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Simon & Tracey’s 2019 CaminoSimon & Tracey’s 2019 Camino
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June 2019 Read more
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  • TravelerSimon & Tracey’s 2019 Camino
    Day 1

    Day of travel

    May 31, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Early rise, last minute packing and travel to Tracey’s work to say “goodbye 😢”. Fly, transfer and Saint Jean Pied de Port - no beds!!!! Split the group up and managed to get bunks. Out for the first pilgrim meal before early to bed. Out walking 6:30am... Here we go...Read more

  • TravelerSimon & Tracey’s 2019 Camino
    Day 2

    Camino Day 1

    June 1, 2019 in France ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Day 1: 🇫🇷 to 🇪🇸 over the Pyrenees 🏔. What time alarm 🚨??? But I needn’t have set it, the others in the dorm woke us at 5am!!! Oli and Wes has breakfast in their place (we had to split up as the town was full with walkers - over 30 had to sleep in the sports hall). And we start walking at 7am, a late start. And the first 10km are UP... steep, and some. We stop for coffee and tortilla at 8km and we are still climbing up at 17km where we see the man with the van. Boiled eggs, goats cheese and banana 🥚 🐐 🧀 🍌 boat is on and the old ins teach the young ones what stamina is. It hits over 30c with the sun beating down. Refuge is an old monastery. Shower, washing clothes and a beer 🍻🍻. Dinner at 7pm - and the football for the boys at 9 (but lights out for 10).Read more

  • TravelerSimon & Tracey’s 2019 Camino
    Day 3

    Day 2

    June 2, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Ok, on the up side we walked an extra 6+ km than we planned, not by choice though. So many places booked up or full where we planned to stay, so we kept walking on and on and on. Definitely everyone is aching. Tracey opened a blister clinic at lunch time for the two boys. It got upto (and I guess more than) 32oC today. And after walking 38km we were so happy to find a ‘Dimotivo’ by the church - and they had spaces 😀. Today we walked 2/3 in the shade of trees but the last part was more open in the full heat. After such along day walk a shower is such a luxury you don’t appreciate until a day like today. We have had a communal dinner and now chilling out before an early bed.Read more

  • TravelerSimon & Tracey’s 2019 Camino
    Day 4

    Camino Day 3

    June 3, 2019 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    Zabaldika to Puente la Reina. What a fabulous night sleep and breakfast... we are fuelled, the boys blisters patched and ready to go... hmm, still later than liked at 7:40. (At least we didn’t have to sleep in the church porch like a couple of guys did last night). We make light work of 8km to make Pamplona. Coffee and donuts ☕️ 🍩 to fuel us on. We then start the long drag up, slowly climbing for the next 13km to then summit the Ato del Perdon. The views are amazing all around, but especially back on the city we had just left. It had been overcast for the first few hours but the cloud had burn off making the temperatures soar to over 30 again. The blister work in the morning has worn off and there are two limping boys. And the last 11 km (really 12, as we all agree that the Camino markets lie) are long and tough.
    Two loads of washing, dried outside within 25mins done. Time to rest.
    Dinner out is a treat of the finest local food - and the softest of steaks.
    Blog and bed, rest is so needed for another gruelling, but amazing day. #makingmemories    Read more

  • TravelerSimon & Tracey’s 2019 Camino
    Day 5

    Day 4

    June 4, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Ok, we fall behind today for the first time. Landing in Estella just after 2pm - again over 30oC. Breakfast was 5km from the albergue this morning and was a challenge to make! The ‘Blister Boys’ set a slow pace. Oliver and Wesley are suffering so badly with blisters and sore knee ligaments. But two eggs on toast with a coffee picks the pace up. The path is long and steep to start with, the sun burns the early morning clouds off. The heat rises and the pace again slows. Food and drink do the trick again and we push onto Estella. 2.4km on the sign, but Tracey and I know the signs lie (we don’t tell the boys). 4km later we reach the towns edge. Beds found, washing done we go in search of a supermarket and make an awesome pasta dinner (and tomorrow’s lunch). Blog done - and the boys catching up with “Beth” from Halifax (who knows their friends). It’s again time for lights out. Will we make the km’s up? Will we find the wine 🍷 fountain? Tomorrow...Read more

  • TravelerSimon & Tracey’s 2019 Camino
    Day 6

    Day 5 on the Camino

    June 5, 2019 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

    A cooler day, and one of two thirds and a third... For the first 22km today it was raining 🌧 and then the clouds cleared for the sun to come out, though still cooler with a breeze.
    We had breakfast in the hostel and left just before 8am (late for pellegrinos). Waterproofs on, heads down and marching to a typical trudge to get going. The carrot 🥕 this morning was the Fountain of Wine. 4km in. Water bottles filled, we continued walking slowly up for a further 5km. Out into open fields of barley and wheat (with poppies dotted along the way). Olive, fig and vines starting to be more common in the landscape. Even in the rain we are greeted with the chorus of singing birds we have become accustomed to as we walk. The path is softer from the rain and crunches as we go. We have a long stint in the middle of the day between towns, 13km and the want and need to see houses grows. Our feet are sore, the Blister Boys are improving but still have pains. Lis Arcos is a welcome sight - and we rest for lunch. We push on a further 8km to Torres del Rio - perched in the hills in front of us. We arrive just before 4, too late to wash the clothes we settle into our own 4 berth room. A chance to nap after a shower, or natter with fellow pilgrims before dinner and bed.
    Tomorrow we push on through Logrono, still a few km behind plan - but knowing we will make it up in the next week all being well.    Read more

