Day 31 – A fine walk across the Velay
Montfaucon-en-Velay to Saint Julien Chapteuil, 23Km Putting the room to one side, last night’s hotel was one star ok. WeContinue Reading
Author: Tim
Pilgrim
Day 30 – We are now en-Velay
Choron to Montfaucon-en-Velay, 19 Km The guide book promised us a relaxing stage today, “the area is sparsely populated, andContinue Reading
Day 29 – Deeper and Deeper into rural France
Bellegarde-Poussieu to Choron, 20Km We had to cross the Rhône one last time this morning. It’s now a very largeContinue Reading
Day 28 – Some Success Speaking French
La Côte-Saint-André to Bellegarde-Poussieu, 24Km We stayed in a superbe appartement last night and for once the Booking.com description matchedContinue Reading
Day 27 – Hector Berlioz Land
Le Pin (Charavines) to La Côte-Saint-André, 25Km It was rather a pity to leave Charavines behind, this morning. The lakeContinue Reading
Day 26 – Ups and Downs on the Pilgrimage
Romagnieu to Le Pin (Charavines), 20 Km Yesterday was a day of mostly downs except for the terrain, of course.Continue Reading
Day 25 – continuing through the French countryside
Yenne to Romagnieu, 22 Km Delighted accommodation last night, L’Hermitage in Yenne. We had a mini apartment in a smallContinue Reading
Day 24 – Beware Sunday
Chanaz to Yenne, 20Km I feel much refreshed now that I have a few days of walking with Robert andContinue Reading
Day 23 – Très difficile but then …
Seyssel to Chanaz, 27Km The band soon played Every Breath I take last night and although they weren’t quite inContinue Reading
Day 22 – Hot
Le Mont Sion to Seyssel, 38Km I didn’t intend to walk so far today but I stopped earlier than plannedContinue Reading
Day 21 – Bye Bye Switzerland
Geneva to Le Mont Sion, 27Km Dreadful night. 3hrs 47mins sleep. I was tired and fell asleep early but wasContinue Reading
Day 20 – The Black Hole of Geneva
Château de Bossey to Geneva, 24Km I left the Château behind and continued along the Via Jakobi which runs aroundContinue Reading
Day 19 – Rest day in the Château de Bossey
The man in the Gland pilgrim hostel sold me the Yellow guide to the Via Gebennensis. That’s the name ofContinue Reading
Day 18 – A day of two halves
Gland to Château de Bossey, 16Km The municipal hostel in Gland was a great stopover and probably the cheapest hostelContinue Reading
Day 17 – Continuing along the shores of Lake Geneva
Morges to Gland, 29Km I was slightly delayed this morning by a tick which wanted to come along for theContinue Reading
Day 16 – Saturday alongside Lake Geneva
Lausanne to Morges, 13Km along the shore I can’t believe how badly I speak French. So far on this tripContinue Reading
Day 15 – Another day, another lake
l’Ecorcheboeuf to Lausanne, 20Km Today was the final leg of the walk down to Lausanne on Lake Geneva. It wasContinue Reading
Day 14 – Terre des Âmes
Orsonnens to l’Ecorcheboeuf, 37Km We are now in the French speaking region of Switzerland and it feels like a differentContinue Reading
Day 13 – The Hay Trailer
Fribourg to Orsonnens, 24Km We spent the night in the excellent Couvent des Cordeliers in Fribourg where a pilgrim bunkContinue Reading
Day 12 – Into the French Zone
Rüeggisberg to Fribourg, 32Km and 524m elevation gain That’s a little grotto with St James in full pilgrim attire alongContinue Reading
Day 11 – A night on the farm
Thun to Rüeggisberg, 28Km and 676 elevation gain. We’re blessed with another fine walk today. The sun was shining, theContinue Reading
Day 10 – Thunder in Thun
Interlaken to Thun, 31Km and 701m elevation gain We didn’t stay in the Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel, Interlaken. It lookedContinue Reading
Day 9 – The lost treasures of Interlaken
Brienzwiler to Interlaken, 26Km and 610m up A pilgrimage is full of chance meetings and sad partings. I met WalterContinue Reading
Day 8 – After 51 years the Brünig Pass again
Giswil to Brienzwiler, 21Km and 830m up We shared a delightful pilgrim house last night in Giswil and delightfully cheap,Continue Reading
Day 7 – The Hay Loft
Stans to Giswil, 25Km and 600m up It makes sense for Walter to phone and book the accommodation because IContinue Reading
Day 6 – A day of churches and chapels
Brunnen to Stans, 25Km and 770m gain The day started with a ferry across the lake at 09.19 and WalterContinue Reading
Day 5 – My knife goes home
Einsiedeln to Brunnen, 26Km Today was not a leisurely day in Switzerland. Eveline and I set off at 8am andContinue Reading
Day 4 – Black Madonna
Rapperswil to Einsiedeln, 17Km I’ll try to be informative today because the destination is Einsiedeln, pilgrim HQ in Switzerland andContinue Reading
Day 3 – Rapperswil again
Fischingen Abbey to Rapperswil, 33Km Whichever way we looked at the map, today was always going to be a hardContinue Reading
Day 2 – Pilgrim Bier für Freunde
Hünikon to Fischingen Abbey, 23Km The full English breakfast has not travelled up the Rhine to Switzerland, in fact itContinue Reading
Day 1 – Porridge with Berries for Breakfast
Konstanz to Hünikon, 22Km Summer arrived this morning and although the temperature only peaked at 22 degrees it felt plentyContinue Reading
Day 0 – Back in Switzerland or is it Germany?
