Our first overseas journey, to Papua New Guinea, remains one of our most adventurous. While not the hardest physically, nowhere else have we ventured so far off the beaten track, days away from any means of communication with the outside world and deep into a realm so unknown to us.
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In our Hearts
In our Hearts is Anna’s successful entry in the 2021 competition, 100 Caminos 100 Stories.
In 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, the Chilean Friends of the Camino established a 100-word story competition to keep the spirit of the Camino alive and to lift the spirits of walkers around the globe. Anna’s entry Josef and the Silver Way was highly commended.
The competition was so successful that the Friends decided to run it again. Anna’s In our Hearts was selected for publication from the more than 600 entries received.
In our hearts tells the story of an enduring friendship made on the Camino Mozarabe.
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Istanbul: a postcard from the lost world
Istanbul is a dazzling, beguiling city. Once the capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, its epic history was shaped by a myriad of cultures including Arabic, Armenian, Greek, Bulgarian, Jewish and Kurdish. Its waterways are mythic; the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara. Shimmering domes, minarets and medieval towers rise from its seven hills.
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Cinque Terre: a postcard from the lost world
It’s our first spring in 18 months and we can’t get enough of the Cinque Terre; its vividly coloured villages, sparkling beaches, warm Italian sun and hillsides splashed with red poppies, purple orchids and white narcissus.
Centuries ago, the steep hills of the Cinque Terre were terraced with dry-stone walls and planted with vines. The inhabitants of its five villages farmed the land, fished the seas and made wine. But poverty, war and the lure of the city led to the abandonment of many of the hillside plots. The stabilising stone walls fell into disrepair and devastating landslides became more common. In response, the Cinque Terre National Park was created to restore and protect the natural and cultural heritage of this achingly beautiful coastal area.
We plan to walk for four days; two days on the Cinque Terre’s high route (the Sentiero Rosso), one day on the coastal route, and one day further north, in the wilder Portofino Natural Park.
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Jodhpur: a postcard from the lost world
On our way to the blue city of Jodhpur, we share the road with buffalo-drawn wooden ploughs, red-turbaned shepherds, men riding rickety bicycles piled high with building materials and flag-carrying pilgrims on their way to a holy site in the western desert. The dusty air is heady with incense on a day shot through with the silky colours of Rajasthan; reds, pinks, orange and saffron.
We stop at a Jain temple high up in the mountains and wander its intricately carved marble interior, mesmerised by its icons and calm courtyards. We look out over a wild green landscape where leopards and Indian tigers still roam.
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Achill Island: a postcard from the lost world
A walking festival draws us to Achill Island on Ireland’s wild and beautiful west coast.
On the first night of the festival, we meet walkers from all over Ireland. Among them are Maree & Seamus O’Brien, Brid & Paula (named after the last Pope), the O’Reilly brothers and their nephew Jean-Paul (also named after a Pope) and Michelle, a fellow Camino aficionado. There’s also Anne & Ivan, an American couple keen like us to walk the land of their ancestors and know more of its stories.
Our leader is Tomás, an Irish-speaking archaeologist and mountaineer. Before we start climbing, he advises us to move gracefully up the slope, stop and let the wind pass and be mindful of our fellow walkers.
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Gotland: a postcard from the lost world
Strong winds and heavy seas are forecast for our 90-kilometre ferry journey from mainland Sweden to the island of Gotland. In the middle of the Baltic Sea, bells ring out, the ferry slows and passengers gather on the foredeck. In fading light, the bishop of Gotland recites a poem in memory of the eighty Gotlanders lost when a Russian submarine torpedoed the civilian ferry, Hassa, 70 years ago. Ancestors of the dead cast a wreath into the grey and gravid sea.
Visby, Gotland’s capital, is an intact medieval walled city. Its streets are gracious with muted yellow and pink gabled merchant houses. Once-magnificent churches, ransacked during the Reformation, lie in ruins.
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Mt Bogong, Australia
Easter holds the promise of granite landscapes and white sandy beaches. Short walking days, languid afternoons swimming in crystal clear, turquoise water. But, like every plan made in the last 12 months, this one goes awry. This time, it’s flood damage, not the pandemic, that closes Wilsons Promontory’s walking tracks and has us scrambling for an alternative. Our walking companions, Marc & Miranda, suggest a walk in the high country. So, why not as high as possible and climb Mt Bogong, Victoria’s tallest mountain.
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Grampians Peaks Loop, Australia
The Grampians Peaks Loop beckons. After a year of confinement, the allure of wandering through wild landscapes for days on end is irrestible.
Starting at Mt Zero and extending southwards to Mt Abrupt, the yet-to-open Grampians Peaks Trail is a 160-kilometre-long walking path. As a precursor to its launch, a 35-kilometre loop walk showcases a section of the new Trail. It features some of the most spectacular scenery in the Grampians, including the Wonderland Range, the Pinnacle and Mt Rosea.
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5 things you need to know about the Grampians Peaks Trail loop
1. Give me an overview of the trail
This is a two-night / three-day 36.6km circuit walk that can be shortened to an overnight walk by arranging transport from Borough Huts Campground back to Halls Gap.
(Note: the full length of the Grampians Peaks Trail, a 160km 13-day walk, is now open).
For the three-day walk, we carried 2 days’ food by having breakfast at a cafe the day we started and arrived back in Halls Gap for a late lunch on day 3. Fuel stoves must be used at Hiker camps. Water tanks are located at each camp. Parks recommends treating the water.
Day 1: Day 1: Halls Gap to Bugiga Hikers Camp: 8.6km. A well-made track that climbs nearly 500 mostly well-graded meters. It takes in some of the most popular sights in the Grampians including the Grand Canyon and the Pinnacle, so expect plenty of day-walkers in the Wonderland Carpark to Pinnacle section. The trail marking is very good but you’ll need to pay attention when leaving the Pinnacle as there are a few tracks and not every intersection is marked.
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