  • TravelerSimon & Tracey’s 2019 Camino
    Day 7

    Day 6 on Camino watch

    June 6, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Today I struggled... to know what day and date it was. I hate to know what I’ll be like at the end of the month.
    34km planned today, but an ‘executive’ decision was to stop after 23km in Logroño. (We has been before and had a good night out). But we didn’t make our minds up until we got here at 12 noon.
    The Blister Boys are still in some pain and the morning walk for coffee and breakfast takes about 2:30hrs. But we have a lovely coffee, juice and tortilla by the church in Viana.
    The next stretch was easier, caffeine fuelled and a couple of horses 🐎 in front of us (on the Old Town Road) pushed all of us onto a better pace.
    Next stop Logroño - my legs had more km in them but Tracey decides to rest up a little more. (I’m sure we can make them up in a couple of weeks). Second in the cue, we shower, wash two days of clothes and make lunch before a siesta.
    Out wandering in the evening, eating Tapas at Umm’ t and an Ice-cream on the way back home - tithe Albergue. Such nice food...
    Lights out at 10, early up 6am. A bigger day of waling tomorrow.
    .    Read more

  • TravelerSimon & Tracey’s 2019 Camino
    Day 8

    Day 7 on the Camino

    June 7, 2019 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    Last night was fab. Logrono was a fab evening of wine, tapas and an ice cream 🍦 to wash it all down with. The tapas bar was very hip, and even had a resident DJ outside. We went to bed positive for tomorrow, being rested and having less km’s on the boy’s feet.
    Up and out just after 7am walking. First through the old city and then the modern part. Oliver and Wesley’s feet are slow to get going, so we decide to breakfast before leaving the outskirts. We struggle through the park with them, and it’s obvious that they are not fixed. We wait for 20 mins to get medical supplies from a supermarket and do some repairs - knees today too. We head out slowly through the nature reserve and up towards Navarrete. With nothing in between we have to go on before dealing help or support. The slow pace doesn’t help Tracey or I and we make the 12km in around 5 and a half hours. We lunch and find a knee brace - far better than my make shift taped effort. But, with the pain so bad with Wesley the boys reluctantly get put on a bus for the remaining 18km. But the stop took a while finding, and the frequencies are nothing like those in London... Knowing they are on the bus, Tracey and I break out into a brisk pace. The cool wind and clouds of the morning have burn off and full sun warms us up, but the breeze is refreshing. Just over 3 hours later we make Nájera, Find the first hostel and get the boys to come find us. (They has arrived around 13:30, eaten and fallen asleep on the river bank). We wash, rest and eat. Blister clinic is late this evening. We make plans for the next few days. The boys need to rest so we find the bus details to ship them forward 90km to Burgos. We will see them off in the morning and catch up with them after two nights rest there for them. Sleep now, as I am nearly an hour over curfew, and we have 37km tomorrow to catch a little back on the plan.    Read more

  • TravelerSimon & Tracey’s 2019 Camino
    Day 9

    Camino Day 8

    June 8, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    So a latish start again today, not because of blisters or anything - as such. We just waited around a little to make sure the boys were awake, had breakfast and ready to get a bus to Burgos. Their feet need to rest, and the slow pace has also had an effect on Tracey and I. We left Nájera about 8:30, and their bus was due in an hour. We were nearly at the next town Azofra when we got a text to say they were safely on the bus. It was a cool clear start today, an incline to start with and the an open path through corn and barley, vines and peas/beans today. The edges of the fields dusted in poppies, corn flowers, elderflower, cow parsley and grasses. We set a fierce pace, adding on a few kilometres to the stage. The gaps between villages were quite long 7 or 8 km each, s plenty of countryside, dusty tracks and our own thoughts to keep us company. Perfect then to listen to the French Open tennis 🎾, until the vital moment when the charge ran out, lol. We passed many people we had stayed with already, and saw more on the way. Some stopped only after 22km to a town over 800 years old - Santo Domingo de la Calzada. We had lunch there, and paced on. In total we walked 36.5km today at just under 5km an hour. Tiring, but rewarding pushing ourselves. The Albergue tonight is restful, quiet (we make up 66% of the population) and needed. After a communal dinner and good conversation I’m now ready for bed.

    51,537 steps    Read more

  • TravelerSimon & Tracey’s 2019 Camino
    Day 10

    Camio Day 9

    June 9, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    So we woke to a cold morning - maybe 10oC or so. The Albergue wouldn’t let us out until 7, so we had time for a light breakfast there. We were two of only three staying there - so run on the loos or showers.
    The morning was more of the same, but under cloud cover. The Camino ran alongside the N-120 road for quite a few kms, before diverting away to a small village. I found the morning tough, I couldn’t get my rhythm at all, whilst Tracey strode with confidence and vigour. We were doing around 5.5km/hr.
    By lunch the clouds had burnt away, and we had left the fields. We had a steep climb behind a village and along a wide open forestry track. At first we climbed and in the distance you could seeing rising above you further. But before that a tough decent, making the next climb even harder. Eventually it flattened out. And the last 7km were rightened up by an ‘oasis’ stop for watermelons s a cold can (donation only).
    The Albergue where we are tonight is alongside the renovated monetary. From the outside impressive, but never judge a book by its cover right!! This will be the first night of true survival. More like a prison it’s damp and cold, and you cued with a tray for your rations!!! We rebelled, got our money back for dinner and went to the only other place in the village. Phew, food you could eat, and it being hot.
    It has been hard walking today, even more so without the boys. They had to negotiate finding another Albergue in Burgos to accept them - you see, you are only meant to stay one night in a town before walking on. They got a place released at 5pm in another hostel and celebrated with beer and burger. Tomorrow we will join them and hope to continue walking with them by our side the next day. Let’s hope they are not barred from all the Albergues in Burgos...    Read more

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