did seem to be the only person attempting to walk from the port to town. At least the French seem pleased to see me. Even declared it a national holiday, calling it Bastille Day presumably as Stuart Day would be too difficult for them to pronounce. I think fireworks are a bit over the top though.

    Tonight’s hotel suggested a local restaurant. Took one look at their menu and headed off for a PaniniLand instead. Meal deal of kebab sandwich, frites and a drink came to 7€50 which I think the gaffer back home will consider more suitable for a pilgrim with 90 dinners to fund.    Les mer

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  • Stuart KilpatrickVia @ 70Reisende

    Guines 10 miles

    15. juli 2023, Frankrike ⋅ 🌬 20 °C

    Another easy day. Loving this gentle start with short days for the first week.
    Meant I just chilled out in my room and didn’t get going until 11am. Gave time to digest the hotel restaurant breakfast before setting out. Loved it.

    One of the rituals of this walk is the collection of the testimonium from His Holiness in Rome (or an underling if he is busy) to show anyone remotely interested what has been achieved. As this is much prized, neigh coveted, one has to prove that enough of the walk was completed. One look at the poor feet would give a fairly clear indication but the generally accepted method is to produce a pilgrim’s credential, a wee booklet which gets stamped every day. No problem at all. Just nip into the local tourist office for the needful. But my guidebook informs me that a stamp in French is called a tampon. I kid you not. Nowhere else in the book is there any indication that the writer has a sense of humour so I suppose I just have to trust him. Duly called in to the main tourist office this morning and spoke to the very attractive young lady behind the desk. Asked for a stamp. Blank look. Asked if she had a tampon while desperately showing my credential book. Seemed to work. She slapped her tampon on my book and gave me a lovely smile. Got to love this country sometimes.

    Dinner tonight looked promising which was welcome because lunch didn’t happen again. Snack bar in the campsite. Large menu. Chose a risotto with turkey, chorizo etc. When it came it was some sort of frozen pre-cooked thing that had been microwaved. They didn’t even take it out of the box it came in. To add insult to injury it was tiny. Despite the pleasant enough lettuce and dressing I am still hungry. And no idea how I might get anything for breakfast. Hey ho. At least today’s rain has stopped and the sun is shining and drying out the tent.    Les mer

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  • Stuart KilpatrickVia @ 70Reisende

    Licques 11 miles

    16. juli 2023, Frankrike ⋅ 🌬 19 °C

    Slept in. Well not exactly slept. More like dozed fitfully. Camping is not really good for proper sleep. Firstly, you have wind. No, not me. Apparently, it was gusting up to 45mph last night. Quite believe it. My tent made quite a racket. Bought for lightness rather than robustness.

    Secondly my mat, also bought for lightness. As shown in the photo it is tiny, especially compared to my old one. I can just about get my head, shoulder and bum on it if I am careful. Feels like I am trying to balance on a partly blown-up balloon. I also bought a blowup pillow. Nice idea but I’m now trying to balance my head on a balloon on top of a balloon. And then there are the kids in the campsite who seem to turn in after me but wake much earlier. Might not be the same kids of course they could be operating in shifts. And I was hungry.

    Anyway I did get going eventually. First I had to walk in the wrong direction to get something to eat so it took about an hour to get back to the campsite. Luckily it was another short day. About half spent in woods.

    On arrival at another campsite I got myself and clothes washed, sort of. In my desperation to get my bag as light as possible I ditched the wee shampoo and soap I had planned to take. No problem in hotels but consecutive nights camping is a little less pleasant. As I have laundry wash at least the clothes will be clean.

    Lesson of the day :- I have noticed a tendency of some folk to dress according to what the weather on the previous day. I have just done the culinary equivalent. Last night I noticed the pizzas were popular and they looked lovely. But I had ordered quickly so went for that dire risotto before seeing any pizzas. Tonight I again ordered quickly at the campsite snack bar and went for the pizza. Shocking effort. While struggling to finish it I noticed that no one who came in after me ordered pizza. Might play a waiting game tomorrow and suss the scene.    Les mer

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  • Stuart KilpatrickVia @ 70Reisende

    Tournehem-sur-la-Hem 10 miles

    17. juli 2023, Frankrike ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    An interesting start to the day. Situation probably familiar to many who camp. There is a reluctance to get out of the sleeping bag and tent and trek to the loo too often during the night. So when morning comes there can be a certain urgency especially for gentlemen of rather advanced years. Now last night’s campsite had decided to only provide 2 traps in the nearest toilet block. Usually quite sufficient I’m sure. But I have noticed a tendency of some gents to simply take up residence in the morning and wait for nature to take its course. And this can sometimes take some time, not something I suspected I had in abundance. Faced with 2 locked traps my French was not up to enquiring whether the gentlemen were expecting to be long. Luckily there was another block somewhere which I simply had to find and get to in time.

    It would have been lovely to have followed that stramash with a nice breakfast. Nothing available. Luckily I had purchased a Snickers bar a couple of days ago for such an eventuality. Washed it down with some water and off I went.

