Day 4: Tineo to Pola de Allande

    Picture the scene, it is 8.30pm and I am taking advantage of the fact that I have a two bed cubicle to myself.  My kit for the morning is spread out, so that I don’t have to fumble around in my rucksack, and I am happily racing towards the end of the only book I brought with me for the trip.  It feels like the height of luxury to have this amount of privacy. And then the curtain is ripped aside and a young man walks in. At 8.30pm.  Where has he been all day? How far has he walked?  I could ask, but I don’t because I’m quickly tidying up all my kit.  He pops off for a shower and I console myself that lights out is at 10pm so he’ll have to get himself straight by then.  I’ve nodded off by the time he returned from his shower and then he went out!  I’d fallen asleep by the time he got back (close to 11pm) to start unpacking the rest of his stuff and making his bed. I normally try to be as quiet as possible in the mornings- but this morning I didn’t bother!

Today was another day of steep climbs and scary downhills. I had to make a conscious effort to look up and find the beauty in what I was doing. This was a challenge at times because looking up for more than a nanosecond could result in an ankle turning incident!  I made sure to stop often and take a look around.  No matter how shitty (often cow shit in this case) the road immediately ahead seems if you pause and look around there is beauty to be found.

Today was a day when I had to make a choice.  Would I stick to the main route or take the ‘Hospitals’ variant.  I chose the main route because I struggled to find accommodation on the Hospitals route.  This meant a slightly longer walk today in very warm conditions.  As you moved from shade to sun it felt as though you’d just opened the oven door.  Everyone I spoke to seemed to have struggled.  The hills went on and on!  My Albergue this evening is lovely - and up for sale - the current owner helped me secure a bed for tomorrow night.  I am not going as far as I wanted as there were no beds left in that town, but at least I have somewhere to stay.  I am currently trying to book somewhere for Thursday night.. the first place is full… I just need to keep trying!

Day 3: Salas to Tineo

 I’ve decided to be a bit kinder to myself.  After talking to other pilgrims who actually did a bit of research it seem that the Primitivo is one of the tougher routes. So while I am not quite where I wish I was, I am by no means ‘unfit!’ Looking back at my Strava for the Camino Frances reveals a much easier walk.  There were tough days but there were many days of gentle easy walking.  The challenge of that Camino was the length of time it would take to complete.  The challenge on the Primitivo is hills! 

My Albergue last night was lovely.  Gustavo was helpful - when he spotted me in town looking for somewhere that served an unfashionably early dinner (7pm) he told me where I would find somewhere and come into the restaurant with me to explain what I wanted.  The dorm room had windows that opened and a fan that was losing the battle against the hot air.  I have spent the last two days looking for one of those hand held, usb charged fans that are everywhere when you don’t need them.  Last night I fantasised about cool air blowing on my face as sleep eluded me.  

I was up early again as I knew today was going to be a hot one.  It was surprisingly cool as I left at 6.15am - only about 22c but much less humid than on the last two days.  I knew that I had a steady climb for the first 6k, and one benefit of walking in the dark is that you can’t see quite how far the hill goes on for.  It is also harder to see the rocks.  But tricky conditions underfoot mean that you have to slow down - so that’s a silver lining! 

It was a day of firsts, first visible sunrise, first time I’d needed my sunglasses, first cafe actually open and first random chats with fellow pilgrims.  It was good to walk and talk about nothing in particular.  Oh, and first wild wee - not that you really needed to know that! 

I was amazed at how much better I felt after a coffee and a slice of tortilla.  Before breakfast it was okay, I was getting it done, but I was constantly being passed.  After breakfast I felt as though I had remembered what this was all about.  I wasn’t walking just because I had to, I was walking because I could, because I had chosen to walk.  I spent a lot of time thinking about no longer being a teacher.  I am still struggling with that one.  I love teaching, but the education system in the UK is broken and had I carried on it would have broken me.  There are many excellent and talented teacher in our schools, but it is a job to that takes everything you have and still demands just a little bit more.  I have no idea what comes next, career wise, I can’t spend my whole life walking!

Today was a short day, just 20k.  I’m in the albergue in the basement of a hotel.  That sounds grim but it is actually quite luxurious.  When I checked in, I did consider getting a ‘proper room’ but at €125 it was over five times the price and the lady on reception told me I had a bottom bunk.  Had she said ‘top bunk’ I may well have splurged the cash for real sheets and proper towels!  I’ve done my washing and am now hoping everything is dry by the morning (indoor drying racks)..

