Category: Camino

Baby, it’s not so cold outside

Baby, it’s not so cold outside

Posted on by Josie Bounds

Or so we told ourselves as we set off on my second training walk for the Camino Francés.

Not quite the Sèvre Way in Niort as originally planned that pleasure is postponed until Saturday, along with a wander around the market.

Our route took us into Le Busseau, where we joined the local community to celebrate winter in the best possible way: vin chaud and a slice of galette des rois. A most welcome repas mid-walk, warming hands, hearts, and spirits alike.

As the walk unfolded, the sun began to shine, turning it into a perfect winter walking day despite the cold.

11.5 kilometres in total, a wee bit more than the 1st of January and once again it felt so good to be out, stretching my legs and building steady Camino strength. I’m still completely in love with my barefoot walking shoes… happy feet make happy miles.

Buen Camino 😘

First Steps of the Year

Posted on by Josie Bounds

The first day of the new year began exactly as I’d hoped — with a Camino training walk. Just under 9 kilometres, enough to wake the body without asking too much of it. The cold bit hard at the start, that sharp winter chill that makes you question your timing, but before long my rhythm found me and warmth followed.

I wore my new barefoot walking shoes for the first time, and they felt surprisingly natural — comfortable, grounded, and easy, as though my feet were grateful to be invited properly into the journey. Mostly, though, I loved the simple pleasure of stretching my legs again, moving forward with intention. A quiet, steady beginning… and a good way to step into the year ahead.

Walking the Camino, not to arrive but to return

Posted on by Josie Bounds

 This May, I return to the Camino Francés, stepping once again onto the Way of St James, but with a gentler rhythm. Shorter days, quieter paths, and variant routes will guide me this time, inviting a deeper presence with each footfall. I’ve already gathered the photographs from my 2023 walk; now I’m free to simply witness the unfolding landscape — the light, the silence, the spaces in between. I walk with trust, and with a hopeful glance skyward, that the weather deities may smile more kindly on this journey than they did before.