An incredible day with a small climb to the summit and then all the way back down to civilisation! Starting bright and early – dark and early? – just before sunrise, we made it up towards the summit as the sunlight poured across a low bank of clouds and covered the plains far below. In…

Up and away into the mountains! A cold, grey day for the most part, with very rewarding views and mostly natural trails. Starting out quite high already in Astorga at around 900m, the day climbed us up to nearly 1,500m through a string of increasingly lovely rural villages. Gradually at first, until reaching Rabanal del…

A bright and sunny day’s walking towards distant snow-touched montañas / mountains! While the cities along the Camino provide excitement, facilities and cathedrals, the arriving into and leaving from those cities is typically an exercise in endurance. Lovely León proved no exception, with a tiny trudge to start the day, but suburban traffic-soaked streets passed…

Down into the City of Lions! (Not actually, rather the name is derived from the Roman legions who camped here thousands of years ago.) A fairly short day, meaning a more relaxed start and even time for communal breakfast and that rare gem on Camino, a pre-walk coffee courtesy of the hospitalero / warden. Off…

How long is the Camino Francés? – surprisingly difficult to find a precise answer, and values range from 760 to 800km. Whatever the total, the town of Sahagún has declared itself the halfway point. And today we passed thru, so we’re now into the second half of this adventure! Another amazing sunrise to start the…

Quinto día de Meseta! Another earlier start in order to beat the heat of the afternoon sun. Pretty, calm and peaceful walking along and besides streets quiet on this Easter Sunday morning, across the typical bridge out of town and then soon enough back into countryside. And excited to spend a large part of the…

Third day of the mighty Meseta! The best and greatest dawn on the Camino so far, and one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. A few of us set out from Castrojeriz in the quiet dark pre-sunrise, down gently from the edge of town to the rio Odrilla and from there straight along a…

Fourth day on the marvellous Meseta! A very short day (for Camino) today – because it’s either “just” 18km, or 35 – after Carrión there’s a very large gap of 17km without any villages or water, and little shade. Better attempted when the day, and ourselves, are fresh. Beautiful start to the day walking alongside…

Day 2 of the Meseta! Another beautiful blue sky, as we climbed gently out of Hornillos and back up onto a glorious plateau of green fields and gentle rolling paths. In the clearer air of today, snow-capped mountains visible in the far distance to our right and slowly moving closer. A quite lovely coffee /…

The Meseta begins! Leaving Burgos, the typical trudge to make it out of the suburbs and then before too long back into greenery. The odd motorway bridge and tunnel, but then eventually fields, farms and villages again. Classic Camino, if you will. Two small towns en route today, squished together so close you could almost…

A surprisingly green and pleasant walk today, ending at an incredible cathedral! An early morning stroll through some poorly-lit forests, then as the grey day dawned the Camino led down to the hamlet of Agés and a really lovely spot of farmland walking both before and after. There was a minor patch of marginally dodgy…

Small towns and a beautiful forest walk today! Belorado flashed by swiftly and it was the bridge out of town and then into countryside. Another plethora of small, quaint villages flew by in the first 12km – Tosantos, Villambistia, Espinosa del Camino, and Villafranca Montes de Oca. Given my love of a great name I…

Snow day today! Only a few gentle flurries, a couple of times during the walk, and only once was it coupled with an icy wind. Several small towns passed thru today – Grañon, Redecilla del Camino, Castildelgado, Viloria de la Rioja, and Villamayor. Phew! Only stopped in the last of these – for an excellent…

Today’s destination was Santo Domingo de la Calzada, what a cracker of a name! Off into the reddy hills encircling Nájera, climbing gently and then reaching farmland swiftly under a grey-flecked sky. Turning back, the only sign of the town behind was a large cross atop the hills. Gentle walking thru rolling landscapes leading into…

Red rocks and a long day! This one started cold and stayed that way. Dry, at least. From Logroño centro in the early morning light, across a railway and thru suburbs until – wonderfully – reaching a large urban park with a reservoir of some sort, with hombres setting up for what looked to be…

Started early and out into the first rain of the Camino so far! A chilly five-degrees. Headlamp on, aiming towards the lights of distant towns and walking into growing daylight. Accompanied by the spring scents that seemed intensified by the rainfall. The day felt long, probably because it was. The rain came and went, swapping…

Early doors today and out into the outskirts of Estella, up a hill and then into the countryside. Passed a wine fountain – tasted alright but didn’t think a full cup of red would have helped with walking – and then into the village of Azqueta and its fantastic cafe for empanada and coffee. A…

Unbelievably beautiful day again today! The hits just keep on coming. Across the actual Puente la Reina, and almost immediately back into countryside. Paths thru fields and then a steepish climb up into a pine forest. More rolling hills and fields – an autopista / motorway starting to roll alongside – then the wee town…

Another banger of a day with more blue skies, green fields, and charming Spanish towns. Left Pamplona early so as to be over the day’s wee hill before the sun was too high in the sky. After a little while passing thru to the other side of Pamplona, fields led slowly upwards to the hillside…

Another brilliantly blue sky all day today. What luck! Three degrees outdoors – super warm in albergue all night – so hat and gloves to start. Back across the Bridge of Rabies, then swiftly past a large industrial site and back to rolling green country and small towns along the way. Along with many other…

Gregorian chants woke the dormitory at 6am – piped, not live, but unique either way. Ready, dressed, breakfasted and out the door by the union-mandated 8am start time. A vastly calmer, greener and more beautiful day unfolded in front of us. Highways and mountain passes behind, the trail was nearly all forest paths, and again…

Pretty great day, and an incredible early start with a crisp, clear sky – perfect walking weather. Some quiet country lanes for much of the morning, until Valcarlos – across the border into Spain – where the walking was on the edge of a national highway. Less amusing, though with some sweet views both up…

Another clear blue sky to start the day. A local train today, from Bayonne to the charming town of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (SJPP) in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Both towns are in Basque country and it’s great seeing the language alongside French on most signs etc. Also noted a graffito calling for “Independentzia!” – the culture and…

Another relaxed day today. Up at four o’clock – the bad four o’clock – for Eurostar check in. A train from London to Paris that takes about as long as the train from Auckland to Hamilton (sob), metro across Paris, and then four hours across the French countryside by TGV to Bayonne. Now settled on…

Another quiet day in London, this time just laundry, more walking around, and repacking for travel – and an early night for the 6am train tomorrow, yikes. Highlight of the day was reading my Camino guidebook under the clear spring sunlight flooding the plaza of the British Library.

Heathrow to Kings X this morning, lots of walking around the Royal Parks this afternoon to keep jetlag at bay, and dinner with a friend this evening.

Sunday, irrelevant o’clock. Many hours in transit in Singapore Changi, probably my favourite airport lately. Ate a meal that was dinner food but at breakfast time? Seemed appropriate. Congee, pictured – a savoury ricey-porridge dish with spring onions, soaked peanuts (?), pickled onions and an indeterminate black paste. And nasi lemak – Malaysian specialty with…

Left NZ today… very sad to say goodbye. The road goes ever on and on.