Camino Primativo - In Pursuit of Slow

Stage 1 - Camino Primativo Oviedo to Grado. 28.5 km

22 June 2019

Venturing into the unknown yet known

My first day started from Oviedo Cathedral. The guide book said it was hard to find the Camino shell signs that led out of the city. I was almost tempted to take a bus out to the outskirts of Oviedo and start from there, but quickly had second thoughts. I want to walk every step just as others have done for centuries before me. I was glad I did. There is something about walking through a city, first thing in the morning before it is fully awake.

You feel a place as you walk. You pay attention to small details in a way that you may not do normally.

I plugged into the Camino energy and peace almost immediately. Out of the city and into the beautiful hills, wooded paths and farming villages of Asturius. It was King Alfonso ll that first made this mountainous route famous with his pilgrimage to Santiago.

So many footsteps have been made since. And now it is my turn! I am blessed to be able to do this. So really I could not justify starting with bus ride!

This kind of walking is about being more primitive. Life very quickly becomes simple. Walk Eat Sleep Repeat! A different bed every night, life just flows on in a very natural way. It suits me well. I like the excitement of the unknown. It so good to just unplug from the norm, to get a different perspective.

I managed to control the urge to overload this year and pack too much in my rucksack. At a respectable 10 kilos (with water) it is probably still more than it should be. But it is getting better.

I feel stronger and fitter too (must be all that Natural Netwalking) But I am saying this after only one day of walking... and the sun was out!

It's nice to feel good on a number of levels though. Walking in nature like this really does work some magic!

I'm staying in a friendly Aubergue in Grado tonight, met quite few interesting fellow pilgrims, although this route is quiet! (May not be tonight in the dorm!)

Stage 2 - Camino Primativo Grado to Salus 22.5km

23 June 2019

What goes up has to come down....

That was the theme for stage 2 of the Camino Primativo.

The first 5 km out of Grado was pretty much uphill all the way. Then it went down... and up again and down again and up again pretty much all the way to Salus. It rained and then afterwards the sun came out and then it rained again.

It was all good - I just kept on moving through it all enjoying the experience. It’s so much easier to be happy this way. Just walking forward and letting whatever is on your path, be on your path.

When you are out in nature all day long walking in a very primitive way, you feel things in the way nature intended. You just allow it to be as it is. Eventually after the hill has pushed your limits, it relaxes the pressure and allows you time to recuperate with a downhill track. When the rain has drenched you, the sun comes out to warm your back.

I was grateful for the fantastic rain kagool that my friend and fellow Camino walker Tim Cadel had insisted I borrowed! (It covered me and my ruck sack and zipped up!) And it is actually fully waterproof.

I came across a number of fellow pilgrims on route today, a father and daughter experiencing this together, an Irish man doing it just because he loves it, a Romanian man, needing time out to reflect on the future of his long-term relationship. Everyone has their own reason for being out walking, up and down in the rain and sun! We all just like being our natural selves!

Stage 3 - Camino Primativo Salus to Tinero 25km

24 June 2019

Connecting with a Primitive Self

I was probably the last pilgrim out this morning, as I had chosen to stay the previous night in a beautiful country Aubergue just outside of Salus and needed to stock up on provisions for the day at the local supermarket which only opened at 9am! Mostly on a hike like this it is good to get up and out early, and most people walking the trail do.

So being a late starter, I had half of the day walking alone, which I love. With just the sounds of nature around you, it feels at times like a long meditation. Time seems to extend; a day can feel like a week. It's got something to do with slowing things down by walking every step of the way. I find that doing this connects me with a more primitive part of myself, a part that I both like and completely understand.

I thought about all the millions of footsteps that must have walked the same route, the spirits that passed through, just like I was doing right now.

We are all the same, all walking our way through life.

I spent the evening in Tinero having dinner and a few beers with some of the lovely fellow Pilgrims I have met so far on this trip.

It is all so simple, living with just what you have in your backpack, and buying what you actually need every day. Nothing is wasted or taken for granted.
Maybe our Primitive selves got it right! Natural Netwalking.

Day 4 - Tineo to Borres 19km

25 June 2019

Making Connections on the Camino

I always find it interesting that there are certain people that you just keep bumping into even when you have made no plans as such to meet them. It’s usually these people that somehow you are meant to meet and get to know better. They may have something important to share with you and vice versa. The special people you meet on the way are always an important part of the experience.