    Every now and then I came upon a seat, a bench or even a picnic table put beside the path for walkers or cyclists but today I came across the next level. Not only were there 2 picnic tables placed under shade but it also had its own composting toilet. The only slight drawback was that I had nothing to eat and, after the minimal breakfast, there was no real need for the loo either. Never mind it’s the thought that counts.

    Those following my route may have noticed that I don’t seem to take the straightest path each day. Indeed today I started going north, back towards Calais. This seemed to be so that I could visit the ruins of the 15th century Chapelle de Saint-Louis. Not totally convinced it was worth the effort but the rain possibly detracted from my appreciation of its finer points. The subsequent locked gate didn’t help although I do prefer a locked gate to a barbed wire fence.

    Just before reaching the campsite I came upon an open cafe. Not bad for a Monday in France. The only thing that madam was able to produce was a Croque Monsieur but I was in no place to turn it down.

    It was sufficiently cheap that I have returned this evening to see what she could manage in the evening. I’m not sure what the problem is but it turns out despite the board outside promising delights such as moules frites all that was available was some sort of cold stew and frites. I suspect the chef doesn’t do Mondays.    Les mer

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  • Stuart KilpatrickVia @ 70Reisende

    Wisques 12 miles

    18. juli 2023, Frankrike ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    The toilet saga continues. Last night’s campsite considered that one “bathroom” was sufficient for the entire campsite. One room with a shower, toilet and sink for I don’t know how many campers. Naturally when I went to brush my remaining teeth there were a couple enjoying their evening ablutions including a shower. 30 minutes may not seem long but I would have much rather spent the time inside my sleeping bag than standing outside the toilet.

    I was then kept awake for a couple of hours by some folk talking. After that I was just cold. Not a great night all told.

    Anyway I set off this morning in the sun, stopping off at yesterday’s cafe to see what she could manage for breakfast. Turned out it was orange juice, croissant, pain au chocolat and a coffee. Strangely, I was expected to eat a naked croissant. I know some folk consider that normal but I would expect butter and marmalade or possibly butter and Nutella but most certainly butter. And don’t try that nonsense of croissant is made of butter so you don’t need any more. Realised somewhat late that I should have taken some away with me as there was nothing more to be had until dinner.

    A fine walk, mostly sunny but not too hot, usually between fields although with some short sections of road to add a little spice. Only came across one person all day. A lady using hedge trimmers at the side of the road, outside her house. As I passed her she gave a sudden start and gave me a filthy look. Now it might be she was just surprised at a passerby but also possible she was just startled by catching a wee whiff of pilgrim. I didn’t stay to enquire.

    To give a measure of the sort of day it was, the highlight was passing over the A26 on which one could cover the 150 or so miles from Calais to Reims in under 3 hours by car. I should manage it in a little over 2 weeks and will meander about 235 miles on the way.

    I did take advantage of the solitude by giving voice to my playlist despite my nearest and dearest stating frequently that I can no more sing than walk on water. A good example of one’s memory of music being the last to disappear is that I considered I was pretty word perfect to the double album of the Jesus Christ Superstar soundtrack albeit a second or two behind.    Les mer

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  • Stuart KilpatrickVia @ 70Reisende

    Therouanne 14 miles

    19. juli 2023, Frankrike ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    After 3 consecutive nights camping I thought I could justify something more comfortable last night. I could have stayed in a monastery but I remember staying there last time and it was very strange. A communal meal with the monks, eaten in compulsory silence, monks round the walls all staring at the pilgrim eating in the centre of the room. And the food wasn’t great.

    This time I went for a nice hotel with a reasonably priced dinner, bed and breakfast. I had booked a special “businessman’s rate” which is the only way it came close to my budget. When I booked it I hadn’t paid much attention to the rules but as it got closer I did begin to worry. The hotel site seemed to be very insistent that the special rate was only available to a solo traveller genuinely travelling “on business”. In my day a businessman would have been expected to turn up wearing a suit and driving a Ford Mondeo. I know times have changed but not sure if a smelly t-shirt and shorts, lugging a rucksack with no car in sight might have made them a little suspicious. If rumbled I was planning to say that I was a writer and I was in the process of writing a book on the via. Only a slight exaggeration.

    Anyway I checked in, ate the dinner (3 course including a bucket of mussels and a nice glass of wine), slept well, did the breakfast proud and went to check out. Got my knuckles gently rapped. Didn’t have the cheek to try the writer nonsense.

    Interesting choice of route for the day. Either the official one, 14 miles wandering about fields and woods or 8 miles by a fairly straight road. Not in any particular hurry and the weather was fine (well only raining a little) so went for the 14 miles. Reducing the chance of being smeared over the road helped the decision making.

    Tonight I am staying in a gite reserved for pilgrims. Can sleep about 14 but it looks like I’m the only one. Bit basic compared to the hotel but they do only charge 25€ so I can possibly overlook the plastic covered mattress. Dinner was a pre-cooked lasagne from a local butcher. Suspect breakfast will be a pain au chocolat from the baker as I pass in the morning. Could be a sparse day for food tomorrow.    Les mer

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  • Stuart KilpatrickVia @ 70Reisende

    Amettes 12 miles

    20. juli 2023, Frankrike ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Straightforward day’s walk in (mostly) sun. Usual fields and woods, seeing no-one.

