So I made it home from my camino in one piece, having walked for 52 days and 1,390 km’s
I met some fabulous people from around the world, although very few from the UK, and passed through some amazing scenery. Springtime is such a beautiful time to walk through Spain and the wild flowers along the way were stunning. I achieved my goal of walking from ‘sea to shining sea’ after leaving from the Mediterraean at Málaga and continuing through Santiago de Compostela in the north west until I reached the Atlantic and dipped my toes in the ocean at Finisterre.
I was so very lucky with the weather, with only a few wet days and some very cold mornings – but by and large enjoyed glorious temperatures for most of my walk. I sufferred a few blisters around weeks two and three but spent most of the journey entirely pain-free. After three caminos, I know the minimum amount of gear that I am comfortable with and everything performed well this year, although the soles of my boots were paper thin by the time I finished.
But my most impressive piece of equipment is my body. It never ceases to amaze me that my body reacts so efficiently to what is demanded of it. I have built a lot of strength and muscle memory over three caminos and whereas on my first pilgrimage I could be seen doing the ‘pilgrim shuffle’ every evening (when the legs, ankles and feet are stiff from walking all day). I now recognise and sympathise with newbies who have practically seized up, but I am no longer a ‘shuffler’, and am happy to walk a few extra kilometres after arrival to discover the delights of the town that I am staying in.
I am not a naturally athletic person and have never participated in any outdoor sport (other than horse riding) since school, so I really appreciate my newfound fitness and intend to ‘use it rather than lose it’. We have wonderful opportunities for walking in this area and I never tire of hiking in the mountains that surround us.
What has delighted me more than anything else is the support I have received from my local friends and from the lovely people who read my blog. There were encouraging comments to read every day from all around the world and these were a real boost to my moral. And the kindness and generosity of all who have donated sponsorship in favour of local charity CUDECA Cancer Care Hospice has been amazing. We raised a total of 1,290 euros for this great cause which we presented to Carlos White, Fundraiser and Public Relations officer at the organisation, when we visited the facility on 17 June. Carlos, who had kept in touch with me throughout my camino, kindly found the time to give my partner David and me a tour of the CUDECA Hospice facility at Benalmádena. I leaned much about the organisation including the incredible fact that this is the only hospice facility in the whole of Spain, and that they do so much more than care for the terminally ill at the hospice, including paying for five teams of doctors and nurses who operate a far reaching in-home support service for cancer sufferers that covers the whole of Málaga Province.
If you would like to catch up on any of my three caminos or read my ‘view of life’ series about living in this fabulous part of Spain, please take a look at my blog http://www.magwood.me
Maggie Woodward
