Sunday, July 13, 2008

Scotland

Instead of being with the Camino walkers, I am now surrounded by the 'hill walkers' in Scotland. We stay in Youth Hostels, and on occasion , a bed and breakfast, instead of albergues, and pay three to four times what was paid in Spain, and the same goes for food. In Spain, you could live on $20.00 per day. Here, you are lucky if you can get by with $50.00-$75.00 per day. Lately I've been riding the bus and walking to the Youth Hostels in various towns, with a little walking about the towns. I've gone from 20KM a day to 2KM. My knee has improved a little, but not a whole lot.

My dorm mates pour over their maps, plan their walking day, jump in their car or on a bike, and, walk up a 'worn down' mountain for two to three hours, then back to the youth hostel. The walkers have large boxes of food that they carry in their cars, and can make quite good meals after their walk. When walking the Camino, this was not possible. The hill walkers seem to fit somewhere in between the Camino walkers, and the regular tourists. There is no 5:30 rising, or daily handwashing of laundry, but for me with only one change of clothes, I continue with the old routine. We are lucky to be in bed by midnight.

After Spain, I flew to Edinburgh, took a bus to Aberdeen, Wick, and the Orkneys.
This is a totally different experience from the Camino. My friend Jo, whom I walked with for a few days, has reached Santiago.
I will be in Scotland for another week or so, then hope to travel to Northern England. I haven't any definite plans.