Camino stories: Letting go of the plan
Penny on blisters, toenails and finding peace in the unknown
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“I realised that I can’t be in control of everything, that I don’t have to organise and plan every minute of my life or worry about pre-empting situations.”
Welcome to the sixth of our Camino Stories, a series exploring the Camino de Santiago from different perspectives (read the first post here). Every fortnight we’ve been meeting up with a different guest to explore their personal journey along the Camino de Santiago and find out what they learnt from their experience.
It’s my hope that these posts provide nostalgia and reminiscence for those of you who have walked this path and inspiration to those of you who are tempted by it.
Today we’re walking with Penny and her partner Nick, who walked their first Camino Frances not long after we did. Reading Penny’s story below really took me back to the foot problems I had on my first Camino, I literally felt Penny’s pain!
Penny is an artist and art technician from Herefordshire, UK, who, since walking her first Camino in 2022, shares creative glimpses of the journey through No Vino No Camino with her partner Nick.
Over to you, Penny. 👣
Thank you for being here Penny! First of all, what inspired you to walk the Camino de Santiago, which route did you take and how did you decide on your route?
I didn’t know anything about the Camino, only what Nick had told me. I didn’t really have any strong opinions about it. I love walking, but had never tried walking day after day with a back pack. Naively I thought, “well that might be a nice idea one day”. Then Nick bought the John Brierley book ‘Camino de Santiago – St. Jean – Roncesvalles – Santiago’ in 2014. I read the first few pages and cast my eyes over the maps, but to be honest there was a lot of information, and I found it difficult to comprehend the scale of the Camino (only later, on the Camino, did I realise how useful the stage sections would be – taking it day by day) and how we would plan it out. Nevertheless, I was happy to follow Nick’s dream and walk the Camino Frances in 2022.
What was the most unexpected challenge you faced along the way, and how did you overcome it?
How painful my feet would be! Having bought and tried out, in England, what I thought would be good walking trainers, I quickly realised they were not right for the Camino. They were mid-price range, comfy and waterproof, thinking I know it can be wet in Galicia. I found that my feet couldn’t breathe in the heat and after a couple of long days over the Pyrenees, then the steep rocky descent into Zubiri with 8kg backpack really took its toll. Those first two days wrecked my feet with blisters and painful toe ends, although probably soaking my feet in the river at Zubiri and walking on to Pamplona probably didn’t help. It then just got worse, with a huge blister on my ankle and eventually two blackened toe nails that came off at the end of the Camino.
I persevered, even walking in my sliders sometimes because of the pain of putting my feet into my walking trainers. I finally stopped in Ponferrada and bought the best walking sandals. When we stopped for the night in Villafranca I spoke to a pharmacist, who took one look at my huge ankle blister and told me to pop it – this was a game changer. Although I thought I was going to pass out and could only keep conscious by Nick hydrating me with cans of Estrella Galicia (with the added bonus to help Nick sleep through the snoring in the dorms!) and food supplements - Lays crisps. I’ve since learnt from this and invested in some fantastic Breathable ‘Hoka’ road and trail trainers. I am glad to say I haven’t had any problems on any other of my Caminos.
Was there a specific moment on the Camino that changed your perspective or left a lasting impression on you?
As I begin to answer this question, it brings such an emotional feeling, my eyes welling up with such happiness and longing for that time. My perspective on life has definitely changed. I realised that I can’t be in control of everything, that I don’t have to organise and plan every minute of my life or worry about pre-empting situations. I learnt to slow down, accept and let go and this has helped my mental health immensely. There were so many wonderful and kind people and individual moments that have left a lasting impression. One such moment was when I stood and watched people leaving stones at the Iron Cross. It was quiet, and Nick was helping an old French lady to the Cross to lay a stone and as the sun started to appear on the horizon a woman began singing a beautiful song, in a language I didn’t understand. I just started crying uncontrollably and needed a hug from Nick when he came back to me. I’m crying now just remembering it. I can’t explain what happened, but it was so powerful.
What was the most surprising or memorable encounter you had with another pilgrim or local during your journey?
The most surprising encounter I had happened in the showers! I walked into a very small and basic shower room in the municipal Albergue at Villafranca. There was absolutely no space to hang or put anything (quite a common occurrence) and I was met by two confident Spanish ladies just wearing smiles and drying off and chatting. One lady gestured that a cubicle was free. I squeezed past and embarrassed tried to undress, hiding my nakedness whilst holding onto my wash bag, clothes and towel. I then decided the situation was just ridiculous and gave in to my inhibitions, and stood naked and did my best to act casual by trying to strike up conversation in my limited Spanish. I overcame my awkwardness, it felt freeing! Luckily the two ladies were kind, had a great sense of humour and later that evening we sat and had a few drinks together.
Tell us about one item you carried in your backpack that you couldn't have lived without on Camino?
Sanitary bag and tissues. Being perimenopausal, my periods are not always when expected. So having a little bag of essential sanitary items eases the worry of not being able to find a shop when you need to get supplies. Having disposable bags was a must to bag up waste, because the likelihood of finding a WC when needed or a sanitary bin in a WC was not great. For Nick, he was sad to say it was his mobile phone. Not for scrolling but the mundane things like banking, paying for things, occasionally directions and booking accommodation (although we try to walk without booking accommodation).
What advice would you give to someone considering walking the Camino for the first time?
Don’t over think the journey ahead or set expectations. Keep your mind and heart open. Walk it at your own pace. Yes, lean into your journey and don’t try to walk someone else’s. Be in the present. Follow those arrows forward and learn to let go. Every day was a beautiful surprise to me. Oh, and make sure you have the right backpack, footwear and underwear.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I would thoroughly recommend walking a Camino if it is something you want to do. Being outdoors, with amazing landscapes, in a new environment, with people from all over the world. Walking, sleeping, washing and eating with strangers provides a wonderful connectedness with humanity. It reminds me that the simple basics are really all we need. Life doesn’t need to be complicated. I know it’s not for everyone, but it just maybe what you need at a certain point in your life, and if it doesn't call you back at least you gave it a go.
Thanks again for sharing your story Penny! For more from Penny and Nick, who at the time of writing this are on the Camino Vadiniense together, follow them @no.vino.no.camino on Instagram and YouTube!
PS If you’d like to share your story of the Camino as part of this series, send me a message and let’s chat!
See you next time,
Louise x