    The host of the gite turned up before I left, just for a blether really. Reminded me of the late Peter in his enthusiasm for random things. He did however bring me a local delicacy, bit like a round waffle, covered in chocolate and with some sort of cream filling. In the absence of anything else it went down a rare treat for breakfast.

    Spent most of the walk listening to Desert Island Discs. Never heard it before I started my training for this walk but it has became my constant companion if I am walking on my own. With BBC Sounds it is so easy to just play episodes one after another. There are very few that I haven’t wanted to listen right through. Haven’t heard of very many of the folk but no matter, their life stories condensed into 40 minutes or so are amazing. The music they choose is less interesting but they only play wee clips so that’s fine. I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to download them as I go but there isn’t any problem so far.

    Was a bit concerned about dinner (not for the first time in my life) as I am staying in a sort of farmhouse in a small village without any shops, cafes etc. When I arrived the elderly lady was very chatty albeit with no more English than I have French, but no mention was made of food. These pilgrim places are all very different in what is provided. There is no standard package. I came downstairs at about the appropriate time and sat about outside, near the kitchen, waiting to see if anything was forthcoming. Surely they must eat and they must realise I might like to eat too. After a while the lady indicated that there was a kitchen I could use and she could give me some potatoes and eggs. Might not do the Buc but it was just fine for me. Boiled eggs and boiled potatoes are just about the limit of my culinary skills anyway. Really could do with some sort of pudding to follow but hey ho at least I’m not still starving.    Les mer

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  • Stuart KilpatrickVia @ 70Reisende

    Bruay-la-Buissiere 12 miles

    21. juli 2023, Frankrike ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    As usual, my life is all about eating and sleeping. Last night the eating was adequate but the sleep wasn’t. Ridiculous really. All seemed good - nice bed, comfortable temperature, little external noise. The only problem was a wee insect that persistently did a flypast of my ear just when I was nearly asleep. Now I am no keener than the next man on being bitten so this would send me into a frenzy of light on, out of bed, armed to the teeth with a towel and murderous intent to prevent said insect continuing its acrobatics. Failed time and again. Even lured it into the confines of the bathroom, shutting the door behind so it couldn’t escape my flailing towel. Thought I had scored a direct hit, no sign of it, back to bed, light out, off to sleep.

    But no, the little bugger, or its chum (not easy to tell one from another) was still there. Nothing for it but stick a leg out of the covers, leaving it to its fate in the hope that the blighter would just silently gorge on all that flesh and leave my ear alone. I have no idea if insects have a favourite part of a carcass to gnaw at, similar to a human choosing leg or breast from the Xmas turkey, but this one didn’t seem too fussy and peace reigned. As soon as I reconciled myself to being eaten alive I managed to nod off.

    After an OK breakfast I departed although not before madam had taken a photo as she apparently does of all pilgrims.

    Walk uneventful although becoming more built up in places.

    Arrived before 3pm with high hopes for dinner as the hotel had a restaurant. Turned out that Friday is the day off for the restaurant. Wandered out about 4pm when the tummy started rumbling. Looked like there were some eateries about half a mile to the east or about a mile to the west. Headed east. Spent ages wandering about some sort of spread out shopping centre. Lots of food outlets but only MacDonalds was showing any signs of life and I wasn’t that desperate. After an hour and a half I had given up and headed west. Got quite excited when I came to a Taj Mahal until I read the note on the door which said it was on holiday until mid-August. Never mind there was a Chinese restaurant opposite. Except it didn’t open for another hour. Kept walking. Eventually came upon a small pizza outlet. He seemed bemused that I might want to order a pizza just after 6pm. Nevertheless within half an hour when the rest of the staff arrived I had my pizza.

    Hard going. Must have walked about 4 extra miles just trying to get my tea.    Les mer

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  • Stuart KilpatrickVia @ 70Reisende

    Ablain-Saint-Nazaire 17 miles

    22. juli 2023, Frankrike ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Usual start to the day although one of the poorer breakfasts so far. Fine walking though. In the morning I came upon some sort of mini Centre Parks affair with lots of folk eating outside. Could have joined them but just seemed too early in the fairly long day to have a break. Kept going as there was a boulangerie shown later on. Sound thinking except it was shut.

    Late on I came to the vast cemetery at Notre-Dame de Lorette which has the remains of 40,000 French soldiers. That was sobering enough as was the adjoining museum but what was worse was the “Ring of Memory” nearby which has the names of 580,000 soldiers of all nationalities killed in the region between 1914 and 1918. Quite a few Kilpatricks so I assume there must have been a Scottish regiment involved. A number is just a number but when you see all the names written down it hits a little harder.