On the first day I came across a man called Ciprian from Romania. We had a brief exchange and I walked on. Later on that day I bumped into him again on the route and we had a drink in a bar.

We made no plans to meet up again but the next day I happened to be coming out of the place I was staying at exactly the same time as he was walking up the road. We had another short chat before circumstances put some distance between us.
I later bumped into him again in the sauna at the place I had chosen to stay at and ended up having dinner with him and some others.

And today we walked the last part of the day together, having bumped into each other again at a coffee bar.

Each time our chats have got better and better! So he is a person I am sure I was supposed to meet, he is fast becoming one of my Camino friends.
There are others too, Don the Spiritual Irish guy I have seen a number of times and is now in the same room at the lovely Aubergue in Borres I am staying at tonight. Also in the same room, Elena the 70 year old French lady I have had the pleasure to see and talk to a number of times and Isabella, the Peruvian Australian I have crossed paths with nearly every day somewhere.

So doing a trip like this alone is interesting. You are free just to meet and enjoy time with the characters you come across. Each person, when you reflect on it, has a message for you. The trick is not to become attached. You just have to allow it to be what it is. If you meet up you do. Everyone here is on their own Camino, which is to be respected.

Today was slightly shorter. It was foggy early on, but it cleared and the sun came out. I am staying at the most perfect place in the mountains, having supper with a group of people, all different ages and back grounds, from all over the world.

Tomorrow a small group of us will be walking La Ruta de Los Hospitales together (it is safer that way!) which apparently is magnificant! I am praying for a clear day.

Day 5 - Borres to Berducedo 26km

26 June 2019

Through the Fog to the Light!

Learning to trust in your path and have the courage to take the steps even when you don't know exactly what will be revealed.

The route today was up and over the mountainous famous Hospitales route and all the way to Berducedo for the night. I had been told that this route was incredible as long as the weather was good, otherwise it could be unsafe, and not advisable to tackle it. A small group of set off early in the morning, ignoring weather warnings of bad fog!
The Camino arrows that mark the way are normally easy to follow appeared to be lacking and with the dense fog hard to see the person walking in front.

It was simply a matter of trusting in the path. In dense fog ... didn't have much choice!
Eventually the small group disappeared, and I was pretty much alone on a foggy mountain path for a while. Then Don (The spiritual Irish guy I have bumped into a number of times} appeared! He was as relieved as me!

We agreed to stick together for the day. Between us we found our way through the fog, having a good laugh on route.

Then something amazing happened...Just as we were approaching the pass that led up to the highest point, the fog started to clear. The way the light shone through, and the clouds lifted over the mountains was an amazing sight.

We were both really blessed to be there just at that point to experience this! Don shouted out ... I am so happy! And I felt the same. So small yet connected with something that at that point felt very big!

I was one of those extra special moments in life.

Don and I continued over the pass, past the ruins of the ancient pilgrim hospitals, enjoying the spectacular scenery as it revealed itself to us.

The rest of the route up and over the mountains was challenging, especially carrying 10 kilos. Having nearly run out of water at one point, we were relieved to eventually reach a tap in the small village of Montefurado. That came just at the right time!

So today was all about trusting in the path and that the fog would clear just at the point when we needed it most!

This is a great life and business lesson. Once you are committed to the path, trust that it will work out, and give you exactly what you need at the right time.
I am going to take this back with me, and trust in the path I am committed to take with Natural Netwalking and my work as the walking business coach. It can be so easy to turn back when things get foggy, or there is the threat of bad weather (metaphorically speaking) sometimes you just need the courage and the trust to press on for long enough for the light to emerge!

Day 6 – Berducedo to Grandes de Salime 22km

27 June 2019

Time to take time!

After such an epic the day before (see day 5) I decided to take it a bit easier. It was only 22km and promised to be lots of downhill as opposed to constant uphill the day before. So, I left a bit later than usual, stopped for extra breaks on route, had a little blog writing time, a few chats with those I bumped into and eventually arrived at the pretty town of Grandes Salime for a beer with some fellow pilgrims.

