Chapter 31
Hola Peregrinos,
Welcome to more ‘Tales from the Trail’.
It’s 05.14 on Friday 24 April, SPANISH time.
Yesterday, as the only peregrino in the boat, I crossed the river Minho, which forms central border between Portugal and Spain.
My coiffure was a super blow dry!
Not my finest look.
Nor was the ‘Silver Fox’ look.
I decided to take the plunge and shower shave in tribute to my brave sister.
A smooth skinned Silver Fox!
El Capitano Pedro and his first mate Pedro (2), treated me like royalty.
As they sped across the river they kept shouting ‘Inglaterra“ and “Harry Kane!”
I shouted back “Ronaldo, no, no , no” followed by a nudge nudge, wink wink! 😜
We agreed via sign language that this year is England’s time.
The ‘Copa Mondial’ is ‘Coming Home!’ 🎵
2 Pedro’s predicted it!
You heard it here first, senors and senhoritas! 🏆
In landing on Spanish soil, I lost an hour of time as Spain, like most of the EU, is an hour ahead of the UK and Portugal.
Yesterday was a day of polar opposite emotions.
Spectacular scenery vs real sadness that my sister Lizzie was having to take a rest day.
(I didn’t know until later in the day that a meniscus injury in her knee was terminating her Camino.)
Euphoria to be walking with Michael, ‘The Yank with the Tank’ for the whole day, vs the recurring foot pain that has been well documented in this blog before.
Genuine sadness to be leaving beautiful Portugal, vs excitement at entering Spain, with Santiago de Compostella only 150 (ish) km away.
And……
Gratitude for the million plus steps taken, the 550 miles walked, the 900th kilometre completed, vs disappointment that all too soon, this big trek will be over.
Happiness for the friendships I’ve made vs a yearning to see my beautiful family and my friends.
There’s no place like home!
And in my particular case that’s a quite remarkable admission.
You see, for nearly 3 years from 2021 to 2024, I loathed where I lived.
The biggest irony for this outdoor enthusiast, was that I lived in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and I didn’t settle to it at all.
I heaped the blame for my struggles on our new house!
With the benefit of a lot of hindsight:
Really?
I loved life in Halifax, West Yorkshire, where we lived as a family for 25 years.
We had a great circle of friends.
Brilliant neighbours adjoined us.
I walked, ran or cycled the 3-5 mile journey to work every day: on those journeys, this short cutting Camino peregrino, would quite happily walk ‘extras!’
I worked as part of the leadership team at a special school in the town: firstly deputy headteacher and then headteacher.
I loved it so much, that I stayed there for 25 years.
Nicky and I had completely renovated our 5 bedroom Victorian semi.
We had the left hand half of it.
Howard, Brenda, Craig and Sally and a variety of their family members, at various times, lived next door.
We had such a good time with them.
I’m married to a renovation and interior design guru.
Nicky is also a really hard worker.
And has talent; bundles of it.
Through blood, sweat and tears, she turned that house from what she initially saw as a ‘cow’s ear into a silk purse.‘
I loved Halifax, my local town; its people, my school community, students, staff and their families.
As a team we built something special there, continuing the great work led by my predecessor Mike..
It was so special that we were able to invite Lord Sebastian Coe, double Olympic and world champion distance runner, and Hannah Cockcroft, Halifax born and many times over, Paralympic world champion, to come free of charge and open a new £3M off site sixth form, funded exclusively by public generosity.
Heady times!
So, when I retired early at 56 and we moved to rural North Yorkshire, it was a real shock to my system!
We’d bought a multi generational farmhouse and outbuildings with my daughter Rosie and her husband Will and Nicky’s mum moved in with us too.
We ran and still run an Airbnb.
It was another ‘doer-upper’ property, but on a much larger scale, in a much more exposed landscape on a much more isolated hill.
Apart from 2 farms, our nearest neighbours were over a mile away.
Beautiful:
But remote.
Relocation and renovation fatigue are a real thing apparently.
I felt them both coupled with a massive sense of loss.
Loss all those supremely positive things that I have mentioned about our time in Halifax,
There I was something.
Someone!
