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.Continue reading “The St. James Way Day Six – Southampton”
Tag Archives: countryside
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 itContinue reading “The St. James Way Day Five – Eastleigh”
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 aContinue reading “The St. James Way Day Four – Winchester”
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 offContinue reading “The St. James Way Day Three – Alresford”
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 wayContinue reading “The St. James Way Day Two – Basingstoke”
The St. James Way Day One – Wokefield/Mortimer
A nice gentle start to break us into this pilgrimage, with perfect weather and some nice pubs along the way. At 8am we set off from St. James Church, next to Forbury Gardens and Reading Abbey ruins. The busy streets from the night before now empty save a few dog walkers. We followed the routeContinue reading “The St. James Way Day One – Wokefield/Mortimer”
Warwickshire Adventure
We really mixed it up this year, rather than spending our annual week in ‘The Lakes’, we stopped at a holiday cottage in Wellesbourne, Warwickshire; a village between Warwick and Stratford-upon-Avon. Day One Check-in wasn’t until 1600h and Wellesbourne being only a 40min drive from my home, I had a leisurely morning, meandering into townContinue reading “Warwickshire Adventure”
The Saint James Way
Still on a high from my Walsingham Camino, I found a book from the British Pilgrimage Trust about locations around the UK that were destinations for medieval pilgrimage – ‘Pilgrim Places’. The book also details some routes to follow. The chapters are separated into the counties, giving the history behind the locations. One route jumpedContinue reading “The Saint James Way”
Walsingham Camino Day Twelve – Walsingham
Oh the Irony. I had it all planned out, how I was going to film the arrival. The shots and composition for the drone at the abbey. Only to find through March, the Abbey is only open at the weekends! For the last day, I took a late start. I’d booked breakfast for 0930h toContinue reading “Walsingham Camino Day Twelve – Walsingham”
Walsingham Camino Day Eleven – Fakenham
This 26km stage, I was dreading with how my right shin had been reacting yesterday. However it was pretty even with road and track walking. The kinesiology tape was out and my right leg looked like a modern art piece by the time I had finished strapping it up. From Castle Acre the route followsContinue reading “Walsingham Camino Day Eleven – Fakenham”
Stu's Camino 