The most popular route to Santiago de Compostela is the Camino Frances.  The route starts in Saint Jean Pied de Port and leads over the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles and then from Roncesvalles on to Pamplona.

But, this isn’t the only route to Santiago de Compostela and Saint Jean Pied de Port isn’t the only starting point.  The oldest route into the kingdom of Navarre is the little know Camino del Baztan.  The route is 106 kilometers long and passes through beautiful Basque countryside, the monasteries of Urdax and Belate and many picturesque villages. It starts at the Cathedral in Bayonne and winds its way over rolling hills into Navarra and onto Pamplona.  Once in Pamplona, pilgrims join the Camino Francés for their journey to Santiago.

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Maybe what I needed was to be re-inspired?  Maybe the act of searching through my Via photos was enough to plant the seed of a new idea?  Maybe it was reading the blog post by David (ClearSkiesCamino). Maybe it’s just time?  Whatever the reason I think I’ve hatched a plan for my next walk… or the next few walks actually!

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I have a friend house-sitting at the moment… and also ensuring that our cats don’t feel neglected and unloved 🙂  She and her husband are a rather glitzy pair… lots of travel for work, lots of posh nights out and they are simply rather fabulous and glamorous. So before they came to visit I gave them a little task, to please find me a few toiletries that a weary pilgrim could sneak into her rucksack and not notice the extra weight.

Well… what can I say!  They didn’t disappoint! I think I have enough to last me for ten caminos!

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We’ve got a few days off from work and singing and weddings and accounts… so we’ve headed east into the Cantal region of France.  A department in Auverne, this area is perfect for walking, cycling, swimming, rafting and a whole host of outdoor activities.  We thought it might be a tad cooler too but we were wrong there!

So we arrived on Sunday afternoon and took a stroll into the historic village of Salers.  This is classed as one of the most beautiful villages in France… and it is indeed very beau but we’ve not found out yet why there was a need for a fortified village here 1000 years ago… but there are traces of Templars?

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Just leaving for another gig when my new Salomon’s arrived… LOVE them… LOVE the colour… but crikey there is a marked difference in the width of these and my old pair.

So of course… THEY ARE TOO NARROW ARRGGGHHH!

I need to go and sing and forget all about my Sponge Bob feet!

EDIT… move forward a few days and my Keen Targhee wide fit mid’s arrived.  I didn’t really want a mid boot but they are a wide fit and they feel good.. not too big… not too small.  Of course the proof of the pudding is in the walking!

I guess most of you know I sing in a couple of bands; we mainly sing at weddings and corporate events across France.  One band is a Rock/Pop guitar band and the other is a Vintage/Retro singing trio.

This year we’ve had a dreadful season with three close family funerals, one wedding rained off mid ceremony due to horrendous storms, and yesterday we had to cancel as I’d been taken into hospital.

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It’s May and, after a bit of a cold start, spring has finally arrived in the Dordogne.  I have 18 weeks left before I start my next adventure so today felt like a good day to start some training. To be honest it’s been a while since I did any walking at all .. And I have new boots to break in… So we’re starting small and working up to our longer trips.

The first time I walked the Camino Francis I had an interesting training regime;  I found a great way to start the day was to walk to the Boulangerie in the next village.  It’s only a 5 km round trip, it’s very pretty, it’s on a quiet lane and I get to buy warm fresh bread from one of the best bakers for miles… What’s not to like?

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I’m confused!  I have booked my time off; I am free from Sunday 18th September until the beginning of November and I want to walk as far as I can.

The plan was to walk from St Jean to Fisterra but Pope Francis has proclaimed 2016 as the Year of Mercy. This means to visitors that the main Holy Door will be open in many cathedrals. Whilst not a Holy year, the last time the doors were opened at the cathedral in Santiago was the Jubilee year 2010 and the numbers of pilgrims were much higher than usual.  A few folks are suggesting that accommodation on the Camino Frances is already booking up and this is backing up the suggestion that numbers will be up this year.

I had already started to wonder if I should walk a different route and now the idea of numbers increasing and a busy camino is pushing me further down this road.

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It’s 2016 and I’m walking the Camino this year!  “What?  Again?”  I hear you say… but there is a reason.

From Mountain Borders to the End of Land

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