Category: Europe

Josef and the Silver Way

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Josef and the Silver Way was Anna’s entry in a competition run by the Chilean Friends of the Camino: 100 Caminos 100 Stories

In the middle of a pandemic, when no one could travel, these short stories of 100 words reminded us of shared adventures as well as the range of emotions and feelings experienced walking the Camino.

Over 700 entries were received from 43 countries and from these Josef and the Silver Way was selected for publication and awarded an Honorable Mention by the judges.  

Josef and the Silver Way

We walk by torchlight with Josef until dawn breaks and the earth’s shadow fades to blue. He’s 76 years old and the most inspirational of the pilgrims we meet on the Via de la Plata. Over dinner, he tells us that when his beloved wife died he sought solace in walking. He found his rhythm in the forests of Germany and one day set out from his home to walk the ancient pilgrimage path to Santiago. Serene, gracious, wise, he shows us the person we want to be at his age. Still walking, still open to beauty at every turn.

You can read all the entries, in Spanish and English, in the online version 100 Caminos 100 Relatos.

A huge thanks to the Chilean Circle of Friends of Way of Santiago de Compostela for this inspiring competition: 100 Caminos 100 Relatos: Historias breves a Santiago. Check their website for updates and news of new competitions.

Our first Camino was, like most people, the Camino Frances. This is our account of walking 700 km to Santiago and how it changed our lives.

Anna & Michael beside a hilltop St Cuthbert's Way way marker

St Cuthbert’s Way, UK

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Symbol of Roman soldier's helmet and St Cuthbert's Way logo on a signpostSt Cuthbert’s Way is a beautiful and intriguing walk across borders and through centuries of history that have left an indelible imprint on the landscape. 

From the ruins of a 12th-century Cistercian Abbey in Scotland, up into the atmospherically foggy Eildon Hills, alongside the green verged, swift-flowing River Tweed and on to an ancient Roman Road, St Cuthbert’s Way climbs up through beechwoods and silver birch forests to the wild, sweeping Cheviots. After crossing the border it continues on through Weetwood Moor, past St Cuthbert’s Cave, across rolling fields to the coast and, on the low tide, to the mystery-shrouded Holy Island of Lindisfarne. From Lindisfarne, you can continue on up the Northumberland Coast to Berwick-upon-Tweed, the northernmost town in England. Read More

Close up of lighted candles in church

The Way of St James, Chemin de St Jacques, Part 3

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The final in a three-part series on walking the Way of St James. Starting in Le Puy-en-Velay, this ancient Way travels 750 km to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port where it merges with other pilgrimage routes, crosses the Pyrenees and continues a further 780 km through Spain to the holy city of Santiago de Compostela.

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Anna walking past a street-art forest scene in Decazeville

The Way of St James, Chemin de St Jacques, Part 2

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The Way of St James begins in Le Puy-en-Velay in the Haute-Loire and continues for 750 kilometres, through southern and south-western rural France to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the foothills of the Pyrenees. From here it crosses the border into Spain and continues a further 780 km (or more depending on the route chosen) to the holy city of Santiago de Compostela.

This is the second in a three-part series on walking the Way of St James. Read More

Looking over a misty Lot River on the Way of St James

The Way of St James, Chemin de St Jacques, Part 1

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A wooden pilgrim shell, Way of St James

Early each morning, as they have for centuries, pilgrims gather in the romanesque Cathédral Notre-Dame-du-Puy to be blessed before starting their journey on the Way of St James, the oldest Camino de Santiago route outside of Spain. Down a flight of 60 steps, pausing to take a last look back at the imposing white and black striped facade of the cathedral, reminiscent of the great mosque of Cordoba, and onto an ancient trail first walked by Bishop Godescacl in the winter of 951 AD. Read More

Walking towards Mt Stórasúla

Iceland: A Land of Ice and Fire

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Iceland is known as the land of ice and fire, with some of the largest glaciers and most active volcanoes in the world. Fjord-cut coastlines, glacial rivers, cascading waterfalls, hot springs, moss covered mountains, milky blue lakes. Its astonishingly beautiful landscapes are almost more mythological than real. And alongside the allure of its natural wonders, Iceland is rated as the most peaceful country in the world. 

Our first visit is a slow journey, wanting to see less so that we might see more. A week in a campervan exploring the beauty of Snaefellsnes Peninsula and the remote Westfjords. Followed by a week walking in the rugged and remarkable central highlands.  Read More

Anna waits while Canadian geese cross the Thames Path

Thames Path, England

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Mid Summer, 2019

Thames Path track markerThe Thames Path follows the river from its source in the rolling Cotswold hills, past historic sites and cities, in and out of quaint villages, wildflower meadows and beech woodlands and on through the heart of London to the futuristic Thames Barrier in Greenwich.

We walked the first 55 miles of the 185-mile Thames Path in 2018, following the river from its source to Oxford with our friend Geoff and his 11-year-old son Finn. This year, the four of us are walking from Oxford, the ‘City of Dreaming Spires’, to Henley-on-Thames, a journey of some 50 miles.  Read More

Landscape of patchwork green fields on the Burren Way

Walking the Burren Way, Ireland

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The Burren Way in Ireland is a 125-kilometre walking route from Lahinch on the wild west coast of County Clare. It follows ancient droving tracks, greenways and county byways through the heartland of the Burren to Corofin village. A five-day walk across the largest karst limestone landscape in Europe. It’s an immersion in Irish history and culture and an exploration of natural and archaeological riches including neolithic tombs, ring forts, early medieval castles and ancient centres of learning.

Burren comes from the Irish word, Boireann, a ‘rocky place’, a landscape of bare hills and lowlands. A tilted, folded, glaciated land of limestone pavements, hazel scrub, deciduous woodland, rare wildflowers, lakes, turloughs, springs, fens and grasslands. Its cliffs, escarpments and twisted hills are pale grey. On days when the sea and the sky have a shifting soft paleness, the landscape is more ethereal than existent. A subtle and abiding beauty.
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Thames Path

Thames Path, England

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The Thames Path is a 185-mile meander along the banks of the River Thames. From its source in the rolling Cotswold hills, the path winds through lush green meadows, past quaint villages and ancient sites and on through the heart of London to the futuristic Thames Barrier in Greenwich. If you’re resolute, it’s possible to walk another 30 miles, navigating a way around housing estates, docks and marshlands to where the Thames flows into the sea.  

Our plan is to walk the first 55 miles of the Path, from the source to Oxford, to celebrate our friend Geoff ’s birthday and to introduce his 11-year-old son Finn to the art of wandering. An airshow and subsequent scarcity of accommodation determine that we will walk upriver from Newbridge to the source for three days and then return to Newbridge and walk downriver for a day, to Oxford. Read More

Lycian Way, Turkey

Lycian Way, Turkey. Part 3: Karaöz to Geyikbayiri

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On our 15th day on the Lycian Way, we wake to the sound of waves lapping on the beach in Karaöz. The Lycian Way is a mythic and ancient route; a 500-kilometre walk around the Teke Peninsula in southwestern Turkey following old ways, past traces of Lycian, Greek and Roman civilisations, alongside turquoise fringed beaches, through coastal villages and high up into the rugged Taurus Mountains.
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