Via de la Plata, Round 2, Day 2.

Which was really Day 3, but as we didn't walk on the first day it didn't count, so....Day 2:

(Prefaced with a bit of Day 1, which was really Day 2):

The previous day's walk was short, quite easy and really quite pleasant....being as wot it was generally downhill and on good surfaces. The weather was nice too, it may have been a bit too hot. I was glad to be walking in my kilt....lots of ventilation y'see.

We'd started off from the same bar where we finished in April, it was still run by the same grumpy, shouty woman as before.

We spent the night at the very clean, modern and comfortable Xunta Albergue in Laza, it was a night of luxurious peace and quiet - we were the only peregrinos staying there. The cost was 6€ each.

That evening we ate down town and at least one of us (probably) drank too much.

Anyroadup, onto Day 3...or Day 4 if you're being pedantic:

This day wasn't quite so easy, but still pleasant: around 20km with about 1000m of ascent, mostly on good surfaces. And hot. Kilts are good for this sort of thing.

We set out at at around 6am (5am in real money) in order to avoid the heat of the day.  It meant walking with headtorches for a couple of hours but it was quite lovely at that time of day.

Sunrise was just after 8am local time.

At As Eiras, 8km into the walk, the local Amigos del Camino had set up a small help-yourself cafe, we donated a few Euros each and took advantage of the facilities. Nice, this is what happens on the Camino.

Later, we stopped for a bite to eat and a cuppa at Cafe El Rincon del Peregrino in Albergueria.

The cafe owner has adorned the walls and ceilings with shells, each bearing the name of each peregrino who has called in. It was quite a sight.

Our planned stop for the night was at Vilar de Barrio, at another 6€ per night Xunta Albergue. Again this was a modern spotlessly clean affair. Odd that there was no cutlery or crockery in the otherwise excellent kitchen.

Once again we ate in the town, an excellent 3 course meal for 10€ each. There may have been beer involved too. But no wine this time. By order.

It had been a good day and Rob was proving to be a more than worthy walking pal.

More photo later...

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Via de la Plata, Round 2, Day 1, Sept 2018

Rob and I walked a short section of the Via de la Plata Camino in April, now it was time to finish the job.

We hopped on a luxury-less Ryanair flight from Manchester to Madrid, and then a luxury train to A Gudina in Galicia.

The train was excellent : at 250kmh you really didn't know you were moving. And it was cheap. Very cheap.

The British train network could learn a lot from Spain.

We spent the night at a 'hostal' (a cheap, but very good hotel) and then took a taxi to where we finished our last leg of El Camino, at Campobecerros. ..in the middle of Spanish nowhere.

Then we walked shortly, downhill, for around 15km to our first night's Albergue accommodation, 6€ a night each.

We know how to splash the cash....

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Sploshing around Frodsham, Saturday 8th Sept 2018

The first trail of the season

The runes (ie the BBC weather forecast) lied. They said we might get the odd shower…not a downpour that started as Mssrs Park, Wells and myself set off from the Forest Hills Hotel, armed only with bags of sawdust.

Forest Hills is popular with the club, the food and facilities are excellent, the staff address you as ‘sir’….but the beer’s not up to much. Oh well.

Anyroadup, undeterred by the increasingly heavy rain and the promise of not-very-good beer, we trotted off in the general direction of the monument behind the hotel, leaving clumps of sawdust in our wake – so that more athletic club members might have half an idea of where they were supposed to run.

We slipped and slid downhill towards Overton and eventually gained a bit of tarmac…but only a bit. We ‘ran’<koff>  through some soggy woodland that had seemingly be freshly planted with nettles. Fortunately we’d all chosen to wear longs rather than shorts so we didn’t suffer too much.

We headed NW over the A56, to run alongside the railway line to pick up Godscroft Lane, running south, back to the A56.

The first encounter with the A56 had proved too much for Old Markham, he declared ‘lost trail’ and returned to base for a shower and a pint. He probably got the best deal of the day.

Next objective was Helsby Hill, quite familiar ground. Although it’s not a big hill, the climb was a bit of a rude awakening for some members (and one trail-layer!) who hadn’t done much during the summer months.

The forced smiles of Wells & Park on Helsby Hill

Prez Park decreed that the weather was brightening up. He was probably right….it just wasn’t brightening up where we were. The rain got even heavier.

We sploshed off the hill in a south-easterly downhill direction where it wasn’t extremely slippy at all, just slippy. And muddy.

Some not very happy cows

More familiar ground followed as we trotted along the sandstone edges, along the Sandstone Trail. We were still laying our sawdust trail – supplemented by chalked arrows, courtesy of Prez Park.

The golf course presented a slight problem. somehow we couldn’t find the path we wanted. HOW long have we been running from Forest Hills??

A slight, er, diversion along the edge of the golf course took us nicely to the path runs across the well-tended green.

It was then just a matter of bit of zigging and zagging back to the civilised surroundings of Forest Hills.

It was a nice route – made better by the addition of a bit of new ground….although I’m not sure if the members of Frodsham Golf Club would agree.

We trail-layers arrive home at 2.20pm, in good time for a hot shower and a coffee – before the packs returned…all looking slightly damp but mostly grinning.

Around 15 sat down to an excellent meal, a couple of runners weren’t able to stay for the meal – it was their loss!

Thanks to Joe for planning the route and being Trail-Layer-in-Command, and Paul for assisting, making jokes, and generally being good company.

Where we went  (anti-clockwise):

7.9 miles with approx 1.100ft of ascent.

TGOC2018, Day 14, The End

In which I eat strawberries. Again.

This was all terribly amazing and confusing….but at about 10.30am (after once again being fed royally by the Crooks of Knipe Knipes of Crook) we set off walking from Brechin’s Co-op in the general direction of The End Of My TGOC2018, aka: Kinnebar Links….via the very wonderful Charleton Fruit Farm. Obv.

Until this year I’d never visited Brechin, I gather there’s a pizzeria in town. And probably a couple of pubs, perhaps more. Whatever, Our Plan was to head east and get to the coast as quickly as possible. The route wasn’t going to be much fun, a few off-road bits but mostly tarmac…but at least it was dry & bright.

Caledonian Railway Station, Brechin

We were soon out of town and heading to the coast in the most direct way possible.

It should be Garden’s ….shouldn’t it?

For AlanR

After much tarmac, a few interesting ancient features and a closed pub we arrived, hungrily, at Charleton Fruit Farm.

It would have been rude not to…..

Chasing after Fast Knipe, who seemed to be on a mission, we arrived at the coast where the traditional wetting of the boots and chucking of the pebble from the west coast ceremony took place.

A ship in the North Sea

Then it was a brisk march along the beach to Montrose where loads of biscuits were snaffled from Challenge Control. And I received a pair of Darn Tough Socks by way of reward for my efforts. The socks were good, very good. In fact I’m going to buy some more. 

So that was that, all over and done with until next year. I was good fun (nowt new there), the weather was unusually excellent, the company was good…and the socks were brill.

Next year just MAY see me doing a very lightweight and very fast crossing. Not sure yet.

In the meantime….

 Michael Glass holding me up

The very excellent Ali

The equally very excellent Su…chatting to Tim (who is also pretty damned excellent too!)

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