Only three days remain before I set off with Rachel and my backpack away from La Coruña and towards Barcelona, where I will fly to Edinburgh to start the West Highland Way. I’m tingling with the anticipation of travel, a feeling that cannot be replicated. That feeling that you are like a bird, just about to be set free. It’s exciting, and who knows what’s going to happen? Nobody. Nobody knows. Not you, or me, or the immigration official at the airport. The feeling of going-a-travelin’ never fails to provide that feeling of optimistic expectation. (Not to mention a whole basket case of anxiety, but that’s another story).
I am excited about every part of my trip in much different ways. Each section satisfies some part of “The Perfect Trip.”
Starting with the West Highland Way, I’ll dive right into 4 or 5 nights of wild camping, in the beauty of the highlands. Preparing for those pesky Highland Midges by eating cloves of raw garlic and sprinkling my food with brewer’s yeast. (I read somewhere that helps to ward off the little critters).
On the Ayrshire Coastal Path I’m looking forward to some beautiful coastal views and a bit of an off-the-beaten-path experience. Maybe that wouldn’t be true for a U.K. citizen, because it’s not exactly un unknown destination, but nobody I know has ever been there. The Ayrshire Coast is my wild card, and I’m glad it is.
The Offa’s Dyke Path brings me inland, weaving across both sides of the England-Wales border, through places with fairytale names which I can’t pronounce. Llanymynech? Hay-on-wye? Llandegla? Bodfari? Furthermore, on this section of trail I have reached out to farms and hotels that offer camping and got so many positive responses allowing me to camp for free, I’m looking forward immensely to meeting these kind strangers. I hope they’re prepared for all my questions about how to manage those Welsh words.
The South West Coast Path offers an epic adventure and beautiful scenery. At 630 miles this is one of those “check off the life list” trails. Regarded as one of the best long-distance hiking trails in the world, this is my antidote for not taking a multi-week hike back home.
And then there’s France. Well France is just France. I am nervous for France, I am excited for France. Nervous because I don’t exactly have any maps yet. No big deal. Excited because I’ve found out that I really, really enjoy learning French. Nervous because although I like learning French, that doesn’t mean I can speak it. Excited because it’s a new country, a beautiful country, a complete immersion into something new. Plus I heard they have good food there.
And that last little 500 miles. That would be the Camino Frances, the most popular branch of the Camino de Santiago. I definitely won’t find any solitude or great wilderness. However, what sometimes drives people from the Camino Frances is what I’m excited about: it’s a little crowded. Or so I hear. You won’t find yourself alone. But you will find a social camaraderie unlike any other. And after three months walking alone, I sure hope there will be people willing to talk to me.
And so. Three days until I’m outta here. Let the panic attack ensue.
Marisa Walks Across 