With two weeks planned for a Camino in September / October 2020, the question remains what I will do for the rest of the year. I certainly won’t stay at home and I can’t see myself jetting off on another Camino (unfortunately). With many waymarked trails and pilgrim paths on my doorstep, I have a great opportunity now to walk some of these trails.

Many of these trails are a few days long and can be reached by bus or train. Accommodation is a little different here than in Spain. There are no “albergues” and it is advisable to pre-book in a bed & breakfast or a hostel. As a result, costs can be a little more expensive. This is if you want to walk by yourself. Another option is walking as part of an organised group.

The Kerry Camino (or the Dingle Way) is a 3 day walk (57km) from Tralee to Dingle in the South of Ireland. Each year, over the May bank holiday weekend, large crowds descend on Tralee to walk this pilgrimage to Dingle. I want to walk this trail but while the organised group option is great, it is not for me.

I have already looked into the Kerry Camino for the middle of May and will cost me about the same as the price of a flight! You can watch a good video on this way below.

St Kevin’s Way (30km) follows in the footsteps of St Kevin through the hills of Wicklow to the monastic ruins in Glendalough. The main start for the route is Hollywood. The route is well marked and takes you through a wide variety of landscapes as it climbs towards the Wicklow Gap. From here the descent brings you to Glendalough and monastic ruins. I have walked half of this walk on two occasions and I love it. It can be a bit tricky when it is raining but when the sun is out, there is nothing better.

St. Declan’s Way is a modern walking route linking the ancient centres of Ardmore in County Waterford and Cashel in County Tipperary.  The route most commonly associated with St. Declan’s Way is 56 miles (96 kilometres) long and crosses the Knockmealdown Mountains at Bearna Cloch an Buideal (Bottleneck Pass), an elevation of 537m.  St Declan’s Way Walk utilises the route of a number of ancient and medieval pilgrimage and trading routes such as the Rian Bo Phadraig (Track of St. Patrick’s Cow), Bothar na Naomh (Road of the Saints), Casan na Naomh (Path of the Saints) and St. Declan’s Road. 

There are others but I’ll be realistic as I don’t have too many holidays 🙂 I can decide on others later on.

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My Camino from Lisbon has been and passed. I arrived back in Dublin yesterday afternoon with fine weather. I left having walked 345 kms over 11 days from Lisbon in the south of Portugal, to Agueda further north. I caught a train to Porto the following day, stayed the night and few home. But not before picking up my final sello of this Camino in Porto. Thanks to all of you who have been following me on Instagram. I have been posting short videos and photos each day. After the first day, I wasn’t sure if this is what I wanted to do for the full trip but on arriving in Alverca do Ribatejo (the end of the first day), I decided to continue.

So why Lisbon? Why not somewhere closer to Santiago? Well, the answer to this is quite simple. I have been walking the Camino Frances for a number years and have seen the numbers of pilgrims increase. I have been looking for something different for some time, somewhere a little quieter. On receiving a message from my pilgrim friend Carsten who wanted to walk from Lisbon, I jumped at the chance and ask to join him. However, I only had 11 days leave having walked the Camino Ingles in May.

Walking from Lisbon is as different from the Camino Frances as you are going to get. There are many stages over 30 km in distance and if you are on a schedule, it can be quite tricky. The first three days are along the River Tejo and the terrain is relatively flat. It is quite easy to walk these long distances and take as many stops as possible. On arriving at Santarem, the terrain changes. Out goes the flat and in comes the hills. That said, a crafty pilgrim can divert a difficult hill by sticking to the main road. By why spoil the fun!

On arriving in Lisbon, I had someone to walk with. I am thankful for that. It wasn’t until the 2nd stage – Azambuja – that we met our next addition to our band of brothers. Azambuja’s albergue was basic and had 12 beds but what it lacked in stars, it thrived in character and charm. It was the Camino. It has been a while since I slept in accommodation that locked up at 8pm.

As the days passed, more pilgrims walked. Each walking their own speed. Pilgrims from Russia, Canada, Holland, New Zealand, France, Japan, England, Hungary, Germany and South Africa. Our eldest pilgrim was a 79 year old cyclist from France and our youngest was 11 months. He was part of a German family making their way to Santiago. His father and mother met on the Camino four years ago and now are walking again. Amazing! Myself and Carsten helped them pull their specially built buggy up a tricky hill on our fifth day and we later met them at the albergue. I met the first Irish pilgrim at Coimbra, which was the halfway point.

The albergues are rarely open before 2pm. Most of them are small and I was lucky enough to stay in a number with beds. There are also plenty of hostels and pensions so accommodation is not an issue. However, if there was ever a time that you find yourself without a bed, you can knock on the Bombeiros (fire fighters) door. They generally give you a place to lay your head if all other options are gone. Our New Zealand friend Alan stayed with the Bombeiros in a number of towns. However, if you start walking before 7 like I did, then there should be no issues.

Arriving in Agueda, my final town, was a highlight for me. Here is the home of Umbrella Sky Project. We have one in Dublin but it is of a larger scale here in Agueda. I stopped here for a while to take it in a then walked on to the albergue, which was located 1 km out of town.

The following day I travelled to Porto. I didn’t do much of a sight-seeing trip here as I knew I would be back, but I picked up my final sello. All I needed to do was board the plane and go home. My walking was done.

I will be posting from Day one soon. Don’t forget to subscribe to receive an email!

13 days left, unlucky for some. Lucky for me, I am not superstitious.

Time to get the pack sorted, you might think? Time to check in that flight and get that last preparation walk before you go? No? Not exactly!

I’ve a few things I need to do before I can finally switch off and have a “Bom Caminho”!

1. I see the podiatrist again tomorrow. I had hoped to have the all-clear last week but it wasn’t to be. Maybe this week.
2. On Saturday. August 31st, a pilgrim blessing will be provided in St. James’s Church in Dublin. So that will be a great reason to fully pack the bag, and bring one of my scallop shells. I hope there is a good turnout.
3. I want to take in one long walk before I go, and the 7th of September is the only day I am free. This is unusual for me. Before a Camino, I have at least 4 or 5 walks completed as preparation.
4. I finish work on the 6th of September and I will leave the office lighter than a feather. I return on Monday, the 22nd after hopefully walking 11 days.

I stay in a hostel (there are no official albergues in Lisbon) beside the Castelo de San Jorge. It is not far from Lisbon Cathedral and the Alfama region, the start of the Caminho Portuguese. For those not familiar with Lisbon, the Castle is at the top of a steep hill but instead of walking to my hostel, I can get there by tram (see picture).

The Cathedral will be my starting point the following day as there is a bright yellow arrow at the base of the church. From there, all will be well. The first day is either 29 km to a place called Alverca do Ribatejo or 37 km to Vila Franca de Xira. It all depends how I feel.

More before I go!

• New Podcast – Adam from England
• Weekend Watch #79 – Irish pilgrim on the Camino Francés
• This is worth waiting for…
• Video: Camino Francés 2017 Part 1
• Ideal viewing – Webinars for Planning your Camino!