final training!

The final training never quite happened as planned but consisted , for me and one of my sons, of one ten mile walk in each of the 3 weeks before our departure with a couple of 2/3 milers now and again-all on fairly flat terrain. I knew from the last time I walked in 2012 that the hills would be problematic but I was reasonably OK on the endurance part!

The weather reverted to the usual Atlantic westerly type with intermittent rain and  coolish temperatures but was, with hindsight, good preparation for the similarly variable Galician tiempo.

Our final few days consisted of a trip to the northwest of England for a family gathering with loads of hot sunshine and very little in the way of training. Some of our family group had had long practice walks from Liverpool to Southport (about 18 miles) and some us had none at all. So it was we set off to Spain, half of us from Gatwick and half of us from Dublin on the morning of the 20th May to begin our "Camino" starting from Sarria the following day.

My daughter and I at the family gathering in England before going our separate ways to meet up again in Spain

 

The Foyle bridge-Derry viewed from St. Columb's park