tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53276250210629751542024-03-06T00:10:34.208-08:00SunscreenUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger126125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5327625021062975154.post-6669657098941982762015-05-31T12:14:00.001-07:002015-05-31T12:14:03.347-07:00Epilogue: if I lived in SantanderIf I lived in Santander, I would probably drink martini at breakfast;<div><br><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1CiSZYQE5QkG-XJrSqKS6-Ye2mgcLqtsu8b52sHYu3W-WEGvCZh-ydDwihAG01QuBctgzCLE4egl7b0Bqygbbkbc25KfJxSXFPjQKmMwK-8tjhlF8EPx5d-apOLLhdOJ7E4UykS-Vxzs/s640/blogger-image--2044200896.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1CiSZYQE5QkG-XJrSqKS6-Ye2mgcLqtsu8b52sHYu3W-WEGvCZh-ydDwihAG01QuBctgzCLE4egl7b0Bqygbbkbc25KfJxSXFPjQKmMwK-8tjhlF8EPx5d-apOLLhdOJ7E4UykS-Vxzs/s640/blogger-image--2044200896.jpg"></a></div><div><br></div>Spend my mornings on the beach;</div></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitE2R-sdCtKGfuLWIys9unzyHW8jWV7Na-V5VLCCKYWznPk1rZRaEL7B1SxP8xbCymgxcrDJgBN2SFdNq_BghGdIZaw7yyrh9pwPoM8COV7ec7hCKFlkA93VMjdrW82dnr4UH1mP6sgBo/s640/blogger-image--959424835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitE2R-sdCtKGfuLWIys9unzyHW8jWV7Na-V5VLCCKYWznPk1rZRaEL7B1SxP8xbCymgxcrDJgBN2SFdNq_BghGdIZaw7yyrh9pwPoM8COV7ec7hCKFlkA93VMjdrW82dnr4UH1mP6sgBo/s640/blogger-image--959424835.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>My afternoons watching the view across the bay;</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQbTDG7aN_NQm5DYHGUl8TGdYpWs5hN_n6lxgad0SQUKdwBMbJDZRxD3AL5tDB_4c9ugyuPvLwitpIrhSoABRTC23t5eaKfoXnxivUjpB4l5rfR31JWtaMsJGgLpX4ACX4FNzlvlTpwg/s640/blogger-image--748920369.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQbTDG7aN_NQm5DYHGUl8TGdYpWs5hN_n6lxgad0SQUKdwBMbJDZRxD3AL5tDB_4c9ugyuPvLwitpIrhSoABRTC23t5eaKfoXnxivUjpB4l5rfR31JWtaMsJGgLpX4ACX4FNzlvlTpwg/s640/blogger-image--748920369.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>And in the evening I'd take my dog out for frozen yoghurt.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVWosKnfV_ZZahQBTowhuBtN_n3WbQ0fAFUUBtaw-5t4IsdS2RYQN_gkxl_8gzplO59P8IUESZKE_zajC3rK23gNHyHutTdAGohkHoNYbkqkEF8xu7GCg63-T2sWF8BjVc1P8Y_JFmKA/s640/blogger-image-1366017317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVWosKnfV_ZZahQBTowhuBtN_n3WbQ0fAFUUBtaw-5t4IsdS2RYQN_gkxl_8gzplO59P8IUESZKE_zajC3rK23gNHyHutTdAGohkHoNYbkqkEF8xu7GCg63-T2sWF8BjVc1P8Y_JFmKA/s640/blogger-image-1366017317.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5327625021062975154.post-38794201004247213812015-05-30T10:21:00.001-07:002015-05-30T10:21:19.114-07:00Day 12: to Comillas (25k)<span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Lovely sunny last day, albeit a bit off piste due to poor map-reading on the way out of town this morning. It was beautiful though, detouring through forest tracks and, later, once we'd hot back on track, lovely old villages. This part of Spain is so varied - on a map you simply have no idea whether a habitation will turn out to be an ancient picturesque town or a completely empty, new, dormitory development. </span><br><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">After the early detour we had top notch bocadillos in a jamon shop and then shortcutted via a road a few times to cut back the distance. The last few k into Comillas were just lovely and I felt (and feel) somewhat sad that this is the end of the road for my northern Camino.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">For the sake of a last night on the town with the group of survivors (oh god) I joined them in taking the train back to Santander where I now have 36 hours till my flight early Monday morning. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Trip summary: </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">330k plus or minus a few percent; </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">many blisters but all toenails intact; </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">reinvigoration of my love of walking and northern Spain in general;</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">no thoughts at all of work;</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">not much spiritual enlightenment;</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">but most of all just wonderful to catch up with the lovely boys - Niall, who remains one of the most entertaining chaps I know, and Gary who remains a totally unflappable gentleman and just general hero. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Who knows if we shall meet again but I am hugely grateful to have met them twice.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivi1QgOU1lyT3K8ClbHipow6QolQdxxqyD7HNToVdONB0XNG3jvY6g1CtBpAXRaU-I-oWG8-7SVwlJlfPVYJEky7XEU_cIXjZjGeSn76I9DdETagWg3YxMg4IAEa0CnLh4wnXpFMcLsj8/s640/blogger-image--1732368183.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivi1QgOU1lyT3K8ClbHipow6QolQdxxqyD7HNToVdONB0XNG3jvY6g1CtBpAXRaU-I-oWG8-7SVwlJlfPVYJEky7XEU_cIXjZjGeSn76I9DdETagWg3YxMg4IAEa0CnLh4wnXpFMcLsj8/s640/blogger-image--1732368183.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjGSztXVLzfSf30NjLNDh_xSQOCyPEQ7HsF-gMAa12v9p89qmsrk5KNJXX-04RqDlnlkk-yaWhwi1_H9LNVy5NoFVqynyRTOfpRD4AvjL8bC30Vd2PYudNOOXrDNIKCh9qSf3CBvZVe4/s640/blogger-image--1676093658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjGSztXVLzfSf30NjLNDh_xSQOCyPEQ7HsF-gMAa12v9p89qmsrk5KNJXX-04RqDlnlkk-yaWhwi1_H9LNVy5NoFVqynyRTOfpRD4AvjL8bC30Vd2PYudNOOXrDNIKCh9qSf3CBvZVe4/s640/blogger-image--1676093658.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDlExzuI_M9cMAudwLUte_bG-4aLwPIK5XwzAQmiXGNX95lF_EuBMWHnPgUz3kzfDmuFDJQLwNDOjvq87vAfGgLfRgpVgFt_I3q7osHJiUPd7mxcnK7Ls42yvC-jZB6f6PCejXFPEo_LY/s640/blogger-image--793660933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDlExzuI_M9cMAudwLUte_bG-4aLwPIK5XwzAQmiXGNX95lF_EuBMWHnPgUz3kzfDmuFDJQLwNDOjvq87vAfGgLfRgpVgFt_I3q7osHJiUPd7mxcnK7Ls42yvC-jZB6f6PCejXFPEo_LY/s640/blogger-image--793660933.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5327625021062975154.post-78455371780553593332015-05-29T09:46:00.001-07:002015-05-29T09:46:22.235-07:00Day 11: to Santillana del Mar (35k)<span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">35 slightly painful km today on a long hot day of long winding tarmac. Not unpleasant, and notable for 1) a big scary Alsatian behind a wire fence who ran alongside us menacingly... before poking his stick through the fence for us to throw; 2) men herding a group of young flighty cows down the main road using four pieces of baler cord to hold them in a square as they trotted along; 3) someone saying, as we walked hopelessly up a hot road in the middle of nowhere 'oh I'd love an ice cream...' two seconds before an ice cream sign appeared round the corner.</span><br><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">The goal of the long hot walk is a truly spectacular ancient medieval town. By arriving late we got ourselves a night in a beautiful old house instead of the (full) albergue, and hopefully by the time we make it back out the tourists will have mainly dispersed...</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgp63MN-Fx9kd3akDJDVBn6B0AY49aeeDnWRdA0OPa3UZ35hWpDfGuKR-mRr5QYcQSgx4ejHMAwMG0KuvrxvClxaEsPdscC5vdlQJZ9Cm0ZuyCfOx8WwNUlyWdJxV0_c6ETOzirNKKoM/s640/blogger-image-152324792.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgp63MN-Fx9kd3akDJDVBn6B0AY49aeeDnWRdA0OPa3UZ35hWpDfGuKR-mRr5QYcQSgx4ejHMAwMG0KuvrxvClxaEsPdscC5vdlQJZ9Cm0ZuyCfOx8WwNUlyWdJxV0_c6ETOzirNKKoM/s640/blogger-image-152324792.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5327625021062975154.post-61412018258156334532015-05-28T12:44:00.001-07:002015-05-28T12:44:48.065-07:00Day 10: to Santander (31k)<span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">This has been the iconic camino day. Yet it did not start as such. Way too much was drunk by all last night, leading to, among other shenanigans, me getting into a huge row about hurling, not something I know or care anything about, and an unlikely topic for my drunken belligerence. Lessons learnt (for now). </span><br><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Having spent much of the night awake and hungover I was relieved when day dawned, even though the first act of the day was sending Niall off on the bus to Bilbao (so hungover he nearly missed his flight and had to run across the airport after delaying the flight). Actually the first act of the day was dropping my towel out of the window and having to use walking sticks to pick it up off the roof of the restaurant below... Patrick also decided he was not getting up at all and will meet us in a day or two. So just four set off into the morning which was dawning bright and hot...</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">The first 20k or so was fast, on flat back roads that looked a lot like Camino Frances territory. Absolutely lovely. The afternoon was the complete treat however. For a very slow but perfect 10k we walked the most glorious coast path with turquoise sea, white sand beaches, and dramatic cliffs all around, surf schools below and also stopped for an enormous and enormously delicious ice cream. Finally Santander arose across the bay and we walked a couple of k of stunning beach to Somo, had a quick swim etc and then took the ferry across to the city. Where we are -finally - back in a real albergue with all the feet, crampedness, falling down shower curtains and kindly geriatric hospitaleros that that implies.