Stu's Camino

The Camino Portugués – Coastal

This year has been packed with adventures and pilgrimages, starting with the Walsingham Camino in March, The St. James Way in June and the short St. Alkelda’s Way in July. What better way to cap off the year than returning to continent!?

Four years ago on this day I was in Porto embarking on my second ever Camino. In September I’ll be returning, only instead of taking the central route where the August Sun baked me, I met fantastic pilgrims and had humbling experiences that gave me new perspectives. I’ll be following the coastal path.

To mix things up even more, I won’t be a solo pilgrim on this one; I will be joined by my mum and brother. This will be my brother’s first ever Camino. A whole new experience outside of his comfort zone. I know, no two pilgrimages are the same, but if we get to experience a fraction of what I had back in 2022, it’s going to be a good one!

The Coastal route follows the Atlantic northward through Portugal into Spain, before cutting inland at the city of Vigo, to join the Central path at Redondela. From there we head to Padrón, the home of the tapas dish ‘Pimientos de Padrón’ and the port where St. James was returned to the Iberian Peninsula after his beheading. The next stop after this is Santiago itself.

It should take us 13 days from Porto and being by the coast, the terrain shouldn’t be too taxing. Fingers crossed for the cool Atlantic breeze, sunny weather, good food and easy miles. We have a 7 day cushion should we want to take a rest day or, if we are feeling up to it, head to Fisterra or Muxia. If we a feeling adventurous we could do the Camino Inglés, completing the Spanish side of the St. James Way my mum and I did in June!

We’ll play it by ear and see how we feel. In true pilgrim style, we’ll trust the journey.

The Saint James Way Video

For me, the last couple of months have been manic, and the little spare time I’ve had, has been ploughed into getting my video of The St. James Way done.

It’s in a different style to my usual reflective narrative, as I’ve noticed that the UK routes are fairly unknown; they need a little more explanation around them. For those who know little of pilgrimage and the trails out there, they’ll need some background context otherwise it just looks like I’m just on a long walk.

I hope you will enjoy it and you feel inspired to undertake this pilgrimage.

St. Alkelda’s Way Day Two – Middleham

It had gone 9 when I returned to the route. Again cooked breakfast was between 8.30 and 9. Must be a Yorkshire thing.

Drizzle greeted me on the climb out of Kettlewell and up on to the fells. It came in waves, never heavy enough for the full on waterproofs.

The first 5km was the toughest of the day, levelling off, crossing into Richmondshire. The single track road passed by grazing cows that watched me stroll by.

2km on, began the long descent. Grouse chicks darted across the tarmac, springs trickled at the side of the road.

The sun finally chased the rain away revealing the tranquil valley in front. After 2 hours of walking I stopped at a bench in Woodale, then moved onto Horsehouse.

I called into the pub which was more like someone’s front room. I got chatting to one of the locals. He gave me the history of the area.

One thing that has been apparent over this adventure, are the links to horses. Whether stables, pictures in the pubs or village names.

The reason for this, is Richard III. He resided in Middleham Castle, where he used to race the noblemen on horseback. The area then became the breeding and training centre of racehorses, some winners over the years can trace their lineage to the horses from here.

Effectively this is the birthplace of British horse racing. Middleham still has a training centre, the highest in the country.

He also told me of the Middleham Jewel. A metal detectorist found a pendant with biblical engravings, below a gem stone. Due to its intricacy, it would have belonged to a noble person. A replica is held within St. Alkelda’s in Middleham.

I moved on reaching Carlton, where my mum and Joe met me to walk the last 7km of this pilgrimage.

The distance flew by and before we knew it, we reached St. Alkelda’s in Middleham. We made it before the church warden locked up. She pointed out a stone knot, which is said to have marked the grave of Alkelda. Then showed us the stained glass windows depicting her story.

Camino magic at the end of this short pilgrimage.

26km

16.16miles

St. Alkelda’s Way Day One – Kettlewell

The choice was either do 2 of the 3 big hills on the first day or just do the one. Naturally I opted for the former; however a side quest had me adding an extra one!

I started later than I would have liked. My BnB only served a cooked breakfast between 8.30 and 9.00. I was ready on the dot. I wolfed it down and hit the trail.

From St. Alkelda’s church, Giggleswick, I headed into Settle. Crossing the market square and up a silly steep road for the next 1.5km. It eased off as I joined the Pennine Bridleway.

Thankful for the softer gravel path, I made my way onto Kirkby Fell. The breeze was picking up, but gratefully it was a tail wind for a change.

