A Spiritual journey ?

Following on from the last Blog post......

The question you will be asked is why you are making this journey, is it for Religious, Spiritual or Cultural reasons.

Some thoughts on the Spiritual reasons:

These passages are taken from a much longer article worth reading: ~

http://www.caminoforums.com/religion-spirituality/1810-ideas-making-most-caminos-spirituality.html

Make the most of the journey

For those open to it, every single step of the Camino de Santiago is a spiritual experience. The experience occurs on many levels -- the discipline of walking even when it hurts, the camaraderie and joy of community with other pilgrims, the beautiful and inspiring scenery, the rich history of the pilgrimage, and a palpable sense of being surrounded by pilgrims of centuries long past.

If a person chooses it, the Camino de Santiago can also include elements of the classic pilgrimage event even now, centuries after its establishment as one of the primary pilgrimage routes in Christianity. A classic pilgrimage involves certain elements:

o    A journey fraught with difficulty, an ordeal;

o    The carrying of a burden and the burden’s release; and

o    The anticipation of an experience of awe during the journey and at the journey’s end.

Having clarity in advance of the walk is certain to give deeper meaning each step of the way. And it could be that your personal clarity will enrich the lives of other pilgrims who stumble onto you as a they look for clarity in their quest.

o    Some questions you might consider as you walk the Camino.

o    Why am I willing to deprive myself of comforts for a few weeks or more and endure an ordeal?

o    What burden do I carry that I hope will be lifted?

o    Is there part of my life I hope to change, to leave behind me?

o    Is there a new part of myself I hope to discover?

o    What commitments will I make for my spiritual practice while I walk?

o    What decision is pressing on me for which I could use wisdom and guidance?

o    What will I offer other pilgrims as my unique gift for their pilgrimage?

o    What important person(s) from my life will I keep closest to my heart as I walk?

o    When I return, how will I say "thanks" to those who made this pilgrimage possible for me?

o    How will this pilgrimage help me in my larger purpose of loving God and neighbour?

What daily steps can a spiritual pilgrim take to deepen their experience?
Every true spirituality begins in humility. If we are to hope to learn great things we must first understand that we are desperately small and weak. Pilgrims can easily succumb to an ironic "pilgrim pride" that ranks pilgrims based on how far they have walked toward the goal of Santiago de Compostela. Someone starting at the doorstep in Brussels is held in higher esteem than someone starting at Le Puy, who carries themselves proudly in comparison to someone who has merely started at St Jean Pied-de-Port. Someone starting in Burgos or Leon is to stand in awe of someone who started in France. Someone who uses a pack service is not as true a pilgrim as someone who walks with a pack. Lowest of all are those who walk only the last 100 kms and whose lunches are brought to them in a van and who carry no packs at all! These are "mini pilgrims" or "van pilgrims," not True Pilgrims like us. So, since pride separates us from God and neighbour our first spiritual commitment would be to practice the discipline of seeing ourselves as no better than anyone else.

After the high ??

Linda & I have both said a number of times, Geoff & Mark will find a big void in their lives as the preparation has been consuming them for many months..

After my Camino, what kind of post-Camino feelings might I have and what can I do with them?
The Camino de Santiago is a spiritual high and I have found myself sitting alone in the cathedral after my pilgrim family has dispersed to all parts of the globe, sadly realising that I once again am no longer a pilgrim. After praying prayers of thanksgiving for my friends and for the joy of the Camino I slowly let go of the sadness and make my way back home.

One of the challenges of coming back from the Camino is trying to explain to people what actually happened. They'll be amazed at the walking of many miles and they'll ask questions like "where did you stay" and "what did you eat," but none of their questions can really help them penetrate the deeper feelings of the pilgrimage.

You've had a major life experience and it's important to try to tell someone. Write a letter to a loved one explaining your camino experience or give a slideshow at your church as a way to express in your own words what your own camino meant to you. After your credencial and compostela are framed and hung on the wall there should be some token of its ongoing meaning in your life.

 

Consider also:

Helping someone else make the pilgrimage. For me it was first my wife then my son. This year I'm going with my sister. I feel if I can spread the word I can help recover this ancient pathway for pilgrims today and help them in their spiritual journey. I love to see the joy of the Camino de Santiago fill a person's heart and in their camino I relive my own.

