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What a trip!  

When we were all told that our school was closing and that we would therefore be losing our jobs I joked about ‘doing the Camino.’  I’d had a few friends who had done this in the past and I’d taken a vague interest in their Facebook and Strava posts. I’d dismissed the idea because of shared dorm rooms and the fact that walking isn’t something that I do!  I still wasn’t entirely sure that it was something I wanted to do, but I didn’t know what I did want to do.  I loved my job - my colleagues were amazing and I love being with young people and, after so many years, feel that I am just about getting the hang of this teaching lark.  I can’t imagine a future that doesn’t involve teaching but I would be the first to admit that I was exhuasted and stuck in a bit of a rut.  

I needed a break.  Luckily science teachers are in short supply and I was able to secure another role within a couple of weeks of being told we were being made redundant.  And I was able to negotiate a January, rather than a September start. That done, I needed to find something to do with the time and so, before I could change my mind and definitely before I did any research, I booked a one way ticket to Biarritz for the end of August and decided to do the Camino Frances.

I really wasn’t sure what to expect.  I wasn’t sure that I would ‘enjoy’ the experience. I knew that, barring injury, I would finish it even if I was not having fun!  I thought, if I am totally honest, I would find it tedious and repetitive and I was really not looking forward to shared dorms.  

What I got was the most amazing experience.  It was the first time in decades where I didn’t need to take anyone else’s point of view into consideration.  If I made mistakes then the only person who it affected was me (and I was also the only person who had to know!)  I could set my own agenda, if I wanted to eat ice cream for lunch then no one was going to judge me.  

I walked with some amazing people - those who saved me from my one ‘down’ day where I was about to fall into a well of self pity because I wasn’t going back to school that day.  Despite all my former colleagues posting about all the minor stresses and irritations of their new jobs I just wanted to be part of it! The company that day pulled me out of my introspection and turned my day around.  The people who I thought I would never see again, but who turned up again later and became my ‘Camino family’ and who I consider myself honoured to have spent time with.  And many others who I walked with for anything from a few minutes to a whole day.  What an honour to walk with a professor a medieval history and talk about the history of the area (and gout - we talked about gout too)!  All of them enriched my experience.  

I spent a lot of time on my own.  Early on I had a message from one friend asking if I wasn’t worried/scared walking on my own and I can honestly say that I wasn’t.  Another friend was, I think, worried that I might be lonely.  I replied that I was often alone, but never lonely.  I needed the time alone.  I loved my early mornings when I wouldn’t see anyone for hours.  I had company every evening.  Communal meals took away the need to think about what to eat and meant that I met people from all over the world.  And if I did need company I could always find someone to talk to. 

The simplicity of the routine was soothing.  Get up, walk, shower, wash laundry, eat, sleep, repeat.  Add in a stop for breakfast (and sometimes second breakfast) and maybe a bit of sightseeing thrown in for good measure.  Life was simple, but full. The fact that everything I needed for the journey was on my back took away a lot of complexity - no decisions about what to wear, no real decisions about what to do either, just plenty of time to look at the view, smell the pretty flowers and live in the moment. 

I did not expect to make friends. I have laughed and cried and walked and had drinks with so many wonderful people.  Their stories will travel with me and they will continue to inspire me. The kindness of people I met was wonderful to behold. 

I am glad that I did the two extra Caminos (to Finistera and Muxia) as I was not ready to come home when I arrived in Santiago.  Those four extra days which included two of the wettest days I have ever experienced, meant that, but the time I got to Santiago for a second time I was ready to come home.  I am sure that there will be more Caminos in my future.  Although having 30+ days in a single block might be a challenge I will be investigating doing stages or one of the shorter routes.  I may even do some longer walks in the UK - although accommodation is not as easy (or as cheap)!

Thank you to everyone who has sent me messages of encouragement, I’ve had a wonderful time and it has been lovely to share just a glimpse of it with you all via this blog (and the 1000+ photos on Facebook).  Huge thanks for my family for not minding too much about me leaving you for so long (and especially to Husbando whose birthday I missed and my youngest who started university and had to make her own way there).  

Until next time!