It is so nice to walk into a town you have never been to before, be greeted by some friendly faces in the local bar, be asked for dinner by some friends you made 5 days ago, and find the place you chose that day to stay is absolutely fantastic! This is actually what happens on the Camino. There are people, all walking the route at the same time, so you end up seeing the same faces each day. Everybody shares the same love of this kind of adventure and we are all on the same path! There are some, as I have said in previous blogs that you keep bumping into over and over, they almost become a bit like your Camino family!

It's good to take time to enjoy the connections you make, as well is the scenery you pass through. Many are people that in normal walks of life you would never come into contact with. The fact that people are open to talk, it all feels very natural, and easy. Everyone is genuinely curious and non-judgmental. I came alone to do this, but I do not feel alone!

I will tell you more about one particularly inspiring and extremely funny man I have met on the way in tomorrow’s blog!

So, my message today is about taking time, give yourself permission to slow down now and then, to recover after pushing yourself (in business or personally) You need this!

Also take time to connect with the people around you. Don't be in too much of a hurry to stop and have a real conversation!

Day 7 - Grandes Salime to Fonsagrada, Camino Primitivo 26km

28 June 2019

It's all about Don! [and he is inspiring]

Leaving my lovely room in Grandes Salime this morning was hard, but the reminder of another beautiful day walking in nature was the motivator I needed to get going!

Whist the rest of Europe is apparently experiencng a heat wave, (Temps in the 40's) it seems quite mild here. Early in this morning it was foggy, and even when it cleared there was a gentle breeze which took the edge off the potential heat.

The route was again beautiful, forest tracks, mountain paths, past small farms and villages.

Most days amongst others on the way I have been bumping into Don (The spiritual Irish man I ended up walking the Hospitalis Route with after we both got lost in the fog)

Don is inspiring! He says he is addicted to Camino walking and has already walked 1,000's of miles on the different Camino's and has plans for 1,000 more. He's a business English teacher living with his wife in Madrid (he's 65) and always does the Camino walking alone. He just doesn't tell his wife all about the times he has got lost and what happened as a result! (Apparently she's.a worrier)

He is extremely funny! Speaks Spanish fluently with an Irish accent and laughs at himself and his antics pretty much all day long.

He gets up at 5.30am every day to meditate, and ensures he finds somewhere to do it again in the evening.
I have seen him sitting in front of a pint of beer in a bar meditating, at a bus stop whilst waiting for one, and in a variety other slightly unusual locations. He tells me he absolutely must do it twice a day and is just very flexible about where!

Each day I have had some time with him.

We have motivated each other up the hills when the going got tough, he has given me some short daily Spanish lessons, helped me out in few shops getting what I needed and I have helped him to plan and book ahead his bed for the night! (To stop him worrying about being the last one in)

He has been a great friend to find on this trip. He has really made me laugh with his stories and I have really enjoyed being around his upbeat, humble, kind, funny personality! Don is a one off and I do hope that I bump into him again on another Camino in the future. (Don is finishing at Lugo)

I know I must not get attached. (one of the spiritual lessons of the Camino)
But I will miss seeing his cheerful face having a coffee break in a bar on route, or finding him meditating before drinking pint in the evening!
Don you are the Best!

You never know when you will meet someone who's personality inspires you, Don's definitely inspires me!

Who have you met recently that inspires you?

Day 8 - Camino Primitivo A Fonsagrada to O Cadavo Baleira 26km

29 June 2019

Letting go of some weight!

Today's route promised to be hot, very hilly but with some of the most stunning scenery to enjoy!

I decided that I was more likely to enjoy it if I sent my rucksack on with the transporter to the hostel in Cadavo. I decided to give myself permission to let go and free of carrying 10 kilos for a few days at least!

It's interesting what goes through your mind before doing something as simple as leaving your ruck sack in the Aubergue with a destination tag on it for the transporters to collect and deliver. The cost of this service is only 3 euros! 3 euros to ease the pain in my lower back, the weight on my shoulders and to ensure my walk is light and free! It should really be a no brainer!

The voice inside my head (my ego) said, ‘Is this weak, does it mean I will have failed in some way to walk the whole way carrying 10 kilos? Am I not strong enough? Can I really trust that my ruck sack will arrive?’

