Chapter 28
Hola Peregrinos,
Welcome to my latest ‘Tale from the Trail’.
Last Wednesday I arrived in Portugal’s second city to enjoy a ‘Porto Pause,’ with my lovely wife Nicky.
If you’ve not been to Porto, I recommend that you give it serious consideration.
It is amazing.
For those who live in the UK:
Think Whitby; but ‘on serious steroids’.
Whitby is fantastic: we had a family break there in February.
But Porto is on another and very different level!
Nicky and I had a 4 day blast in this beautiful town.
The climate, culture, company and Camino-connected scenery was stunning.
It really was a special break.
It gave us some important time together, a break for me after walking 440+ miles in 3 weeks and some much needed R&R for my feet.
I clearly remember my ‘advice to self’ on day one of this adventure, when we left Cape St. Vincent, the ‘Lands End’ of Portugal?
“You’ve got to look after your feet!”
I’ve tried to.
And I’ve been reasonably successful on that front.
They’ve squeaked and squealed, squeezed and squawked:
But they’ve never screamed!
Thank goodness.
Today (Monday) I’m blogging as I wait for my sister Lizzie to land at Porto airport at 2.05pm.
She’s coming here after hosting a big hitting weekend in a beautiful French village, just 7km from her home near Toulouse.
Lizzie had a full-on Saturday, after organising and coordinating, an Artisan’s Market in Cordes; one of the ‘170 Plus Beaux Villages’ (most beautiful villages in France.
It was ‘A Family Affair’ 🎵 and the crowds came in their hundreds.
Over the next few days of our walk, you may get used to seeing the small stained glass square that Lizzie carries with her, at all times.
Sunflowers were her daughter Hannah’s favourite flower.
Lizzie is a glassmaker and has made these stained glass window decorations to support the work of the charity set up in Hannah’s name;
“Les Histoires d’Hannah’.
A number of people on this blog have asked me about them.
She sells them for £15 each and her youngest son Paddy will be visiting our family in June, packed with the latest batch of orders.
This is no hard sell.
But if you are interested please let me know.
They are beautiful and poignant.So many people came to support Hannah’s family, celebrate what would have been Hannah’s 25th birthday and to support the charity they have established in her name.
The family produced a video which you can hopefully watch via the link below: or else you copy and paste it into a new window.
https://youtube.com/shorts/V7vlJ7-YI3I?si=LOfbsJ4lAZDjsmMR
Hannah was the youngest daughter in this larger than life family, of 7 children.
She was a lovely young woman and is missed desperately.
However, Hannah’s legacy is very much alive and kicking.
That’s the aim of my sister’s family.
They can’t change the events of that horrific night last July, where Hannah was killed instantly, in a head on crash with another car, being driven down a motorway on the wrong side of the road.
The other driver was significantly over the drink driving limit.
The family try to ensure that her life is celebrated, to share their experiences so that others don’t have to go through the same thing.
And to ensure she remains as integral to her family’s life as she was when she was alive.
That’s why I’m walking this epic trail.
If you feel inclined to sponsor me to help the charity set up in Hannah’s name, I would be so grateful.
My fundraising total is currently £2,499 as I type, which is way beyond my expectations.
However, I really do like round figures.😂
To hit the £3,000 mark (or higher) would be absolutely superb.
Please click the link below.
Thank you so very much.
After all the effort and emotion of the weekend I suspect Lizzie is knackered!
She’s thinks she is coming to the Camino for a rest! 😂
A holiday.😜
A ‘Jolliday’.😂
‘I’ve got news for you,’ Lizzie Jones.
I’ll decided to break her in slowly with a 16km afternoon stroll today, Monday afternoon.
That’s 10 (ish) miles in English currency.
About 4 hours walking:
Unless she’s a ‘snail-trailer!’
Time will tell.
Then tomorrow it’s 25 km…… perhaps?
Or 30?
Or 35?
Kilometres at least!
It could be much worse.
It could be those figures in miles!
I can guarantee that it definitely won’t be a 40+ kilometre daily walk.
Those 40 km days finally ended last Tuesday and Wednesday for me when I walked 42-44 on each day.
My sister is quite competitive.
Unlike me! 😇
Back at the start of this walk, she had been flabbergasted at the low weight of the rucksack belonging to Camino Steve, my trail buddy, who walked the first 400 miles of this trip with me.
