Finding treasure on the Camino de Santiago

“All you need is Faith, Trust and a little Pixie Dust!” Peter Pan

14th May 2022

Day 8 – Espalion to Golinhac

29,83kms and 45 372 steps – total so far; 206kms and 310 875 steps

For those of you that know me well, you know I am a “faith, love, trust and Pixie dust” kinda gal. I tend to find pixie dust often where there is none. Which is I guess why I take on things like 850 kms walking journeys. I pride myself on being a Peter Pan or Pollyanna when the going gets tough. Today I found myself questioning my sanity and why on earth I would even think about this waking this ridiculously far route……. Blah! Blah! Blah! You know the negative talk that happens when the spiral starts and the pixie dust starts to fade. Today the road was long and the pixie dust was fading fast. It was beautiful and I kept telling my little internal Pollyanna to focus on the beauty around me and to be grateful for the privilege of a sabbatical that showed me another world. But alas, it was hard. I took fewer pics as I just focused on one step in front of the other.

I did go through moments of pure pleasure and joy at the sites of course but the overall feeling of the day was “Have you lost your freaking mind!”

It was a really hot day, with only patchy shady spots every so often. I kept hearing Warwick say, “Pour water over your head, drink water!” I did this often. I played some Johnny Clegg and ABBA to cheer myself up and kept telling myself how lucky I am to do this. At some point I took a little break to massage my feet and drink some water. As I was getting ready to walk again, along came my Camino Angels for the day Mike and Jane. They were feeling it too, but together we helped one another along. I hauled out Queen at some stage to bring on the motivation.

The thing about tough days, is they do make you think about why you do things. A few days earlier a French guy called Maurice had asked me why I would come all the way from South Africa to walk this route. At the time I said, “It’s beautiful and old and unforgettable!” And those reasons are all true and I walk this route because it is a privilege to “walk in the footsteps” of Pilgrims gone by and because walking restores your soul and fills up the pixie dust tank that needs filling every few years. The pixie dust tank that fuels not only me, but many many others every day. I tend to forget that I need to refuel. This kind of journey reminds me that my pixie dust tank needs filling too.

What this kind of walk also reminds you of is how fortunate you are. Listening to those Pilgrims that I can engage with, I realize how many have issues with work and family and life in general and I quietly say thank you.

I eventually get to Golinhac and find my accommodation. In a chalet in a campsite. All lovely, but no dinner for some reason and Wi-Fi. I get into my swimming costume as fast as I can as there is a pool I have been lusting after for 10kms of slogging. I get to the pool and it is locked, I enquirer about it at the adjoining Bar, and they say its closed until the 15th May. This is the 14th I say in our horror and she shales her head and I protest and she shakes her head and I up my head in my hands and I sob uncontrollably. Unbelievably crazy, just sobbed.

Chemin Gifts;

– Finding my last bit of pixie dust for the day and realizing it’s okay not to be Pollyanna all the time and that even I need to refill my pixie dust tank

– Meeting Mike and Jane again at a crucial time – Camino Angels

– A delicious meal at the end of the day with salad, tomatoes and lots of chips

– Finding out that Jennie was also feeling a little finished and losing the pixie dust a little – a friend to complain to and then move on