    Anyway it meant I was later arriving at the next accommodation which was useful as I had been told not to arrive before 5.30pm. This was a strange affair, unlike anything I have stayed in elsewhere but not uncommon on the Via. This was a new house with a straightforward middle-aged, middle-class couple who welcome pilgrims as guests into their house, supplying evening meal and breakfast. I couldn’t make out why. They did charge 60€ but I don’t think it was about the money. Possibly just interested in meeting folk. It was on their own terms. Arrive after 5.30pm, only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, must be booked in advance, rucksack had to be left in the garage, no shoes inside the house etc. All very understandable. The trouble for me came with the meals. As most of you know my social skills are practically non-existent. This has only been heightened by 10 days of virtually hermit levels of communication. When in company I much prefer sitting quietly and listening rather than chipping in. My family are more than capable of filling in any gaps admirably. Additionally I struggle with eating noises, apart from my own, naturally, so eating with some folk can sometimes be deeply unpleasant. And as a final blow they had a large dog that found the presence of someone new to sniff etc all too inviting. The food, although otherwise excellent was very dry. Another problem of mine. “Where’s the sauce?” springs to mind. Painfully aware that all these problems were in my head. What a nutter sometimes.    Les mer

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  • Stuart KilpatrickVia @ 70Reisende

    Arras 13 miles

    23. juli 2023, Frankrike ⋅ 🌧 21 °C

    I know that I am sometimes reluctant to leave a cosy tent to head for the loo in the wee small hours but that is nothing compared with the fear of leaving my room during the night knowing that there is a monstrous hound sleeping between my room and the toilet. Just in case I didn’t need reminded it had a 5 minute howling at the moon episode at about midnight. Had me wide awake enough to remember something I had promised to do earlier. Hadn’t even managed to write the day’s report as I was mentally knackered after the dinner trauma. Lights out about 9pm.

    A dreich start to the day. Couldn’t wait to get going to escape that slavering Brutus. Stopped at a bus shelter to write yesterday’s diary. Rain pretty much stopped by the time I got going again.

    As usual I was bemused by the French habit of using the pavement for parking their cars. Not much thought given to pedestrians.

    Staying tonight in a Catholic hostel which can house hundreds, mostly in dormitories but luckily also small rooms. Think I might be the only guest tonight. No breakfast available. It started pouring down soon after I arrived at about 2.30pm and just didn’t let up. By 7pm when I thought I might be able to find a restaurant open it was still chucking it down. Big decision to make. Given that it would be about a mile in torrential rain to get anywhere and I only have emergency lightweight waterproofs and no waterproof footwear was I that hungry? I have been carrying an emergency bar of tablet from home but I hadn’t eaten since a very brief and inadequate breakfast. Greed got the better of me and I headed out. Found an Indian restaurant which was empty but seemed ok to have me drip everywhere. Lovely meal sitting alone. No dogs. No polite conversation except with the waiter who insisted on showing me lots of photos of his mother. Maybe he thought I needed a companion. No wonder I don’t understand social interactions.    Les mer

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  • Stuart KilpatrickVia @ 70Reisende

    Bapaume 18 miles

    24. juli 2023, Frankrike ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Suddenly the walk has got harder.

    Started poorly. Still raining when I set off. No breakfast. Couldn’t decide where to stop but came across a large supermarket. Grand. They should have a cafe but no they didn’t. Tried to buy some food but it was all packaged in multiples of what I wanted. Managed eventually to get a pastry, banana and some juice except when I tried to pay it became clear that I should have weighed the banana. So I couldn’t have it. She couldn’t or wouldn’t weigh it for me. Pastry and juice it was then.

    Felt ok when I came to the sign for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission HQ which was about half a mile out of route. Had seen a flyer for it a few days ago so went to visit it. It produces the gravestones for all the different worldwide cemeteries. Sobering stuff.

    By the time I was back on route it was 12.30pm and I had only done a couple of miles of today’s route. Not good. Afternoon really a bit of a plod. Nothing to eat. Rain always discourages stopping for a rest. Underfoot became tough going. Either small stones or mud or a mixture. Feet now sore. Took until 6pm to reach next accommodation, a sort cheap, rundown hotel. Tiny room. At least they did dinner. Not much choice. Adequate. Best bit was what it didn’t have. No polite chat. No dogs. No walking in the rain to find it and no random pictures of mother.

    Lights out by 10pm and hope I feel chirpier tomorrow.    Les mer

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  • Stuart KilpatrickVia @ 70Reisende

    Peronne 17 miles

    25. juli 2023, Frankrike ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    What a difference a day makes. Not raining - well it wasn’t when I set off and stayed pretty much dry all day. A breakfast - well a fairly poor French one but a heck of a lot better than none at all.

    So all going grand. Off I went but then I became aware of 3 slightly disturbing things. To begin with, to set the scene, most days I am walking from somewhere to somewhere with very little infrastructure in between. Certainly no food to be bought. So why is it that I never buy lunch as I set off? I know I am not the sharpest tool in the box sometimes, especially in the morning, but it really isn’t rocket science. Just because I am not hungry at 9.30am doesn’t mean I’m not going to get peckish by 1.30pm. Day after day. Quite incredible.

