Reach For The Stars

CAMINO FRANCÉS – Monday 7 April 2025

To shoot for the moon, or to reach for the stars; either way, today marks the culmination of several weeks and months of planning for my Camino experience that has been an ambition of mine for a fair few years. The traditional Camino Francés route that I have opted for is one of the many pilgrimage paths that lead to Santiago de Compostela, and it comprises around 800 kilometres (or 500 miles) along some of the ancient thoroughfares of northern Spain. My excitement as this morning finally arrived has been tempered only by some reticence in leaving Rachel, and my family, friends and home, for potentially a month or more, as well as by some natural trepidation in undertaking a solo trek on foreign soil where I have almost no knowledge of the language. But adventure calls, as ever it does when one steps out into the great outdoors, and I feel just about ready now for all the ups and downs and the twists and turns that doubtless lie along the path ahead.

Clearing five weeks in the diary, even in retirement, is a challenge in itself, and to be able to enjoy this time away is certainly a privilege; that I have got this far is thanks mainly to Rachel’s support throughout my preparation. Assembling the necessary kit, keeping active and trained, whilst completing the route, travel and accommodation planning for the trek, are all aspects that have had to be fitted in alongside everyday living, and this activity has kept me busy for most of the last month between various family visits and social trips. So now, with the preparatory work done, and as I await my flight, the time has come to start relaxing into my Camino experience. Time to fly . . .

My flight into Biarritz arrived a few minutes ahead of time, and finding the bus stop for the 20-minute hop into the centre of Bayonne provided the opportunity for my first meeting with a fellow Camino prospector. The two of us spent the short journey comparing notes of plans and hopes for the walk, and it is good to know that there will be company along the trail – I suspect that my chosen path this time will be less isolated than some of my earlier escapades. A short stroll from the central bus terminal took me to my hotel in the city centre by 6.00 pm, and for now an evening in Bayonne beckons.

Rather than head straight from the airport to the station and thence to the popular start-point of the Camino Francés an hour down the line in St Jean Pied de Port as many Camino-baggers do, my decision to spend an overnight in Bayonne followed a strong recommendation from the Camino aficionados at the Confraternity of St James in London who I spoke of in my last post – and from what I have seen and read so far there is certainly plenty of culture on offer in this ‘City of Art and History’. I have tomorrow morning in the centre free to explore, and I hope to be reporting back on this Blog sometime in the evening to share my experiences of Bayonne and of my short journey south to the Camino start-line at St Jean in the Pyrenean foothills.

The words ‘Reach for the stars’ are repeated lyrics from the chorus of the song ‘Reach’ by S Club 7 that featured as the opening single on the group’s second album ‘7’, from 2000. Written and produced by prolific singer-songwriter Cathy Dennis alongside Republica keyboardist Andrew Todd, the song is unapologetically upbeat, and it seems a suitable choice as my Blog heading today, as I set off on my Camino adventure.