Giving your scallop shell to a new pilgrim Why keep it for yourself? Find someone to carry your shell on their pilgrimage. Share the love.

Sharing your experiences and advice on Forums like this. Over 100,000 pilgrims will walk to Santiago this year. Your tips and advice can make a big difference for them. Now that you've made the pilgrimage your words of encouragement and support will mean a lot.

Returning to the Camino as a hospitalero. You'll see the Camino from a very different perspective and by volunteering will make an important contribution to the pilgrimages of others.

Contributing to your country's confraternity. Many countries have their own camino organisations. They'd benefit greatly from your help.

 You may or may not reach this point in the route this time but don't forget to bring your personal rock from home to leave at Cruce de Ferro between Rabanal and El Acebo. You'll be surprised at the importance for many pilgrims of this mound of rocks with a cross at the top that represents the giving over of sins or grief’s or hopes to God.

 

 

Why are you walking the Camino ?

Pilgrim Passport or Credential:

You need this document to use the refugios. You can get the church issued document in Roncesvalles, the pilgrim office in St. Jean, or the cathedral office in the large cities.

You do not have to be Catholic. You will have to designate the purpose of your pilgrimage as religious, spiritual or cultural. If you indicate cultural, you will get a different completion document in Santiago.

The guidebooks have detailed info on where to obtain a credential. Each night get it stamped where you stay. At the moment various organisations issue credentials, but starting in 2009 you will have to use the official church issued credential for admission to church sponsored refugios and to obtain the compestela. In Santiago, show it to the pilgrim office by the cathedral and if you have satisfied the requirements for the pilgrimage, they will issue you the Latin certificate of completion or compestela.

The minimum distance to qualify is walking the last 100 km to Santiago. If you start your pilgrimage near the minimum distance, you need to get two stamps per day to qualify.

 

 

 

Two turtles

Another Sunday ticked off as we race towards the holiday, in reality just three more 'training' walks with the extra days gained over the Easter break.

Sunday was very cold again, reel feel -9, snow on the ground, overcast sky and a biting wind but even so the four brave (or mad) souls headed off  to Broadstairs.  We decided on a short walk this week so the boys went packless, they were like a pair of little turtles missing their 'homes' (rucksacks) on their backs.

We stopped for lunch at Prezzo to warm up (ha ha, not very warm in there) then back out for the return walk, the tide had receded so we walked along the beach, which as it turned out was warmer and shorter... then home for a 'Knowlton nap'.

It might have been cold but we all agreed it was good to get out in the fresh air.  Managed to add to my shell collection plus a piece of sea glass which these days is a bit like finding gold dust!

Lighten the load

Between 9 & 11kg is considered ‘Lightweight’ packing

Useful info taken from hikingmike.com

It took me years to reduce my backpack weight down to where it is now and I don’t consider myself “ultralight” by any means. That word is tossed around a bit too much. It’s likely to take you a while to lighten your pack appreciably as well so you should get started now. Here are several steps that I hope will help you on the way to becoming a lighter backpacker.

Step 1. Admitting that you are not an ultralight backpacker

You’ve already passed step 1, congratulations! Actually this is important because now you have to decide where you want to be on the lightness scale. Do you really want to be an ultralight backpacker? You might have jumped in and decided you’re going to be the lightest possible and flirt with adventure racer territory. This is not the category most people fit in. As you begin to lighten your load, you’ll shortly bump into the light weight vs. comfort trade-off, and at that point you have to decide what your backpacking goals are. How far do you want to take it? What level of comfort do you want to have? How much do you want to spend?

Backpacking goals - You could trade in every item in your pack right now with the lightest version on the market and it would help, but it still probably wouldn’t be a massive improvement. Ultralight backpackers do more than this. They drop items completely from their pack. They may say that they feel more comfortable backpacking at that weight but you might not agree. It’s up to the individual. The most important part about all of this is to enjoy yourself and your surroundings so always keep that in mind.