Day 2: Grado to Salas

I’m not sleeping well.  I haven’t for quite a while now,.  Stress and hot flushed both impact negatively and I’ve always found falling asleep difficult.  I am jealous of Husbando who seems to put his head on the pillow and be asleep almost instantly.  The dorm rooms in the albergues for the last two nights have made slumber even more elusive.  Cram as many bunk beds into a small room as you can, make sure the windows don’t open and don’t even think about providing a fan!  Then there is the snoring and farting!  I’m not exactly sure selling this am I? On the other hand it is cheap. €16 a night for a bunk.  Yes the showers can be a little basic, but with the exception of one Albergue (in Portomarin when I was on the Frances) they have all been clean.  That said I was thrilled to check into tonight’s Albergue, Cielito London in Salas to find a sparlklingly modern and fresh hostel with bunk beds so far apart I can’t reach the next one, the dorm window wide open and, wonder of wonders, a fan! Gustavo, the host was wonderfully welcoming, speaking excellent English having grow up in Mexico close to the US border.  Fingers crossed for a better night’s sleep tonight!

I spent today as a human washing line.  It seems that my tried and tested (on the Frances) method of hand washing the clothes I walked in while wearing my alternate set will not work in this humidity.  It is hot and wet and nothing dries quickly!  Luckily my bra and knickers were dry by the time I woke up this morning as no one needs to see those flapping around as they walk up yet another hill, but every else was, and there is no other word for it, moist.  It was still a bit soggy when I finished walking, so I’ve handed everything to Gustavo to wash and dry for me.  If it all comes back shrunken so that only Barbie could wear it then I may have a problem, but we’ll cross that bridge later.

This morning started with a steady climb out of Grado, 350m of elevation in the first 5km.  I was hoping that I’d be rewarded with a beautiful sunrise but there was just mist!  There was a fair amount of road walking, but the bits off road more than made up for it!  Proper ‘one missed step and it is a quick trip to hospital to get an ankle fixed’ territory, the downhills were steep and treacherous and, horrors, the coffee shop I’d been aim for to stop for breakfast was closed.  This better not become a regular occurrence.  

I’d chatted early in the morning with two young (early 20s) Italian girls, but had pulled ahead on the uphills.  I was surprised when they raced down a hill much later to walk with me because they were worried about a ‘creepy old guy’ who seemed to be following them.  It struck me that our perception of danger changes as we get older.  I’d passed this ‘old guy’ (he was 30 at most) earlier and not thought much about it.  He appeared to have been rough sleeping in a stone hut just off the trail.  To these girls he was scary.  I was far more worried about breaking an ankle!

Today’s destination was decided because there was no bookablw accommodation in the town 3km further.  Tomorrow’s destination was either going to be 20km or 32km away, there are no Albergue (not much of anything actually) between the two.  Given that it is set to be scorchio tomorrow I’ve gone for the 20km option.  I even ‘phoned the albergue and conducted most of the conversation in Spanish - until I had to give my telephone number! 

Day 1: Oviedo to Grado

  I’m starting this Camino in a state of physical and mental exhaustion that I haven’t felt for a long while.  It has neen a difficult year, culminating in my decision to walk away from my job before it made me even more miserable.  I love teaching, and can’t believe that I won’t be teaching next year but right now I need a break.  I mentioned the idea of another Camino to Husbando back in March (when I was on a long jury duty l) and he was more than happy for me to book a one way flight!  This trip isn’t quite as open ended as my last one as I need to get back for our middle child’s graduation, but I haven’t decided exactly when I’ll go home.

The flight here was quick and easy.  My research told me the bus took over an hour to get into Oviedo, a local told me it was only half an hour, so I save a few euros and got on the bus.  My Albergue was right next to the cathedral and the start of the Camino, so after checking in I explored the city, picking up my pilgrim credential at the cathedral, wandering around the streets and grabbing a quick bite to eat before heading back for an early night.  The albergue is lovely, but I’ve ended up with a top bunk.  During the booking process it stated that bottom bunks were allocated on an age basis, looking at my room mates I was the oldest by about 20 years so can only assume young people can’t be trusted on the top bunk.

I had a slight lie in this morning.  I’d forgotten that it was Saturday and that my ‘every weekday’ alarm wouldn’t work, but still managed to leave the Albergue well before dawn.  The late night revellers were falling out of clubs and bars and into taxis as I left Oviedo.  It was an up and down day today, lots of steep climbs followed by equally steep descents.  Much more road than I’d expected, but lots of tricky, rocky paths.  I was glad to have my walking poles!