Hello I’m continuing my stroll from Slovakia across Europe and hopefully I’ll reach Le Puy-en-Velay in France to connect withContinue Reading
Day 41 – Rapperswil Season 1 Finale
St Gallenkappel to Rapperswil, 14Km This is my last day of walking. My plans were always a little vague exceptContinue Reading
Day 40 – Brisk march
St Peterzell to St Gallenkappel, 24Km LandGasthof Krone, CHF 95 Although the forecast was for rain, thunder and cool temperatures,Continue Reading
Day 39 – Cable Car up Kronberg
Appenzell to St Peterzell, 27Km Gasthaus Hörnli, CHF 35 One of the most charming aspects of Switzerland is the railwayContinue Reading
Day 38 – A thunderous welcome to Switzerland
Rankweil to Appenzell, 29Km Hotel B&B Stossplatz, 117 Swiss Francs After starting the day at 7am with an Egg McMuffinContinue Reading
Day 37 – Liechtenstein, so close and yet so far
Bludenz to Rankweil, 29Km Hotel Da Yang 67 euros There was a classic Alpine thunderstorm last night over Bludenz, massiveContinue Reading
Day 36 – Flowers in the Rain
Wald am Arlberg to Bludenz, 22Km Hotel Einhorn, 66 euros It’s a wet day. The rain started soon after IContinue Reading
Day 35 – Over the Arlberg Pass
St Anton am Arlberg to Wald am Arlberg, 26Km Hotel Sonnblick, 61 euros I won’t complain about the Camino signageContinue Reading
Day 34 – Two Summits Coming Up
Oberammergau to St Anton, 3 busses and 3 trains, 49 euros Hotel Rundeck in St Anton The Oberammergau Passion PlayContinue Reading
Day 33 – “Father, save me from this hour!”
Oberammergau Passion Play 2022 Gasthof Rose Hotel ** The less said about the journey from Innsbruck to Oberammergau, the better.Continue Reading
Day 32 – Hot Day on the Arlberg Massif
Zams to St Anton am Arlberg, 35Km Hotel Central, Innsbruck Strange kind of day, today. It was an extremely long,Continue Reading
Day 31 – Let Your Love Flow
Brennbichl to Zams, 17Km Post Gasthof Gemse, 47 euros Today was almost a rest day, just an easy stroll alongContinue Reading
Day 30 – Celebrate the Real Presence of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, Amen!