2. Approach lightweight backpacking as a State Of Mind

If you want to go light, you really have to want to go light. You have to consider weight in everything you bring on your trips, EVERYTHING. Shaving ounces is nothing to sneeze at. There are only 16 ounces in a pound, and pounds are heavy. Shave an ounce off 16 items and you’ve saved a pound. As soon as possible you should get a scale of some kind and weigh all your items to determine your “base pack weight”. Base pack weight includes everything you carry on your back, including the clothes on your back, but excluding – food, water, fuel, shoes, trekking poles. I use a food scale that goes to ounces. A postal scale would be great too. You can use my Backpack Weights Spreadsheet to easily keep track. Weighing your gear is one of the most important things to get you started. From there, you want to try to cut some items if you can outside your Ten Essentials, reduce the weight of some, and replace others with lighter versions

3: Replace gear with lighter versions

When you finish weighing your gear, you’ll probably notice your big three: backpack, shelter, sleep system (sleeping pad and bag). They are a good place to start if you want to switch out your gear for something lighter since you might have the most to gain here. When researching gear, always compare weight.

Your backpack is very important of course. If you’re planning to get a new one, it’s probably not the best idea to just go out and buy an ultralight pack and declare your ultralighthood. You can use a new pack as a goal setter as you can only carry what will fit in or strap onto it, that is as long as you keep it realistic since you are actually forced to meet the goal before you can use it. The most pragmatic strategy is to reduce the weight of your other gear before your pack. Because your backpack choice and the rest of your gear are intertwined, you really have to take a holistic approach to reducing weight. Make sure your pack can fit your gear, and make sure your gear can fit your pack. There are tons of options now for light backpacks. Do your research and compare. With your pack, as in many things, lighter isn’t always better. Somewhat heavier, more full featured packs can have better suspensions, straps and hip belts, and more padding so you could actually have a better time with those on the trail than something that’s lighter. Your body will pay the price for an overloaded ultralight backpack. I can remember the external frame pack I used on my first trip and it was comfortable, heavy, but comfortable. Whenever possible, try it on in the store with some weight.

For sleeping bags, the higher the temp rating, the less they weigh. So get one with the highest temp rating you think you can get away with. If you have money, get two, one for cold and one for warm. I recommend down bags. Down is the lightest, packs the smallest, and I think it’s warmer than synthetic no matter what the temperature ratings say (caveat – down bags are no good when wet, and generally cost more). If your uses aren’t as demanding, synthetic works perfectly fine. Sleeping bags are one place where you can actually really get a significant improvement by paying more. For example one high end brand has a 20 degree bag for $425 that only weighs 19 ounces! Check out your options for a sleeping pad and get what fits your comfort level. There are a lot of different types out there now (closed cell, self-inflate Thermarest style, inflatable, mummy shape, three-quarters length).

4. Reduce weight of items

The really “hardcore” people saw off their toothbrush, trim off labels from gear and clothes, cut excess from straps, and trim the edges of their map. But hey, they’re right! Why not do it if you’re serious? It’s guaranteed to save you some weight. Only carry the amount you need for sunscreen, toothpaste, bug juice, hand sanitizer. Find small bottles or purchase small dispensing bottles (down to 1oz) and fill them. Reduce the weight of your tent. Pull out your tent stakes and check their weight (weigh a bunch and divide for accuracy). My old steel tent stakes were 9.5oz for 15, which is about .6oz each. There are titanium stakes at just .2oz. If you have a retail tent ground sheet/footprint, get some 2 mil plastic and make your own lighter version. Use lithium batteries instead of alkalines for AAs and AAAs in your flashlight/headlamp/camera etc. if your device accepts them and of course pack them for spares as well. They are significantly lighter, .5oz difference for every 4 for AAAs, plus they last longer. Weigh all of the clothes you have that would work on a trip and pick the lighter ones. Repackage your food. You can often save weight using a ziploc freezer bag instead of the retail packaging.

5. Use multiple-use items when possible

Perhaps the spork is the best symbol for this step. I don’t like sporks myself since I believe they perform badly as a spoon and don’t work as a fork, but I do only bring a plastic spoon with me. Do not lug around a swiss army knife that includes a spork and 100 other things and weighs 2 pounds. You won’t use most of that 2 pounds. Again, many people use their trekking poles as their tent poles as well and this can save maybe a pound. Convertible trousers also fit into this category. You can have just one pair of convertible trousers instead of one pair of shorts and one pair of trousers. Stuff your sleeping bag stuff sack with clothes and use it as a pillow. Keep in mind that you do lose some redundancy in case of something breaking or losing something when you go this route.

