Aussie bushwalker Francesca Davy (62) from Newcastle, NSW offers her best Camino advice.
What Camino/s have you walked and how long has it taken?
Camino Frances: 800km from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. I walked it in 45 days. I had several rest days and chose some shorter days. I found my feet/ body responded best to an average of 20km/ day. Many Pilgrims walk 30-35km/day. I do tend to stop at too many cafes! I call it my Cafe Camino journey!
A lot of people find the long hours of daily walking gives them time to reflect on their lives. Did you find that?
Yes! What a gift! To have no responsibilities, beyond finding the next coffee, meal, water fountain, albergue for the night there was plenty of time for both reflecting on my life and gratitude for all the blessings in my life. In order these blessings are my health, a loving family and friends, connection with my community through shared interests such as Yoga, bushwalking and books.
What kept you going on the tough days?
My two mantras were, “just keep putting one foot in front of the other” and “It is what it is”. I soon learned that groaning about a big uphill/slippery downhill, groups of loud Pilgrims, getting the top bunk etc, was not going to change the situation, hence my mantras. They were particularly useful on the two occasions when I was unwell, once with the Camino cold and once with a gastro bug.
A lot of people talk about the camaraderie of other walkers. How did you find it?
There is a bond between fellow pilgrims. No matter the age, nationality or gender we are all pilgrims. We share stories through language or sign language of blisters, fatigue, where to fill our water bottles, recommendations for Albergue/cafes/ etc. The conversations can go quite deep and quite quickly. It may have something to do with the fact that your eyes are looking ahead and you are sharing quite a unique experience. There is kindness amongst pilgrims, offers of water, band aids, food and kind words of encouragement to those limping/struggling.
What footwear did you have on your Camino and did you have to deal with blisters etc?
I wore my tried and tested Merrel Moab boots. I had originally planned to walk in a Merrel hiking shoe, however an experienced Pilgrim asked me, “can you afford to roll your ankle on the Camino?”. Answer is no. It would mean the end of my Camino. So I chose the boot and I am so grateful that I did, especially on several notorious downhill, rocky, slippery sections.