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">It's late and I'm tired and can't do full justice to how spectacular it all was. But in summary, a gorgeous invigorating day.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhoifMfUQPayxoTIKV9JkeG-TKut1K-RBwI-F8YCh2F0hz-kwkYpZCb5M9W6cE6HewiqSOrK_ImC0r-zeAV1mrLpEbDQkdzue1K4ZsxJ6gfAcqJhNkQ_GHmpIhl7xZm16ddKOZSY1h8W4/s640/blogger-image-1938794077.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhoifMfUQPayxoTIKV9JkeG-TKut1K-RBwI-F8YCh2F0hz-kwkYpZCb5M9W6cE6HewiqSOrK_ImC0r-zeAV1mrLpEbDQkdzue1K4ZsxJ6gfAcqJhNkQ_GHmpIhl7xZm16ddKOZSY1h8W4/s640/blogger-image-1938794077.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYk8iQfUr9kyawAuTiitxiIXGIGvBi5OAR5IcXMH4JSqfKsT9YygQrd1Cp3Ee5-DxMxSWH-S2-TlYBTHWNmS4g_ptrq75s2epfIEjnr7H43BLBdjUdOB7vnycDymXhKqZ1x9BrNI6lsE/s640/blogger-image--1324157006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYk8iQfUr9kyawAuTiitxiIXGIGvBi5OAR5IcXMH4JSqfKsT9YygQrd1Cp3Ee5-DxMxSWH-S2-TlYBTHWNmS4g_ptrq75s2epfIEjnr7H43BLBdjUdOB7vnycDymXhKqZ1x9BrNI6lsE/s640/blogger-image--1324157006.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5327625021062975154.post-27261134614556091282015-05-27T10:20:00.001-07:002015-05-27T10:20:09.651-07:00Day 9: to Noja (15k)<span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Today started with a 5k walk along a perfect white sand beach. After a short ferry ride and breakfast, we trudged through a lovely old town and along the side of a prison complete with many attractive young male runners - we assume prison guards. Up over a beautiful but of cliff and a few more k along the next perfect beach.... And then we get stuck. My feet hurt, Niall can't go any further without missing his plane home tomorrow, others are happily swimming and don't want to get out. And this amazing beachfront bar that we're sitting in is attached to a 3 star hotel that has rooms for 50 euros...</span><br><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">We are bad pilgrims. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaHhL7paSEOTgh-uv_T4WHzieiLxs6akzliyArZIKpCvxxDhC7GKSuAIyeZCTQx2iEB61K7EKCkJL3PkM2IC-SUNNISprCGVnoaUCCWco23RZDN6MeZn1_neDTGtyV26UNLlg2Ft2td1U/s640/blogger-image--290664286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaHhL7paSEOTgh-uv_T4WHzieiLxs6akzliyArZIKpCvxxDhC7GKSuAIyeZCTQx2iEB61K7EKCkJL3PkM2IC-SUNNISprCGVnoaUCCWco23RZDN6MeZn1_neDTGtyV26UNLlg2Ft2td1U/s640/blogger-image--290664286.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifePD9LiZyhu198G-lAMtP6VZt_vmdi0JQgb4rQcqOYEUkkBGdZG32hCz0C6BrSrFQFQlzIdkQSSes0nkgcP1qMO1Asp7XFsErt_hHiaiuNAzbr_rHn2FLV_XZHyFbaEk0otcr3bckMfc/s640/blogger-image--1268403642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifePD9LiZyhu198G-lAMtP6VZt_vmdi0JQgb4rQcqOYEUkkBGdZG32hCz0C6BrSrFQFQlzIdkQSSes0nkgcP1qMO1Asp7XFsErt_hHiaiuNAzbr_rHn2FLV_XZHyFbaEk0otcr3bckMfc/s640/blogger-image--1268403642.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHLPo-Z85BSDdo2BHyXfWQ0MzRPjiPhL37L01JrWTQIXmQ1P_9FAw-CiyAconB_Qjc0DlYokwutlD2xqAuXBb2LONE5r1NU1uclZjjvQUJMzAIk91B1X6stFXnlJETUazM5h2Ttqpr5jw/s640/blogger-image-1434103019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHLPo-Z85BSDdo2BHyXfWQ0MzRPjiPhL37L01JrWTQIXmQ1P_9FAw-CiyAconB_Qjc0DlYokwutlD2xqAuXBb2LONE5r1NU1uclZjjvQUJMzAIk91B1X6stFXnlJETUazM5h2Ttqpr5jw/s640/blogger-image-1434103019.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh24AczoekcQ661CW2X-OrJsMkkKDu9KYGvHiO3iQrnOeMJPTPQMWTCkliHbb3m7awO0ioY1xr9r_0xadjd2rnPUddfWBN0NHoMGYbHBhCuF5te-f-sb1Buf74CB_4d1pp6mxYuw1QuvX0/s640/blogger-image--1834427358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh24AczoekcQ661CW2X-OrJsMkkKDu9KYGvHiO3iQrnOeMJPTPQMWTCkliHbb3m7awO0ioY1xr9r_0xadjd2rnPUddfWBN0NHoMGYbHBhCuF5te-f-sb1Buf74CB_4d1pp6mxYuw1QuvX0/s640/blogger-image--1834427358.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3RTDqH_OZhKYpOkSEXT68bKBDuDh74vwgg-2kqZ7BkIq8A2veqiskwsZGbf9o6Ym-FMyEfJyhjUFHCuzQZkHffB2WYLcxBotkaZdfxP_YN2PhvxMKUKRO5BiCjwez4ZY00c0OfB6r3X8/s640/blogger-image-890688612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3RTDqH_OZhKYpOkSEXT68bKBDuDh74vwgg-2kqZ7BkIq8A2veqiskwsZGbf9o6Ym-FMyEfJyhjUFHCuzQZkHffB2WYLcxBotkaZdfxP_YN2PhvxMKUKRO5BiCjwez4ZY00c0OfB6r3X8/s640/blogger-image-890688612.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5327625021062975154.post-9130903484721895522015-05-26T09:32:00.001-07:002015-05-26T09:32:00.080-07:00Day 8: to Laredo (35k)<span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">A very happy day with a very lovely walk. But jeez my feet are really suffering now.</span><br><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">I set off ahead of the rest and walked the first two hours alone through gorgeous coastal countryside and small villages. Shortly after a coffee stop the group split to take a longer inland route vs walk the main road - somewhere around 5k shorter. I went long and the scenery was worth it, including a steep stony path up through beautiful eucalyptus forest and then a descent through Dales-like limestone canyons. The final stretch was also stunning, along a very steep coastline with limestone mountains, white sand beaches, rollers coming in, vultures circling, and gorgeous views all around.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">We were met in Laredo by the boys who had booked us into an 18-Euro clean, quiet hotel with a bath. A bath! Good job as the compeed levels are reaching critical mass and some, ugh, removal and renewal is required if I am ever to walk again.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDJjgQahIeV2dlCh-qvYTVf2QMJUiwxAxvK70QqYW4BQK6lzO9NKhvTLEoQ9GR1yCmZygTsOlJe-TXfXWeQp3O0g-nCjCRbKo4hA6xD1mKDnUNBnelADIYROfe8rpPylPtRA6Sspa9IU0/s640/blogger-image--423154893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDJjgQahIeV2dlCh-qvYTVf2QMJUiwxAxvK70QqYW4BQK6lzO9NKhvTLEoQ9GR1yCmZygTsOlJe-TXfXWeQp3O0g-nCjCRbKo4hA6xD1mKDnUNBnelADIYROfe8rpPylPtRA6Sspa9IU0/s640/blogger-image--423154893.jpg"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDJjgQahIeV2dlCh-qvYTVf2QMJUiwxAxvK70QqYW4BQK6lzO9NKhvTLEoQ9GR1yCmZygTsOlJe-TXfXWeQp3O0g-nCjCRbKo4hA6xD1mKDnUNBnelADIYROfe8rpPylPtRA6Sspa9IU0/s640/blogger-image--423154893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNkc3egsEChKodeTJoxru8HkUeQ1nTh9tgGGKtON3VoBreKLMAjNEpfvxiI91bZgO9wc95ukFTvntWx5H2HlZgFHfdGyoIptFVpKO05q7Y24k3f1KnIG6lNXJN0aQppErP_y4Aa2CSh8/s640/blogger-image-1119067496.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNkc3egsEChKodeTJoxru8HkUeQ1nTh9tgGGKtON3VoBreKLMAjNEpfvxiI91bZgO9wc95ukFTvntWx5H2HlZgFHfdGyoIptFVpKO05q7Y24k3f1KnIG6lNXJN0aQppErP_y4Aa2CSh8/s640/blogger-image-1119067496.jpg"></a></div></div></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdAc3hynAZwOnIDh9TK-JSXOuKpfsoBibXJw-fse62KpHYD-6ehKhp5VufYK92RGkTlzhPb1i_xmqSpoldik3rXhSzbozs6FYlvc3tRtsr5rHPJKYoIxchEMUCHS0O7LfOdnA0BhrbL5U/s640/blogger-image--836275192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyrXPzWVMs_dhCAKOTRD6GvCGvspegMu5tbUnfVUDgC5_AvTMprLQYlZ3IL4v9K6WkmreC11c4Rr8QCVZr5YR9m_Nz5pd4MxJuGLmZZYZrYwJYq90RARXEkqFbsninj6h4Ok6kdrMhUQg/s640/blogger-image--1084789831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyrXPzWVMs_dhCAKOTRD6GvCGvspegMu5tbUnfVUDgC5_AvTMprLQYlZ3IL4v9K6WkmreC11c4Rr8QCVZr5YR9m_Nz5pd4MxJuGLmZZYZrYwJYq90RARXEkqFbsninj6h4Ok6kdrMhUQg/s640/blogger-image--1084789831.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5327625021062975154.post-16057697072275313982015-05-25T10:51:00.001-07:002015-05-25T10:54:35.376-07:00Day 7: to Castro Urdiales (28k)<span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Bilbao was a funny old place. Like many Spanish cities, the touristic / historic centre had beautiful architecture and largely seemed thriving, but still a little blighted by what one could charitably call counter-culture, or alternatively just faintly threatening young men with excessive piercings and drinking problems. We had a very nice hostel but it was opposite a falling down building that was definitely either a brothel or a crack house. And there were fights (and dog fights) happening all night. </span><br><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Come the morning we took the executive decision to take the underground instead of walk 10k out of Bilbao through the suburbs. This was very smooth and landed us in in Portugalete, a medium-sized commuter town. Our first walk was then 10k largely on bike track out of town, swooping over an enormous motorway system and down to the small beach town of Puerto de la Arena, where the major event was the very long queue at the bank, we assume to draw the dole or similar. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">The next bit of walking was fantastic: 7k along a beautiful coastline that I would (did) say reminded me of Cornwall. My feet were less nostalgic however and several compeed were applied, all this road walking taking a real toll (when I took my shoes off <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://0" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0">tonight</a> there were large red raw bits, despite compeed... I may have screamed like a girl when the shower hit them...)