Some of you have been kind enough to support my 2021 Way of the Roses cycle across the UK and again my 2022 pilgrimage on the Camino Portuguese (Way of St James) from Porto, Portugal to Santiago de Compostela in Spain - thank you! Having successfully survived both endeavours, I have decided to embrace the mountains and undertake a second pilgrimage. From mid-April to the beginning of May, I’ll be traversing the appropriately named Cantabrian mountains across the Asturian massif where I’ll be following the pilgrimage of King Alfonso II who first made the journey from Oviedo to Santiago in the 9th century. The walk runs for over 320 km (200 miles give or take) across what is typically a very rainy Galicia and covers more ascents and descents than I care to consider. As with the Camino Portuguese, I’ll be carrying all my gear on my back for the duration of the Camino Primitivo, and I’ll be walking solo. My meagre pack currently weighs in at 6kg, sans water and snacks. I hope to cover roughly an average of 23km per day. My accommodation will be mostly simple hostels and monasteries.

During my little walk, I’ll be popping into many Spanish churches to light a candle, remembering friends lost and celebrating the lives of those still with us. Specifically, I am walking to raise support for our village church in Arkesden so that it remains a vibrant social, architectural, and spiritual landmark in our lovely village. I’d be grateful for any support you might be able to give (please be sure to GiftAid!) to help us keep the lights on, the heat running, and the roof watertight.

I head off to the Yorkshire Dales mid-March for a week of training (baptism of fire), climbing hills which are more than a bit steeper than our own Clodmore Hill 😊!

Updates will be via WhatsApp assuming I haven’t been eaten by wild mountains beasts or have collapsed from exhaustion atop some lovely Spanish mountain. Thanking you in advance for your generous support for me and espeically for our beautiful village church.

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