It seems a lifetime ago since we landed in Faro, on the Portuguese Algarve, on Monday 23 March: exactly 4 weeks ago today!
We’ve come quite a long way!
Steve is now some 40 miles ahead of me having elected to avoid a ‘Porto Pause’ and crack on towards his Santiago goal.
I’ve asked him regularly for an update.
He’s being a ‘Coy Boy’, at the moment but I do know he has taken the Central (green) route.
Lizzie and I are walking the Littoral (yellow) route, which hugs the coastline for 80% of the trail to Vigo, before they all combine to take the Peregrinos towards Santiago.
Camino Steve certainly likes to keep the customers guessing.
All I really know, is that he is doing well.
When he updates me, I’ll update you.
In that early part of our Camino, Steve had taken an early lead with his rucksack weighing in at that frankly ridiculous total of 4.5kg.
His rucksack is the same size as it was back in 2023.
Mine was the middle one in that photo.
Thankfully my rucksack is much smaller this year.
Truth be told, I was carrying a lot of ‘extra baggage’ back then.
Now I’m travelling much lighter, both physically, emotionally and mentally.
I think I’m probably the happiest pilgrim on Camino.
A genuine claim.
Thank God!
What a fantastic turnaround.
That’s a particularly ‘Good Report’ for this retired Headteacher.
The best report actually!
My first blog back in March, in Faro, had been titled ‘1-0 to the Arsenal’.
I had handed Camino Steve an early score in our silly 1 v 1 duels.
A rather unfortunate title it would now seem to appear.
Camino Steve’s beloved ‘Gooners’ are imploding once again.
It has been a disastrous Camino for Steve’s Arsenal football club.
4 straight losses.
Last night near rivals, Manchester City beat them to get to within 3 points of Arsenal, with a game in hand and a better goal difference.
I’ve now realised why there is a noticeable ‘Sound of Silence’ 🎵 from Camino Steve.
“You’re not singing any more!”
Independent endorsement for my football analysis came from Camino Steve’s London based friend Nigel, this morning, in his encouraging message to me:
“….. at least you are not with Camino Steve who must be suffering badly today – surely those Gooners can’t ’blow it once again?”🤔“
Nigel supports Liverpool.
He’s one to speak.
His shower has never even looked like winning a trophy this year.
As for me?
I support Bristol City……
Let’s not go there!
4-2 losers to Norwich.
My good friend Mike who supports Norwich City, predictably tried to call me on Saturday at 5pm.
Sadly for him, my phone was suddenly having a long technical moment.
This has continued into the new week.
I simple can’t access his calls.😜
I’d seen that defeat coming of course.
My walk across Portugal has blasted me with Canary Yellow!
On repeat.
it must have been an omen! 🫣
Football!🤷🏻♂️
“It is what it is!”
Football sucks:
Until next season of course!
Lizzie sent me a photo of her rucsack.
As if this proves anything?
At least mine is neater ……………..and blacker!
And besides:
I argued with the same conviction that I had used against Camino Steve last month.
I am 7 inches taller, and so have 7 inches longer AND HEAVIER clothing sleeves, socks, trouser legs etc.
Unfortunately she killed me with her instant reply!
Flashscore!
England 0 France 1
Damnit! 🥲
One thing we do both share, is an ability to laugh at ourselves.
Yesterday’s (Sunday 19th April) walk was an unusual one.
I was being tactical.
I wanted to walk to the airport so I could maintain my ‘pure pilgrim’ status.
My sort of purity marks the reality that I have now walked ALL the way from Cape St Vincent to Porto airport.
I’ve done no sneaky train rides, bus journeys, Uber-ing Or Bolt-ing.
I’m ashamed to admit that I’m still not totally without sin however.
“Bless me father for I have sinned:”
“I’ve trespassed on railways: repeatedly.”
“I’ve coveted other people’s wood stores.”
“I’ve encouraged others to trespass.”
“I’ve climbed fences that I shouldn’t have.”
“And on Sunday, I trespassed onto the motorway:
We’ll sort of trespassed anyway.
“Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa!” 🙄
After one last wave to that magnificent bridge in Porto and the sea fretting fog that was bubbling up to the west, I left my Airbnb at 10.30 and started my 16km walk to the airport.
It was another lovely walk through central Porto.
Past the cathedral.
And the Camino marker stone showing ‘The Way of St James’.