    The second thing was I realised that I was being followed. I was leaving town by a bit of a shortcut. Yesterday was a bit tough so I thought I would take advantage of a shortcut that I had identified from the map. I had done an extra mile yesterday so cutting a mile off today seemed justifiable. I haven’t seen any walkers let alone pilgrims so far so it did seem odd that these two gentlemen suddenly appeared behind me on this out of the way path. Both carrying pilgrim sized rucksacks. Just to be clear I mean large enough to last a pilgrimage rather than large enough to contain a pilgrim. Strangely unhappy about having them behind me. Luckily, I came upon a military cemetery. This is Somme country and they seem to be everywhere. As I frequently do, I spend some time in these and the lads had gone on ahead by the time I got going again. Never saw them again.

    The third thing had me thinking. I noticed that one of my “footprints”, as this app calls entries, has been liked by someone I don’t know. Now I am writing this thing partly as a memento which I will get printed when I finish and partly to keep friends and family informed as to what I’m getting up to. To make that easier for them I had to make it public so anyone can read it. But I never thought that anyone else would. Good grief it must be boring enough for someone who does know me, and bless you all for reading it, but I can’t imagine anyone else being bothered. It’s a strange world.

    Staying tonight in a sort of Youth Hostel. Strange definition of youth if it includes me. Still, I’m not complaining as it is only 30€ a night including breakfast. Got to use my own sleeping bag but that isn’t too onerous.    Les mer

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  • Stuart KilpatrickVia @ 70Reisende

    Trefcon 11 miles

    26. juli 2023, Frankrike ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    A new problem today. Nice short day, less than 4 hours walking, the trouble was I couldn’t check in to the next accommodation until after 5pm. It was in a tiny village so nothing to do there if I arrived too early. Therefore no point in leaving Peronne before 1pm. Luckily Peronne had the largest WWI museum in Europe. Not something I knew much about but thanks to 3 hours spent there this morning I am now a bit of an expert. With my memory I probably won’t remember anything by the time I get home but it was really well done.

    And I bought a sandwich before I left town. Organised or what? Truth is tonight I am in an old farmhouse with no possibility of any food if I didn’t bring it with me. Sanny and water for tea. Plus some half melted Lindt chocolate that was wonderful.

    Initial misunderstanding when I arrived meant that I thought I was going to be in this fairly dire dormitory with no hot water, dampish mattress etc but it turned out I have an old but quite adequate room, sheets on bed, proper mattress etc. that I am delighted with. Amazing how if you think you are getting nothing you are quite happy with a little something.

    It is time I talked about feet. I have talked about eating quite a lot as well as sleeping but I don’t think I have mentioned my beloved tootsies. A pilgrim’s life revolves round that blessed triumvirate, food, bed and feet, after all. Anyway there is good news and bad news. Firstly the good - my left foot is grand, thank you. 2 weeks in and no blisters so far. Somewhat tender certainly but a combination of 9 months of twice-weekly training walks with full pack and a comparatively low mileage over the first 2 weeks have done the job. On the other foot as it were, its partner is not quite so happy. Don’t ask me why. Pretty sure they both have taken the same number of steps. Only a couple of blisters but together just a bit of a nuisance. Not burst yet, though.

    The real trouble is things are about to get more serious. I have averaged a comfortable 13 miles a day up to now but the next 4 days are over 20 miles a day. And just to start things off well, tomorrow’s forecast is heavy rain. I am of course camping tomorrow night. Luckily tomorrow is all on road. Hard on the feet and not fun dodging traffic but at least I won’t have mud to contend with.    Les mer

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  • Stuart KilpatrickVia @ 70Reisende

    Tergnier 22 miles

    27. juli 2023, Frankrike ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

    I had the unwanted company of a fly during the night, trying to keep me awake. Didn’t succeed, partly because flies don’t concern me nearly as much as mosquitos. Flies don’t bite.

    Then I went for breakfast. Laid out on the kitchen table. Enjoying the breakfast was the most flies I think I have ever seen inside in my life. Every piece of bread and croissant had at least 3 or 4 chomping away. Slightly off-putting. Naturally a large hound joined me just to complete my anguish. Couldn’t get on the road fast enough despite it raining heavily.

    Continued raining all morning. Mostly on road. Interesting watching the traffic coming towards me. Some folk went completely on to the other side of the road, others barely moved at all. If there was something coming up behind me very few slowed down, they just didn’t change direction at all, presumably assuming I would take the hint and leap off the road to avoid leaving a dent on their car.

    Passed a shop around lunchtime. Got an aged banana, a packet of 3 Snickers and a can of juice. Kept one Snickers for later and had the rest.

    Couple of difficulties during the day. Firstly, a flooded road and secondly, the path just disappeared. Became rather unfriendly nettles and brambles, all soaking wet. Not good with my wee shorts.

    By the time I approached the campsite I was pretty done for. For about the first time my mapping software, Pocket Earth, let me down. Clearly showed a route which turned out to have a dirty great fence blocking it. Retracing my steps added a painful mile to the day. Worse was to come. When I checked in I asked about the snack bar which the site’s web page showed as being open every day in July and August from 10am until 9pm. Closed because it was raining I was told. Do the French not eat when it is raining?