Here I felt like a nothing!
What was the point of Martin Moorman?
I’m a socialite,
I get my kicks from people and for those 3 years all I felt was abject separation.
And amidst all of this I felt the immediate and delayed impact of bereavement.
My mum died in 2022: I guess I was always a bit of a ‘mummy’s boy!’
I think I was actually the brown eyed version of ‘the blue eyed boy!’
I had recently lost my dad and my middle sister Anna in tragic circumstances.
And then my best friend Carl (Carlos) developed an aggressive form of cancer and sadly he died too.
What?
Give me a break!
I felt completely lost.
What was the point?
My family suffered as I suffered.
Nicky tried to fix the house to fix me.
The only fixing I did, was to fixate on selling the house.
My rational?
Sell the house and ‘everything will be okay!’ 🎵
Completely nonsense of course.
I had deeper rooted baggage which needed addressing.
I went on Camino in 2023, where I met a lovely group of people and came home revived.
It was short term.
I still hadn’t ‘ditched my baggage’.
I went back on Camino in 2024 and completely butchered my body.
My soles are battered and bruised now.
They were far worse then.
I walked 1300 kilometres in 6 weeks, mostly on one of the most isolated Camino’s: the ‘Norte’ or Northern route across the north coast of Spain.
For the most part I saw no one else.
This peregrino who felt so isolated at home, purposefully isolated himself himself still more, even on another Spanish jolly!
Crackers!
On one day of complete madness, I walked 63km.
Whilst my feet screamed,
I just walked.
And walked.
I railed at the world: I raged at God!
Thankfully when I finally hit the bottom of my self dug pit, things started to improve.
“Nothing lasts forever.” 🎵
When I realised this truth, my world suddenly started to brighten.
My wife stood by me throughout.
She refused to give up on us.
I’m so grateful!
She’s a ‘keeper’ and I know I’m still punching for sure!
Roll forward to 2026 and I frequently consider myself to be the luckiest and most contented man in Nidderdale.
I’ve been very happily married to the ‘Red Hot Date ❤️’ for 36 years.
Nicky came out to Porto last week and we enjoyed a 4 day break..
I couldn’t ask for a better wife.
We live next door to my daughter Rosie and her husband Will and my very precious, 20 month old granddaughter.
I see my son Jake and his wife Abbi 2 or 3 times a week.
Harry and Emily live further away in Scotland unfortunately, but we still see plenty of them.
I’m just so pleased that all 3 of my kids are married to lovely spouses and are thriving in their relationships, careers and lives.
Anything on top of that really is dream topping.
I play football every week with a brilliant bunch of footballers aged 18-44.
More than 300 of them are registered in our group and a minimum of 50 play every week.
Such good fun, even if they do hit the ball too flipping hard!
I’m their 61 year old goalkeeper.
Nuts.
I co-lead a fantastic Monday walking group which is full of vibrant and interesting characters and I also lead a once a month walking group who come out of there big cities to play out in my outdoor ‘playground’ and munch the cakes I bake.
And I belong to a 2,000 strong church in Leeds, which is changing lives for the better and is the most racially integrated, most community connected organisation I have ever seen.
More than 80 nationalities attend ever week.
I volunteer in a community cafe most weeks.
I happily dabble in renovation.
And I support Bristol City FC.
“Reasons to be cheerful, parts 1, 2 and 3” 🎵
Except for the BCFC stuff.
That is just a boring and repeatedly mid table existence! .
And so many more ‘RtbC’ parts 4, 5, 6, 7 and …… 🎉
I’ve finally found my new tribes.
It bewilders me now that I was so depressed for those 3 years.
I’ve got it all!
What have I got to complain about?
And now?
When I see people suffering with genuine mental health issues, I want to support them quietly.
Not necessarily solve their problems.
I wish I could.
But to remind them that they are uniquely special, individually talented and most especially;
That they are loved. 💕
If you are currently facing your own storm, remind yourself of that.
Reach out to someone trusted.
Find your own tribe and thing.
And remember: a storm doesn’t last forever.
“Nothing last forever”🎵
Even those craggy rocks on all the beaches I’ve seen.
