2016 Plans so far…

The #camino de santiago hashtag has been trim of late on WordPress which leads me to believe that people are busily putting together their plans for upcoming Caminos. Once we hit April, blogs burst into life with great stories and many photos of people’s times in Spain. However, for me, I’ve been trying to convince myself that my return to the Camino is done and I just need to throw on the backpack. It has been harder than I thought so I thought I’d write a post listing out my reasons for my indecision. This very time last year, I had my flights booked, my leaving date chosen and even my holidays booked with my employer. This year? Nope..none of the above. Nevertheless, I still hope to return to Spain this year and have my feet re-acquainted with the road.

So why the delay, I hear you all say? Well..I may have mentioned in a previous post that I have purchased an apartment (responsibility..sheesh!). At present, the legalities are being worked out before contracts are signed. I had hoped to be moved in at this stage but there are delays which I would rather not go into now. I would ideally like to be moved in before February so I can start to budget and get settled in. So you may understand why I’m hazy about a 2016 return.

But this is what I do know?

When will I walk? – I have decided between either August or September. I’ve pushed this back a few months as a result of the delay with the sale. I’m normally a May walker. Provisionally, I have chosen Tuesday August 16th as my start date.

What distance do I hope to walk? – My start point will be Ponferrada and I hope to walk to the coast. I’ve been looking at flights to Madrid and they are reasonable enough at the moment. Ponferrada to Santiago should take me 9 days and Santiago to Finistere / Muxia an extra 4 days. If I stick to the start date of August 16th, my return date will be August 30th.

Do I have any changes to make since my last Camino? – Other than buying a lighter sleeping back and some pacer poles, none. I will keep the same backpack, the same equipment, and the same mentality.

Any expectations? – I have walked this 300+km distance before between 2011 and 2012 and I would rather choose to absolutely forget both occasions. In 2011, I walked from Sarria to Santiago as part of tour group to raise money for charity. It was my first experience of long distance walking and after 6 days I arrived in Santiago, sore and tired but delighted at what I had achieved. I returned home and the thought of returning never entered my mind until later that year. In May 2012, I walked from Astorga to Sarria and while I met people from all corners of the globe, I did not prepare correctly and suffered from bad blisters. I have no idea why I decided to return the following year. I suppose I was being called. And this is exactly what is happening now. I guess I’m only hoping I don’t have the same problems I had in the past when I walked this section.

A compostela? – I received one in 2011 and I am quite happy with it. I value my credencials and sellos more than any compostela so I will give it a miss this time.

 The coast? – Yes absolutely. Finistere AND Muxia. I think I will walk to Muxia first and finish in Finistere. I’m really looking forward to this section on reaching Santiago.

More details in the future.