A 3,800 Kilometer pilgrimage from my ancestral home in County Clare, Ireland to Santiago de Compostela and Muxia. As part of this journey I walked both Camino Frances and Del Norte.
An Unexpected Encounter from: IT’S A LONG WAY FROM TIPPERARY TO SANTIAGO. Day 140 Baimorto, Galicia. October, 2018. 10 days ago I was spending the night at La Ferraire Albergue and the owner/hospitalero Sergio and I had several conversations about various aspects of The Camino and we seemed to agree on everything. In fact it …
Learning To Cut Turf (Peat) The Old Fashioned Way: A few weeks into a 3,000 kilometer pilgrimage from County Clare, Ireland to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, I was in the middle of a 30K walk in Cork, from Millstreet to Bweeng, on a sunny day with scattered clouds across the deep blue sky. As the …
Learning The Art of Cutting Turf (Peat) In Ireland: Read More »
Frances may be my favorite but each Pilgrim is unique. The better question to ask is, “Which Camino Is Best For Me?” First of all, it is important to be aware that the Camino de Santiago is a personal journey and there is no right, wrong, best or worst Camino. Do some research and walk …
Which Camino Should I Walk? The Camino Frances Or? Read More »
Its A Long Way From Tipperary to Santiago. Day 92: I woke at 4:45AM, noticing my Hungarian friend, Agi, was gone. I noted to thank her for being so quiet. Leaving Mansilla de las Mulas at 5:22 it was still dark passing tiny Gloria, a middle aged woman from Ecuador. As always in The Meseta …
The Quest To Walk 50 Kilometers In A Day: Tipperary to Santiago Day 92 Read More »
Its A Long Way From Tipperary To Santiago. Day 94 After yesterday’s 54K walk, a much needed rest day was taken in Hospital de Orbigo. So I expected to have fresh legs today but no just the opposite. The moment I left Albergue Verde I felt sluggish and struggled the first hour to Santibáñez de …
IT’S A LONG WAY FROM TIPPERARY TO SANTIAGO. 2018 August 18 Just a few days before Santiago, walking just before dawn through the hilly forest between Triancastela and Sarria., my body fatigued, the feet aching, but at least the infected decaying tooth better after a week of antibiotics. This is my 6th Camino but the …
IT’S A LONG WAY FROM TIPPERARY TO SANTIAGO. Days 125-126. 3 Oct: Woke at 6:15 and had breakfast before nice walk in dark and then along coast to Camillos where I chatted with Steve and Georgina from Canada. Came to Convent where the nuns are cloistered and they had interesting contraption for passing your Credentials …
IT’S A LONG WAY FROM TIPPERARY TO SANTIAGO. Days 123-124. Walked on enjoying beautiful calm in dark and then changing skies of gray, orange, yellow to blue. Took coastal walk to ferry taking us to Santander. Inese came running up to the boat just as we were leaving. We carried on together visiting cathedral in …
IT’S A LONG WAY FROM TIPPERARY TO SANTIAGO. Day 122. A wonderfully quiet walk today. Had an interesting discussion with Tomas from Czech Republic at tea break. He still has anger towards his parents. Hope he can sort that out. I need to call my kids. Arrived in Güermes and had bocadillo before walking to …
IT’S A LONG WAY FROM TIPPERARY TO SANTIAGO DAYS 120-21. Pobeña to Noja. Gorgeous walk up around rocky coast. The beauty of Del Norte continues to awe. Even the cities are impressive as we walked up beach to the Cathedral and fortress of Castro Urdiales. ——— ———- ——— Going over the mountains I stopped for …
IT’S A LONG WAY FROM TIPPERARY TO SANTIAGO-Days 118-119; Walked alone through hills passing young guys from Canary Islands in their tent and stopped in Larrabezco for excellent local version of tortilla patata; layered as sandwich with cheese tomato and lettuce. The 3 German sisters showed up and we walked together off and on on …
IT’S A LONG WAY FROM TIPPERARY TO SANTIAGO. Days 115-117 Walked in the dark through hills enjoying peaceful solo stroll eventually descending into Zumaia. Then a scenic continued walk in hills to Deba where I got into Albergue in train station after ridiculous back and forth to get keys. Enjoyed an interesting chat with Polish …
IT’S A LONG WAY FROM TIPPERARY TO SANTIAGO. Day 114 Why not keep walking. Having 15 days ago completed a 111 day Camino de Santiago from my ancestral home in County Clare in the west of Ireland to Santiago, Finisterre, and Muxia, I am now back in Spain and two days out of …
Its A Long Way From Tipperary to Santiago. Day 80 Puente La Reina to Estella Yesterday I walked into Estella around 11:15 grateful that an early start got me there before the blistering 35C (95F) of the afternoon. I was winging it on where to stay and the Municipal Albergue was in a great location …
Walking up Alto de Perdon, one of the great view points on Camino Francis I pass this older couple and we chat. Jose Maria and Encarnacion are from Madrid and both 82 years old. This is the 30th Camino for them. Roncesvalles to Santiago each time. 765K (475 miles). They have walked every year for …
Inspirational Octogenarians on The Camino. TIPPERARY TO SANTIAGO DAY 78 Read More »
Last night I was leaving the Roncesvalles Abbey Albergue for the Bar to have a drink before dinner. A fellow pilgrim who I had walked with for a half hour or so during the day was in the reception area and asked if I wanted to go to the mass and a special concert immediately …
A Night of 13th Century Music at Roncevalles Abbey-TIPPERARY TO SANTIAGO DAY 76 Read More »
Arrived in St. Jean Pied de Port (SJPP) on Thursday but Friday morning it was foggy and rainy. Why not take a rest day. So today, Saturday, I left at 6:09 from SJPP and walked through the empty Citadelle street enjoying the near full moon above. And there were fewer people around than the 2 …
The Fork. TIPPERARY TO SANTIAGO DAY 70: Arrived at the fork before 7 enjoying unexpected cloudy skies on a cool morning with a long stretch of 30C+(86F) temperatures forecasted. I had planned all along to veer right to Camino Del Norte because it was one of the Camino’s I had not walked yet. I had …
Tipperary to Santiago-Left to Camino Frances or Right to Camino Del Norte? Day 70 Read More »
Day 59 Tipperary to Santiago. It’s getting crowded on this Camino. I ran into a traffic jam. Feels like Sarria. After 58 days of not seeing a single peregrino I round a trail 18 kilometers out of Saint Jean d’Angely and run into two; a young French guy Arnold and Jose, a Mexican American veteran …
ALONE ON THE CAMINO…..I DON’T THINK SO. Day 53 to 55-Tipperary to Santiago: Still hoping to meet my first fellow pilgrim as the summer heat is coming to western France and this part of The Camino includes mostly road walking which wears on you after 25-30k. My spirits were lifted though for today for the …