    The nearest restaurant or shop was at least a mile and a half away. Hungry or not I couldn’t make that. I needed my saved Snickers to give me enough strength to put up the tent. You will probably hear my stomach rumbling during the night. And of course the campsite is on my way out of town tomorrow. If I am to get any breakfast then I need to walk a mile and a half in the wrong direction to get anything. Still no-one said this was going to be easy.    Les mer

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  • Stuart KilpatrickVia @ 70Reisende

    Laon 18 miles

    28. juli 2023, Frankrike ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Not sure what glamping is but I suspect it isn’t spending a wet night in a wee tent, waking in the morning to find a veritable army of ants over everything. Got packed up and left asap. Everything is now either wet or damp except for my passport, credential and credit cards. Surprising how much heavier a sodden tent is than a dry one. Couldn’t face going back into town for food so just plodded on. Came to a small town and found a boulangerie. Bought a panini, juice and chocolate eclair, sat on the pavement under an awning to keep the rain off and stuffed my face. Felt so much better.

    The well-dressed pilgrim has discovered the joys of wearing a Tilley hat. It keeps the rain off the napper better.

    It was now decision time. The Via is about 100 miles longer than 10 years ago and I think it is because they have reduced the amount of walking on roads and used more paths meandering about the countryside. Today was a perfect example. The route spent most of the day in forest, which would of course be wet and probably muddy or I could take the road which went pretty much dead straight. A complication was that I would have to commit to the road, if that was my choice, some time before I came to the actual road and only then would I know how busy it was going to be. The road was about 3 miles shorter. Went for it.

    Not a happy experience. My feet were grateful but it wasn’t in any way enjoyable. Whole day spent with dirty great lorries passing close by, walking just beside or on the road depending on what was coming and what was the state of the ground just beside the road. The straight road meant both myself and the driver had plenty of warning that we both wanted to use the same bit of road. The nearest I came to being smeared was when I nipped back on the road because there wasn’t anything coming for a while but a car behind me decided to use the gap in traffic to overtake. He didn’t miss me by very much and I got a hell of a fright.

    Could see Laon cathedral from a long way off thanks to it being stuck on a hill. Impressive building and I can’t get my head around the fact that buildings of that size were being built in the 12th century.

    Nice big room tonight and I have strewn my stuff round in the hope that some of it dries out by the morning.    Les mer

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  • Stuart KilpatrickVia @ 70Reisende
    1

    Corbeny 18 miles

    29. juli 2023, Frankrike ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Rained heavily overnight which made me a little concerned because the guidebook’s description of today said “Prepare for mud and mosquitoes in damp weather”. Fab.

    No breakfast available which didn’t worry me too much as I was sure I would pass something on my way out of town. Except I didn’t. When I reached the next village the only boulangerie was shut for a month from 21st July. Do the locals just not eat for a month? Did manage to get a wee local shop about noon. Just as well I wasn’t any later because he said he closes at 12.30pm for a couple of hours. All he had was a fairly nasty packet of sandwiches, banana and fruit juice. Sat on some steps and eat what I could. It did.

    The day stayed dry up until the last few miles but felt a bit of a slog especially as my phone died and my power bank didn’t work so I was left in silence. Get so used to Desert Island Discs it seems really strange to walk in silence.

    Lucky to get in tonight’s hotel as it shuts for the whole of August. Dinner in the hotel was fine which was as well because it’s the only game in town.

    Continuing to try to dry out the tent overnight. By the time I get it dry I will have another night’s camping and it will all start again.

    Major thunderstorm not long after I reached the hotel. That would have given me something to think about if I had been a bit later.    Les mer

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  • Stuart KilpatrickVia @ 70Reisende

    Reims 22 miles

    30. juli 2023, Frankrike ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    I have briefly mentioned before my two mates who are travelling with me. We are inseparable. Before the trip we got on fine but over the past couple of weeks I have not been getting on too well with one of them. We start each day on good terms, and over breakfast, on those days I get such a thing, nothing is said but as soon as we get going the grumbling starts and it just seems to get louder as the day wears on. On the long days we are pretty much shouting at each other by the time we finish. However today, for the first time, we were all quite chummy for ages. I think, and hope, that our relationship may just have turned a corner. It was a 22-miler so plenty of time to fall out. Only 15 miles tomorrow. Surely we can stay civil to each other for that long. I feel that I have done my best, always smear on Compeed anti-blister stick before we set off and slather on plenty of CCS cream after the night-time shower. He has two main complaints. The wee blister on the end of my second toe has not changed much but isn’t so painful nowadays. The large blister which was on the ball of my foot in line with the second toe seems to have moved along a little each day leaving fairly robust, or numb, skin behind. Just thought you would like to know.

    The bearded pilgrim, who I met in Canterbury, still the only other pilgrim I have met, was very vocal in declaring that the French were very rude to him. He had been swore at, shouted at and even spat on. He thought it was a Brexit thing. “They hate the British now.” It seemed to be his abiding memory of travelling across France. Made me a little nervous as I was about to spent 6 weeks doing just that. I am still less than half way across France but I haven’t come across any bad feeling at all. In fact it is remarkable how almost everyone I pass acknowledges me with a “Bonjour” and/or a wave. Possibly a haircut and a shave might have been a good idea for him.

