A true start to a Pilgimage ...

True pilgrims set off from grand cathedrals such as Winchester and Canturbury I understand but I didn't get chance to visit those this time although I have walked from one to the other with my favourite youngest daughter way back when. 

I did though get a blessing from Rev Kay at Haxey church and given that a) its a beautiful church, b) said favourite youngest got married there and c) there are at least 4 generations of my family laying in rest in the churchyard it wasn't a bad place to start. 

Think the bike must have been blessed too as I'm in Tours tonight and that is past my nemesis Le Mans!

Uneventful Chunnel crossing but I had this taken on the train so that it looks as though I have friends. Total strangers I'm afraid.

Did see what I thought was the height of bad taste on the way down.... D Day Paintball games.  Respect eh!  

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone.

If at first ... a second attempt at following the route of the Camino de Santiago!

The Way of Saint James ....

It  has been on and off but at last a decision made and I'm setting off today to have another go at riding to  to St Jean Pied de Port, on the French/Spanish border to then follow the Pilgrim Route to Santiago de Compostela. 

Perhaps Friday 13th not a good day as I  started out this time last year but only got as far as Le Mans when my bike immobiliser ,  well ,  immobilised my bike and I ran out of time getting it fixed and had to return home.

The Camino de Santiago route from St Jean to Santiago is 780 km (488 miles) if you walk it - can you imagine that - I can, which is why I'm going to follow that path as near as I can on my bike to Sarria in the Galacia region of northern Spain and only walk the last 115km, just enough to earn me a Compostela - no not an award for garden waste recycling but a Certificate acknowledging I've  made an attempt at some of the pilgrimage.

Here is the route, watch this space ....