I’d planned to have breakfast at about 8km into the walk, but as I approached the cafe I spied a hand written sign saying that they were closed between 4th and 11th August so I made do with a slightly squashed banana.  I have flapjack, tablet and shortbread on my back pack but I am saving them for dire emergencies!  

Scenery was limited by the mist.  And although not a hot day it was pretty humid. I was very,very happy to find a breakfast stop 17km into my day.  

So far this Camino is much less busy than the Camino Frances, the handful of other walkers I have met have been Spanish (and Duolingo really hasn’t prepared me for anything more than eating apples and buying a green dress). It doesn’t have the party feel of the Frances, but is just what I need right now.

I found today’s walk quite tough.  My lack of fitness is showing.  I got cross with the information boards that told me that Oviedo to Grado on the trail is 23.1km when I knew it was closer to 26km - but secretly hoped I was wrong! I had planned a 30.5km stage tomorrow- but there is no accommodation available to book.  I was initially disappointed, but then reminded myself that this is supposed to be fun!  My walk tomorrow will be about 22km and will take me to a town with lots of ‘things’ rather than a tiny village with an Albergue, four cows, a donkey and a three legged cat. 

Grado is a town with ‘things,’ when I’ve finished my lunch (serano ham and cheese baguette and a bottle of Estrella Galicia) I will go and explore before getting another early night and, hopefully, some sleep.

Camino Day minus one! Here we go again!

 If you hang about on any of the (many) Camino Facebook pages and if you can get past the judgemental posts about the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to walk a Camino, you will see the Camino equivalent of a pre-race flat lay.  This is the contents of someone’s backpack laid out neatly for all to see (and comment on).  These photos will be accompanied by a comment saying ‘I’m walking the Camino next week/next month/whenever,’ and they always make me feel a bit panicky.  Who plans and packs that far in advance?  

That said, I would normally start getting my kit together a couple of days in advance, just to make sure I have enough of those Lilliputian toiletries to last me for the first few days.  I’d planned two whole days at home between trips.  Ample time to do laundry, organise kit, repack bags and say ‘hello’ to Husbando, the children and the cats.  Storm Floris had other plans!

I’d been helping out with a Duke of Edinburgh Gold Residential for the Army Cadets on the wonderful, but fairly remote, Isle of Tiree.  It takes two days, including a four hour ferry crossing to get there.  But the ferry won’t sail when the wind is gusting at speeds of over 80mph, so we were delayed by about 36hrs.  In my 32 hours ‘at home’ I managed to unpack most, but not all, of my Tiree kit, so several loads of laundry, have breakfast out with friends, drive to Oxford to help my middle child move his ‘stuff’ for a house move, had lunch with him and his friend and get my nails done.  I also threw a change of clothes and a few pairs of knickers into my back pack. Total mass:5.4kg which is about a third of the size of last year’s backpack.  What could go wrong?  ‘The Camino provides’ is an oft repeated phrase - so let’s see what happens!

Camino magic is already in evidence.  Asturias airport is about 40k from Oviedo and the busses take hours to get there.  Taxis are available, but will be pricey.  At the gate I got chatting to Sarah, also walking the Camino Primitivo, we’ll be sharing a taxi into town, and looking out for a third person to share the bill! 

Chicago Marathon - at least I overtook Captain America and Superman!

 It turns out that Jeff, or John or whatever his name was may have been right!  Back in El Burgo Ranero a well meaning man gave me a lecture on why walking the Camino was not suitable training for a marathon.  He happily carried on explaining what I should be doing even when we had established that I had run 50+ marathons in the past and that he had never run a marathon.  I always knew today would be hard work - or should I say harder work than normal, but the opportunity to walk the Camino had to be taken and I would just have to do my best!

We’ve had a lovely couple of days in Chicano.  A city I’ve never been to before,  We have had wonderful weather which has made a huge difference - walking around in grey drizzle would have been a different story.  As it was, we have eaten lunch and dinner sitting outside in glorious sunshine.  We braved the subway and buses to get around the city if we didn’t fancy walking and had a couple of days of being tourists before getting an early night on Saturday.  Jet lag meant that I was easily able to fall asleep before 9pm and I woke up before the alarm went off at 5am!

This marathon started early.  London, Berlin and Boston started at 10am (if I recall correctly),  Chicago starts at 7.30am!  Thankfully our hotel was near the start, so we joined the throng of runners making their way to Grant Park for the start.  The park was busy!  I guess London has three start areas, Boston has buses to the start that mean you arrive just in time, Berlin (I think) had bigger gaps between the starting waves, but Chicago has 3 waves starting at half hour intervals so the park was very busy.  It was a little difficult so see where I needed to go due to the throngs of people, and Husbando and I needed to drop our bags in different places before making our way to our different start areas.  