</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">There was a lot of roadwork this afternoon and I had tired legs and feet but all was redeemed by the lovely coast. At a small cove just before Castro Urdiales we each stopped for 2 out of 3 of, beer, ice cream, swim (you can guess that I didn't get wet). The last stomp in over the headland and along the seafront was gorgeous. CU is an astonishing old seaside town, fronted by beautiful houses and with a wonderfully buttressed-church and lighthouse out on the breakwater.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">We are staying in a lovely central hotel (hurrah!) and looking forward to an earplug-less sleep that will somewhat miraculously heal my heels. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK91dP7F6RKluWhP7Tf5K-Fv9AMbmILFwYKbXZMhhS92R1Zok6SyabMfYMQpvPW6h4gnetZ1e7AUdM4hEetK3LhbtkdyXSDsZqYqjOegwlWkSf7_BP7dStqBwXUjJm9DRPyoRcM6WZuk0/s640/blogger-image-822071749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK91dP7F6RKluWhP7Tf5K-Fv9AMbmILFwYKbXZMhhS92R1Zok6SyabMfYMQpvPW6h4gnetZ1e7AUdM4hEetK3LhbtkdyXSDsZqYqjOegwlWkSf7_BP7dStqBwXUjJm9DRPyoRcM6WZuk0/s640/blogger-image-822071749.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPM7ZZ7ejgXW676UjoPjkTcnVtfGSMjdYq5FiJaTvm-sGy0B8VccH5j2wS9_29nXYYATN6gU1uNwFRuHSDrGBJggfHUgM-6E6F-eDCuQoybxW7wXepa-sL5gEC6Z_SRt4UgmAs-9be8E/s640/blogger-image-347726672.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83PGFjhfcL1-GCW2pj816iEbkFLEMU2-KokT2G7A0cpUjmVOlAezfxM1pBpEHm96wywL_-Exmf13xjR6t0d3ATlQ2b0qL7QYUb_zdwLvu4XjgyHSZKo0EErLVl4fnz6TesRf2LR-3-jM/s640/blogger-image--1439369532.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqylmKQfWoL-pS3wOrsg2vLqlhHAJ5NQ211fYoCcbmMeDDlbOlfM1ackcqJf_AHfm7VO6NVKJKu_2d4mqwvD_b5Fasjyplqe-E0tlH-M_pvYxikaEDRdUxY8HpeLSXKKqECYwJGgXh13M/s640/blogger-image-754767045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqylmKQfWoL-pS3wOrsg2vLqlhHAJ5NQ211fYoCcbmMeDDlbOlfM1ackcqJf_AHfm7VO6NVKJKu_2d4mqwvD_b5Fasjyplqe-E0tlH-M_pvYxikaEDRdUxY8HpeLSXKKqECYwJGgXh13M/s640/blogger-image-754767045.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5327625021062975154.post-58842693136246422182015-05-24T06:32:00.001-07:002015-05-24T06:32:39.960-07:00Day 6: to Bilbao (25k)<span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Today was largely a road slog, and my feet which have been amazingly fine up until now, really felt it.</span><br><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Arriving into Sunday lunchtime in Bilbao old town was a bit horrifying. I am always shocked by a return to urban centres after days in the hills. In part because you realise how sweaty and mud-caked you are, in part because I don't actually like the increased number of people involved. And apparently Sunday lunchtime is the time when Bilbao's inhabitants come out to promenade, eat and drink, play with the kids etc. I was heartened to see some small girls playing basketball; as always in rural Spain it's been noticeable that it's only ever men you see sitting around the town squares, in the cafes, and even cycling (and there is a lot of cycling around here). Women are apparently home cooking the dinners, the lucky things.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Other than cyclists, the Basque Country has been full of: fig and eucalyptus trees, goats, donkeys, ponies, dog of every conceivable shape and size. And mud, lots and a lots of creamy beige mud. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Our group dynamic changes today - after a few days of being four we are back up to six from tonight. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaffbgCp5o5IPhrvGR6W8Lu-BiHpH8M9L_vzL9LghPoML-ooFUelr4YhwlDced9EtWpH0_1Ps0BJrmBTvlDZMgED_PDRgiCsILVfy0bhZs7C0GWYZwljE2_CxK-u9JTZxyB8UJTkqYzys/s640/blogger-image--1466961587.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaffbgCp5o5IPhrvGR6W8Lu-BiHpH8M9L_vzL9LghPoML-ooFUelr4YhwlDced9EtWpH0_1Ps0BJrmBTvlDZMgED_PDRgiCsILVfy0bhZs7C0GWYZwljE2_CxK-u9JTZxyB8UJTkqYzys/s640/blogger-image--1466961587.jpg"></a></div>Breakfast - one kettle of boiled milk, one of boiled coffee</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZifmAPo0jCf-OElEPD6EGtK6m1dm4C8iJ9C3CRXPgt7fHBPmqVI-Fjn3Q5ZjOoS8JQtUT_uiCuRJYbs1z-S_MynDx_PPvZBYdJgNw9B1SDapi2v5_svhySM-V2wNFNA_plZC6NhJb33M/s640/blogger-image-556858238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZifmAPo0jCf-OElEPD6EGtK6m1dm4C8iJ9C3CRXPgt7fHBPmqVI-Fjn3Q5ZjOoS8JQtUT_uiCuRJYbs1z-S_MynDx_PPvZBYdJgNw9B1SDapi2v5_svhySM-V2wNFNA_plZC6NhJb33M/s640/blogger-image-556858238.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Niall shows camino style</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0EAExq-F9VL1qYGRFhLkU8fNkW5eQryAuwaGi7sEXDI4LXqtNMdci6eTvpt6hXmH6xCouDyK7pii6k-AJY2jMmBqDIt7NwCDnE_E924zK0N8HhqfKN_2FFHHra0jiHMJ-9V1W9fsWcE/s640/blogger-image-741329859.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0EAExq-F9VL1qYGRFhLkU8fNkW5eQryAuwaGi7sEXDI4LXqtNMdci6eTvpt6hXmH6xCouDyK7pii6k-AJY2jMmBqDIt7NwCDnE_E924zK0N8HhqfKN_2FFHHra0jiHMJ-9V1W9fsWcE/s640/blogger-image-741329859.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5327625021062975154.post-27718444672798909352015-05-23T09:24:00.001-07:002015-05-23T09:28:16.275-07:00Day 5: to Eskerika (33km)<div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Very satisfying day. After the (ahem) early start we didn't wait for (ahem) breakfast but instead headed off into the (gasp) dry morning. It was a lovely if slippery wander down through forest to the first town. With a somewhat empty belly after last night I was really praying that a bar would be open. Happy day - the town was buzzing (literally, with a motocross race on), the bar was open and the pinxchos were still warm from the oven, and among the most wonderful things I had ever eaten.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">The main stint of the morning was a long haul up hill and down dale through warm moist countryside. We took a proper break - with 3 course pilgrim lunch - in Guernica. Famous historic town, razed by the Germans with Franco's blessing, seat of Basque independence etc for centuries.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">I was feeling a bit achy and tired this morning but two glasses of red wine and a super-strength Spanish ibuprofen saw me right and the last two hours were steep - as always - but pleasant.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">This camino is so different from last year. It's basically just really tough, gradient-wise, the whole way. The few minutes of flat come as a huge surprise, and a 20 or 30 minute slog uphill seems par for the course. It is gorgeous countryside though and the view from every hilltop is glorious, even if it is generally accompanied by a feeling of 'oh bugger I bet we're about to walk down there... And then up there...'</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Tonight, a lovely private hostel albeit with all the craziest snorers etc from last night. And still no dinner...</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Tomorrow: to Bilbao.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghsVrMDrfRp8FHuFzQSc_1FdqMi79znlRgnCNRHO3RrcamLeHRK81acYv-AI1YU2v-5azHBZX2xUIzE_4b2Owb5rO9-9M7qxRrQTuNkJ-aXe70_1yITuV1QuIQjsqagXSaS5998JFtFGM/s640/blogger-image-1470680116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghsVrMDrfRp8FHuFzQSc_1FdqMi79znlRgnCNRHO3RrcamLeHRK81acYv-AI1YU2v-5azHBZX2xUIzE_4b2Owb5rO9-9M7qxRrQTuNkJ-aXe70_1yITuV1QuIQjsqagXSaS5998JFtFGM/s640/blogger-image-1470680116.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOwT11rZwN9TmhHSCy9sIUkbNiZsPNwZGZR5fQ2ykg98wwJWzKJjp-Um60y8BLYOhdIgtI6lXCYAF_UhtGhyphenhyphenvE9XPpuQG6yZDhhKX6x11QUNk19HPlG0cniiy3w3lLJhtIUbPzzNxWAlU/s640/blogger-image-556121049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOwT11rZwN9TmhHSCy9sIUkbNiZsPNwZGZR5fQ2ykg98wwJWzKJjp-Um60y8BLYOhdIgtI6lXCYAF_UhtGhyphenhyphenvE9XPpuQG6yZDhhKX6x11QUNk19HPlG0cniiy3w3lLJhtIUbPzzNxWAlU/s640/blogger-image-556121049.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41yU1n5SkpAaj75iNvXfBmR9zoqpCwMa3ZtA1wntiL0VEwYQiDarjPR7l_ILURJtJGOFe5Jrr-By4tZ_ojjsu4i4hFLNQKYaA3ueze9uMZ_odLahIWEUkhe6gzpbRA7RlZ4JB4Ugye_s/s640/blogger-image-1012379667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41yU1n5SkpAaj75iNvXfBmR9zoqpCwMa3ZtA1wntiL0VEwYQiDarjPR7l_ILURJtJGOFe5Jrr-By4tZ_ojjsu4i4hFLNQKYaA3ueze9uMZ_odLahIWEUkhe6gzpbRA7RlZ4JB4Ugye_s/s640/blogger-image-1012379667.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5327625021062975154.post-618987499551989812015-05-23T04:08:00.001-07:002015-05-23T04:09:12.147-07:00Day 4: to Zenarruza (27k)<div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">A proper pilgrim night last night. Meaning, much too much to drink and a wonderful dinner of misunderstanding and, sometimes, too much understanding. At the end of which the hostess correctly picked out two troublesome snorers and escorted them off to a 'garage' so that the rest of us would be undisturbed. Unfortunately not Mr 'I am sleeping with my daughter, in the women's dorm, yah? I have special German certification for this!'