6. Cut some items

There may be a bunch of things that you’re packing that you don’t really need so it’s up to you to decide what you can live without.  Clothing is big here. Bring less if you can, this is up to you. Remember what you’ve done on previous trips and learn from experience. Wear your socks two days each and bring an extra pair to use for sleeping in or as a backup. Wear shirts twice. Maybe do a rough hand wash of some items if you can. Ignore the smell If you have camp shoes or flip flops, consider dumping them or getting lighter ones.  Take less batteries and just be very careful about using your headlamp and camera. Turn them off quickly.

7. Conserve

Don’t use your flash light much and bring less batteries as previously mentioned. The ones you do bring should be fresh. I usually go to bed not too long after dark, sometimes even before. You might as well after hiking all day long. I rarely go through one set of AAA batteries that my small light uses. I didn’t even bring the spare batteries last time. Only have the camera on for a few seconds at a time.

Summary

As you can see there are many ways to drop some pounds from your pack. This all really just comes naturally once you set off in earnest to lighten your pack. You do lose a little safety and comfort with some of these options so do your homework. Make sure to choose your pack items for each trip based on the trip conditions. Preparation really helps. Don’t get overzealous and get yourself in trouble. You need to have enough peace of mind to enjoy yourself since that’s the number one goal of getting out there in the first place. I hope this helped on your quest to lighten your backpack and gave you some ideas at least!

Holiday draws near

 

 

 

Richards walk at the weekend

in the Stretton Hills, both hills,

5 hours, good training & stunning scenery.

 

Geoff, Mark & John spent Sunday walking the muddy lands of Wye about a 14 mile walk with a pub lunch, where Mark asked the barmaid for a pint of 'Buttocks'.. yes really !!! 

John informs me that this is probably because the first leg of the walk this was the topic of conversation... Mmmm very ..what's the word...sad !

Geoff slipped over in the mud at the point they had previously met the girls from Lesbos, maybe he was too busy looking for them and not where he was going ??

Geoff checked details on Everytrail, their average speed was 2.6 miles per hour, just over 5 hours walking, just shows how the uneven ground slows you up.

Geoff and Mark both felt they had walked enough that day, not as much energy as other times, could have been the late night the evening before... see my other blog wineclubuncorked.blogspot.co.uk

Pilgrims statue in Chilham

Looking sheepish

 http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=2053657&share=1

 

For your information:

 

The weather today in SJPP is 9 degrees with showers ( Margate 6 degrees and cloudy) the long range forecast may change but is showing for SJPP Saturday 6th April  11 degrees and rain.



 

Country Code for Walkers

This should apply to any Country that you are walking in..

1. Respect other people
2. Protect the natural environment
3. Enjoy the outdoors

Respect other people

Consider the local community and other people enjoying the outdoors

·         Respect the needs of local people and visitors alike – for example, don’t block gateways, driveways or other paths with your vehicle.

·         When riding a bike or driving a vehicle, slow down or stop for horses, walkers and farm animals and give them plenty of room. By law, cyclists must give way to walkers and horse–riders on bridleways.

·         Co–operate with people at work in the countryside. For example, keep out of the way when farm animals are being gathered or moved and follow directions from the farmer.

·         Busy traffic on small country roads can be unpleasant and dangerous to local people, visitors and wildlife – so slow down and where possible, leave your vehicle at home, consider sharing lifts and use alternatives such as public transport or cycling.

Leave gates and property as you find them and follow paths unless wider access is available

·         A farmer will normally close gates to keep farm animals in, but may sometimes leave them open so the animals can reach food and water. Leave gates as you find them or follow instructions on signs. When in a group, make sure the last person knows how to leave the gates.

·         Follow paths unless wider access is available, such as on open country or registered common land (known as "Open Access" land).

·         If you think a sign is illegal or misleading such as a ‘Private – No Entry’ sign on a public path, contact the local authority.

·         Leave machinery and farm animals alone – don’t interfere with animals even if you think they’re in distress. Try to alert the farmer instead.

·         Use gates, stiles or gaps in field boundaries if you can – climbing over walls, hedges and fences can damage them and increase the risk of farm animals escaping.