Over time, they too crumble away.
Whilst I was treated to breathtaking beauty with Michael, my poor sister Lizzie, spent Thursday marooned in her hostel bedroom, after the local hospital confirmed a meniscus tear on her knee.
My sister is made of stern stuff.
She is resilient.
Whilst devastated to have to finish before she had really got going, I think she was relieved to just make a decision.
Her solitary confinement ends tomorrow at 03.00 when a Bolt taxi will pick her up and take her to Porto airport to fly home early on Saturday morning.
We agreed this morning in a video call, that her return to the Camino will happen.
It was a ‘Mastermind Moment’ ,
“She started so she will finish!’
And if she wants me to, I’ll return to do it with her.
Lizzie messaged me today:
“The following piece is for today’s blog.
My music choice is ‘I’m still standing’ 🎵 Elton John.”
Too bad girl, I’d already chosen “I get knocked down, but I get up again!’ 🎵
Both are equally valid of course.
But hers is in much better taste! .
Lizzie continued
“Martin has a saying: “The Camino provides.”
It means that when you find yourself in a situation while walking, a solution — or at least an alternative — will often present itself.
It doesn’t always work, of course. Let’s not forget the fruitless 500-metre hobble to catch the ferry on Wednesday. But even then, I suppose you could argue it did provide — the ferry wasn’t running, but there was a bar, and it served us cold 0% beers while we rested in deckchairs.
But now, having reluctantly yielded to my injury, the Camino has most definitely provided.
Viana do Castelo has been exactly the right place for me to land in this situation. The accommodation we had booked — and where I’ve since stayed on — means I have my own room and bathroom. The hospital is just 400 metres away (though that still required an Uber), and the care has been exceptional.
The concierge at my accommodation has gone above and beyond — cycling to the pharmacy to collect my prescription, delivering food — and another peregrino, injured too (though less so than me), came last night to offer me dinner and sat chatting with me for an hour.
And just now, I’ve taken delivery of a crutch — and a Crunchie — via Uber Eats. What prompted me to even look for a crutch on there, I have no idea, but I’m grateful for both.
I’m beginning to think Martin might be right. The Camino really does provide.
💛🌻
There’s Hannah’s fused glass sunflower again.
If you want one please let me know.
They cost £15 and the money supports the charity set up in Hannah’s name.
If you would like to sponsor my efforts on behalf of the same charity, you can click the link below.
Thank you so much if you do.
Lizzie has a great sense of humour.
Deadpan!
She sent me this message last night:
That’s impressive strategic thinking: especially given her circumstances.
Hannah would be proud.
I know Lizzie’s other 6 children are very proud of their Mama.
And finally this:
Whilst it was all kicking off for poor old Lizzie? Michael and I enjoyed a stunning walk.
I don’t think I need that many captions with the attached photos.
The visuals speak for themselves.
We had a lot of fun.
Silly fun!
I was a bit worried about his flower field image.
Did it portray a previous occupation in the sex industry!😜
Mine on the other hand?
Pure class!😜
We boardwalked.
I flower shot:
I hay bailed!
A family tradition..
The scenery was spellbinding.
Those big Atlantic rollers: raw power!
We saw Geckos warm board-bathing.
“Bless me father for I have sinned!”
The tower said ‘no climbing’.
I used the steps.
It wasn’t ‘climbing’, strictly speaking! 🫣
And Michael said to do it.
Blah, blah, blah!
We talked about all sorts!
We boys like talking ****! 😜
The distant mountain marked our separate destinations.
Michael was heading east to pick up the Central Route.
I’m literally sticking to the ‘Litoral’ Way.
We should reconnect on Monday.
We sand walked a fantastic shortcut.
Worth getting sandy feet as we splashed through the shallow river.
Horses grazed nonchalantly: completely oblivious to those crashing rollers.
I found more fir cones, but they really aren’t big enough for the RHD!
All too soon, my day of ‘opposites’ arrived at its conclusion.
I hugged the Yank.
“See you in Pontevedra“ was his rallying cry.
And then I walked down the beach to meet the 2 Pedros.
Thanks for the read, once again!
Buen Camino Amigos.
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 