El Camino Vuelva a llama: Más Pasos Planeados

It's been two and a half years since my last camino...

And since returning from that adventure on the Camino Mozárabe in June 2023

one path in the network of pilgrim routes that traverse southwestern Europe 

has exerted an increasingly insistent call on the imagination, le chemin du Piémont Pryénéen.

This Pyrenean Piedmont Way (or less poetically - GR78) begins at Narbonne, on the French Mediterranean coast, and meanders inland to the city of Carcassone (with its UNESCO World Heritage listed walled citadel) in the region of Occitania.

    

    This is where we plan to start our walk in late August. 

From Carcassone, the path snakes westwards over the foothills of the Pyrenees to Lourdes, 

famous for its Marian shrine, and then to St Jean Pied-de-Port where it joins the Camino Frances, staging point of our first walk in 2013.

  From St Jean, we hope to link into the GR10 hiking trail in the high Pyrenees and continue in a westerly direction to San Sebastián in the northeastern corner of Spain. 

At this point, Sarah sadly, must begin her long journey home. I, on the other hand (or foot!!), hope to continue walking along the Camino del Norte to Santiago de Compostela. 

The whole route is marked in green below. 

 

The distance from Carcassone to San Sebastián is approximately 620 kilometres and we anticipate it will take twenty-six days to complete.

The path from San Sebastián to Santiago de Compostela is approximately 800 kilometres long and barring mishap I anticipate it will take thirty one days to walk.

Along the way, the Camino del Norte passes through four seperate Spanish principalities - Navarre (Basque country), Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia - each with its own cultural heritage and flavour. The climate on this coastal strip is generally temperate due to the presence of the Mar Cantábrico (part of the North Atlantic Ocean) and the prevalence of moist onshore winds. In the Cantabrian mountains (the slightly darker shaded area in the map above) the average annual precipitation is 1200 mm. 

The seaboard doesn't get as much rain as these mountains but is still referred to as Green Spain!! From the accounts of others who've walked this route, I need to be prepared physically and emotionally for the challenges of wet weather walking - wet boots, damp gear, muddy tracks, raised river crossings... 

During the first half of the walk the soaring Pyrenees will be an imposing earthy presence to the south. From San Sebastián onwards, the Mar Cantábrico, a 'whispering expanse of sapphire and jade', will be a constant watery presence to the north, with the Cantábrian Range flanking the southern side of the path. How will it be to walk in the presence of such grand companions?

 

Time will tell, but we are definitely curious and excited to find out.

PS. We're hoping to share the experience through daily posts on this blog and would be honoured to have your company and comments if you'd like to follow along. 

 

Misty Morning Wonder

Recording in Tassie

 I’m sitting in the airport at Hobart, waiting while the plane scheduled to fly me home receives some running repairs!! I'm not feeling so sure about the plane or my prospects for a smooth trip home, but what a wonderful few days it’s been here in Tassie. 

The primary purpose of the visit was to record a couple of new songs. The trip became possible thanks to my dear friend John Coleman, who not only inspired the writing of the songs in question but also graciously suggested they were worth recording. John generously offered to tee up some recording time and for me to stay with he and Jenny in Susans Bay (thanks heaps you two). 

I flew in last Wednesday. John picked me up and here's the perspective that greeted us from their shoreline. Wow!!

 We spent the rest of the day catching up and practicing. 

Next day, we loaded guitars in the car and drove out to Al Campbell's recording studio, The Chapel, an old decommissioned Congregational church in Austins Ferry, north of Hobart. 

There's a cemetery out back (where failed projects and recording artists are buried - only kidding!!) and the building itself is surrounded by a grassy field sprinkled with old conifers.

Inside it’s a hotchpotch of instruments, mics, leads, headphones, stands, mixers, 

computers, plugs, books, cups and a coffee pot - perfect!

Oh and I also found a couple of fine musicians tucked away in there!

To begin, I felt daunted about my playing and singing - there's nowhere to hide when you're recording. Al and John were great encouragers, however, and pretty soon the music was flowing.

John joined in with a second guitar and later added some sublime harmonies. 

Al mixing it all with consummate skill, quietly erasing my worst notes and adding 

another layer of delicious harmony. 

On Friday, we were back into it, Al laying down a tasteful bass line and some sweet-sounding keys. 

Later, there was time a good walk around Susans Bay. 

It really is a stunning part of the world, and the country of this region has inspired the series of paintings that John is currently exhibiting in a gallery in the Salamanca Arts Centre in Hobart.

 This was the other delightful alignment for me about returning to Tassie - a chance to see the exhibition. 

On Saturdays in this part of Hobart the famous Salamanca Markets are in full swing. In keeping with this vibe, as well as exhibiting his paintings, John had planned a musical afternoon with another member of his band, Daniel J Townsend. And so, once again, we packed the car with guitars, amps and stands, and set off this time for the gallery. 

Here’s Jenny arranging the greenery, flanked by a few of John’s stunning paintings.

And the artist himself, setting up for a few songs with 'Still Stone Stingray' (oil and stone on board) 

in the background.

‘Seeing this place is a visual celebration of South East Tasmania’, John writes. ‘The collection of oil paintings and charcoal drawings are companions to a new album of original songs exploring life in Tasmania, titled The Amber and the Flow.’ 

Both the exhibition and the album are deeply moving, and to hear these songs sung by John and Daniel whilst dwelling amidst the paintings was rich indeed. Even better that Tassie friends Daniel (instigator of our Sacred Geography Overland Track walks) and Clare (fellow Courage & Renewal facilitator) could be there to share it. 

‘St Columba Greets the Morning’ (oil on canvas)

‘Shade Tree Place’ (oil pastel on paper)

'Oh Moon' (oil on canvas)

Daniel J Townsend and his deliciously mellow Gretsch guitar.

T'was a visual and musical feast indeed!

Meanwhile I'm still in transit (now in Melbourne awaiting a flight to Sydney where I'll catch another flight to Canberra, which I'll pass on the flight to Sydney!!), much delayed but feeling very grateful for a fantastic experience in Tassie, 

with special memories, 

and hopefully soon, 

a couple of completed recordings.

P.S. The Amber and the Flow can be accessed at johncoleman.bandcamp.com