Out on the Yorkshire Dales I got the solitude, I crave for. Rolling fells to the horizon, and lofty views of Malham Cove as I descended into the tiny village.

Not wanting to miss the chance to see this ice age relic, I diverted off route for this prehistoric waterfall.

Created by the glacial melts from the last ice age, a huge waterfall that would have rivalled Niagara Falls once fell at this spot. However the porous limestone has moved the water underground, only leaving a small stream today.

Standing at the bottom, I was in awe at the sheer scale of this Limestone face. Rock climbers were making their way up – ants on a wall.

I had the option to take a steep path up to the top, where you can stand on the limestone pavement. A feature created from the corrosion of acidic rain.

I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t take the opportunity. So I added an extra hill to today’s walk.

Side quest complete, I stopped at the Listers Arms in Malham for a pint then moved on.

Road walking up the last steep section of the day followed, as a weather front arrived. Drizzle ensued, but not heavy enough for waterproofs.

Once it levelled out, I had 5km or so, crossing the dales. I stopped briefly for a snack, that was being eyed up by the sheep that grazed the land.

A pleasant decline into Conistone followed, with a small spell of sunshine. I called into St. Mary’s Church to shelter from the returning drizzle, for a short break and snack.

However the drizzle was here to stay. I ventured back out, following a single track road through the flat valley bottom into Kettleswell, my end point for the day.

31.74km

19.73miles

St. Alkelda’s Way

I’m on a roll. The Walsingham Camino completed in March, The St. James’ Way finished a couple of weeks ago and I have a big one coming up later in the year, that I’m itching to start; my energy and soul is currently fully recharged.

Keen to keep the momentum going, I’ve found a 3 day pilgrimage across the Yorkshire Dales – Although in my typical style, I’m doing it in 2!

St. Alkelda’s Way, 52km from Giggleswick to Middleham. Passing through Conistone, Kettlewell and Carlton. It crosses the rolling moorlands and limestone dales of this UK national park.

This obscure North Yorkshire saint is linked to villages of Giggleswick and Middleham each with churches in her name. She was an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who travelled between the two villages, performing baptisms at the numerous holy wells along the path. However she was captured and strangled to death by a Viking woman.

Although this medieval story has become legend in the area, there is some doubt as to its authenticity. Historians believe the name ‘Alkelda’s is from the mashup of an old English and Norse word Halig Keld which means Sacred Well or Holy Spring. ‘Halig’ being Anglo-Saxon for holy/sacred and ‘Keld’ being Norse for spring/well.

Which would be appropriate with the many springs in the area.

BnBs all booked as the hostels are full for when I intend to walk. There is a surprising number of places to stay and pubs on this route. This could potentially be a little gem.

Now all I have to do is finish off my video for the ‘St. James’ Way’ and count down the days!

The St. James Way Day Six – Southampton

Brambles. Officially my least favourite plant.

Next week’s forecast is a heat wave, and today was the warm up. At 8.30am it was already hot. We rejoined the riverside path, that seemed to turn into a jungle expedition the further along we travelled it.

Nettles and brambles crisscrossed the narrow footpath. The nettles were nothing. I resided to their stinging presence with me wearing shorts; I hardly noticed them.

The brambles were the pain. Snagging your bag and clothes. Clawing at your flesh; you would have thought I’d wrestled a cat!

It made slow going, but the pain paid off. Entering Southampton’s outskirts, we passed through the Riverside Park. Wide pavements along the Itchen Banks; ducks, swans and geese paddled the waters.

We stopped for an ice cream, sitting on a park bench, watching dogs chase tennis balls thrown by their owners.

As we continued on, the smell of sea air filled our senses – the end was approaching.

Eventually we reached the ‘Junction Inn’, stopping for a drink. Despite the confraternity of St. James stating this is a stamp location. They don’t have one.

From here, it got very urban and cityscape fast. Passing under the Bargate – the Norman gateway to the city, we made our way over the last stretch to the docks.

Reaching the end point where the medieval pilgrims would have boarded the ships to A Coruña. We headed back to the ‘Gods House Tower’ (named after a pilgrim hospital). The official end to the pilgrimage.

We got the stamp and the certificate.

We had a drink at the Red Lion. Acclaimed oldest pub in Southampton. The location of the trial of three conspirators who tried to depose Henry V, before he set sail to Agincourt.