Then the other voice ... my voice of slow said 'Jackie you are strong enough, but you are choosing to make it easier!' You deserve to be free of the weight you are still carrying' I listened, and I understood.

So ... I left the Aubergue to enjoy my day's hiking, minus what had been weighing me down. And was I glad that I made that decision!

The hills were hard enough ... and the heat hot enough without the ruck sack!

I really enjoyed the contrasting scenery, meandering along the peaceful pine forest paths, climbing the mountain tracks, wandering through farms and small villages.

I arrived in Cadavo to be greeted in the bar by who have now become some of my good Camino buddies. I had a private room to enjoy for on 20 euros! (well worth it) and we had a great Pilgrim 3 course supper with wine for the usual 10 euros! (such great value!)

There was a really nice atmosphere in the bar! It was just like walking into your local pub!

So my thought for you today is....

Day 9 - Camino Primitivo O' Cadavo to Lugo 30km

30th June 2019

When is overdosing on Green Time good for you?

It was a long way today, but having ditched my back pack and not reclaimed it, (I totally ignored any silliness from my ego voice and just focused on what my voice of slow had to say) I was able to both do it and enjoy it.

The route took me up and down mountain tracks, through pine wood groves, along gentle rolling hills, through farmyards and small villages ending up with a quick view of the motorway that led to the walled city 'Lugo' Yes, it would be so much quicker and easier to go by car, but if you did you would not get all the wonderful green time benefits. Whilst walking 25 to 30km per day, with breaks you are usually outside for about 8 hours a day whilst waking the Camino.

Out amongst everything that is green! Green grass, green leaves on the trees, green ferns, green bushes, green foliage, green is everywhere you turn. In fact after a while you almost go into a green trance! Lots has been researched and written about the positive impact being out in nature can have on you.

Reading about this is one thing, but actually experiencing it day after day is another. Natural green time gives you power there is no doubt. Green is giving me the energy I need to do this, as it is many others.

What does GREEN mean to you? To me it means, fresh energy, natural power. Green time is so important in life and business. Too much sitting inside at your PC or in meeting rooms can deplete your natural power. Reclaim it by getting outside every day for some green time!

Maybe you don't need to go as crazy as me, but a little bit more than you are getting right now could have a very positive effect on your feeling of wellbeing!

Coming into the City of Lugo was strange after being so long in the countryside. It was nice however to have a short walk round in the evening and visit the cathedral.

I managed to bump into my Camino Friend Don (the Irishman I wrote about in a previous blog!) right at the end of the day, so I was able to celebrate his final steps reaching the 100km to go mark. Don has finished for now. I will miss seeing his cheerful face every day!

A group of fellow pilgrim buddies went out for a nice meal and a few glasses of wine to say goodbye to Don! Get more #greentime Overdosing now and then is good for you! Give it a try.

Day 10 - Camino Primitivo - Lugo to Ferreira 26km

1 July 2019

When not thinking is the best kind of thinking there is...

I left my warm bed again early in the morning to walk past the impressive Ludo Cathedral before joining the Camino Primitivo once more.

It was really quiet in the city and a great time to just gently take it all in. It was quite strange to walk on roads for a while, having spent the last 9 days pretty much on mountain pathways.

Bar a few inclines the route was pretty flat. My legs felt the relief, but still feel the stretch.

I am feeling fitter, and I think a bit slimmer, as I had to ask an Aubergue owner if he could add an extra hole to my leather belt! (didn't want my shorts falling down) Do you wonder what I think about whilst walking alone over so many kilometres? I began to wonder myself when I realised that my normally very busy mind seemed to have ground to halt.

Walking every day like this just allowing thoughts to pass through, as they come and go, eventually brings you to a place where, the shape of a cows horn, the look in a sheep’s eye, the shape trees make, and the way the grass moves as the wind blows, becomes the most interesting things.

I realised - I was actually not thinking about the usual things that run through my mind, at all.

I was just there in the moment walking and paying attention. I wasn't projecting into the future, I wasn't running back over the past. I wasn’t worrying or stressing over anything.

My thoughts were just about what was right here right now! It was nice to realise that this actually was not thinking it was being present. It was the real power of NOW!

It is good for your mind, that can often over think, many worry too much, create unnecessary suffering, or go round and round in circles, to just get a break from itself.