    A very curious coincidence occurred as I wandered into Reims. I spend most of my walking time listening to Desert Island Discs as I have mentioned before. Got through nearly 300 of them. This one was Christina Lamb, journalist, who told a story about meeting a politician from Pakistan called Benazir Bhutto and I noticed that I was walking through a park dedicated to the same person. What are the odds on that I wonder?

    In a sort of Travelodge hotel tonight and the only practical eatery nearby was a Buffalo Grill. Didn’t manage to finish my burger dinner but they did give me a litre carafe of chilled tap water that was lovely.    Les mer

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  • Stuart KilpatrickVia @ 70Reisende

    Verzy 15 miles

    31. juli 2023, Frankrike ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

    Strange things, feet. Yesterday I was pretty happy with progress and it was a 22 mile day. Today, just 15 miles, so why are they about as sore as they have ever been? This isn’t the sort of pain from blisters which you get when pressing on the blister, this is the sort of pain you get inside the foot when you take your weight off it. It can come on hours after you have stopped walking. Suspect that part of the problem is my shoes. Very lightweight and great for road walking. But walking on small stones is not so good. Think I am bruising the soles of my feet. Very tender.

    Day of two halves. After a keek in Reims cathedral the rest of the morning was spent walking along beside a canal. In the afternoon I was up in rolling hills, through vineyards, on small, stony paths. Ouch.

    Met the usual “shop shut for annual holidays” stuff today and I think it will be increasingly common for shops, bars, cafes and restaurants. Just to add variety, tonight’s accommodation is in a small village with one restaurant which is closed today because it is a Monday. At least there was a small grocer where I bought a slab of mediocre lasagne.

    I was warned that tomorrow’s village doesn’t have any shops so I have bought a tin of Ravioli to carry all day and then at least I will have some tea.

    I nearly had company tonight. Apparently, a lady phoned this morning and booked but then phoned back later and cancelled. There appears to only be one bedroom which has a double bed and a camp bed. My hostess said that I have to use the camp bed because I am only paying a pilgrim rate. So, was this lady going to be using the double bed? Seems very chummy to me. Maybe she had second thoughts about it also. But really is it that much different than a mixed dormitory and they are not unusual?    Les mer

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  • Stuart KilpatrickVia @ 70Reisende

    Conde-sur-Marne 12 miles

    1. august 2023, Frankrike ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Was looking forward to a short day but noticed that check in for the next place was at 6pm and I was expected to leave this morning by 9.30am with nothing of any note in-between. Even walking really slowly I was going to have to spend 3 hours sitting beside a canal. After discussing the problem with my host she offered to phone to ask if could get in earlier. Ended up anytime after 2pm would be fine. Made all the difference to the day.

    Couple of hours walking in the forest this morning followed by a couple of hours along the canal in the afternoon. Very pleasant. Arrived about 2.30pm. Showered, got plenty of washing done and put my feet up before 4pm. Gave me hours to look forward to my tea. The best that can be said about that is at least I don’t have to carry it tomorrow.

    The “missing” lady turned up to stay but at least in this place we have separate bedrooms. She is walking from Glasgow to Rome, pulling a trailer. Words fail me.    Les mer

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  • Stuart KilpatrickVia @ 70Reisende

    Saint-Germain-la-Ville 17 miles

    2. august 2023, Frankrike ⋅ 🌬 20 °C

    Met my Glaswegian pilgrim over breakfast. Have to say her trailer looks grand. If I had to pull a trailer for 2,000 miles along roads it would be the one I would choose. It’s just that I wouldn’t ever want to do that. Most of you think I am not quite the full shilling doing my walk but believe me I am not even in the same ball-park as this one. It is difficult to know where to start but the obvious one is she pretty much has to go on roads. Very few paths are a good enough surface for the trailer. When walking on roads perceived wisdom is one walks facing the oncoming traffic so that, if required, one can try and get off the road very quickly. Sometimes barriers, walls, hedges etc make this well-nigh impossible but one does one’s best. With a trailer that would not be possible so she walks on the other side of the road. Effectively acting like a very slow, and relatively wide, bike. Completely trusting traffic coming up behind her to take avoiding action. Not for me. Have to say it has worked for her so far and she did walk down from Glasgow. The bit that really tickles me though is she works as a Health and Safety consultant.

    My closing thought before turning in last night was that the charges in the chamber d’hote were 55€ for a single room or 70€ for a double. We could each have saved 20€ if we had shared a room. Maybe next time.

    Very wet morning walk along beside the canal so we decided to walk together and blether. Did make for a very pleasant change from Desert Island Discs I have to say. Arrived in Chalons-en-Champagne in time for a late lunch and we ended up in an African restaurant for chicken and rice. Very nice too. Think it might be just about my first proper lunch on this trip. Parted company after lunch as she was staying the night there whereas I had another 6 or 7 miles to go.