·         Our heritage matters to all of us – be careful not to disturb ruins and historic sites.

Protect the natural environment

Leave no trace of your visit and take your litter home

·         Protecting the natural environment means taking special care not to damage, destroy or remove features such as rocks, plants and trees. They provide homes and food for wildlife, and add to everybody’s enjoyment of the countryside.

·         Litter and leftover food doesn’t just spoil the beauty of the countryside, it can be dangerous to wildlife and farm animals – so take your litter home with you. Dropping litter and dumping rubbish are criminal offences.

·         Fires can be as devastating to wildlife and habitats as they are to people and property – so be careful with naked flames and cigarettes at any time of the year. Sometimes, controlled fires are used to manage vegetation, particularly on heaths and moors between 1st October and 15th April, but if a fire appears to be unattended then report it by calling 999.

Enjoy the outdoors

Plan ahead and be prepared

·         You’ll get more from your visit if you refer to up–to–date maps or guidebooks and websites before you go. Check out countryside visitors or contact local information centre or libraries for a list of outdoor recreation groups offering advice on specialist activities.

·         You’re responsible for your own safety and for others in your care – especially children – so be prepared for natural hazards, changes in weather and other events. Wild animals, farm animals and horses can behave unpredictably if you get too close, especially if they’re with their young – so give them plenty of space.

·         Check weather forecasts before you leave. Conditions can change rapidly especially on mountains and along the coast, so don’t be afraid to turn back. When visiting the coast check for tide times don’t risk getting cut off by rising tides and take care on slippery rocks and sea–weed.

·         Part of the appeal of the countryside is that you can get away from it all. You may not see anyone for hours, and there are many places without clear mobile phone signals, so let someone else know where you’re going and when you expect to return.

Follow advice and local signs

England has about 190,000 km (118,000 miles) of public rights of way, providing many opportunities to enjoy the natural environment. Get to know the signs and symbols used in the countryside to show paths and open countryside.

Footpath Open to walkers only, waymarked with a yellow arrow

Bridleway Open to walkers, horse-riders and cyclists, waymarked with a blue arrow

Restricted byway Open to walkers, cyclists, horse-riders and horse-drawn vehicles, waymarked with a plum coloured arrow

Byway open to all traffic (BOAT) Open to walkers, cyclists, horse-riders, horse-drawn vehicles and motor vehicles, waymarked with a red arrow

National Trail acorn Identifies 15 long distance routes in England and Wales. All are open for walking and some trails are also suitable for cyclists, horse- riders and people with limited mobility. Further information on National Trails.

Open Access land 865,000 hectares of mountain, moorland, heathland, down land and registered common land (mapped under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000) is available to people to walk, run, explore, climb and watch wildlife, without having to stay on paths. Similar rights will be extended in stages on coastal land (identified under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009). Check Open Access for maps, information and any current restrictions in place

Negative access symbol May be used to mark the end of area-wide access although other access rights may exist, for example public rights of way

 

A book for the journey..

I stumbled on this article whilst looking for Camino info for you all ~

Andrew McCarthy on life, travel writing and the Camino de Santiago

 

Former Hollywood Bratpacker Andrew McCarthy's life changed forever while walking the Camino de Santiago. In an extract from his first book, he describes how that led to a second career as a travel writer.

 

He begins: 

I was in a bookstore, gazing at a girl across the display table. She had sandy hair pulled back in a loose ponytail and wore a tight blue-and-white striped shirt – the kind the girls wore in French new wave films. She had my full attention.

Eventually feeling eyes upon her, the young woman looked up and caught me staring. I panicked and grabbed the first book on the table in front of me.
 

"Here it is!" I shouted, and ran for the checkout counter like an idiot. Still flustered, I bought the book without thinking. Once out on the street, I recovered enough to take a look and see what I had just purchased. Off the Road, the title said. And then below it, A Modern-Day Walk Down the Pilgrim's Route into Spain. Nothing could have interested me less. I took the book home, put it on a shelf, and forgot about it.
 

A few months later I was taking a trip to Los Angeles, and halfway out the door, I grabbed the book for something to read on the plane.
 

