Machinations and Preparations.

Since arriving home as lean mean walking machines in September 2008, bodies have deteriorated, weight has gone back on and 5-10 miles before breakfast is no longer dealt with by a shrug. We hope the forgiveness of sins worked so hard to obtain lasts a little longer than the fitness of the bodies. We should have some opportunity to improve fitness during this walk but it is by no means the mammoth expedition that we completed 2 years ago. The walk from Lisbon known as the Camino Portuguesa is largely coastal and low land, the route is well trodden and waymarked from Oporto to Santiago but perhaps less so from Lisbon to Oporto (maybe the slightly larger half of the journey). We have learnt from various web sites that the Portuguese Firemen have extended a welcome to genuine pilgrims allowing them to sleep on the floor of the fire station and use facilities - we hope to find out.

 A little training took place in Pembrokeshire last week where coast path walking is fairly strenuous. Currently two and a half weeks to go before we fly from Bristol to Lisbon to start walking a few days later.

 In the mean time a picture from the very end of the last trip when we returned to various points along the route to give our wives Jane and Betsy a taste of The Way of St James.