They wanted to put Edmund Mortimer on the throne. The Irony was, old Ed taddled on them. They were sentenced to death. The pub has a historic feel, high vaulted ceilings, coats of armour.

We then went to the ‘Duke of Wellington’ the acclaimed oldest pub in Southampton, where there was a live jazz band on.

Either way, we had a drink at the oldest pub in Southampton.

That completes the St. James Way. A great pilgrimage and one that will prepare you for the Camino. It is well marked, very much in the same way. You have to keep your head up, to spot the markers and arrows on lamp-posts, trees and curbs.

The next stage now is getting to A Coruña or Ferrol, to continue the Camino Ingles to Santiago.

But that will be at a later date.

The St. James Way Day Five – Eastleigh

A day of Peregrine Falcons, Kingfishers and Cetti’s Warblers. Ornithology and tranquil river banks.

It started out in the drizzle, and as we passed the cathedral the Falcons were crying from the spires, clearly also disgruntled with the weather. The route winds through Winchester to the banks of the river Itchen, where it follows it to Eastleigh.

The trees and bracken were alive with birdsong. After hearing an unusual call, we booted up the app, and it identified it as the Cetti’s Warbler, and amongst the chorus, was a kingfisher call! – Although we couldn’t spot it due to the thick vegetation along the river banks.

As we went on the rain eased, and by 4km, at Compton Lock, it had stopped. We paused here for snacks, as a local wild swimming group convened to dip in the clear waters. I did suggest to my mum she could join them, but she wasn’t keen.

There was a route diversion here too, due to path works. We had to ascend a small hill into Shawford and rejoin the way there.

It continued on, progressively getting more overgrown. Narrowing the path to the point, it was a balancing act when meeting dog walkers coming in the opposite direction.

Around 11am the Sun had chased the clouds away, making it a very pleasant stroll into Eastleigh’s outskirts. We stopped for a couple of drinks at the ‘Ham Farm’ pub. The Assistant manager fascinated and amazed with our pilgrimage – I may have inspired her to undertake one!

There was no rush at this point, only 3km or so to go. We relaxed in the beer garden watching the world go by and the birds foraging for food crumbs.

The short distance back along the Itchen banks took us into the centre of Eastleigh. The place has a different vibe compared to the other towns on this route, almost like a northern coastal town that didn’t suffer the decline synonymous with them.

We had dinner and a few drinks at a craft ale bar with a Steam Train theme. The restaurant had first class train seats and the walls decorated with all things engineering.

That concluded our penultimate day, a short one into Southampton tomorrow awaits, to complete this pilgrimage.

It has passed far too quickly.

The St. James Way Day Four – Winchester

Today brought rain and soggy feet, but also an easy 17km stroll into a former capital of England and the resting place of St. Swithun.

It was probably our quietest night sleep on the pilgrimage so far. No revelling golfers, early morning beer deliveries or city noises. When we began today’s walk, there was a spring in our step. The only dampener – figurative and literally – was the rain.

Although light, the overgrown paths and fields soon soaked our trainers. Each step was accompanied by a soggy a squelch.

At Ovington the way goes through a nature reserve, following the river Itchen. Swans sifted through the riverbed, fish glided beneath the surface, a chorus of birdsong filled the trees. Natures glory at its finest.

We came across a dog walker with a chocolate lab called Amber. She came bounding to us, tail wagging wanting a fuss. We chatted with her owner, who recommended a route past Avington Golf club, giving views of the countryside and also a cafe stop – but he called it cardiac hill.

When we got to it, it was nothing. As we got to the top, the clouds thinned and by the time we got to the cafe, the Sun was shining.

After a cup of tea, we headed into Itchen Abbas for the stamp at the church and met two pilgrims. They live locally and have been leap frogging their cars, so that they could spend their nights at home.

From there it was across fields. At one, we met two walkers who had turned back. They asked us how we felt crossing a field with a lone bullock in it. They were afraid to keep going.

“If you ignore them, they tend to ignore you”. They didn’t believe me and left us to continue. As I got closer, it wasn’t a bullock nor was it alone. There were two calves, and they didn’t pay us any attention.

At ‘Martyr Worthy’ (cool names around here) we stopped for a picnic at the church after getting the stamp. We kicked off our trainers and pulled off our wet socks to dry our feet in the sun.

The route was pretty much the same to ‘Kings Worthy’ then the Winchester outskirts became our scenery. A quick stop at the ‘King Alfred’ pub then the home stretch to Winchester Cathedral.

We got the stamp, had a walk around the ancient building; the resting place of St. Swithun. Bishop and royal advisor to Æthelwulf. He requested when he died, to be buried outside of the cathedral so his grave can be visited and rained upon.

The monks, a hundred years later on the 15th July, moved his remains indoors, resulting in 40 days and 40 nights of rain.

After checking in, we attended the acclaimed oldest pub in England, ‘The Royal Oak’. Once the home to Edward the confessor and refuge for Charles II. A seat of power in medieval England.

It was an easy day after the last three, with tomorrow’s target Eastleigh – a similar distance.

The St. James Way Day Three – Alresford

I lived up to that stereotype today; your walking friend, that utters the words “it’s not far now”, “just around the next bend”, “one more hill to go” – the biggest liar in your friend group. Had I fully disclosed the distance today, I think my mum would have taken the bus!

We set off from Worting just after 8am, following an old Roman road that seemed to act as a dam to new housing estates leading out of Basingstoke.

The forecasted morning of overcast skies never materialised, the Sun was cheering us on for most of the day.

After 3km, we got our first corner, crossing over the motorway and finally leaving Basingstoke to enter the small village of ‘Dummer’. We aimed for ‘The Queen Inn’ to collect the stamp and a cold drink.

Crossing the car park it was all in darkness, with a patio set outside the entrance. We plonked our bags down and munched on our snacks. Shortly after, a chap doing some maintenance on the pub appeared.

He pointed us to a box at the front for the stamp, for such occasions, neatly packed in an OS map decorated container. So if you ever find yourself here, you now know where to look.

The next stop was Preston Candover, 5km over farm tracks and overgrown trails. Horse flies kept nose diving for my legs, luckily only one managed to get a nibble, my frantic wafting kept the rest at bay.

We stopped for a short refreshment break at the community run store to the village, then pressed on.

It was a bit of road walking until the route turns off into a field of wheat, hugging the hedgerow boundary. You need keen eyes to spot the gap in the hedge. The sign post was missing, and the marker was secured by a stone on top of yellow bricks, hidden in the long grass.

Through a few more wheat fields and we reached the country lane into ‘Upper Wield’. We took a break on a bench in the village, basking in the Sun.

A large section of road walking followed before turning off along a shaded path that stretched out for a couple of kilometres before the final legs into Alresford.

The weather began to change and after stopping for the stamp St. Mary’s, it began to rain, thankfully only lightly.

The last little bit into the village centre was up hill, to complete a 29.2km stage. My mum made it all the way; only the cost is, I doubt she will believe me when I say “nearly there”.

The St. James Way Day Two – Basingstoke

Bit of a long one today, wading through brambles and nettles, with a spot of wildlife rescue.

Wokefield Estate is clearly a popular location for lads golfing holidays. Sleep was little due to them coming and going throughout the night and holding phone calls in the corridors at 5am!

At 8.30am we made our way across the fields into Mortimer, calling at the shop for supplies. Unfortunately the pub with the stamp wasn’t open this early.

Over fields and through small woods led us into Silchester to collect the stamp at St. Mary’s church. Here is also the site of a Roman town, ‘Calleva Atrebatvm’.

It was a fairly large town for its time, the size evident from the remains of the surrounding wall that is still present.

The scenery that followed wasn’t very inspiring. The fields turned to metal structures where solar farms are being developed; power lines crisscrossed overhead. We were glad to reach Bramley, stopping for lunch at the farm shop and collecting the stamp from the church.

Then began the battle with brambles and nettles. The stinging, snagging tendrils grabbed at our bags and attacked my legs.

At Pamber End we called in at the pub for a cold drink and the stamp. The beer garden and sun enticed us to stay longer than we should have; we still had some way to go.

Fields and triffids continued to ‘Monk Sherborne’. While making our way along a wooded border, I spotted an owl that had its wing snared on barbed wire.

The poor thing was weak. I supported its weight off the wing and tried to untangle it, but the sharp metal had bored into its flesh. The wire would need cutting to free it – wire cutters are not a tool within a pilgrim’s arsenal.

I pulled its talons to the wire letting it hang like a bat to ease the pressure on the wing, and flagged down a dog walker. She knew the farmer and went to get his help to free the bird.

I left the owl in their capable hands; we couldn’t hang around as evening was approaching fast and we still had 5km to go.

The descent into Basingstoke passed the golf course, over a very busy road, through a farm and down a wooded tunnel into Worting, completing the stage at the church.

A long one today, but that is part of the journey.