Dr Jennifer Jones: 'Academic Yarn Spinner'

When Susan and I walked into Mansilla de las Mulas we were soaking wet. Our eighth day walking on the Meseta, an elevated plateau in North Central Spain, had already been long and hard before the rain set in. A few days prior, we decided to walk this alternate route because the trail took us… Read more.

Nestled in the hillside just before the isolated village of Moratinos, about 69 km from the city Leon on the Northern Meseta (population 59, back in 2018), stand a series of ‘bodegas’. Signs inform passing pilgrims that these structures are not hobbit-holes, they are historic infrastructure that was essential to the wine culture of the… Read more.

Eating well is important when your body is under the constant stress of walking, but this isn’t so easy to achieve when living a nomadic lifestyle in rural Spain. We are walking between 20-30 kilometres each day, for around 5 days, then taking a rest day. Our schedule is designed to enable relaxation and recuperation… Read more.

Although every pilgrim walks at their own pace, our rhythms also intersect throughout the day. This routine starts in the albergues, which expect us to vacate before 8 am. Early risers are rustling through their backpacks before 6 am, preparing to make a pre-dawn start, so there’s no need to set an alarm. Susan and… Read more.

I don’t usually pay much attention to my feet, but in preparation for this walk, I researched foot care on Google and selected a ‘sock system’ that was supposed to prevent a range of possible foot issues. The system combines thin Merino liner toe-socks with two Merino hiking socks, preventing rubbing and hence blisters. I… Read more.

On the first day of this warm-up walk, following the Voi de la Nive, we passed through an area famous for growing the espelette pepper. We saw drying peppers hanging under the eaves of the houses and other signs of mass production, including hectare after hectare of stubble. As farmers’ daughters, we are both interested… Read more.