.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">For me the walk today was very enjoyable but tough enough. Partly because the whole morning was in drizzle so it was the usual choice between damp with sweat or damp with rain. Huge elevation changes and streaming wet tracks, we were mostly in high forest with what must have been stunning views, if you weren't in cloud.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">The lunch stop was in the apparently super separatist Basque town of Markina-Xemein. We had previously seen a bunch of elderly gentlemen standing under umbrellas discussing something serious in the absolute middle of nowhere, and concluded they were debating which slope to throw the bodies off. In this town we met an Irish chap who'd been here for 25 years, was sketchy on the details as to why, and said he couldn't really go back to Ireland now... Go figure. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">After lunch we had better weather but the trails were often muddy streams and the going was very hard because of that. We passed through some lovely small villages including Bolivar, from where began the family of some chap Simon who went on to liberate lots of South America. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Our destination for tonight is a monastery, very old and beautiful, with a tiny packed dorm that also serves as common and dining room for us. I am sceptical much sleep will be had but it's a beautiful spot and, having just about recovered from the cold shower I am looking forward to a spot of vespers. And a proper pilgrim night of a very different kind.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">--later, since there is no wifi--</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Vespers was lovely, sung by five monks with an average age of about 85. Dinner, long-awaited, was a lukewarm cabbage soup. Ugh. The night was long and snore-filled and the morning began at 5 with an elderly gentleman who didn't understand how to turn off his mobile phone. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3vM8Oz-z0h8_QWmaP6VWWei1mYMa9Gpkt-H9y0Tm6BnETODUNvq29O7SgDay_uRgQUkll3VTbwrgYjWKIwNeAD4GA04UvrIX4W8vlHBb1RgA8yMdgqGfzmQpSKUT4ipxLKrp9FUo7lnE/s640/blogger-image--733828549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3vM8Oz-z0h8_QWmaP6VWWei1mYMa9Gpkt-H9y0Tm6BnETODUNvq29O7SgDay_uRgQUkll3VTbwrgYjWKIwNeAD4GA04UvrIX4W8vlHBb1RgA8yMdgqGfzmQpSKUT4ipxLKrp9FUo7lnE/s640/blogger-image--733828549.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOSbD56FaRg5jIVJKBKrNDJbPckWgCpuffFGtcUa7zLV2MKDTvkmtLS71yJaUwZX7Gboa4ErC_NY_nN40iEuSbf9fZ7a_tJ8wVlsbyU4gIcxUaQ7QNLqO3qYSsbfru91mUvG13Sd2Xlk/s640/blogger-image-1080193957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOSbD56FaRg5jIVJKBKrNDJbPckWgCpuffFGtcUa7zLV2MKDTvkmtLS71yJaUwZX7Gboa4ErC_NY_nN40iEuSbf9fZ7a_tJ8wVlsbyU4gIcxUaQ7QNLqO3qYSsbfru91mUvG13Sd2Xlk/s640/blogger-image-1080193957.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZEOBcGsmeAfgH4hw-s-ymIC9Q4njXjxUJwR5KqzMHVYefU1JxWq7UEKdd2wclMWxcyjcfHMtN-7I4oP6dewd910w31Op9hB68RT7JYWb29ZWgkQPHC4HFu007wivDIeeXp_FH2wArTgE/s640/blogger-image--2096538050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZEOBcGsmeAfgH4hw-s-ymIC9Q4njXjxUJwR5KqzMHVYefU1JxWq7UEKdd2wclMWxcyjcfHMtN-7I4oP6dewd910w31Op9hB68RT7JYWb29ZWgkQPHC4HFu007wivDIeeXp_FH2wArTgE/s640/blogger-image--2096538050.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5327625021062975154.post-85183041502341941422015-05-21T08:58:00.001-07:002015-05-21T09:10:34.533-07:00Day 3: Zumaia to Izarbide (16k)<div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">An epic morning. Starting with coffee and pain au choc, we headed out for a 'gentle' 12k which took a turn for the scenic when given the option between short and sharp coastal route or longer softer inland. Niall, Gary and I went coastal and it was a really glorious route along a fairly unused GR (European long distance) path. The coastline was spectacular - huge steep cliffs and fossil-strewn rocks. And incredibly tough walking, shuffling up massive inclines and then trying not to slide face first down the other side.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">We were unable to fully explain the epicness of our morning to the others when we met up in a seaside bar in Deba at lunchtime. They just said 'yeah our route was pretty tough too'. Huh.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Anyway, the overall effect was that we reigned in our (massive over)expectations and booked into an albergue just 5km on (uphill). The local hunters had blacked over the majority of the arrows but we nonetheless made it to the albergue where Patrick - the most competitive member of our crew - had fortunately been sitting for a couple of hours.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Out of the rain showers, showered, and booked into a full-on pilgrim hostel with integral single-sex dorms (which the German man next to me seems immune to), 5 beers for 8 Euro and a sunny seat all is well for the evening. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Our plan is off course and I've no idea where we will find 6 beds for the next few nights, but it's a lovely spot and further proof that when you need it most, the camino provides.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwulOSHBEgOWyVj7pk5pljuMMTHjXJsCjYgwqFgRisom14yQnJpj2TixuU5Wr2OpnZCTz1fDnr1bQs5hvCjrtgOlw1lpqwtWiASAwVfsWuiuAyny_j8L62TrDj7AOYKOIQv_fHxwYwdiQ/s640/blogger-image--1241380972.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQ2U-FGloBnesunI0uQnwP94bAy_8s8FN7VuasATQt65IW5fdBPa3Q4oDFn6W8-ej7iThu-xb9cY1zlbsuq8fK34S1msYgl9BouPByKIw8aqhm1kK0zWI-NU-olw_b583clOqiddk5nA/s640/blogger-image--886467500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQ2U-FGloBnesunI0uQnwP94bAy_8s8FN7VuasATQt65IW5fdBPa3Q4oDFn6W8-ej7iThu-xb9cY1zlbsuq8fK34S1msYgl9BouPByKIw8aqhm1kK0zWI-NU-olw_b583clOqiddk5nA/s640/blogger-image--886467500.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKnFBjsiuvW1bWoVPg0jkU3kGBOM1sBLUij-a5LS4UmO9BE2XZfBv4k-G-RHCiNblAOnb_XkjdVltdrQTSAHfSELCUQNWMHMJsJ4f_qswaUbZr7v6HBB43zC8QrL6MosYHu15KuQbQAQ/s640/blogger-image-910872542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKnFBjsiuvW1bWoVPg0jkU3kGBOM1sBLUij-a5LS4UmO9BE2XZfBv4k-G-RHCiNblAOnb_XkjdVltdrQTSAHfSELCUQNWMHMJsJ4f_qswaUbZr7v6HBB43zC8QrL6MosYHu15KuQbQAQ/s640/blogger-image-910872542.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5327625021062975154.post-25514155965481218332015-05-20T08:03:00.001-07:002015-05-20T22:40:54.076-07:00Day 2: : San Sebastián to Zumaia (32k)<br><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Four martini rossos plus earplugs provided a surprisingly good night's sleep and the back pain is almost entirely gone. Entirely proving my physio's point that sitting is the enemy, not overuse. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">We set out from San Sebastián on a terrible weather forecast but actually had a couple of dry hours before the first shower and while the showers were heavy when they arrived, it was generally warm and sometimes even sunny in between. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">The terrain was very mixed, rural farms plus bits of forest and endless hills... I got to the point that even downhill was not good (and normally I love downhill and can't understand why people complain about having gravity working with you...). </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">The only major barrier, apart from altitude came in the form of an extremely well-horned cow who was blocking the narrow footpath at one point. Having had the misfortune to watch a young matador getting somewhat gored on TV two nights ago we all edged past her rather warily as she waved her horns around in a mostly-friendly manner.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Coffee and bacon sandwiches arrived mid morning in the busy fishing and boat building town of Orio. We met a young German guy who having walked from Bordeaux, had just decided it was too slow so had swapped his full backpack for a tiny running bag and was now going to run the rest of the way to Santiago. Zeez crazee Germans..</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">The rest of the day was split into hour-long stretches between villages and small towns, my perfect walking to refreshment ratio. Zarautz was a fairly big town set along a spectacular beach with huge messy waves rolling in. We managed to miss the signposting up over the hill out of town, so instead had a lovely hour along the waterfront as increasingly huge waves crashed in and fishing boats struggled to make headway against them. In Getaria I recognised that I had been there before, again on the Laurie trip when I randomly parked up for a lunch stop and got caught up in some kind of village festival. In Askizu we took one last stop with only a few k to go but as a result got caught in a blinder of a shower as we came down over the last headland.