Author Archives: nickletjog

CAMINO FRANCÉS – Day 6: Monday 14 April 2025 – ESTELLA to LOS ARCOS (22 [+2] kilometres) If yesterday was ‘Social Sunday’ then today, at least for me whilst on the trail, was ‘Mono Monday’. For the most part of this short day’s walk I was alone, though not uncomfortable with my own company asContinue reading “Crooked Tree”

CAMINO FRANCÉS – Day 5: Sunday 13 April 2025 – PUENTE la REINA to ESTELLA (22 [+3] kilometres) This morning dawned grey, although thankfully without the rain that followed last evening’s thunderstorm, and my quiet start to today’s section of the Camino (Stage 5 on my plan), away from Puente la Reina, followed close toContinue reading “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme”

CAMINO FRANCÉS – Day 4: Saturday 12 April 2025 – PAMPLONA to PUENTE la REINA (24 [+2] kilometres) Buoyed by my rest day in Pamplona, and with fresh legs, I was also lucky today in having perfect walking conditions – cool air, good visibility, a light breeze, and some bright sunny spells as the dayContinue reading “The Windmills Of Your Mind”

CAMINO FRANCÉS – Day 3: Friday 11 April 2025 – REST DAY in PAMPLONA It has been a pleasure to have 36 hours here in Pamplona: to explore and learn, to stock up with consumables, and to complete some purchases of kit that I had neglected from home (not least sunglasses), and of course toContinue reading “Like A Prayer”

CAMINO FRANCÉS – Day 2: Thursday 10 April 2025 – ESPINAL to PAMPLONA (36 [+6] kilometres) What better way to follow yesterday’s long first day on the Camino Francés than with another marathon! Having walked on last afternoon to Espinal (about 7 kilometres past the usual Day 1 resting place in Roncesvalles), I figured thisContinue reading “Stumblin’ In”

CAMINO FRANCÉS – Day 1: Wednesday 9 April 2025 – ST JEAN PIED de PORT to ESPINAL (32 [+3] kilometres)* It is a wonderful feeling to be stepping out of my B&B, early morning in the half light, to a clear sky and mist in the hollows, to the smell of damp grass and absoluteContinue reading “Move On Up”

CAMINO FRANCÉS – Wednesday 9 April 2025 I have had a remarkable first day’s walk today on the Camino Francés, covering over 32 kilometres and climbing around 1,500 metres, whilst crossing from France into Spain in the process. I have, perhaps, underestimated slightly the terrain, the effects of the sun (even this early in theContinue reading “Please Mr Postman”

CAMINO FRANCÉS – Tuesday 8 April 2025 Well, I said yesterday that Bayonne is known as the ‘City of Art & History’ but there is actually a whole lot more than these two facets to this medieval commune.  My guide book boasts of the UNESCO-listed twin-spired 13th Century Cathedral, the Botanical Gardens, the Museum ofContinue reading “Southbound Train”

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 haveContinue reading “Reach For The Stars”

Saturday 5 April 2025 I have just two days now before I set off, initially to Stanstead Airport for my flight to Biarritz, ahead of my Camino trek. The path I will be taking is the Camino Francés, one of the many ancient pilgrimage routes that leads to Santiago de Compostela, in the Spanish regionContinue reading “Holiday In Spain”