It was about a man who had decided to walk the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. He walked from the south of France, over the Pyrenees, for 500 miles to Santiago de Compostela, where, according to Catholic lore, the bones of Saint James had been discovered. In the eighth century, when this was news, thousands flocked across Spain to receive a plenary indulgence and get half their time in purgatory knocked off. The trail had fallen out of fashion in the last half dozen centuries, yet something about the author's tale of his modern-day pilgrimage spoke to me. I was looking for something, I just didn't know what it was.
 

Two weeks later, on a bright and hot early summer morning, armed with a backpack and new hiking boots, I was crossing the border from France into Spain, high in the Pyrenees. By mid-afternoon I arrived, starving, with a blister forming on my right heel, at the monastery of Roncesvalles. Others walking the trail had already arrived, and we lodged together in a dormitory. Tentative allegiances were made and the next morning informal walking groups formed. I ended up with a Spaniard who was dressed in the costume of a pilgrim from centuries ago. He wore a draped brown robe and carried a long staff with a gourd affixed to the top. He looked like a seasoned Halloween trick-or-treater who knew where he was going and I followed close on his heels. He spoke no English and my schoolboy Spanish was hamstrung by self-consciousness. After three days of silent walking, my blisters became so bad that I had to stop in Pamplona for a week of rest, and my costumed guide left me behind without a word of goodbye.
 

I was miserable, lonely, and anxious. My long-established habit of solitude had left me completely isolated and without the resources to reach out. My worst fears about myself – among them that I just wasn't man enough to handle this – were proving to be true. I had come to Spain, I now saw, to determine whether I could take care of myself. As I sat in the Café Iruña on the Plaza del Castillo, the answer that was coming back to me was not good. I sipped coffee where Hemingway had sat and decided I would go home, my inadequacies of character and strength laid bare.
 

But the longer I sat, looking out on the plane trees that lined the square, the more I came to see how failure in this endeavour would later come to haunt me. This was a turning point and I knew it.
 

When my blisters stopped bleeding, I bought a pair of red Nike walking shoes, left my boots beside the sleeping figure of a homeless man who lived in an alcove of the ancient wall that still surrounded parts of the city, and walked on, alone. At night I often shunned the refuges where the other walkers gathered, choosing instead small inns or hotels where I could be by myself. When I did stay in the pilgrims' hostels, I felt a great distance between myself and the others, as if a giant wall had been erected, with me on one side and the rest of the world faintly visible but untouchable on the other.
 

It was just such a barrier that I had once dissolved through drinking, but now, having been away from alcohol for a few years, my natural tendency toward isolation had me in its grip and I was trapped inside myself. I trudged on, hating every step.

A few weeks later, I was in the high plains of north central Spain, outside of the charmless village of Hornillos del Camino. The July heat had taken hold. The sun bore down as I marched mile after mile through low and sickly fields of wheat. The earth was parched and cracked. Sweat poured from my face and down my back under my heavy pack. A black raven circled overhead and then flew over the rise; I cursed the ease with which he covered a distance it would take me a day to accomplish. And then I was on my knees, weeping, sobbing, and then screaming – at God. I literally shook my fists at the heavens and demanded that this suffering stop. I insisted that someone come and pick me up, get me out of this – why couldn't it just be OK, like it seemed to be for all the other walkers? I cursed my isolation. Why did I feel this burden of separation? I sobbed some more; snot ran down my sweaty face.
 

I picked at the hard-caked ground, embarrassed in front of no one but myself; looked up into the cloudless sky; and saw the raven had returned. He circled high above me twice and flew back over the horizon. I rose to my feet, retrieved my pack and stick, and shuffled after him.

In the sad-sack village of Castrojeriz, I found a room and fell into 12 hours of dreamless sleep. When I awoke, I ate with appetite and set out again. The withering wheat I had marched through for days was behind me, and signs of life were beginning to return to the camino. After an hour I stopped, without reason, by the side of a barn and sat on an elevated plank. It was too early for my mid-morning break, and yet I sat. Since breakfast I had had the feeling that I was forgetting something, that my pack felt lighter. I looked off toward the horizon, the distant spire of a church indicating the next village was nowhere in sight. I swilled some water and then began to feel a tingling between my shoulder blades. And suddenly I was smiling. It was the first time I could remember smiling since I had left New York. And then I knew what was missing, what I hadn't carried with me that morning.