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">In Zumaia, the official albergue isn't yet open for the season and the private albergue recently closed. Luckily we found this out while patronising an old man's bar, whose friendly owner then called the lady who owns the rooms above. As chief negotiator I was able to secure a blessed single room for myself for 20E, and enough combinations of beds to fit the whole crew. Happy days.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwhxw_dUh6lEW04IqhdEGhQwTGG5d_RS1xGGH9iAuX8x3cOpEZG9Jbf1FEBZaj4DhDuUxyiv5ORd0sA77VKdek5wx8J9JjpaYKsRqjGHZ9saffd_GxM1k1b3NZnhuuIF8IqT_ItLJsI2w/s640/blogger-image--1710906499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwhxw_dUh6lEW04IqhdEGhQwTGG5d_RS1xGGH9iAuX8x3cOpEZG9Jbf1FEBZaj4DhDuUxyiv5ORd0sA77VKdek5wx8J9JjpaYKsRqjGHZ9saffd_GxM1k1b3NZnhuuIF8IqT_ItLJsI2w/s640/blogger-image--1710906499.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); 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font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMTmwpSzg2ss6RSdtZJ-agXK20wgo0pIySEMNJCJCg7CumhypPu6dy1iTV07lRK_3xJZopwGetX-fohY8TTXIBmRj0DIUa6xncx5MG5p5qEHmCnhUutyOKAK8e7ipKfF_Z7zzIcQenfs/s640/blogger-image--1743744896.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMTmwpSzg2ss6RSdtZJ-agXK20wgo0pIySEMNJCJCg7CumhypPu6dy1iTV07lRK_3xJZopwGetX-fohY8TTXIBmRj0DIUa6xncx5MG5p5qEHmCnhUutyOKAK8e7ipKfF_Z7zzIcQenfs/s640/blogger-image--1743744896.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5327625021062975154.post-81642379938575265432015-05-19T08:24:00.001-07:002015-05-19T08:24:38.169-07:00Day 1: Irun to San Sebastián (26k).<div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>For some reason I didn't think it would be particularly hard to get back on the road. In truth it was plenty hard enough and I am plenty tired enough (and one, no two, Martini Rossos down) as I write this.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">As we left this morning the cheery hostel keeper said 'the sun is coming today!'. (Turns out we met him walking last year on the Camino Frances - when I asked him if he had indeed walked it last year he said 'of course, I do it every year').</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">The sun did come out, but not until we had been properly tipped on on the top of the pass. I was slightly peer pressured into taking the high route, 'for alpinist pilgrims', as the sign said. It must have been very beautiful on a sunny day as it seemed there was rivers or sea on all sides and a 360 view back across to France in one direction, and onward to Spain in the other.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Plenty of ups and downs and once we were lower and our breath had stopped smoking and everything was beginning to dry, it was a lovely walk. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Full marks to the voluminous lime green poncho (thanks Dad) which somewhat hampered my ability to get through narrow gaps but definitely made the downpour less troublesome.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Late morning with the worst of the walk cracked we walked into a tiny ancient port village that I had visited I think 5 years ago with Laurie, my Boston friend. Two coffees, pinxos (bar snacks) a plenty, we were ready to tale the ferry across the river and face the last 10k along the beautiful and now mostly dry coast path to San Sebastian.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">...which is a really cracking town. Two beautiful sweeps of beach, a lovely old town, and a typically odd youth hostel managed by a grumpy lady who shouted at me for skipping the queue, and was disgusted by my choice to stay with the group ie in a mixed sex dorm. ('There won't just be these men. There will be other men too!').</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsNiryUAWSr9DsLBjvzxaLKrw3kbDBZHfNZEIoKokQOpF1l38zdpab2ne-w_0MqDBFrTUHNG6fhqGbjfoJa1NxPWFSaFss4i7Sfq9Vy_atvZToQuTlZC0e6W0MJzQEVaQWA6mMqotoRcc/s640/blogger-image-520144070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsNiryUAWSr9DsLBjvzxaLKrw3kbDBZHfNZEIoKokQOpF1l38zdpab2ne-w_0MqDBFrTUHNG6fhqGbjfoJa1NxPWFSaFss4i7Sfq9Vy_atvZToQuTlZC0e6W0MJzQEVaQWA6mMqotoRcc/s640/blogger-image-520144070.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIA2iEIYq7830IESRTDntBXxERxyPZN_-4hTdWpRJ1y84U1nV3vEPeKMg-kALnmBIHFXFPG8K27eRyTf5Saunw0tA7I7qOMIz2dwFoDbKYeXVX5b5jTav0lC2Z_SfEGtKVpOnV-uok1Xg/s640/blogger-image--1824423182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIA2iEIYq7830IESRTDntBXxERxyPZN_-4hTdWpRJ1y84U1nV3vEPeKMg-kALnmBIHFXFPG8K27eRyTf5Saunw0tA7I7qOMIz2dwFoDbKYeXVX5b5jTav0lC2Z_SfEGtKVpOnV-uok1Xg/s640/blogger-image--1824423182.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbj_-aSZMleqsga6zQ61l6sLJYjxnCWpKTeOHWVcrpEsAdfcI8xHMJi_X-Nhu0PUir4E2U6OU__RGfoY_tPZdRcpDZ_9LA7ZP3IQ2uIiVcYzwIxiT5HQtZdW-Q1anwdBMiQ5U3EcLUZw4/s640/blogger-image--1855533470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbj_-aSZMleqsga6zQ61l6sLJYjxnCWpKTeOHWVcrpEsAdfcI8xHMJi_X-Nhu0PUir4E2U6OU__RGfoY_tPZdRcpDZ_9LA7ZP3IQ2uIiVcYzwIxiT5HQtZdW-Q1anwdBMiQ5U3EcLUZw4/s640/blogger-image--1855533470.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1-m906GSFDZFIRlzsckTh7uoMqPNLcncw8Qz1g0giRIiOEwLPXnLsz36TXdTufLMqBHslD3ERNrRwqCvOK9QXbx5yEtT_EWa7YWKWi-VpPL5UspHU_nOJJECmi1-pbpzEqGxosdVCDw/s640/blogger-image-2086133264.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1-m906GSFDZFIRlzsckTh7uoMqPNLcncw8Qz1g0giRIiOEwLPXnLsz36TXdTufLMqBHslD3ERNrRwqCvOK9QXbx5yEtT_EWa7YWKWi-VpPL5UspHU_nOJJECmi1-pbpzEqGxosdVCDw/s640/blogger-image-2086133264.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5327625021062975154.post-15202933181479446112015-05-18T01:29:00.001-07:002015-05-18T01:29:18.964-07:00Camino del Norte, Prologue<div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">On my way to the airport to start a two week walk along the northern Spanish coast, the first section of the Camino del Norte. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Leaving England seems like a great idea this rainy morning, and it's all thanks to the initiative of the lovely Gary, the Irish friend I ended up walking the whole of last year's camino with. Testament to his charm, Gary a couple of months ago spontaneously booked himself on flights into and out of Spain, and subsequently persuaded 7 people to come along for various parts. Me plus seven, eek.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">A different route, a very different time in my life, and a different weight of expectations for what the experience will bring. On the plus side, I am reasonably fit and I know I will enjoy the walking and the coastal terrain. On the minus, I have an acute lower back problem which I'm not sure will enjoy the walking or the bunks, and the forecast, as ever on the northern Spanish coast, is looking decidedly mixed. One joy already: I have turned my work email off for the duration.</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Today's itinerary is a train to Stansted, a flight to Biarritz, a taxi to Irun (just inside the Spanish border), and hopefully a back-soothing night's sleep in the first pilgrim's hostel. Earplugs and anti-inflammatories at the ready!</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE07-ti3rfd6JvOMhVJ4sdBPVyopmwecedNbaIUixEOiN1t2-YgFtzuge3u9wncZcnb8cXFxrjCR5_CDi7e3S-uCD5CRZrzS1hciBId7XBX3OMY68lM9v3nZo21TURbwQMDwzFVBHm49w/s640/blogger-image--1482065409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE07-ti3rfd6JvOMhVJ4sdBPVyopmwecedNbaIUixEOiN1t2-YgFtzuge3u9wncZcnb8cXFxrjCR5_CDi7e3S-uCD5CRZrzS1hciBId7XBX3OMY68lM9v3nZo21TURbwQMDwzFVBHm49w/s640/blogger-image--1482065409.jpg"></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5327625021062975154.post-72755245683608821762014-09-23T09:13:00.001-07:002014-09-23T09:13:58.092-07:0023 Sept: Great Yarmouth - Stowmarket (107km)<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Well, that was a little further than I expected! Mainly due to poor navigation in the morning. I shall say this once and for all: you cannot find your way through a town using a 1:100000 map. As such I saw a lot more of Yarmouth and Lowestoft than I ever want to again.</span></div><div><br></div><div>Once I escaped those two, things got a bit more bucolic. I lunched in Beccles which was a cute and buzzing town. The early afternoon was swooping downlands and pretty, empty lanes. The latter part of the afternoon the roads were a bit bigger, the legs a bit tireder and (perhaps) the hills a bit steeper.</div><div><br></div><div>All of which lands me at Stowmarket station in time to scoff a cheese toastie and a bar of chocolate before catching the 5.35 train home to Cambridge.</div><div><br></div><div>Suffolk really is a peach of a county. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5327625021062975154.post-29306795086058683232014-09-22T08:56:00.001-07:002014-09-22T11:24:15.173-07:0022nd Sept: Sheringham- Great Yarmouth (88km)<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Last week of freedom.</span></div><div><br></div><div>Another misty start, but offset by a cooked breakfast: YHA luxury. I headed down the coast road, through a wind and wave-swept Cromer which isn't doing badly, for an old resort town. Missed the turning out of town so ended up continuing on the relatively busy coast road and then, once I realised, heading across country on designated 'Quiet Lanes'. I don't know what these are, technically, but they are signposted with pride and certainly lovely and quiet indeed.