Le Puy to Conques: walking gear – pilgrim’s passport

Le Puy, France ON the GR65: – The next day we had a lot to do. Waking early we left the hotel in the dark to attend the 7.00 am service which would include a pilgrims’ blessing. I felt a sense of adventure as we walked up Mount Corneille and into the centre of old [...]

Lake District Walks – over Stake Pass

From the Diary –

The impressive Langstrath Valley near Stonethwaite .

Nov 5 – Tuesday: Keswick, Lake District, UK
About 5.00pm we arrive at Barron House, a youth hostel, a pleasure after many hours of walking. This hostel is an imposing building and is in the Superior Class, i.e. it has all facilities. The drying room comes in [...]

Coast to Coast: walking gear

Coast to Coast Walk – REETH to RICHMOND: The wind always seemed to blow in our faces. Still, mustn’t grumble. And anyway, who could really complain? Walking across open fields, exercising a thousand muscles; breathing in fresh spring air laden with a hint of farmyard aroma, and generally just being in the countryside, was the [...]

Passion Relics from Jerusalem

 Via Francigena: Rome: Refreshed after a Roman lunch, we continued to Holy Cross in Jerusalem (Santa Croce in Gerusalemme). The church was high on every pilgrim’s itinerary and its present name was given to it during medieval times. In 325 an old Roman palace was consecrated as a church to house the Passion Relics that [...]

Offa’s Dyke – Pontcysyllte Aqueduct Llangollen

Offa’s Dyke Walk: Cloud Hill Pentre: The weather appeared undecided this morning, but at least it was sunny. Cloud Hill was close to the A5 and there was only a short distance to walk (along the Dyke) till we reached the towpath of the Llangollen Canal. The sky grew overcast, so we put on our [...]

You knew it would come in handy – 2

When you meet pilgrims on horses, you need a camera…
The next morning we left via Rue de Gare and walked to the railway station and through the underpass making our way to Route D’Evian which led to a combined cycle – walking path along the Rhone River. Although the path was flat, it was asphalted [...]

You knew it would come in handy – 1

Well, you just knew that it would rain.
After all, here we were on Offa’s Dyke in the middle of Autumn approaching a stile (gate in a fence) – and there are around 700 stiles to get over or through on this walk.
The capricious showers don’t last very long, just long enough for you to put [...]

Which boots are best for me?

What sort of boots or shoes should I walk in? What’s the best sort of rain gear for the Cotswold Way? Do I need walking poles for the Camino? We will help to answer your gear questions in this Walking Gear section.
The best place to start is with walking shoes or boots. There are three [...]