Fear. The fear that had calcified between my shoulders was suddenly not there – fear that had been my centre of gravity, fear that had been so ever present in my life that I was unaware of its existence until that moment of its first absence.
 

The tingling between my shoulders continued and grew. Soon my entire body felt as if it were vibrating. I felt physically larger, as if I had grown – or was growing. I breathed deep and spread my arms. I tilted my head back and began to sing. The Who's Getting in Tune spilled from my lips. I had no recollection of ever singing it before and yet I knew all the words and sang without restraint.
 

The next two weeks went by in a blaze. Every step took me deeper into the landscape of my own being. I was in sync with the universe.
 

I arrived at my chosen destination just before a downpour. I slept in and missed the pack of wild dogs that terrorised the early walkers. I met people I found fascinating. Where had they been hiding? I grew physically stronger each day, and by the time I strode into Santiago in late July I felt the way I always wanted to feel yet somehow never quite did. I needed no validation, no outside approval – I was myself, fully alive and satisfied in simply being.
 

 

I returned home changed by my experience. The acute euphoria of my trip faded, but my sense of self lingered and went deep. And so I began to travel, not for work, but for travels sake. I returned to Europe, to the cities I had been to before, rewriting my drunken travel history and giving myself clear-eyed recollections. I began to take longer trips, to south-east Asia and then Africa. Always alone. Often I arrived with no plan, no place to stay, knowing no one. I wanted to see how I would manage, if I could take care of myself, and inevitably found myself walking through fear and coming home the better for it. Through travel, I began to grow up.
 

For me, it's often not even about a particular destination. The motivation is to go – to meet life, and myself, head-on along the road. Because I spend so much time alone when I travel, my fears, my first companions in life, are confronted, resulting in a liberation that I'm convinced never would have happened had I not ventured out. My internal wiring relaxes and finds an ease of rhythm that it rarely does when at home.

At some point in my travels I began to jot down notes. I had tried to keep a journal, but I found my reminiscences indulgent and silly. I found no joy in writing them and was embarrassed rereading them.
 

One day I wrote a scene of an encounter that I had with a young man who offered me a ride on his moped in Saigon. Then a woman I saw behaving rudely in Laos shed light on my experience of that silent city. On New Year's Day in Malawi, the image of a small girl carrying a large umbrella in the sun stayed with me. I wrote it all down.

When I came home I put my notepads in the back of a drawer and didn't look at them. But the idea grew.
 

I knew someone who knew someone, and I met a man named Keith Bellows, the editor of National Geographic Traveller magazine.
 

Keith is a barrel-chested lion of a man with a mane of silver hair – exactly the kind of man who had intimidated me in my youth. He agreed to meet me in a bar in New York's East Village, where I told him of my desire to write about travel for his magazine.

He looked at me funny. "You're an actor."
 

"I know that," I said. "I also know how to travel, and I know what it's done for me." I was forthright in a way that I never had been able to be when talking about my acting.

"Can you write?" He still wasn't giving the conversation much weight; he was looking at a young woman down the bar.
 

"I can tell a story." This got his attention. "That's what I've been doing for 20 years as an actor." I shrugged.
 

It took another year of cajoling, via email, on the phone, and over dinners, during which we became friends. Finally, after a meal at a restaurant in SoHo, Keith looked at me and said, "I still don't understand why you would want to do this. You're not going to make any money. There's no glamour."
 

I shrugged and offered up a vague "It'll be fun." As with my first acting role in high school, something was calling me, and I kept that knowledge to myself. I had no way of knowing where it might lead; all I knew was that it made sense to me.
 

"Where do you know well? What place speaks to you?"

"Ireland," I said quickly. "The west. There's a place in County Clare … "

"Then that's where I'm sending you."
 

And so a second career began, travelling and writing about those travels.
 

*****

They say that this experience is life changing, how will it effect The Band of Brothers, one asks ?
 

Life changing ??  I 'think' I will take on this walk, I think its in my blood now, its already impacted our lives. We love the long walks & will venture the hills of Italy this summer.

In fact, the more you read and get into 'The Big Walk' it makes you want to take the month off and walk the complete route...what do you think ?

A book for the journey, maybe...

Andrew McCarthy's first book, The Longest Way Home

Or the book that inspired him, Off The Road by Jack Hitt