</div><div><br></div><div>After coffee at Mundesley I deserted the national cycle route for a spot of Broads. Now in truth it's hard to get near a Broad on bike, as there aren't really many roads to choose from, and only the very fast A-roads actually cross the water. Nonetheless I had a nice time pootling some heavily boatie villages and plenty of pretty lanes that looked quite a lot like Holland/Cambridgeshire.</div><div><br></div><div>My random historic find of the day (it seems to be the way of this trip) is St Benet's Abbey. Once the centre of trade and power in this area, it was - uniquely - not closed down by Henry VIII. It didn't last much longer though, and as usual the stone was soon taken for building material. The gatehouse still stands, sort of, though in the 18th century someone did build a windmill in and around it. The Abbey is still technically part of the Bishop of Norwich's domain so he holds a service there (ie in a field with some historic stones in it) once a year. You've got to love the multilayered history of East Anglia. </div><div><br></div><div>The latter section of the day was rather head down as I used a moderately inadequate map to cut east back to the coast, while trying to avoid the biggest of busy roads. It gradually became more suburban and I emerged into Great Yarmouth. This is a pretty big town for these parts, and has a fairly rough reputation (according to Vic). The only but I have seen this far is the seafront which is one lovely long sandy beach, and even a bit sunny. It also has clean, pleasant, central ensuite B&B for £23. Can't complain about that.</div><div><br></div><div>Finally, can I just mention a rather amazing thing? When travelling by train and bike in East Anglia (albeit only with booked tickets, which I do not have), the train people will, for free, come and rescue you and bring you to a train station if your bike breaks down or gets nicked. Isn't that nice of them?</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKHJXrBYGRNb0qRFiEVB9h96SPHBk2zvv-NLBzqcnUXzw0UEcPa2Kf6OY3uh0hcggl1JfCKbW3XNcexS8m4cQYrOtHAnVofjD2NEcT3EPL4-O8j6-1iWWsJEZzY3BeqXB5TiwtB4TrXg/s640/blogger-image--90134405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKHJXrBYGRNb0qRFiEVB9h96SPHBk2zvv-NLBzqcnUXzw0UEcPa2Kf6OY3uh0hcggl1JfCKbW3XNcexS8m4cQYrOtHAnVofjD2NEcT3EPL4-O8j6-1iWWsJEZzY3BeqXB5TiwtB4TrXg/s640/blogger-image--90134405.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij5ERO1zX6COxsCLlTPXhrzj3aeaZkKLFqDSisS68PiqEyG37ehFzTzsCOlSmUGGNzfOZMb5k5i-RImhuPimSy9ob7786RpmPgMhp4MH_pw_DUhP6oNF-nB9z2dBYOtpZyDfHeFfwO-Dg/s640/blogger-image-2001460228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij5ERO1zX6COxsCLlTPXhrzj3aeaZkKLFqDSisS68PiqEyG37ehFzTzsCOlSmUGGNzfOZMb5k5i-RImhuPimSy9ob7786RpmPgMhp4MH_pw_DUhP6oNF-nB9z2dBYOtpZyDfHeFfwO-Dg/s640/blogger-image-2001460228.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNrjAOzCr9dK0RhkogT4Bdpjma1MQZ4eMCxDRPaZY7OQBevN7wcCiWbBvoJSg-hxmzDjXc-FlNto-xvl-HgQHSUE55GeJNjMqeNFEJtBdSl51e0JVyydN1hmjNx8USy5121YmnffnY9yE/s640/blogger-image-576098977.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNrjAOzCr9dK0RhkogT4Bdpjma1MQZ4eMCxDRPaZY7OQBevN7wcCiWbBvoJSg-hxmzDjXc-FlNto-xvl-HgQHSUE55GeJNjMqeNFEJtBdSl51e0JVyydN1hmjNx8USy5121YmnffnY9yE/s640/blogger-image-576098977.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5327625021062975154.post-52245961939197251622014-09-21T10:33:00.001-07:002014-09-21T10:44:33.573-07:0021 Sept: Wells to Sheringham (50km)<div><br></div><div>I <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">love Norfolk. The whole place feels like a very small community and people just assume you are friendly and want to talk to them. I've had more random chats today than in ages.</span></div><div><br></div><div>I knew I didn't need to cycle far today, so took advantage of the available pottering time to have a most enjoyable day.</div><div><br></div><div>I left my pannier at the hostel first thing and biked down to see the sea. The tide was half in, meaning a long way out: Wells is raising funds for a new lifeboat as at low tide they have to tow their current lifeboat 2.5 miles across the sand to launch it!</div><div><br></div><div>I walked the beach and dune forest which is an old favourite haunt and then got briefly rained into the beach cafe. It's dog-friendly so on a Sunday morning, great entertainment for the dog-deprived like me. It was also packed, so I shared a table with a very nice family whose child was also commenting on every incoming dog ('that looks like your dog grandma but it's much fatter' 'Sshh, you can't say that!').</div><div><br></div><div>Reunited with my pannier I headed east-ish, first up and down some slightly hairy green lanes then through the back roads a bit inland of the fast coastal road.</div><div><br></div><div>I stopped at Binham priory, an extraordinary place. It was a Benedictine monastery set up by a Norman baron in the stated hope that it would count in his favour come judgement day (presumably he had done terrible deeds during the conquest). It thrived through till Henry VIII when it was sold off and ripped up for building stone - but the central building has survived and is still the parish church. In fact as I poked my head in to have a look the Sunday service had just finished and a very friendly retired farmer offered me a post-church cup of tea. </div><div><br></div><div>A few sets of sunshine and showers later I cruised into Blakeney, which was looking as lovely as ever. Apparently there were several feet of water in the quayside buildings during the storm surge last December. I planned a few future art purchases in the gallery where my hare pictures came from, and then was fed coffee and cake by two lovely ladies running a cafe out of the Methodist church.</div><div><br></div><div>More quiet back roads, flint-built villages and cycle route that was nicely undulating but not painfully so, and I found myself in the Felbrigg estate, a National Trust place. I bought a cycle map and admired their cows but as yesterday, wasn't tempted to join the house-visiting masses.</div><div><br></div><div>A final few miles, in which I had to face the main road, and I reached my destination of Sheringham. The YHA here is a former children's home, and looks it, but I have to say it works pretty well.</div><div><br></div><div>Sheringham is in the midst of a 1940s weekend. That makes the world seem a little odd, because loud speakers all over town are blaring 40s music and there are people in airforce uniform rolling out of pubs everywhere. Not to mention the odd tank. The place has really gone the whole hog, the streets are covered in bunting and and every café is displaying Camp Coffee ads etc. I did wonder what was going on this afternoon when I saw biplanes flying overhead and a Routemaster bus...</div><div><br></div><div>The wind got up this afternoon and there's a hell of a sea now. After a little wander round town, it must be time for some food.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>----</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>PS: the Round Norfolk Relay that I kept seeing yesterday looks AMAZING! The concept is the whole county border in 24 hours, with 17 people per team. If anyone ever wants to do this I am IN.</div><div><br></div><div>PPS: how lovely Norfolk looks:</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFsIChq5ZXuChWSYnVLS0zLhOlrOg8w-i6-gSFyNw1aQnKjfUolRJKz_b4dMUhyphenhyphenTu7Aao0kjtMNCOhDsViuEk_txi9crrKF4mRWSib9u7_aBI12kzBidLW8P2RFTavfdtHp3UkwdQQ9c/s640/blogger-image--1752897120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFsIChq5ZXuChWSYnVLS0zLhOlrOg8w-i6-gSFyNw1aQnKjfUolRJKz_b4dMUhyphenhyphenTu7Aao0kjtMNCOhDsViuEk_txi9crrKF4mRWSib9u7_aBI12kzBidLW8P2RFTavfdtHp3UkwdQQ9c/s640/blogger-image--1752897120.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmHyNQQqOJ28Tn7Q8JSifrrOSrzW_AER2s5Y0i6HBBzFSlee18tK561wtwCXWYY5whAO9vqdaj5_U4y18V19Zp_2WrWtQRMtZpigYG_6tjiCXvA7sucrIOQwbePu6UCFBNKPpDmDxRmZo/s640/blogger-image--1889408307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmHyNQQqOJ28Tn7Q8JSifrrOSrzW_AER2s5Y0i6HBBzFSlee18tK561wtwCXWYY5whAO9vqdaj5_U4y18V19Zp_2WrWtQRMtZpigYG_6tjiCXvA7sucrIOQwbePu6UCFBNKPpDmDxRmZo/s640/blogger-image--1889408307.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrfV7UTbTcfjb9NyIfmQqEjkQ_2ptCZFiJnFz0nvfp5Gb3b1-KHq1KioluL-sT86QX6TOR0JjsGZZR-Dq3EEZNMOFKLwS3MokgTflfFdoOENj28OxbNi1BYdvvGbp6wEyboLi6ehuZO0c/s640/blogger-image-1396215613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrfV7UTbTcfjb9NyIfmQqEjkQ_2ptCZFiJnFz0nvfp5Gb3b1-KHq1KioluL-sT86QX6TOR0JjsGZZR-Dq3EEZNMOFKLwS3MokgTflfFdoOENj28OxbNi1BYdvvGbp6wEyboLi6ehuZO0c/s640/blogger-image-1396215613.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5327625021062975154.post-85956848061090651632014-09-21T02:17:00.001-07:002014-09-21T02:17:16.368-07:0020 Sept 14: Cycling Downham Market - Wells-next-the-sea, Norfolk (82km)<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">One last mini-adventure before working life returns.