Yesterday we left Roncesvalles in the dark as it was 3km to the next town, Burguete, where we could get breakfast. It was a beautiful walk, through a little path enclosed by trees, alongside the road. The breakfast was good, the same as always it seems, with a large long crusty breadroll, jam, or meat and cheese, and coffee (with "leche" - milk). After breakfast it was onto Zubiri, around 20km away, passing through a few small towns along the way. It was still raining lightly so the wet weather gear was still out. We passed a strange sight of a trailer carrying around 7 dogs - there are so many dogs around here! After a while the sun came out and we saw the first blue sky on our hike. The walk was starting to ... read more

It's fantastic how easy it is to get around Paris. In two days, jetlagged and all, we've managed to see most of the good sights we came to see! Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the river Seine, Sacre Coeur, Moulin Rouge, Arch de Triumph.... It all started yesterday, Tuesday, when we landed with a frightening hard bumpy landing in our Singapore Airlines A380 at 7am. Lucky we got there early because just after we got our baggage the ground staff went on strike! Lots of people unhappy and luggage-less! After a quick freshen up in the airport bathroom we caught a train into town where a chocolate croissant and coffee was our main priority. Next stop was the hotel, quite nice, near Montparnasse, although the lift was so claustrophobic I almost panicked! After we checked in we ... read more

Here is a map of the route we will be generally following. It's about 150km short because we won't be walking as the crow flies! Use the "Fit Map" button to show the full route.... read more

It all begins with preparation... I thought about waiting till I had left for Spain to start this blog but to ensure it's a full record of my trip I definitely need to start now. I've been given a 7 week training schedule from a trainer at the gym and it's killing me! Starts off with swimming on Mondays. Tuesday is an RPM class. Wednesday is a challenging 1 hour with a personal trainer who makes me feel like I'm part of The Biggest Loser. Thursday is a hike outside with hills (working up to 2 hours). Friday is a day off :). Saturday is 1 hour interval training. And Sunday is the long hike day, working up to 4 hours with a 12kg pack for the two weeks before I leave. This in itself will ... read more