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  • Home
  • Latest Posts
  • Route
    • Camino Francés – May 2012
    • Camino Francés – May 2013
    • Camino Francés – September 2014
    • Camino Francés – May 2015
    • Camino Finisterre – 2016
    • Camino Francés – 2017
    • Camino Portugués – May 2018
    • Camino Francés – September 2018
  • Preparation
    • Useful Planning Links
    • Weekend Watch
Clearskies Camino - My times on the Camino
camino de santiago, camino francés, preparation & planning

So I’ve decided..

So I’ve decided..
Last June I traveled to Spain to walk the final 100km of the Camino de Santiago. I have written about it before in past posts and the general opinion was I enjoyed it. It was painful on the legs but I came home with an over riding thought…I’m going back there again.
So here I am today. January 2012, 7 months after and after much humming and hawing, I’ve made my first enquiries. I’ll be starting at Leon and walking to Sarria. I plan to take to bus to Santiago and stay there for a night before I come home. Ten days in total from my flight out to Madrid and my flight back from Santiago.
In June, I walked as part of a group which was great. But everything was planned and there was no lee way to do my own thing. If I met people on the road, I would say goodbye within ten mins as I could not match their pace. This time I’m doing it alone.
A lot of people have asked me if this is wise, is it a good move, and why not hold back a few months until you meet someone else who may be interested in going. It’s not going to happen if I wait. Once the seed has been sown, there is no escaping it.
I’m having difficulties with the folks who will always see me as their 20 year old son. This will never change.
I don’t have much planning to do being honest. The flights need to be booked, and a place in Leon and Santiago need to be arranged also. Other than that, it’s anything goes. I have ten days, for a stage that “could” take me 6 days. So I can take a rest day in between, or stay in Santiago a day extra.
Loads of people on Twitter have been helpful and have given tips on what to see and where to stay.
Another thing I need to mention is I have been in contact with a guy from Canada called Randall St Germain (@CaminoMyWay) who has written about his time on the Camino. He crazy thing is he did it in 20 days! You can find his book here: http://is.gd/QjyYzx. Give him a follow on twitter if you can. Even after reading his book, I have no idea how he did it.
So I’m going to finish up now. I”ll post again soon
January 28, 2012by Clearskies Camino
camino de santiago, camino francés

My (Possible) Return to the Camino

As most of you know, I completed over 110km of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in June. I loved every second of it and walking for charity made it feel that bit better. But ever since I returned home, I’ve had a nagging urge to go back and walk some more. It took more than a while to settle back to routine when I returned.

So I have started plans to return back to walk another stage. Initially I wanted to walk 8 days from Ponferrada (http://bit.ly/ndy6WV) to Sarria. It seemed doable and after hurting my leg back in June, I was thinking I wouldn’t need to walk more than 20km a day. The plan was to fly into Santiago, get a bus to Ponferrada and walk to Sarria. On return, I bus it from Sarria back to Santiago, maybe stay the night and then return. Handy enough.
Next step was to get in touch with Garry, the guide from June. He lives in Santiago and has walked the Camino three times. He has written up a plan of action for me and I have to say it’s a massive help. In the end, I decided to round the duration to 10 days and start from Leon.
The biggest problem I have (and any help would be appreciated) is how I get to Leon. I have so many choices for flights; Dublin to Santiago or to Bilbao. Ryanair don’t fly to Northern Spain from Ireland so a flight to Santiago from Dublin seems the right option. It costs a small fortune so I may be forced to travel to Stansted and fly out to Santander or Santiago by Ryanair. Phew!
I have alot of decisions to make. The past few days I have been thinking of holding back for a few months but it’s now or never I reckon.
September 6, 2011by Clearskies Camino
camino de santiago, camino francés

One month on..

It’s over a month since my last post and it’s well and truly time to update this thing, or at least say a few words to console it.  So what have I been doing with myself since…??

Well I am a month back from my Camino trek in June (pictures here and here. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and am looking to return to walk some part of the Way in the next year. I met some great people, and we continue to keep in touch. Let’s not forget all monies raised were donated to Aware. It is something I would encourage you all to do, even mark it down on your bucket list when you hit that territory! I had written up a long piece to be published but didn’t get round to finishing it, so I dropped it. I may come back to it soon.

I am back to the office after a two day break (Thursday and Friday) and enjoyed the rest. Didn’t do anything exciting, but it’s always good to wake up and not have something to do for the day. Not many holidays left, so will be conserving them until October or November. Not planning on a return to Spain until March or April. The real difficulty I have at the moment in relation to the Camino is I am finding it hard to find people to come along with me at that time. The folks I went with have expressed no interest to return and I am not too keen to venture off on my own. So maybe you Mr or Ms Reader, could help me somehow? 🙂

It was tough to get back to the swing of things after I got back. It took me a week or so to settle down, I just found it hard to focus as my mind was on the previous 10 days.

I started up this blog to post pictures, either from my iPhone or camera. I haven’t been doing that alot recently, but will do.

July 24, 2011by Clearskies Camino
camino de santiago, camino francés

10 days

Well, I received my itinerary this morning for my trip. I will be boarding a flight to Santiago on Saturday 4th and arriving there just before 1 pm. I’m sure there will be others on board who will be taking part in the walk, and they will go about it at their own pace and speed. We awake at 7.30 am each morning which is fine by me, but I’m sure the late nights we will have will change my opinion sharpish. It’s amazing the number of good wishes and positive feedback I am getting for doing this from work, Facebook and on Twitter. Even two years ago I would never have thought of doing it and if it was not for my father working for Aware, I would never have heard of the Camino. I hope to take a good few pictures and eventually upload them. This will probably be the last post I make before then so over and out until I arrive back.

May 26, 2011by Clearskies Camino
caminodesantiago

A bit of a challenge…

On the 4th of June 2011, I will be walking the final part of the Camino de Santiago in Northern Spain in aid of Aware. In total, I will be walking 112km over 6 days, and will no doubt be an unforgettable experience.

Camino Francés

Here is a breakdown of the trek.
Day One: Fly from Dublin to Madrid after which we travel to Sarria from Madrid.
Day Two: Sarria to Portomarin – 22km
Day Three: Portomarin to Eirexe – 17km
Day Four: Eirexe to Melide – 22km
Day Five: Melide to Arzua – 15km
Day Six: Arzua to Amenal – 24km
Day Seven: Ameral to Santiago de Compostela – 27km

The important thing to remember here is I am doing this trek for a great cause and that every euro you sponsor will be greatly appreciated. As I type, I am organising an online fundraising page. I will post the link later. For more information about Aware and the good things they do, just go to www.aware.ie

February 12, 2011by Clearskies Camino
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About me

Hello, my name is David. I am a peregrino living in Dublin, Ireland. I have visited Spain and Portugal and walked its many roads to Santiago since 2011. On this site, you will find my stories, photos, and observations from my Caminos and my planning for future Caminos. Feel free to get in touch with me here

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