I woke up this morning, and did what I do every morning – check my Instagram feed. Amongst my followers are many pilgrims who are in the midst of their Camino journey, there are others who are just finished and others who are just preparing. Looking through their photos re-energizes me and gives me food for thought. What I’d give to be in their place?

I am now short of five weeks out. Those days are dropping like flies. Am I ready? Mentally, yes! Physically? Nearly.

I am back to work and have moved from “Camino chic” crocs to shoes. My toe feels tender but I need to be sure that a) it doesn’t get infected and b) something doesn’t fall on it. The next two weeks are vital I suppose. That said, every day that passes instills a energy I haven’t found in a while. However, I’m eager to get walking. This wise old phrase comes to mind:

I’ve drafted up my packing list and I’ve made sure that my passport is in date. This is a new Way for me – the Camino Portuguese from Lisbon. Compared to the Camino Frances, it is hardly going to be overpopulated with pilgrims. In 2018, 327.378 pilgrims arrived into Santiago and were issued with compostelas. Of that number, only 3,052 walked the full distance from Lisbon. Many prefer to walk from Porto or from Tui, the minimum distance required.

I have a wealth of information, but I just need to read it. Being preoccupied with other things certainly doesn’t help. The John Brierley guidebook is an excellent read with a lot of information (link for purchase) but I think I will use the Wise Pilgrim Guide (link for purchase) instead. It is pocket-size and the maps are excellent.

More news soon!

I’ve had a few walks under my belt in the last few weeks so I may as well post a few photos from them. They have been great practice for my trip back to Spain but I’m one or two walks short of being ready for May 7th.

Aware Harbour 2 Harbour Walk – St. Patrick’s Day

The day of the walk marked 50 days before my return to Spain and it was a perfect day to get a long practice walk under my belt. This walk would be like no other however. The Aware Harbour 2 Harbour has been a staple of St Patrick’s Day for years. It is a festive day, everyone is decked out in their green and they celebrate the occasion. Generally. the walk starts in the port of Dun Laoghaire and ends in Howth, 24km later, and people from across the country turn up to walk. So basically, it is something different than standing in a parade or drinking. All monies raised go to support mental health in Ireland.
A good time was had by all and I got a few kms under my belt plus I had great company!

Slieve Gullion Forest Park with Camino Society Ireland

A short walk but a challenging one. Slieve Gullion Forest Park is one hour drive north of Dublin and across the border into Northern Ireland. It was a fantastic day and I looked forward to meeting new people and hearing new stories. Being a volunteer with Camino Society Ireland takes you far and wide but I am comfortable with Dublin and the eastern coast. How and ever, after a brief information talk about the Camino de Santiago to a local audience, we took on one of the forest trails, close to 10kms. And it was mostly uphill from the off. A really enjoyable day and I really did learn alot about area with regard to history and mythology. The park has many trails and caters for all ages.

Find out more at shamrocksandshells.wordpress.com/recent-events

So..the future..that space in front of us that no one can predict. Unless you can read people’s minds, that is. I can’t anyway and I don’t plan on starting!

The last few weeks I have been asking myself in what direction do I want to take ClearskiesCamino, if any. I have been plugging away, doing the same thing here since I started walking the Camino many years ago. I just want to take an extra step up the ladder.

So, I have set myself a number of well achievable goals for the next 6 to 9 months in order to make that next step. I’m a little excited to say the least but excitement is good. I’m not quite sure how it’s going to pan out but I’ll take each day as it comes.

1. Self hosted website – I have reached the end of the line with wordpress.com and I’ve done as much as I can with the resources they offer. The last 7 years have been great but now is the time to push on and locate a site to host my blog and take it from there. I have located a hosting site and it’s just a case of transfering the site across. Many thanks for all the tips I have received regarding this. I will get to keep the ClearskiesCamino name too. I hope to make the switch when my current plan expires in October.

2. I have two Caminos planned for 2019 – the Camino Ingles / Camino Finisterre in May and Camino Portuguese from Lisbon in September. Rather than posting from this blog, I will write my stories in the form of an ebook and publish them free. It’s another avenue I want to go down. And if that doesn’t work, I will keep plugging away at what I am good at. Of course I will continue to post snippets on Facebook and pictures on Instagram. I just want to promote my writing a bit more.

Anyway that’s the plan. Plans sometimes change, my hope is these work out. I will let you know how things go.

• Camino Francés 2021 – Day 5 – Carrion de los Condés to Ledigos
• Camino Francés 2021 – Day 4 – Boadilla to Carrion de los Condés
• Camino Francés 2021 – Day 3 – Castrojeriz to Boadilla del Camino
• Camino Francés 2021 – Day 2 – Hornillos del Camino to Castrojeriz
• Camino Francés 2021 – Day 1 – Burgos to Hornillos del Camino

I was delighted to be contacted by Maria regarding a possible post on her excellent website SpanishforCamino.com.

Her website is full of hints and tips for those looking to improve their Spanish. As she lives on the Camino, she sees pilgrims passing by every day. So her website is a great place to start if you are planning a few days on the Camino. Not on does she talk about Spanish words, but there are great tips on food and health in Spain.

Anyway, my conversation with Maria can be found here. It was fun looking back at my first Camino. I also talk about this website and my involvement with Camino Society Ireland.

Hola!

I write to you in the Municipal Albergue in Astorga. I have walked for ten days and while this is not even a third of the full French Way, I have completed the time allotted to me this year. I started in Burgos what feels like months ago and after close to 240kms, I strolled into Astorga this morning.

This has been very much a solitary Camino. I have made friends but none will remain friends once I leave. This contrasts to previous Caminos when I made life-long friends. I have learned alot in these ten days. I have learned to accept more and some important questions have been answered. Time passes so quickly and the important things are not how your day in work is and bills but what is in your pack and what condition your feet are in.

I wish I had more time, I wish my feet didn’t hurt and I wish life could be this simple. But no, i must travel to Santiago to fly to Dublin. One day I will have time to walk for 5-6 weeks but it won’t be for some time. I return home on Saturday with a heavy heart and with sore feet knowing that my Camino continues at home and it won’t be long before I return to this great country. 

I will write in more detail when i return home. In the meantime, Buen Camino to one and all.