May 29: At rest in St Jean de Pied de Port

We made it! We walked for 36 days (with 2 rest days inserted and 2 travel days on either end for a total of 40 nights). Starting in Le-Puy-en-Velay on 20th April, our route was estimated at 750km. We recorded 778.3km, reflecting small detours each day (finding a coffee shop; leaving the trail for a view; getting lost…). Carey did almost bang-on 1 million steps on the Way. I did 1.4 million.

Expanding the lens to look at our total movement throughout this period, we have 904.6km, 1.17 million steps for Carey and 1.32 million steps for me.

We are on our rest day today, which has really reinforced the rightness of our decision to keep walking from here. The “call of the pass”, if I can call it that, is very real. People are arriving here expectant for the climb and the start of their journeys. It feels great to be, both seasoned, “match fit” AND sharing in the excitement. I even bought a new pair of shoes today (on sale). I ditched my old shoes around day 5, so I’ve been walking in my (excellent) spare pair, meaning I no longer have a back-up. I do now. We always bring a second pair, because damage does and can occur, and because wet shoes can take 2 days to dry. Looking after your feet is such a crucial part of successful walking. We are always refining what works for us. So far, we have blister-free, happy feet, even 900km “in”.

It's also nice to be in St Jean and bumping into people. We met the lovely couple of French women with whom we now have a very sweet relationship despite the language barrier (see previous posts). They are done and heading home tomorrow – a milestone 5 years in the making for them.

We also met Jenny, whom we have not seen since Conques. She hasn’t been walking the last few days because of the heat and very bad blisters, but Lynn is getting in today. We agreed to have a drink later. We walked with her down to the station and helped her plan and purchase a complicated 4-train ticket for their next stage (a few days in Angers). It was really nice to have that opportunity to catch up and, ultimately, say a “proper” goodbye. As our French friends said – “Au revoir. Peut-être nous reverrons-nous sur la voie”. Who knows? Life has many unexpected corners.

More good news today: our dear friend, Holly, received an “all clear” prognosis. We are already planning some fun daytrips when we get back. She has really dug deep to beat the odds. We are proud to be her cheering section.

I am still “mourning” my book rejection (a little bit). As Carey would say: “let me get out my teeny-tiny violin”. In this world, with whole feet and the Pyrenees ahead, there are so many more important problems I could be challenged by. I really am very lucky and very grateful.

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Inspired by our 2024 Camino Francais, Karen has a periodic podcast called "I sent you a bloody boat", personal thoughts on faith by a person who believes in thinking. Also, known as "The Reluctant Christian". You can listen to it on Spotify and on Apple Podcasts at: