Exploring the unlikely intersections of walking, photography and making
Not the Via Francigena to Rome. Not yet. That begins in Canterbury. Today is the first day of the Chaucer Way, which will take us from central London to Canterbury. It's a modest 17 kilometer day, taking us from Westminster Abbey to Southwark Cathedral—the historic start for a pilgrimage to Canterbury—to Greenwich and to our... Continue Reading →
Tomorrow Gail and I will make our way on foot from the Christian heart of London, Westminster Abbey, to Canterbury, a journey of some 120 kilometers over six days. We will roughly follow the trail pilgrims have followed for centuries. A trail colorfully described in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. A trail that, these days, is aptly... Continue Reading →
Our first day in London is a jet lag recovery day. How we deal with this time traveller's malady is to hit the ground running. Or, in our case, walking. We arrive early morning at Heathrow, headed into town, deposit our bags at our refuge for the next two nights, Thanet Hotel near Russell Square... Continue Reading →
Tarifa A day-long beach walk On the Atlantic coast On fine white sand Across ocean-carved stone coves With a hard wind at our backs Pushing us To Bolonia To the Roman city, Baelo Claudio To the end of our Andalusian trek To our next long walk 29/05/19 20.8km/56m ascent/55m descent
El Pelayo Down a stream Down a country trail To the Mediterranean (once again, after 19 days walking) Weaving along the coastline Dipping down to beach coves Climbing (slightly) to headlands Passing gun emplacements from past wars Following old drovers' paths To Tarif Where Atlantic meets Mediterranean Where Romans, Moors, Christians fought Where fishers, wind... Continue Reading →
My postings have fallen behind schedule. But they will come soon! In the meantime, a quick report is in order. Today, Gail and I arrived in Bolonia, the final destination in our Andalucian Coast to Coast walk. After 21 days walking, covering 444 kilometers and many thousands of meters climbing and descending (and occasionally falling),... Continue Reading →
Los Barrios Gently up Forest Roads Cork oak forests Mountain vistas Gibraltar Morocco! A leisurely climb Then... One last kilometre Down through bramble, thicket All things prickly Down unmarked slopes Lost, scratched, bloodied Then, finally... El Pelayo 28/05/19 25.5km/575m ascent/350m descent
Castillo de Castellar Hard to leave But... Down La Calzada (a Roman road) Level paths, dirt roads, paved highways To Venta Juan Carlos (a rare restaurant meal at lunchtime) Gently up quiet roads (Gibraltar is so close) Steeply down trails To Los Barrios 26/05/19 26.9km/379m ascent/620m descent
Castillo de Castellar A welcome day of rest. And what a place to veg out. Castillo is, as you might guess, a castle. One that dates back in its present Moorish form to the 13th Century. Positioned high on a hilltop, with Gibraltar clearly visible on the horizon, the castle has been a strategic point... Continue Reading →
Jimena de la Frontera A cool, shady start On a long, flat path (A prairie-dwellers dream walk) Train tracks to our right Farmland to our left Temperature climbs to 27° C For a modest climb To Castillo de Castellar Beautiful 24/05/19 21.8km/339m ascent/197m descent