This is it the night before the trip starts and my feelings are a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Everything is going through my head. Have I trained enough? Will my bike make it? Is it going to rain or will it be too hot?
But really none of this matters as I know that I will give it my best shot and if thousands of pilgrims have travelled it in the past with no back up I can do it whatever the weather with a bike, camel packs and a daily packed lunch. After all it is not a race.
My Son Simon who speaks fluent Spanish is my back up and driver and we will both set off tomorrow to head for Le Bec Hallouia in France and then for the town of Saint-Jean Pied de Port where the real journey will begin.
Over the weekend I went to Cornwall to my Brothers 50th birthday which was fantastic. A pirate fancy dress party. However, when you travel the Camino, you are supposed to take a pebble with you from a meaningful place and place somewhere you think it should go along the way.
I have 3:
A blue stone from Watergate Bay beach
A 2000 year old piece of pottery given to me by my Brother.
A stone from my house in Leek Wootton.
Where they will end up I don't know and to some of you it may sound a bit weird but I'm going to do it anyway.
On that note see you in France.
Au revoir
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All the best to you both for a good first day's journey to Le Bec. Dont forget to order your croissants ( especially recommend the almond variety)! Will look forward to hearing your first day's news. Ruth xx
ReplyDeleteHi to Dave & Simone - with a pilgrim's name like mine you should have realised my mountain bike tyres would be much wider and knoblier than yours. It seems you were straight out the blocks once you hit France yesterday and shot past our Le Bec Hellouin camp site en route for Bordeaux - no croissants for you guys then. You forgot to put me through that intensive training programme before you left - so once down & then back up the Hatton flight of locks will just have to do - hey ho. You two certainly looked well organised & kitted out in the camper van - really looking forward to joining you as a fellow pilgrim from 18th. Best wishes for the assault on the Pyrennes which I expect will be a tad more difficult than Hatton locks! Bon voyage - Colon
ReplyDeleteColon is finding his postings from last w/e are not getting through to the blog. Will try again if this succeeds.
ReplyDeleteThat seem to have worked! Really great to see your video diary Dave although no foorage of Simone serving up the evening meals. Sure things are well in hand to feed all 5 of us next week. Trust you to take the tough route - hardly surprising that no other cyclists feature on your footage. When you started out at St Jean Pied de Port did you take a sharp right at the sign 'Les cyclistes tout droit' Am tracking you to arrive in Burgos this eve then all downhill into Leon for Saturday. Really looking forward to meeting up on Sunday - best wishes to you both - Colon.
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