Thoughts are thoughts and they can get in the way of a purer experience of life, if you let them. If you think it so, it is!

But if you are not thinking - you just experience what is. I hope that makes sense - as I said in yesterday's blog the overdose of green has had an impact. So, when do you give your mind a rest from thinking?

What do you do that takes you to a place of when you are connected to the power of NOW? We all need this, especially after periods of intense work.

My Camino walking meditation seems to be working for me. Lets' hope my brain comes back in a refreshed state, ready to perform at it's best, when it is asked! After a nice evening's communal dinner at an Aubergue in the small hamlet of Ferreira, writing this blog is the most thinking I will be doing before going to bed!

Day 11 - Camino Primitivo Ferreira to Boente 25km

2 July 2019

Can walking help you to resolve issues and find answers to your life's questions?

Most of the people I have met over the last 10 days walking the Camino Primitivo, have a reason for doing it. Some have told me, some have not but the common theme is something needs attention, attention that could not be given in the same way in the normal routine of life. They all had a calling of some kind to do this, and to do it NOW!

The route today started in the countryside, following trails through small hamlets and farms, I got behind herds of cows as I walked. It followed streams, over stone bridges and back into the hills. I was alone for most of the day ... bumping into the odd person I knew when I stopped for coffee and lunch.

Walking like this day after day brings simplicity to your life. the biggest challenge each day is just planning where you are going to stay the next night.

You have time to be with yourself, get to know who you are when you are not surrounded by your normal familiar trappings.

It gives you time to hear your own inner voice and be guided. It's easier just to allow anything that has been on your mind to just be there as it needs to be and be with it. There is no one to hide it from, you can just allow it to move through you as you walk.

Just as nature changes daily, your feelings and perceptions change too. Just walking without trying to do more than that, it is amazing how things just change inside you, naturally.

Everyone gets what they need from walking the Camino. It is healing and life giving, in just the way all that walk the Camino paths most need it.

I am gaining new insights everyday which I am grateful for.

I enjoyed a nice glass of wine with some of my Camino Buddies this evening (Ciprian and Peter I met on the first day .. and have bumped into them ever since)

As we are coming to the last stages of the Primitivo route it is becoming more populated as it joins with the French way. It is almost like a gentle introduction to normal life, getting busier each stage until the destination in Santiago de Compostela is reached.

It is good to step out of your normal routine, push the boundaries of your comfort zone a bit, and give yourself the space without trying too hard, to find your way through whatever it is that you would like a resolution or a new way of thinking and feeling about.

I am getting mine! Thank you again Camino Primitivo!

Day 12 - Camino Primitivo Boente to O Pedrouzo 30km

3 July 2019

Walking on Sunshine!

I got going quite early to reach Pedrouzo, as I had decided to try and get as close as I could to the Santiago. I will have a 19km hike in the morning.

I have decided to take a quick trip to the coast 'Corcubion' before taking the final walk into Santiago de Compostela. So basically I need to get to the bus station to catch a bus! ( that will be weird after so much walking)

The quiet peaceful, more remote Camino Primitivo route has now joined with the busier Frances Camino.

Still today was good. It was very, very hot! The heatwave seems to have finally reached this part of Spain.

Walking through the pine forests I noticed the sun light coming through the trees and making a pattern on the path. I thought at that moment - this is just like walking on sunshine! and it feels really good. Weirdly someone out of the blue, sent me a link to the song 'Walking on Sunshine' almost just at the moment I had been thinking that thought. It was very weird! Spooky even!

The Camino seems to be making an impact. What you think about boomerangs back! I will see what else I can manifest with thought tomorrow!

So walking on sunshine does make you feel good!

Try it and you will see.

Day 13 - Camino Primitivo O Pedrouzo to Santiago De Compostella 19km

4 July 2019

I'm just setting off for my last 19km of a 320km Camino Primitivo...hoping to catch a bus (yes a bus ... I'm allowed after 320km by foot aren't I?) to the coast at 1pm 2 days. I will go to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela on Saturday! You may notice I have reclaimed my ruck sack...this does not mean I have the weight back on my shoulders...I just need to carry it today to get to the bus station! So it is for a good reason and I have decided to carry it! (Big difference!) I am aware! Best get going now...not far to go now.