Well hello there..how are you all? I hope you are enjoying the sunny weather of what’s left of this weekend. The good news is that it is here to stay for the next while so it is a great chance to get outdoors. I have been dipping my toes (so to speak) with long-er walks as I prepare for my return to the Camino Francés at the end of August. With Spain opening up again and more pilgrims returning to walk these great roads, I would love to hear from others who are in my position. Tell me where you are walking, and when are you arriving? I return to Burgos and the meseta, a place I really love, for many reasons and I won’t be alone.

I was grateful to receive my second vaccination last Saturday (19th June). While it did knock me out for a few hours, I had a constant smile on my face afterward. At the very same time, pilgrims from all over the world were walking the sacred steps to Santiago de Compostela. 774 pilgrims were awarded their Compostela on that very day. It seems crazy that just a few months ago, barely a hundred pilgrims reached Santiago. Yesterday, more than 900 pilgrims arrived into Santiago. There is a great cause for hope but it is also important to stay safe and vigilant.

My plan is to arrive in Burgos on the 30th of August and walk for 10 days. Who knows where my final day will be and what town I will arrive in when I “finish” this Camino but my flight home is the 9th of September. I wish I had longer but alas! The walk from Burgos to Carrion de los Cóndes is very special. I have walked it in 2013, 2015, and 2017 – each year with different wonderful people, learning different lessons.

My return to Burgos and the Meseta is four years in the making having walked the Camino Inglés and the Camino Portugués from Lisbon. You will find many pilgrims who will use the Meseta as a reason to catch up if they are falling behind. I have talked to folks before who say they don’t find it interesting at all. I often find the stages from Burgos to León the most interesting and have provided me with the most enduring memories.

The landscape may not be the most captivating – with wheat field after wheat field lasting as far as the eye can see. While it may not be physically demanding, it lets your mind wander. Questions that may need answering or attending to can be challenged. If you meet a pilgrim during one of your days, a problem can be shared or halved.

I have been preparing for 15 months mentally. I just need to get used to longer distances again until the end of August. I can’t wait to see Burgos again.

Buen Camino!

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As I reach the 10th anniversary of my first Camino de Santiago, there is much talk of Europe relaxing their travel restrictions. It looks like an end in sight after such a long time.

It is no secret that Spain is looking to kick start the tourism industry and from this Monday, they are to welcome all travellers, provided they are vaccinated for 14 days. For citizens of the EU, it is slightly different and we await the introduction of the digital green card. With this card, it shows proof of vaccination, a negative pcr test or recovery from COVID. It looks like an end in sight. But what about Irish pilgrims, like myself? Well, we have been asked to sit still for another month (July 19th to be exact) until the digital green certificate is rolled out. I do hope that the certificate is available in August as (cue drums) I have flights booked for Madrid on August 30. I will be fully vaccinated by then. I plan to walk from Burgos for a week and bit with my good camiga Linda from www.somewhereslowly.com.

Walking from Burgos will be a perfect place to celebrate my ten years as a pilgrim. It is kind of surreal how fast that has gone by. While I did enjoy starting in Galicia on my first trip, my heart is in the meseta and my time is limited. I arrive in Burgos early on the 30th of August and meet my camiga Linda. Distances will be short and relaxation will be key. I haven’t walked many long walks over the last 15 months. I will be posting a little bit more over the next two months now that I have that adrenaline buzz and I’m sure you can all relate to that.

So again, just as a reminder, if you are fully vaccinated you just need proof and you are good to go! Buen Camino all.

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I have tried not to pay attention to the news over the course of the last few months. In a world of social media, this is quite difficult, however, I am where I am today – still standing and working from home. Restrictions are still in place here in Ireland until April 5th, where they will be re-assessed. The roll-out of the Covid vaccination has been, let’s just say, poor, and not wanting to put blame on any one person, I look at other countries who are doing a far better job than us.

I just look to the future. At the present time, I can’t travel more than 5 km beyond my home and I hope to travel to the Camino in September. Our own government has ruled out any non-essential travel since the start of the pandemic while allowing people to fly into the country unchecked. I think this has eroded confidence.

This week, the EU Commission announced plans for a digital green pass which would allow EU citizens to travel inside of the EU provided they have:

• received the vaccine
• received a negative test
• received a medical certificate to say that you have recovered from Covid in the last 180 days.

I would imagine that I will receive my first vaccine jab before I travel but if I don’t, a negative test can be received at the Airport before I leave.

It is just a week, but it is better than nothing. More news later.

I hope you are having a good weekend. I have finally reached 50 in this series. And I mark this occasion by posting a quick video about my favourite 30km stretch on the Camino Frances – from Burgos to Hontanas and the start of the meseta. This pilgrim even stopped at the same cafes as myself in the small towns of Tardajos and Hornillos del Camino. Check out the video.

Hontanas is not a big village, its population is less than 100 but at least you will find here three albergues. Some people prefer to walk over nine more kilometers to the bigger village of Castrojeríz as usually this stage is quite easy on the foot but most opt to stay overnight in Hontanas. My favourite albergue is the municipal at the end of the village and have always been given a warm welcome here. The main feature of the town is its church tower whose bells ring every hour on the hour. Happy sleeping.

For more Camino related videos, check out my Archives.

• 45 days left – but I wait for some calm..
• My return to Burgos and to the Meseta
• It looks like an end in sight: Exciting Times ahead!
• The Camino is Opening to Pilgrims – Weekend Watch #80
• Good news as Spain to welcome pilgrims from June!

My feet are in Dublin but my mind has been left somewhere between Leon and Astorga on the dusty trail.

Sigh!

All who I have met, broke bread and shared stories with are close to Santiago at this stage. How I wish I had continued my journey with them. But alas!, I must return to reality. I have heaps to write about and I hope to do so over the next few weeks. I also have made plans for May 2018 so my way is still being walked. More of that to come. I am blessed to live so close to a treasure that is the Camino. Every year it gives me time to think, to switch off, to have time alone and share conundrums with total strangers. No judgement is made or received. I made some difficult decisions over these few weeks which can be hard to make in the midst of the noise of everyday life.

It’s difficult to sum up in a sentence what this particular Camino meant to me. Each morning, I would start walking in the dark with only a torch to guide me. I would listen to music until the sun climbed over the horizon. One particular song hit home. It is called “Scare away the dark” by Passenger. I listened to this most mornings, maybe twice or three times. Listen yourself to the lyrics, the words struck a chord for me. We should all live and love without fear or consequence. Our time on this blue dot is not long. Keep it simple, treat everyone the same as you would like to be treated yourself and most of all, do what makes you happy.

La vida es un Camino!