It was pleasantly warm at the start.  So much so that I didn’t need the extra layer I’d brought with me so I dumped it in a charity bin as I entered my starting pen.  Then it was just a case of waiting for the start - while listening to the conversations going on around me and trying to work out what my ‘race plan’ should be.  

I thought I might do a run/walk thing, where I would run 9mins and walk for 1min but that I would run the first 5km in order to get out of the congestion at the start.  After the singing of the national anthem and the start of the first wave it was our turn to go.  For once in my life I didn’t go off too fast, I knew that this was going to be a tough day, so didn’t want to cause myself more discomfort than absolutely necessary.  I got to 5k, crossing some of Chicago’s iconic moveable bridges (some of which we had seen raising and lowering the previous day) and had a little chat with myself about the ‘race plan.’  I was feeling OK and by that I mean my shins hurt but not unbearably so, so I would carry on running to 10k and reassess.  

The aid stations were frequent, 20 of them on the course, all with Gatorade, water and toilets which was just as well as I needed 2 loo stops on the way (jet lag is not helpful when it comes to pre race prep).  Before we’d left the hotel in the morning the local news had run a piece on replacing Chicago’s lead water pipes.  Apparently millions of homes and businesses still have lead piping and there is a drive to get them replaced.  I drank the water at the aid stations - crossing my fingers that it was bottled water and that it wouldn’t make me more mad than I already am!  

At 10k I thought that I’d carry on to the halfway mark before walking. We were running mainly on city streets, with the exception of a lovely interlude running through Lincoln Park, but the support from the locals was amazing and constant.  Plus each neighbourhood seemed to have quite a distinct character - in Chinatown  the dragons came out to cheer us all on.  

Halfway in and after 2hrs 8mins of running, I thought that, as I have another marathon in two weeks, I would treat this as my last long run.  According to Rundot  my last long run should be 2hrs 45mins.  I was going to add 5minutes to that to allow for the toilet stops.  In the event I ran a bit longer  - to the 30k marker before admitting to myself that my shins were no longer ‘just a bit achey’ but actually ‘properly painful’ now!  

I ran walked the rest of the way. More running than walking, but I was no the only walker - I haven’t seen that many walkers in a road marathon before.  Maybe it was because I was nearer the back of the pack than normal, maybe the surprisingly warm conditions were sapping everyone’s energy (when we got a headwind it was almost a relief as it cooled everyone down), but it felt as though about half the people around me were walking.

The mile and kilometre markers were not as obvious as the ones at London - and I missed several.  What I did like was the fact that rather than a 25mile marker and a 28 mile marker there was a ‘1 mile to go’ marker.  This was followed by an 800m (2 laps round the track) marker and from 400m there was a marker every 100m.  There was also the only ‘hill’ of the course between 400 and 300m!

I crossed the line about an hour slower than I had hopped for when I booked this marathon, and about an hour faster than I thought I was probably on for when I started out in the morning,  I also decided that marathons are stupid and swore, loudly, when I remembered the marathon I have in two weeks and the fact that I have booked Paris marathon for April!  

The crowded conditions continued after the finish, but the volunteers were amazing.  We were given our medals, a bottle of water (cute, reusable, metal bottle), space blankets and proceeded down a line of refreshments.  Beer (none of your Berlin alcohol free stuff here), banana, apple, Stan’s Donut, biscuits, Maurten bar and probably something else that I’ve forgotten about.

In the sunshine, Grant Park felt like one massive post race party (there was an official finish party but I didn’t go), with runners using their space blankets to sit on while they relaxed after their endeavours.  I hobbled to the gear check tent to grab my bag and then on to meet Husbando, who had finished much earlier than me and was waiting in the Hare AC pop up post race lounge.  We then hobbled back to the hotel for showers before going out (we walked there - don’t ask me why!) for the best burger I have had in a very long time at Small Cheval - I also don’t want to know why the place is called Small Horse!   Oh, and then, because we could, we had ice cream!

So that is the fourth of the six ‘Marathon Majors’ completed,  I am not sure that I really want to do the last two.  Tokyo is a nightmare to get into and a very long way to go if I can’t get extended time off work (which is tricky as a teacher).  And I am not a huge fan of New York.  We shall see.  

Home!

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!