Chapter 22
Well I’ve just finished for the day!
It is Monday afternoon 6pm.
And I’m absolutely bushed!
Nice symmetry: 50K steps, 24,miles, 40 km.
Yep: that’s bang on 40km.
Wow!
Annoyingly Porto is still around 55-57km away.
But I’m getting closer!
And fresh as a daisy after 38 km! 🙄
I tried to find beauty during my shortcut: but at times it was just a bit of challenge!
A massive industrial complex: almost as ugly as ‘Mordor’ from 10 days ago.
And ‘Murder’ just the same.
Anyway, that’s all for tomorrow.
I bet you can’t wait!
Today’s blog charts our progress yesterday: Sunday 12 April.
And……
This was the weekend where everything changed.
The changes were all connected with our arrival and departure from the beautiful town of Coimbra.
A really stunning town.
I would have liked to stay longer.
On Friday afternoon, we had arrived as a quintet: Camino Steve, Donna, Mika, Mike and I.
On Saturday morning we left as a duo: just Camino Steve and I, once again.
And on Sunday afternoon at precisely 2pm, I hugged Camino Steve goodbye and proceeded to walk an additional 10 km up the trail.
I’m now ‘flying solo’ for the next 3 days.
Camino Steve and I have been walking together for 20 days.
We’ve walked from Sagres and Cape St Vincent, on the extreme south westerly point of Portugal, to my overnight stay on Sunday, some 94km short of Porto.
We are roughly 2/3rds of the way to Santiago de Compostella, on the north western tip of Spain.
In those 20 days, we have walked 374.5 miles. Make that around 400 after today’s effort.
Or 602.6 km: or 650 km after today.
The reality is somewhat different.
And 819, 203 steps or 870,000 after today.
All slight approximations.
But whichever way you look at it:
That’s a lot of miles, km or steps!
There was no sinister reason for Camino Steve splitting.
Just common sense!
We have worked so hard to get me to this ’Porto Poise Point’.
In Porto my plan had always been to meet my wife Nicky and enjoy a 4 night, city break with her,
I would then resume the Camino Portuguese with my youngest sister Lizzie, who flies out to Porto on Monday 20th April.
Lizzie lands, the day after Nicky flies home to Yorkshire.
Lizzie is Hannah’s mum.
Hannah, my 24 year old niece, was tragically killed in a car crash last July.
The driver of the car that hit her car head on, was drunk and had been driving down the wrong side of the French autoroute for 40km.
The case will go to court some time this year.
Whatever the outcome of that case, the tragic reality is that Hannah isn’t coming back.
Her family have set up a charity in her name, to provide a free reading book to every child in local schools, on their first day in school.
By supporting me with this walk, you are supporting that initiative.
My niece loved reading!
She was going to he a teacher. Would have graduated last year.
I was a teacher.
I’m so pleased that I can help the Jones family in some small way.
If you would like to sponsor me, you can do so by clicking the link below.
Thank you so much.
And a massive THANK YOU, to the 88 people who have pledged over £2250 to this cause so far.
We are so grateful.
Meet Hannah.
I wish you could.
As a young child, she was full of energy and mischief.
As a young woman, she was elegant, kind, feisty, beautiful and great fun.
She loved her family so much.
Lizzie wrote to me a few days ago.
“Excellent read and blimey that’s some walking you’ve done today.
I’m preparing books for delivery to a class in a school in Albi tomorrow. This is what you’re walking for….so keep going.
Buen Camino! xx”
That’s what your sponsorship will fund.
To get me to this point in this trek was always going to be a big ask.
Camino Steve has been an immense support: churning out 20 mile/304 km days every day, for 17/20 walking days.
He is stoical.
When it hurts, he just puts his head down and keeps walking.
I’m going to miss him.
Steve helped me to get to within 58 miles/ 94km of Porto, but on Sunday evening I still had 2.5 days of big distances to cover, in order to meet Nicky when she lands at Porto airport at 1.25pm on Wednesday 15 April.
This has been a wonderful experience.
But it is gruelling.
Camino Steve and I are both pretty tired.
My feet definitely hurt.
Camino Steve’s?
Camino Steve doesn’t talk about his feet.
Remember his phrase?
“It is what it is”.
I happily bleat on about them!
Sorry…. but actually I’m not that sorry!
Mine are sore and they definitely need a breather.
Sore soles, long distance blisters on both little toes and a couple of blackened nails.
That ‘Porto Pause’ is very timely.
It could be so much worse of course!
Ask Glenn from Hertfordshire, who’s graphic feet injuries featured in Saturday’s blog.
Some good news for Glenn at last.
He can now fly home on Tuesday: he is insured for that flight.
The medics approved this yesterday.
It sounds so idyllic: to be stuck in sunny Portugal fur a week.
The truth is, it must have been pretty miserable for him.
Agonising foot pain, colder weather, all his C’Amigos much further up the trail and an inability to walk anywhere with hobbling.
I’m pretty sure he will be back to tackle the Camino Portuguese,
Bloodied but unbowed!
You displayed formidable resilience Glenn and brilliant deadpan humour.
His message to our group last night reads:
“Hi All, it’s great to see you all doing so well. Keep going at your own pace & enjoy. I’ve got my release note from hospital! Fly home Tuesday
Bon Camino, loved meeting you all & thank you. I’ll be back! X”
I’m not sure you will win any fashion competitions with that style of footwear Glenn.
