Hmm plane tickets, this just got real.

Okay flights and coaches are booked, no backing out now. Is it time to start panic?

No that's not me, but it is time to at least to make some effort towards training. So I've been doing at least 10 km each day since Friday with some weight in the pack, I had a nice walk into work today via the coast of Jersey with about 6.5 Kilos on my back. I'll increment the training up to 10 kilos and 20 km a day, then take a day or two break before the camino starts.

Already had my first blister from Saturday morning, so much for "1000 miles" socks. Initially used blister plasters but found it better to use the needle and thread method. Essentially you pass a sterile needle and thread through the blister, leaving the thread in place which then acts as a taper to drain the fluid out from the blister.

In case you were bored by the sunrise selection I've snapped a few shots of my view on my hike to work this morning, it's so easy to forget how beautiful the Island is when your stuck in rush hour traffic. I hope you like them, I'm really not sure how often I'll get to upload pictures to the site when I'm actually on camino, but I'll try my best.

I know in a previous post I was keen to go via land. Ultimately I decided it was too complicated to synchronise ferries, trains & coaches. It would only take one delay to mess it all up. I think the more parts there is to a plan the greater the possibility of failure. The land route would also have required overnight stays in France at start and finish which was the last straw really. My goal is the walk the camino not explore France and its rail network.

With the flights plus a coach I can get to Burgos on the same day I leave Jersey and then when returning I take an overnight coach from Santiago de Compostela to Madrid saving the cost of accommodation on my last day and also allowing a few hours to explore Madrid, then back home to Jersey just in time to see the kids before bedtime.

Ah Burgos you say! Yes I've decided to start at Burgos, after some thought I felt that I wanted to see more of the Camino Frances, to see the Meseta and also I wanted to feel I've put some work in before I get to Cruz de Ferro. I still hope to get to Fisterre and perhaps even Muxia but it may be by coach at the end as a tourist rather than on foot as a peregrino.

Two thing I have not organised yet is my Pilgrims passport, I hope to obtain one from the official albergue (pilgrim hostel) in Burgos, or if no joy then I'll try the Cathedral office. Also accommodation in Burgos, is a little tenuous, if I can get a Passport then I could stay the night at the albergue if they have room, else I'll have to find a guest house near the cathedral, but it looks like there is plenty of accommodation around the area. After consideration I'll think I'll go the guest house route as I would not want to take a pilgrims bed before I've walked any, it seems a little unfair.

Leant a new Spanish word for today “Ultraya” apparently it means “onward”, often used as encouragement for flagging pilgrims. I expect to hear it a lot!