</span></div><div><br></div><div>On a misty moisty morning I took the train north from Cambridge, accompanied by Horace all spick and span after an 87-quid (!) service. The Fens were under layers of gloom and it looks a lot like my good weather luck has for the present run out. </div><div><br></div><div>I debated a bit about where to start and eventually got off at Downham Market. This was perfectly pleasant, once I'd found my way out of the housing estates, but probably a mistake in that one can have too much of fens in the mist...</div><div><br></div><div>First stop was King's Lynn. I had been following good national cycle route signage but as always, I lost it instantly on entering the town. I've been to KL before but only the scuzzy bits, and was surprised to find myself in a lovely park with a sweet little chapel on a raised mound. In fact apart from an excess of Jehovah's Witnesses, the town gets a definite thumbs up on second sight. </div><div><br></div><div>I was also happy to find signposting for an off-road cycle path along an old railway line towards Sandringham. Sandringham estate really does have super woods. Even though the trees haven't turned yet they are particularly lovely here, perhaps because it seems to be a massive mix of species. I took advantage of the coffee and cake opportunity presented by the estate but didn't feel inclined to venture into the house/gardens.</div><div><br></div><div>Had a bit of a low mid-afternoon. Not sure why as I was plenty sugared up, but everything has felt like very hard work today and it's been hard to stay the right temperature. It's basically cool and very clammy and Norfolk is hilly enough that several times an hour you get sweaty and then chilled all over again. </div><div><br></div><div>Enough moaning. I bucked up on nearing the coast. Passed briefly through Burnham Market which looks like a lovely village, though it's rather hard to tell due to the 100 white 4x4s and similar parked all over it. Then Burnham Thorpe: Nelson's Village! (Says the sign). It's tiny. The biggest treat was following cycle route signposting through the tiny rear entrance (so small Horace had to squeeze through) into Holkam Park. The house was all shut up but the parkland, full of deer, was glorious. You've got to love a stately home that allows a national cycle route to cut through its property where there is no public right of way.</div><div><br></div><div>I came out the bottom of the estate into the sandy dune land of the coastal forest. A bit of almost uncycleable sandy cycle path led round to the front of Wells. I meandered slowly round town and up to the YHA which is hidden among the quiet backstreets.</div><div><br></div><div>Wells seems to be further upmarket - it has just got a supermarket (!) and bistro-like cafés seem to now outnumber amusement arcades and fish and chip shops. It also seems pretty busy and as well as it's usual weekenders also had the Round Norfolk Relay (relay marathoning by the looks of it) and a wedding or two going on. </div><div><br></div><div>The clouds are closing in. With any luck some actual rain will happen overnight and then clear to a beautiful sunny September morning!</div><div><br></div><div>Hmm. The weather forecast thinks not.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5327625021062975154.post-86811256339513467912014-09-04T12:15:00.001-07:002014-09-04T12:15:59.873-07:004th Sept - Nolton Haven to Marloes Sands<div>I <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">find that the more spectacular the day, the more difficult I find it to describe. Today has been completely spectacular. </span></div><div><br></div><div>For one thing it's been roasting hot. I've had Factor 30 on and still have a few burnspots. In Wales. In September. </div><div><br></div><div>For another it's just been one amazing walk. Apart from a couple of villages near the start (of which more later) it's been a mostly flat path alongside spectacular cliffs and isolated bays, a jade sea, red rocks, and a handful of sailboats and canoes pulled up in the inlets. There are other walkers, but only a few each hour. The coastline twists and turns and sometimes what you think is a far-off headland turns out to be an island, and vice versa. The heat haze kept the tankers coming in and out of Milford Haven just as shadows on the horizon. Every passing conversation is about what a stunning day it is.</div><div><br></div><div>Having left my toothbrush and toothpaste in the bathroom of the hostel two nights back, I was delighted to finally find a 'normal' shop today in Broadhaven. I don't think I have ever been so glad to see a Londis in my life. It provided not only the necessary to make my teeth fit for dorm-sharing tonight but also some bread, cheese and tomatoes to double as both lunch and supper today. Super.</div><div><br></div><div>This YHA is in a set of cowsheds, the girls dorm appropriately enough in the henhouse. As there are still no clouds in the sky I have high hopes that I may finally get a full sunset. On all previous nights this has been denied by sea-level cloud on the western horizon...</div><div><br></div><div>Totally exhausted by so much sun, I shall sleep well tonight I think.</div><div><br></div><div>Mini-adventure ends tomorrow, with a short final coast path section and then a bus, a train, a drive home. </div><div><br></div><div>If I had more than two thumbs I would put them all up for the Pembrokeshire coast path!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5327625021062975154.post-75984736283497854022014-09-03T11:42:00.001-07:002014-09-03T11:42:43.310-07:003rd Sept - Whitesands to Nolton Haven<div>This morning I <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">set off into a misty overcastness that made the world a rather mysterious place. Deserting the coastline briefly I headed due inland for St David's. I followed a handsome fox down some quiet lanes, and then several young male runners taking advantage of the hills for early morning training. It was too early for anything to be open in the city/village, but I did sneak a peak into the cathedral and momentarily considered attending the 8am Welsh language morning prayer. In the end I thought I might stick out a bit, and instead enjoyed the view from the churchyard.</span></div><div><br></div><div>The main beauty of the cathedral, and indeed the ruins of the Bishop's palace next door, is in its perfect fit within the landscape. Alone it is a nice little country church. In context it is a really lovely old thing. Seems to be my lot to spend this year in sites of pilgrimage. Those arriving at St David's would certainly have been less overwhelmed than Santiago pilgrims, methinks.</div><div><br></div><div>I had planned to wait for civilisation (a cafe) to open but instead decided to head on down to the coast path. I do feel quite sluggish today though nothing particularly hurts and - thus far - there are no blisters.</div><div><br></div><div>I struck civilisation at Solva, a little harbour and village with a cafe and pub, and half a dozen non-useful shops (I haven't met a useful one, ie one that sells bread or milk, since leaving Fishguard).</div><div><br></div><div>Caffeinated, I headed on over lovely headlands with the sun glinting off the sea and kayakers and sailboats the only humans in sight. Lots of steep ups and downs, and my knees are currently knackered enough that I have joined the ranks of people who hurt more going down than up.</div><div><br></div><div>The sun came out around midday, and by the time I hit the lovely long beach at Newgale I was feeling a little sun-frazzled. With not many more miles to go I spent the afternoon lolling around the low-key cafés and beaches between there and my 6pm appointment at the Mariners Inn at Nolton Haven. </div><div><br></div><div>'Tis a funny old place. There is not only a VHS player but also a Betamax in my room. I'm not sure I've seen a Betamax before. Anyway, despite the stuffed albatross in the bar, it's in a beautiful spot. I am fairly confident I shan't be kept awake by mad revelling from below.</div><div><br></div><div>Sunny days and an endless and endlessly beautiful path make the world seem a wonderful place. Hurrah for mini-adventures.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5327625021062975154.post-62183260009975613182014-09-03T00:13:00.001-07:002014-09-03T00:13:16.145-07:002nd Sept - Pwll Deri to Whitesands<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">A pleasant night last night with a friendly and mostly empty hostel, including a guy who looked younger than me but turned out to be an on-sabbatical vicar with 3 teenage daughters. I had a room to myself and the most amazing sea view. If only all hostels could be like that!</span></div><div><br></div><div>I thought today might be a bit long so was on the road not long after 7. In the first 3 hours I met a total of 3 sets of dog-walkers and no-one else. In fact the only civilisation today was the small village of Trefin, which sports a pub and a cafe-cum-gallery. I took advantage of the latter for coffee and eggs benedict. My absolute fave.