    Afternoon spent in sun, walking along beside the canal, with 45-50mph gusting wind blowing through the trees the other side of me from the canal. Leaves and bits of tree constantly being blown down. Felt really wild. A couple of trees had fallen and there were already wood-cutters at work to clear the path. Was feeling quite apprehensive when suddenly a tree seemed to fall on to me. Sent me flying, landing on one hip and my back which was protected by the rucksack but luckily the tree had actually fallen against another tree and it was only some branches that had taken me out. Heck of a fright though and I still had 4 or 5 miles to walk staring up at the trees in case of a repeat.

    Arrived at the next village, found the chambre d’hote and discovered that although they can do evening meals they needed to have been booked in advance. No-where else available so thank goodness I got that lunch. Could really do with some chocolate though. Hey ho. Roll on breakfast.    Les mer

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  • Stuart KilpatrickVia @ 70Reisende

    Vitry-le-Francois 20 miles

    3. august 2023, Frankrike ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    Woke this morning with a bad case of trigger finger. For those unacquainted with this rather upsetting condition, it happens when a finger “locks” into a tightly curled position and you are unable, without considerable discomfort or pain, to straighten the finger. I occasionally get it with the middle finger of my right hand. Wasn’t able to straighten the finger for some time and I did briefly wonder what the rest of this trip would be like if I couldn’t fix it. Bloody awkward I would think. Anyway, with some patient massaging from my other hand and brute force I got it straight. Not pleasant. Not recommended.

    Getting on better terms with both feet just now, so that when I had to make a choice of route this morning I wasn’t sure what to do. The official route was a further 5 hours or 15 miles walking but I noticed that a shortcut alongside the canal would only take 3 hours or 9 miles. Decided not to take the shortcut which seemed fine for the first hour or so but then the weather took a turn for the worse. Had a couple of hours of on with the jacket, off with the jacket and repeat. Thought it was clearing up a little until I reached the top of a small hill and looked at the weather approaching and it really didn’t look good. My jacket was bought for lightness rather than any sort of waterproofness and my shoes just have a trainer type mesh upper so got well and truly soaked. Had an unpleasant road crossing to negotiate in the middle of it.

    But by the time I reached the chambre d’hote I wasn’t feeling too bad. Interesting version of en-suite room. Cupboard with a toilet in one corner and a muckle big Jacuzzi in another corner. Not unpleasant.
    Suitably refreshed and out into town hunting for a restaurant. Found a Japanese one not taking its annual holidays. Have noticed before that in France these are quite reasonably priced so gave it a go. Less than 12€ for a very pleasant dinner. Excellent.

    Even got some Lindt chocolate for back in my room. All is well with the world again.    Les mer

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  • Stuart KilpatrickVia @ 70Reisende

    Saint-Remy-en-Bouzemont 13 miles

    4. august 2023, Frankrike ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Leisurely breakfast as I only had 13 miles to do and the next place didn’t want folk until after 4pm. Left at 10am as there didn’t seem much point in hanging about. Weather nice enough to merit the sun tan lotion application. Came upon a bench in the shade where I chilled out for an hour over a long phone call. Also came to an open boulangerie at lunchtime. Just about a first so had to nip in for a quiche and strawberry tart. Rude not to. Threatened more rain in the afternoon but didn’t really come to much.

    Arrived at this pilgrim’s refuge just after 4pm as requested. Phoned the key holder who let me in. Possibly used to be part of the girl’s school. Bunk beds but I seem to be the only occupant. I think it is a Covid hangover but they only give an incredibly flimsy paper sheet and pillowcase. Absolutely single use only. Not as uncomfortable as you would think. Note in the property to say that the local community have provided this pilgrim accommodation and a donation would be welcome.

    Unusually there was a local grocer but basic supplies only. Hence tea of Knor packet soup and a kebab roll. Pretty grim but at least the chocolate after was fine. Another note says they would like me out by 9am so I had better make it an early night.    Les mer

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  • Stuart KilpatrickVia @ 70Reisende

    Chavanges 15 miles

    5. august 2023, Frankrike ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

    There are days like today when writing this diary is not easy. It was just another day in the life of a pilgrim which is probably a lot more limited and routine than the life of all those reading this. I got up. Didn’t have breakfast (because none was available). Started walking. It rained a bit as it has almost every day so far. It was sunny for a bit as it has almost every day so far. Some of it was muddy etc, on roads etc, through fields etc. you get the picture.

    The only remote thing of interest I passed all day was a 16th Century half-timbered church which claims to be the largest such church in the Champagne region. Mmm.

    Staying tonight in another chambre d’hote place. I do find these a little strange. A sort of bed and breakfast cum Airbnb. Sometimes they are just a simple room, usually en-suite, in the host’s house and other times a large apartment with full kitchen, dining room and living room but in the latter case there might well be other families occupying the apartment as well. Tonight was the simple room and I had been able to arrange an evening meal. But of course I had no idea what this meal might consist of. Was given a very small quiche with a wee bit of salad and some bread. Was that it? No other cutlery. Would have been rude to ask even if my schoolboy French let me. Turned out it was a starter and the main was a dod of meat and some mashed mixed veg. A lot nicer than it looked.

    All finished and back in my room. Get this written and teeth done and off to bed by 9pm. Another day done.

    Beyond my writing skills to make it any more exciting than that. Very sorry. We have all got a long way still to go!    Les mer

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