Fog City Boy Returns to the Camino Primitivo – With a Warmup Hike through Scotland and over the Pyrenees.
San Francisco, California – August 3, 2017
In two days’ time, the Fog City Boy and Ginna, the Fog City Boy’s consort (and wife), will depart San Francisco for Scotland. We will visit Aberdeen, the Orkney Islands, and Edinburgh before the Fog City Boy sets out to walk the West Highland Way.
This Way begins in a suburb of Glasgow named Milngavie – but pronounced “Mulgai” – and proceeds 96 miles to the town of Fort William.
There are campgrounds and sleeping barns along the route, but no hostels or pilgrim albergues such as are found on the Camino.
A travel agency in Glasgow – Mac’s Adventure – has made reservations at small hotels and bed and breakfast locations along the route. The trek is 96 miles and will last 10 days. I will be joined along parts of the Way by John and Linda, friends of ours from Half Moon Bay, California. I’ll post again after completing the West Highland Way in late August.
A few days after the West Highland Way, the Fog City Boy will journey by air and by rail to St. Jean Pied de Port, a traditional starting point for the Camino Frances. I commenced my Camino Frances there in 2015 but was not able to pursue the “Napoleon Route” which climbs up and over the Pyrenees before descending to Roncesvalles (Spain), and then onward to Pamplona. In April, 2015, the snow was blowing on top of the mountain, often obscuring the waymarks, thus causing pilgrims to become lost, and sometimes perish. I took the alternate route around the mountain. So I’ll go back this time and climb the mountain – no snow expected in September!
From Pamplona, I will travel to Tineo, a major town on the Camino Primitivo which I began in 2016, about one year ago. From there I will repeat some of my days from last year’s Camino, ultimately covering new territory and completing the Camino in Santiago. Here’s a video from 2016 taken just outside Oviedo, the traditional starting point for the Camino Primitivo.
I’m looking forward to all three treks! And I hope you will continue to follow my postings. If you are not yet on my blog’s “mailing list” you may click on the button marked “Follow” in the lower right corner of your monitor to sign up. This option may not be available on cell phones.
With that, I’m not quite yet off but will be soon!
Knute Michael
fogcityboy 
Sounds very ambitious! 96 miles? 10 miles a day? Yikes! And that’s just to warm up? It’s not going to snow ❄️ in September because….? We head home in September from Colorado because it snows in September! Good luck…hope it is amazing!
Thank you, Anne! Spain is not the Rockies, so I am confident it won’t snow in September! It should be a good hike. Best, Knute
Thanks Anne. Report to follow shortly. kmm
So exciting to hear of your continued travels. Jim and I will be arriving in St.Jean Pied de Port on august 25 and will start our Camino on the 27th of august. I do hope our paths cross again this trip we will be walking slowly. Burn Camino
Jim and Brenda Yamkowy- the Albertans from the Portuguese route
Hello to Jim and Brenda. I well remember he walks we took along The Way. I recall your commentary, Brenda, on medical issues in Canada and Jim’s professional interest when observing electrical grid switching stations! Yes, I’m off on another Camino adventure and hope our paths cross! Knute Michael aka Mike
I’ll be on the lookout for you! kmm
Enjoy your adventure! We look forward to the updates.
Walking solves all challenges! Thank you for your encouragement! Mike
Thank you, Maggie. As you can understand, Jim will be with me on The Way, as he has been in the past. Best to you and yours. kmm
Safe travels on all yours many treks/hikes
Thank you!
Knute, Haven’t talked for a while, but this looks exciting. We were in the Orkneys a year ago May – wonderful layering of stone-age, Viking culture with a contemporary Pictish/Celtic topping. We will be in Roncesvalles on coming September 25 and with another couple be walking sections of the Camino Frances arriving in Santiago on October 2, departing for Porto on 4 October. I sheepishly confess that we will be tourists, not perigrinos. Perhaps some later date….
Perhaps our paths may cross – we are probably somewhat behind you? Hope you miss the midges in the Highlands.
Rod McAulay
Thank you, Rod. The midges will find me I am sure. Ouch! Knute
Hello, Rod. I’ll be walking segments of the Camino starting September 1st and back home on September 23rd. Let’s compare notes after we all return to The City and environs. Knute
Yo are amazing! Keep on enjoying life and your walking adventures. And, of course, Buen Camino!
Hi Esther. Walking solves all problems! The City Guides are continuing to enjoy your contributed books! kmm
Mike I used to run cross country a long time ago but you surpassed me in training and running in races a while back. Good luck, hope your knees do better than mine.
Thanks, Rick. So far the knees are fine. More report to follow! kmm
Cheers! I enjoy following all the pictures which are beautiful and peaceful. As you may imagine, South Korea is recently walking along the most perilous road since the Korean War of 1950 as nuclear tests are taking place and long range missiles are flying alongside. I am looking forward to following further the news and pictures from you, however.
Dai-Kwon Choi
Hello, Dai-Kwon. I think all of us around the world are fixated on the developments on the Korean Peninsula. The risks for the population of Korea and its neighbors are severe. And also for the rest of the world. The Camino brings a respite for me with respect to those concerns. Best to you and your family. Knute
Looking forward to your light & informative posts.
Another adventure! Rebecca and I really enjoyed the Orkney Island: Skail House next to Skara Brae; Maeshowe; Ring if Brodgan; and the WWI German underground bunkers. Wish we had more than one day, as there was so much more to see.
Looking forward to your posts. Safe Travels GRANDPA!
Can’t wait to get Quinn her first pair of hiking boots! kmm
Have a good walk. I envy you. I no longer have the energy to consider such a venture! In a few weeks, we take the family to Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT for a week. We can be sedentary while they go about the area. 60 years ago we spent four days there on our honeymoon and have never been back since!
Quincy
Thanks, Quincy. Hope the get together was a good one! kmm
make time for good scotch.
Visited the Highland Park distillary in Orkney. Yum!
We’re looking forward to seeing you in Scotland. Enjoy the Orkneys!