I'm just trying to walk myself home.
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Ringing bells call pilgrims to the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. From east, west, north, south the doors are open and the people pour in. The church fills more bodies than seats. Folks wander and wonder looking up and spinning around taking photos taking it all in. People start settling against columns and along walls. …
If there is a better-marked trail in the world than the Camino de Santiago, I would love to know about it. The seashells, crosses and yellow arrows appear constantly along the path. You can see them on the ground. They are crafted with mosaics or set into paving stones. They are painted on signs for …
Your credencial or the Pilgrim’s Passport is an essential part of walking The Way. We were told that we would need our first stamp from one of the three churches in Sarria, where we were beginning our journey. Up on a hill we found a monastery, a place for pilgrims to worship and pray, as well …
On a bright June morning, somewhere in Spain, I set out from a hotel with three friends. We followed the vague instructions of our host and wandered the streets of Sarria in search of a well worn trail. The Camino de Santiago. After spying a couple of bikers with seashells, we picked up our pace …
Standing at my gate in Madrid Waiting to board a flight to Santiago de Compostela I first spotted them Scallop seashells Dangling from the backpacks of pilgrims With tears involuntarily filling my eyes I watch these souls, a group of girlfriends a mother and daughter a man all alone a gray-haired couple Fellow pilgrims, my …
Our second week of walking new trails in Scotland was on the Kintyre Peninsula in Scotland. My sister and her husband, Robert, and their three kiddos were in town in July for two weeks. The first week we spent in and around Aberdeen, and then we rented a second car and headed west. We stayed …
Chasing Daylight in July has been all about being outside with friends and family. Some of the those days have been drop dead gorgeous. But most of them have seen at least a few hours of rain. However, the weather has not stopped us from making the most of our kids’ short summer holidays. As …
The spring and summer months are so full around our house that sometimes I move from one event to the next without fully processing the first one. That is a little bit how it was to go from the Speyside Way in the middle of May to the Camino at the beginning of June. But …
I really can’t believe it but 2015 is half over already. What even? The way time moves so. very. fast. is part of why I love doing these monthly outdoor challenges, because even if the month is over before I blink, I can still look back on these cards and my days of walking and …
Chasing Daylight in July should not be hard. The days are long and the walking opportunities abound! We are currently in the Lake District and later this month, we will spend a week on the Kintyre Peninsula (West Coast of Scotland), so I hope to wrack up the steps on my FitBit and discover some new …
We had expected to be at the end of the day’s walk by 5pm. We got an early start on our fifteen mile day, heading out under blue skies that promised to turn rainy later in the afternoon. We reached our highest point before lunch. All downhill from here, I thought. Piece of cake. I …
Back in April, when the whether was delightful and my mama was in town, I fell in love with a new bit of Scotland’s east coast. The walk begins near Cruden Bay, where we found a wee boat with my mama’s name on it: Julie! Blue skies + rugged coastline + castle ruins = …
You might remember that my May challenge was a three day walk: The Speyside Way. The Speyside Way is actually a 5-8 day walk (depending on if you add a couple of spurs) through Speyside, an area of Scotland that is famous for single malt whisky production. This area is close enough to where we …
While I was on The Speyside Way a couple of weeks ago with my #SpeysideSistas, we had lots of fun making videos. I shared little 30 second clips of our walk on Facebook throughout the week, so I thought it would be fun to make a highlight reel with bits and pieces. Hope you enjoy!! …
Walking in Scotland throughout the Month of March We spent the first weekend of March in London, but since then, we have gotten out for forest walks every Saturday in March. Additionally one Wednesday, I went with a couple of friends to do a local coastal walk. I think getting outside has gotten me through …
So, the Chasing Daylight March Challenge was to walk (or bike) somewhere I would normally drive. I was going to try to walk to a friend’s house that is about six miles away from me, but when Simon asked me to get a new string for his cello from the music shop, I decided that …
Bankside Beach Combing for History: A London History Tour Simon was waiting for me as I got my usual pat down in security. (My dreads always have to be manually checked to be sure I’m not hiding something in them.) We both walked over to where his backpack had been flagged. The man behind the …
“Well, this is some family hike!” Ben was indignant from the back seat that the family hike we had been planning for over a week for our Valentine’s Day outing was being missed by two members of our family. Somehow the perfectly reasonable 10am leaving time had become not-so-reasonable to everyone involved, the result being …
Back in December, we were living with just under six hours of daylight. Miraculously, I actually had a friend visit during this dark season, so one day we made the most of what we had to work with and took off to Royal Deeside for a walk in Glen Tanar. It was meant to be …
Friends, this is it. Number #48 of #48walks! I’m ending an epic year of walking with this early morning walk up a mountain while I was home in Arkansas this past September. Walking with friends who love me even if my dreadlocks blow into their faces. YIKES! I got to pop home in September for …