Who Am I?

I reside on the West Coast of Canada. A lifetime traveller and a bit of a dreamer, I’m still interested in exploring new places and having adventures. I come by my blog user name Distance Walker quite honestly with many offshore walks over the past 12 years totalling over 12,000 km. It’s become a wonderful way to experience everything that goes with ‘slow travel’. A simpler way to sample different cultures and to meet people in a more meaningful and relaxed manner. Amongst the benefits of this simple travel is that it fuels a core need while at the same time elevating emotional responses. Crossing breathtaking landscapes, sometimes so vast or unique, often touches me to the core. Walking and travelling historic routes and staying in places often untouched by todays mass tourism is just part of the pleasure! Did I mention that I also have a tendency to be a little interested in history?

I have always kept travel diaries, however, about 15 years ago I transitioned from pen and paper to blogging, initially so my parents and our children could more easily follow my (our) wanderings. I quickly discovered that this medium provided a way to share my passion for photography and this soon led to trying my hand at writing. Something my good friend Ken, a well established writer, tells me is a lifelong practice. I’m still working on this with a very long way to go, but I’m certainly enjoying the process! I anticipate that there’s going to be much more writing in my future!

I’m often joined on travels by Annemarie, but sometimes others join me for part of the journey. Our wanderings aren’t only limited to distance walking, though we usually do manage to fit in a little walking wherever we end up. We definitely won’t say ‘no’ to an occasional cycling adventure when the opportunity presents, and you find our three cycle tours to date covered below in High Endeavors.

My Blogs:

Walking Our Camino(s): A daily record of many distance walks during the past 12 years in numerous countries including; Spain (where it all started in 2013), France, Japan, Italy, England, Switzerland, Australia and Portugal. This blog is a resource for a wide variety of routes, most notably the Via Francigena across 4 European countries, the 88 Temple Walk in Japan, the Via de la Plata in Spain and the Le Puy Chemin in France. https://caminotime.blogspot.com/2022/08/day-2-stage-1-london-farnham-chilton.html

Camino For Alzheimer’s Awareness – A Journey: A daily record of our 1500 km camino along 3 different camino routes in France and Spain to raise awareness and funds for the Alzheimer Society of BC. https://caminoforalzheimers.blogspot.com/2018/09/montpellier-france-sun-blue-blue.html

High Endeavors: A record of various travel and cycling experiences in Europe, Turkey, New Zealand, Australia, South America and Asia. https://highendeavors.blogspot.com/2019/10/foz-do-iguacu-brazil-steaming-hot-humid_13.html