</div><div><br></div><div>Glorious weather made the walking just perfect and the ups and downs and various body-grumbles didn't put a dampener on it. The morning was again full of choughs and the afternoon seals, including several sets of babies. The pups tend to be well tucked in under huge cliffs on the most inaccessible beaches - but you can often spot them because of the large visible adult guarding the mouth of the cove.</div><div><br></div><div>There's a lot of Welshness around here. My favourite sign today was for 'Tato newi' - new potatoes!</div><div><br></div><div>To find tonight's hostel I left the coast path and headed up over some tors and high ground. Breaching the top a huge flat stretch came into view including (ahem) 'city' of St David's. Well, it has a cathedral.</div><div><br></div><div>The hostel is an old farmstead at the bottom of a big hill. There's a rather sad story attached: in 1943 an American Air Force place crashes into the hill, killing all on board. Apparently it was one of a group of planes flying a relief flight from the US to the UK. The last leg was Morocco to Cornwall but to save weight (and hence fuel) only the front plane of any group had a radio, the rest just did it by sight. Unfortunately they flew into fog and, absent any navigational equipment, half the planes went down. They found a propeller from it only a few years back.</div><div><br></div><div>After a bottle of cider, a peaceful night in a dorm with some very sleepy ladies.</div><div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5327625021062975154.post-85924523867765413362014-09-01T11:01:00.001-07:002014-09-01T11:01:26.863-07:001st Sept 2014 - Fishguard to Pwll Deri<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">With the big adventures beginning to fade from memory, I have decided to maintain 'choose life' momentum through mini-adventures. </span></div><div><br></div><div>Mini-adventure number 1: the Pembrokeshire coast path. There is actually now coast path the whole way around Wales but Pembrokeshire is the oldest section and still reputedly the finest. Mum and Dad visited earlier this year while I dog-sat; their comments on returning were 'well, it's just like Cornwall. But without the tourists'. Sounds good to me!</div><div><br></div><div>So far I would concur. It's beautiful, and I have managed to line up some good weather. This morning was occupied with getting out here, so I walked only this afternoon, about 10 miles I believe. (Worryingly enough, say my legs and feet already. Gulp!).</div><div><br></div><div>Saw two seal pups lounging in coves, with two adults swimming in the water. Was telling this to a man with a nice collie and he pointed out that circling overhead were five choughs. So, two top wildlife spots in the first few hours of the odyssey! I then saw loads more choughs, and it is rumoured that there are seals just below the hostel. </div><div><br></div><div>I am staying tonight in a youth hostel with an amazing location high up on a cliff with a perfect sunset-watching spot. For a sunny evening like this you simply could not ask for more.</div><div><br></div><div>So far Pembrokeshire is completely excellent.</div><div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5327625021062975154.post-85908596473665500022014-07-18T00:13:00.001-07:002014-07-18T00:15:02.129-07:00Day 69: to Bottisham (117; 4660)<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">The ferry has an interesting business model. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">The passenger part is a bit like a casino: there's a captive audience and the aim is to keep them in places that will induce them to spend for as long as possible. It's really hard to find your way out on deck and even the way to the cabins is hidden, so you have to traverse as many attractive entertainment/ shopping/ eating/ drinking areas as possible. The ship docked this morning at 4am but passengers aren't let off till 6.30. In the meantime the other part of the business, the freight lorries, are moving fast. The chap who sold me a coffee told me that they unload 200 lorries and start reloading for before they let the non-freight passengers off. As Alex said, sort of amazing that people put up with this - in Greece there would be a riot! Someone else told me this was allegedly because customs didn't open until 6.30. Which makes you wonder who searches the incoming lorries...</span></div><div><br></div><div>In contrast to the way over I slept really badly - perhaps because a day's riding is no longer enough to tire me out. Or perhaps because I'd been watching the rather scary 'Woman in Black' immediately before bed. </div><div><br></div><div>Once we hit English phone reception I got a reassuring voicemail saying Mum's ok and home, so that cheered me up.</div><div><br></div><div>It was a hot an humid day in England but with no longer any fear re. hills or distance I took the scenic route home. I tried out national cycle routes 51 and 13 - both lovely but quite the contrast to be back on UK roads, where marked cycle routes sometimes involve an A road with heavy traffic shooting by... Such a contrast. I definitely had more scary moments in this one ride than in cycling eg in Budapest, Prague, etc.</div><div><br></div><div>I only went on the wrong side of the road twice. Oops. Let's hope that part of my brain reprogrammes before I drive anywhere. (I was laughing at a Dutch guy on the ferry who had a printout on top of his handle-bar bag saying 'ride on the left!'.)</div><div><br></div><div>So a looping, swooping 117km put me back where I started, at Vic's house in Bottisham. Job done!</div><div><br></div><div>Trip stats:</div><div><br></div><div>69 days; 4660 km; 12 countries</div><div><br></div><div>68 nights:</div><div>2 on boats</div><div>9 staying with friends</div><div>11 in hotels and apartments</div><div>8 in hostels</div><div>38 camping</div><div><br></div><div>Flat tyres: none</div><div>Chain incidents: 2 </div><div>One broken pannier rack</div><div>One new set of rear gears</div><div><br></div><div>I'm pretty happy with that! Not bad for a first solo cycle tour. It won't be the last.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXxUhNbMvGAuGIu3TbNBYNgl9K_q1j37rR6xnO16DtPt8QUMzLeq7qZI8T-1751JVuOvqv8tYpueTg5roTcZtb-Xo16m4RU9nztqLYuW_VOQSgBdzCVWRGj75bP9sOqkwsQQYEr3OcaKk/s640/blogger-image-2110890821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXxUhNbMvGAuGIu3TbNBYNgl9K_q1j37rR6xnO16DtPt8QUMzLeq7qZI8T-1751JVuOvqv8tYpueTg5roTcZtb-Xo16m4RU9nztqLYuW_VOQSgBdzCVWRGj75bP9sOqkwsQQYEr3OcaKk/s640/blogger-image-2110890821.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5327625021062975154.post-39747268602719428242014-07-16T21:31:00.001-07:002014-07-16T21:31:02.090-07:00Day 68: to Hook of Holland (86, 4543)<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">An absolutely beautiful day for the last leg on foreign soil. I hung out with Khanum and family in the morning and set off at lunchtime. I've grown so much faith in the Dutch cycleways I just used their signage for navigation, which was impressively only 6k more than the most direct mapped route. </span></div><div><br></div><div>Back along the Harlememeer, the beautiful bit of river and lake I've ridden twice before. Now that Dutch schools are out this looks like proper holiday terrain and I was (happily; it was hot) shot at with water pistols by some kids. </div><div><br></div><div>Also passed through miles of glasshouse through the thick of the flower market belt. The auction house in Alsmeer apparently puts 6 million euros worth through every day (says quite an old Lonely Planet, so perhaps more by now). By Dutch auction, of course. It's certainly a massive complex when you're trying to get through by bike.</div><div><br></div><div>I hit the sea near The Hague and had a lovely last run down the coast, somewhat overshadowed however by the news that Mum had fallen off her horse and broken her arm. I'm awaiting more news but certainly glad I am already on the way home and hope I can get there and be useful soon.</div><div><br></div><div>I showed my passport for the first time since arriving in Holland ten weeks ago. Amazing how Europe now is. Had some in-depth questioning from passport control ('so... Are you going home then?') and then a long delay while we waited for lorries to manoeuvre themselves onto the ferry. It's an impressive sight: the ramp up starts on quite a sharp bend so the biggest artics have to reverse half way up a different ramp and then take a run at it. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5327625021062975154.post-36016165206637235512014-07-16T00:54:00.001-07:002014-07-16T00:54:13.409-07:00Day 67: to Amstelveen (again) (78; 4457)<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">I started the day not that far from Amstelveen, but spent most of looping around more beautiful sand dunes for the hell of it. Some cracking headwinds made the seaside sections interesting, but they turned tail for the run inland, which was amazingly quick and easy as a result. This inland run was along the same section I took in driving rain two months back. What a difference a bit of summer makes.</span></div><div><br></div><div>Khanum and family were back from ten days' holiday in France by just one hour when I arrived, so my bags etc are adding nicely to their chaos!</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0