But needs must!
You did yourself proud.
Mend well.
Buen Camino, my C’Amigo. 👍
So our walk out of Coimbra was easy.
Once we had negotiated those ‘139’ hostel steps again!
Coming down was easier than going up. The sore part of each foot, over hung the step.
Pain free.
I was “walking in the air”. 🎵😜
We were fortunate.
A local cafe opened at 07.00, so by 07.30 we weee leaving the town fuelled by cheese toasties and coffee.
What a town!
Coimbra was as lovely in the morning light as it had been in its sunny glory the day before.
Like any modern town though, it clearly has issues.
This looked a bad smash.
You just have to hope and pray they walked away.
We could not have asked for kinder walking conditions.
8 degrees as we left the city and never more than 14 degrees all day.
Another stunning property bid us ‘Ciao’ as we walked by.
So many lovely period properties are falling into decay in Portugal.
It is quite stark to see so many empty properties.
The path was level, no hard sharp edged flint stones to try to avoid.
We walked river side for a while before branching off onto a leafy country lane.
Wild flowers cheered our city exit.
Any tarmac was smooth and we hardly saw any cars.
Shortcuts were planned and shortcuts were made.
Why wouldn’t you?
I really love Portugal.
I love its people, it’s countryside, it’s history, it’s food, it’s culture.
I have finally, totally forgiven Ronaldo for his infamous theatrics and THAT wink!
The shortcuts took us down lush farm tracks. Wild orchids were standing tall on every corner.
A bountiful orange harvest in one garden was ready:
To spring in spring!
Another Canino inspired fresco greeted a village arrival.
Why are the pilgrims always so perfectly depicted?
Then it was time for the road shortcut of 8km that would safe 4km from the trail.
Long and straight: I’ve done worse.
It didn’t wind much though.
Traffic cops issuing a speeding ticket to an argumentative local: this did provide some distraction.
He was livid!
We passed a lady sitting on a bench.
Her face told its own story.
I ‘Croc Swapped’ next to her and wished her “Bom dia”.
We ‘chatted’: a grand claim, because she had no English and I certainly had no Portuguese.
I still discovered that her name was Maria.
I canonised her immediately.
“Santa Maria” I asked.
She grinned mischievously and nodded her head.
1 minutes exchange!
Priceless.
A 1 minute exchange that gave me such an endorphin rush!
On we went.
Until I called time on that shortcut and instigated another.
It was beautiful.
A flower strewn path next to a babbling brook.
I did an ‘Aussie’ and lay in the flowers. In tribute to those four crazy girls, from ‘Down Under!’
I miss them.
They are fun with a capital F.
Bliss.
Camino Steve took the lead.
We passed irrigation wells.
Wild swimming worthy they were not!
But it was wonderful to see that industrial heritage.
More flowers.
“Come on you yellows!”
Then we reached the noisiest cafe I have ever visited.
A peloton of cyclists sat in one corner drinking a ‘cool down’ beer.
They bellowed to each other.
A family group opposite, did the same.
My ears were ringing!
They all wished us well though, as we left.
“Bom Camino”.
A noisy lot, but a very friendly lot too!
We took lots more short cuts.
I love them!
Not least, they improve my map reading.
Camino Steve never once objected to my shortcut proposal.
He loves them too!
Finally we reached Mealhada: our farewell point.
We passed a giant car boot sale.
All the girls in my family love a boot sale.
I love this adventure, but to get home to those 5 girls will be very special.
Wife, daughter, 2 daughters in law and my very precious 20 month old granddaughter: who lives next door!
How special is that?
Then it was a last lunch with Camino Steve, sat on a park bench.
Bread, cheese, tomato: scrumptious!
And just like that, it was ‘Adios’.
Isn’t that how life is.
I headed north along forest trails.
I enjoyed a long phone call with Phil and Elizabeth, who live in Sidcup, near my sister Sarah.
Such lovely people.
They spread joy!
A few more pretty villages.
And then my destination town.
Another big day. Almost 19 miles/31 km.
A last sight to behold.
FC Anadia had a big game!
The crowds were flocking.
I thought of Camino Steve: that look of nostalgia I first saw outside FC Bispo, now 20 days ago, on our lead out day to this challenge.
Camino Steve had reminisced back then.
He hadn’t said anything.
But I had seen ‘the look’.
Those bicycle kicks of yesteryear.
That fist pump of glory.
That “C’mon lads, 0-4 down, it is what it is!” 😜
I resisted going to the game and focused on my last big shortcut: 500 metres along a part constructed motorway.
Was I trespassing?
Probably.
Did I care?
Not much.
Dinner was a challenge later on.
The local restaurant was recommended by the receptionist at my hostel.
A 1km limp there: it was locked.
Fortunately, the pizza place a couple of hundred metres down the road was open.
I was so hungry.
It was delicious!
A crazy day. A good day!
Thanks for the read.
Buen Camino.
Martin x
Martin Moorman is a 61 year old retired Headteacher who lives with his wife Nicky, daughter and her family in North Yorkshire, UK.
Happily married for 36 years, Martin and Nicky have 3 grown up children, all happily married too. In his spare time Martin loves walking, photography, football, renovating cooking and talking rubbish to anyone who will listen!
No quiz tonight.
Sorry.
40km!
Need I say more? 😜
Martin Moorman 