This week I interview John Carroll who now lives in Australia, but you can certainly hear a strong Manchester accent!   John spent some time walking the French Way as a group with 7 friends from sunny Oz, but then ventured off on his own to experience a different Camino along the Ingles Route in October 2018.

QUOTE: Is from the song. “You will never walk alone”.

Highlights:

1. Tip - a good tip to get over jet lag is to know that if you are travelling 10 time zones, then it will take approx 10 days to get over jet lag.
2. How did you hear of the Camino? Not only was John inspired by the film The Way, but he had also read a book called In Search of The Way, by a priest who he had met in England.
3. John walked from Sarria to Santiago (the last part of the French Way with his friends from Oz).
4. What was the main differences between the French Route to the Ingles Route?
5. The Inges Route is very quiet and John was worried that he would be walking it all on his own, but that soon changed!
6. Lots of people from Oz, but not too many from the UK tend to walk the English route.
7. What was the weight of your pack? - about 22lbs / 10kg
8. John talks about walking poles and how valuable they were to his journey.  There are many steep ups and downs on both Camino trips.
9. Tip: Always add rubber paws to your walking poles.
10. Did you bring anything that you didn’t use? Yes, I took 6 pairs of socks that I never used!
11. Did you get any blisters?  No, but I did hurt some of my toes.  He walked into low concrete bollards which hurt his feet.
12. Did you take a luxury item?  Yes, a 2nd credit card.
13. John would recommend taking a sleeping bags if you are travelling in October onwards.
14. Did you have a reason for walking the Camino?  Yes, for the adventure and to take some time for reflection.
15. Was the Camino everything you thought it would be - yes, and more.
16. Be inspired by the people around you.  Not just on the Camino but in everyday life as well.