Past another UNESCO influenced building facade.
Past a beautiful, cooly shaded park, where graceful trees offered protection from the hot midday sun.
The walk then slowly reverted to what can best be called mundane.
I searched everywhere for beauty or unusual things.
In my glorious ‘Technicolour Camino’ world of recent weeks, it was all a bit drab: in a hot and dusty sort of way.
An Italian/Indian restaurant made me giggle.
I get a lot of stick from my kids for serving Indian chutneys with a home cooked Thai meal.
They call me ‘Fusion Mart’ and worse!
Even I have never fused Italian with Indian!
That biryani sounds ……
Acquired!
I saw a stuffed collie dog in the window of a pet shop.
It made me nostalgic for our own border collie.
Tip is a magnificent dog.
He’s my best walking mate at home.
He belongs to my daughter Rosie and her husband Will.
I love him to bits: we all do.
At a recent Artisan’s Market that Rosie had organised, I photographed Tip next to a beautiful portrait of a border collie.
The painting was called ‘Sweet Eyes’.
So true!
So Tip!
I saw a few pieces of street art as I walked through the city’s suburbs.
Not the greatest but certainly far better than anything I could do.
Some very precise and formal flower displays caught my eye.
Another beautiful church.
I’ve seen hundreds now.
As I left the city, those canary yellow flowers returned.
Stunning: they certainly rubbed in that 2-4 home loss to ‘The Canaries’!
And then I hit the motorway and found myself with nowhere to go.
My transgression was swift and short.
I hobbled along the hard shoulder of a motorway roundabout for about 150 metres.
I climbed a steep embankment and scaled yet another barbed wire fence.
I finally navigated myself to a nearby track that thankfully led somewhere.
Anywhere!
I was never at risk but I was an ‘accidental outlaw’ for a fleeting moment.
‘Mea Culpa’ on repeat!
And that was pretty much it.
I had reached Crestins, just 1.7km from the airport.
I caught my metro train back to the city and checked into my hostel.
No
It was a pretty nice hostel, some 4 km out of the city, with a lovely long, shaded garden.
I chatted to some of the other Peregrinos: young people from Holland, Italy and Germany.
A really lovely lot.
I played the ‘delegation game’ and asked for artistic help as I wanted to produce a ‘Welcome to Portugal’ sign for Lizzie, when she arrived on Monday.
Lorenzo from Italy volunteered.
I called him ‘Leonardo’ in deference to that master painter.
He was a lovely guy and he fulfilled my exacting commission superbly!
I’m for one, very proud of my colouring in.
I stayed with the lines.
I enjoyed a lovely chat with Paula, a retired doctor from South Carolina, USA.
We had so much in common:
Family, values, faith, vocational careers, retirement and its initial challenges and a sense of humour.
Such a lovely lady.
Her pilgrimage had finished.
Such a shame.
I felt a real connection: AGAIN!
I was buzzing when I left the hostel.
‘Leonardo’ and Paula had reminded me why I love the Camino so much.
Genuine, kind, intelligent and articulate.
This happy Peregrinos walked to the metro, got off at Crestins, and walked the last 1.7km to meet my sister!
On Monday I had a 1.7km walk to the airport, where I drafted this blog as I waited for Lizzie to arrive.
The poor girl had a fright at Rodez airport when she arrived at 09.00 Monday morning.
Her airline had overbooked the flight and she was told that she had been ‘bumped’.
she was devastated.
Feared the worst.
But fortunately ‘all’s well that ends well’.
She strolled out of the exit in the Arrival’s hall and I gave her a big cheer!
She then had the temerity to deposit my sign in the nearest bin, claiming that it was too much extra weight for her to carry.
We posed for our airport selfie.
I then introduced her to my ‘Camino Reality’.
A 17 km stretch of hard walking on never ending cobbles.
It wasn’t very pretty.
Industrial and tough on the feet.
But she grinned and bore it.
And at least it was flat and dry.
3.5 hours later, just before 6pm, we walked into our hostel.
Lizzie had made it.
Her Camino had begun.
I think Hannah would have been very proud of her mama.
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!
Martin Moorman 
another great read and amazing pics.
it had to be the yellow trail, no other colour trail would be right in remembering Hannah.
now I have a question …would Lizzie ‘s rucksack have been so light if she had been keeping you company the whole journey?
lots of love
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