Rietz to Brennbichl, 30Km Hotel Auderer, 76 euros You can’t have a Pilgrimage without a touch of religion and asContinue Reading
Day 29 – The Mountains are getting Bigger
Innsbruck to Rietz, 33Km Rietzer Hof, 77 euros I was up and away quite early this morning because there wasContinue Reading
Day 28 – The Bridge over the Inn
Vomp to Innsbruck, 25Km Hotel Central 107 euros One bowl of goulash soup and a paracetamol from my first aidContinue Reading
Day 27 – Vomp Again
Vomp, sick day I got a bad soaking on Day 23 from Lofer, mostly wet feet because my waterproofs keptContinue Reading
Day 26 – The Spirit of Ecstasy
Kramsach to Vomp, 26km Hotel Gasthof Vomperhof, 50 euros The Central Pension in Kramsach was a good place for theContinue Reading
Day 25 – A Jolly Good Walk in the Tirol
Soll to Kramsach, 36Km Central Pension, 55 euros I was dreaming of Rattenberg last night and now I’m here, orContinue Reading
Day 24 – Going up
St Johann in Tirol to Soll, 26Km das Christiphorus, 64.80 euros I’m sure it would have been a fabulous dayContinue Reading
Day 23 – The Mountains and Lakes Tour
Lofer to St Johann in Tirol, 28Km Hotel Park, 76 euros Lisa said the busy period in the Tirol (orContinue Reading
Day 22 – Holed Up in the Tyrol without Edward G. Robinson
Bad Reichenhall to Lofer, 30KmDas Bräu, 95 euros I’m back in Austria, in the Tyrol, the land of ski resortsContinue Reading
Day 21 – I seem to be in Germany
Salzburg to Bad Reichenhall, 22Km Brauereigasthof/Hotel Bürgerbräu, 76 euros Today was a wet wet day. The forecast had an amberContinue Reading
Day 20 – No Sound of Music
Rest Day Has anyone ever been to Salzburg more than once? It’s a challenge to know what to do onContinue Reading
Day 19 – Whitsun in Salzburg
Eugenbach to Salzburg, 16Km Hotel Markus Sittikus, 95 euros. It’s strange how you can pay the same price for lastContinue Reading
Day 18 – Fantastic Beasts
Vöcklamarkt to Eugenbach, 25Km Landhotel Gschirnwirt, 69 euros Vöcklamarkt sounds like a Harry Potter summer camp and it lived upContinue Reading
Day 17 – Vöcklamarkt
Schwanenstadt to Vöcklamarkt, 31Km Pension Riedl, 65 euros Another pleasant guest house last night, it was also a bar andContinue Reading
Day 16 – First Pilgrims
Wels to Schwanenstadt, 28Km Gasthaus Gruber, 44 euros The highlight of the day was meeting the first pilgrims, Geneviève andContinue Reading
Day 15 – Caroline is a Catastrophe
St Florian to Wels, 33KmBest Western Plaza Hotel Wels, 77euro At 3.15am I woke in pitch darkness in the monastery,Continue Reading
Day 14 – Saint Florian and Anton Bruckner
Saint Pantaleon to Saint Florian, 21Km Augustiner Chorherrenstift St. Florian, 60 euros (that’s the St Augustine Monastery) Today’s destination loomsContinue Reading
Day 13 – Meat from the Forest
Stephanshart to Saint Pantaleon, 33Km Landgasthof Winklehner, 42 euros plus breakfast Last night’s inn in Stephanshart was another good one.Continue Reading
Day 12 – Over the hills to Stephanshart
Persenbeug to Stephanshart, 27Km Gasthof Kremslehner, 36 euros + breakfast You have to give them credit, whoever is organising thisContinue Reading
Day 11 – A lovely walk along the Danube to Persenbeug
Melk to Persenbeug, 24Km Gasthof Böhm, 57 euros I enjoyed my guesthouse in Melk last night. It’s probably not theContinue Reading
Day 10 – Melk Abbey, Knock Three Times
Aggsbach-Dorf to Melk, 20Km Haus zum Nibelungenlied, 60 euros I had a dilemma whether to walk along the quiet roadContinue Reading
Day 9 – God bless all pilgrims in this world
Krems an der Donau to Aggsbach-Dorf, 26Km Gasthof Lechner zur Kartause, 60 euros I’ll drink to that. It’s just aContinue Reading
Day 8 – Vikings in Göttweig Abbey
Herzogenburg to Krems an der Donau, 25Km Guesthouse Lurger 67 euros The weather has been quite hot and humid soContinue Reading
Day 7 – Onwards to Herzogenburg with renewed enthusiasm
Würmla to Herzogenburg, 20Km Clever Hotel, 69 euros Last night’s Gerhard Burger guest house was really quite impressive, all thingsContinue Reading
Day 6 – Into the Vienna Woods
Purkersdorf to Würmla, 34Km Gerhard Guest House I waved goodbye to St Stephen’s Cathedral and jumped on the metro andContinue Reading
Day 5 – Death and Cake in Vienna
Rest day I’m not going to describe breakfast in detail, except to say there was every type of sausage, eggs,Continue Reading
Day 4 – Oh, Vienna
Maria Ellend to Vienna, 32Km Hotel Royal I had a jolly decent meal last night in Maria Ellend. There wasContinue Reading
Day 3 – Wonderful Life
Hainburg an der Donau to Maria Ellend, 27Km Pension Onix 55 euros The Jakobsweg path insisted on a diversion aroundContinue Reading
Day 2 – Through the Iron Curtain
