.

August 2018 - the genesis

In 2016 and 2017 I had walked from Le Puy-en-Velay, a cathedral city on the eastern edge of the Massif Centrale in the middle of France to Saint-Jean-pied-de-port by the border with Spain and so onto Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain. About 1,600 km.  That journey, and the lead up, is described in Kiwi on camino.

In those two years I walked Thames Path (source in Gloucestershire to Barrier at Woolwich), Southwark Cathedral to Canterbury Cathedral and a little of the Whithorn Way (Paisley to Ayr) with my eldest son Alastair.

In August 2018 Virginia, my eldest child, and her husband Warren Warbrick were presenting at the Edinburgh Fringe.  And, of course, I attend a presentation.

And, of course, I had thought about a walk to at the very least start in the following four weeks.

On finishing at Canterbury in August 2016, as at Compostela the next year, I stayed on for a few days to wind down after five months in Europe and so many little adventures.  While I already knew of the 2,000 km walk from Canterbury to Rome, the spark to make a start was lit.

A few days after Edinburgh I arrived at a hostel in Canterbury on Saturday 25 August for two nights.  Sunday is spent immersed in the daily cycle of services and down the back of the Nero café (with its hot-points to keep my tablet alive).  On Monday, by arrangement, I presented myself for the early morning Mass in the Crypt chapel.  This was a well attended service and the priest was expecting me.  I was called forward before the dismissal, blessed as a pilgrim and set off a few minutes later.  This was about 09h - for me a very late start.