Bratislava to Hainburg an der Donau, 25Km Gasthof Zum Goldenen Anker, 69 euros Actually there’s cheaper rooms in Hainburg butContinue Reading
Day 1 – Bratislava, capital of Slovakia
SafeStay, 14 euros I’m sitting on a pavement cafe in the Old Town of Bratislava, sipping a Sencha tea. TheContinue Reading
Day 56 & 57 – Orkney’s Neolithic Wonderland
Skara Brae – Ring of Brodgar – The Standing Stones of Stenness – Maeshowe, 12Km and 5000 years Although ScotlandContinue Reading
Day 55 – At the Bottom of Scapa Flow
Orphir to Kirkwall, 16Km This morning the rain was lashing against the window when I woke up. AccuWeather said itContinue Reading
Day 54 – Fields of Fire
Dounby to Orphir, 32Km That’s more like it! Two stages in one day. Change and Forgiveness done. Tomorrow I haveContinue Reading
Day 53 – Growth spurt
Birsay to Dounby, 16km Tomorrow’s theme on the pilgrimage will be Change and this is the photo for tomorrow. ButContinue Reading
Day 52 – The Lovely Evie
Evie to Birsay, 22Km St Magnus is the patron saint of Orkney and pilgrims have been walking the St MagnusContinue Reading
Day 51 – Orkney bound
Keiss to John O’Groats, 22Km then ferry to Orkney Another exhilarating clifftop walk today brought me to the end ofContinue Reading
Day 50 – Fog and Rain
Wick to Keiss, 17Km I’m not going to complain about the weather because I’ve been so fortunate in Scotland. It’sContinue Reading
Day 49 – Fog
Occumster to Wick, 27km (No 75 bus and boat) I looked out of the window this morning and saw …Continue Reading
Day 48 – Onto the Caithness Clifftops
Dunbeath to Occumster, 17Km I was expecting these last four days on the John O’Groats trail to be difficult. I’veContinue Reading
Day 47 – A Glorious Day on the Sutherland Coast
Brora to Helmsdale, 21Km (bus to Dunbeath, 24Km) Rose camped last night and arrived at the Sutherland Inn this morningContinue Reading
Day 46 – a noticeable shift in the scenery today
Golspie to Brora, 10Km There was a noticeable shift in the scenery today. The sea pounds the coast like itContinue Reading
Day 45 – We join the NC500 race to Golspie
Dornoch to Golspie, 22Km Golf is one of those games I would probably enjoy if I played it. I thinkContinue Reading
Day 44 – Onwards to Classy Dornoch
Tain to Dornoch, 13Km For the first time in two years the Royal Burgh of Tain Pipe Band took toContinue Reading
Day 43 – The Royal Burgh of Tain
Alness to Tain, 21Km Tain is such a nice seaside town and has everything you need for a short break.Continue Reading
Day 42 – Coffee and Cake with the Vicar
Culbokie to Alness, 15Km I met Rose at Netherton Farm B&B yesterday, as planned, and we’ll walk together for theContinue Reading
Day 41 – Making straw while the sun shines
Inverness to Culbokie, 21Km The Premier Inn’s restaurant was closed, “no staff”. Wetherspoons was only selling beer, “no staff, noContinue Reading
Day 40 – A Day in the New City
Rest day in Inverness I booked a rest day here in Inverness because it seemed like a good idea. NoContinue Reading
Day 39 – The Gingerbread House in the Woods
Drumnadrochit to Inverness, 32Km Drumnadrochit is the monster epicenter of Loch Ness. There is a theme park (Nessieland) and anContinue Reading
Day 38 – The Troll Bridge
Invermoriston to Drumnadrochit, 23Km Today’s walk was a continuation of yesterday’s lovely walk, high on the Great Glen above LochContinue Reading
Day 37 – Nessie!
Fort Augustus to Invermoriston, 13Km I’m staying two nights here in Fort Augustus at the southern end of Loch NessContinue Reading
Day 36 – I will not forget to wear my face mask…
South Laggan to Fort Augustus, 16Km I stayed at the Forest View B&B in South Laggan last night. It wasContinue Reading
Day 35 – Wandering along the shores of Loch Lochy
Gairlochy to South Laggan, 20Km It’s not everyone who has a 45 foot girth Sequoia in the garden. Last night’sContinue Reading
Day 34 – Into the Great Glen
Fort William to Gairlochy, 16Km A canal towpath, like a former railway track, is a dream for the long distanceContinue Reading
Day 33 – Between Two Paths
Rest Day in Fort William I knew I was going to like the West Highland Way and it really wasContinue Reading
Day 32 – The West Highland Way Ends
Kinlochleven to Fort William, 25Km It’s a tough little walk, this West Highland Way. A cursory glance at the mapContinue Reading
Day 31 – Glencoe and the Devil’s Descent
Kingshouse (Glencoe) to Kinlochleven, 14Km There’s usually a good reason why a stage of a long distance footpath is onlyContinue Reading
Day 30 – the heaviest rain so far
Tyndrum to Kingshouse (Glencoe), 31Km My B&B host, Heather produced a pot of homemade marmalade and was delighted to findContinue Reading
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