It was an excited but nervous group of 34 pilgrims that set off on Tuesday 5th March from Emu Plains station to start their Blue Mountains pilgrimage over 5 days to end in Blackheath on Saturday.
The weather was perfect, no rain and although a little hot in the afternoons it made for glorious walking days. The first day from Emu Plains to Springwood was around 24km with a steep climb through Knapsack Reserve at the start to get the legs warmed up. After a visit to the splendid St Finbar’s church and a breather at the Glenbrook lagoon the walkers entered Blaxland for a welcome lunch stop. The afternoon offered the option to walk the scenic Florabella Pass or the suburban roads to Springwood. A refreshing drink was on offer at the Royal Hotel gathering at the end of Day 1.
Day 2 started by walking through Springwood’s Birdwood Gully before a coffee break in Faulconbridge. A long tedious stretch along the Great Western Highway to Linden where the final route to Woodford diverged offering a bush experience via Paradise Pools or a historic experience via the old Cox’s Road. A relatively short day of around 15km.
Day 3 continued from Woodford station through the suburbs to Hazelbrook where walkers could choose a longer bush walk past Terrace and Victor Falls, or a more direct route to Lawson. The cafe’s and bakeries at Lawson offered a welcome lunch break. The afternoon walk to Wentworth Falls has been nick-named “the Meseta” due to it’s long unending stretch along a paved road with little shade or relief. A few adventurous pilgrims elected to walk the 3 Gorges instead which offered cool gullies but steep climbs and some leeches!
Day 4’s route from Wentworth Falls to Katoomba was a spectacularly scenic day. Walking across the top of the Wentworth Falls with views over the Jamison Valley, then the Grand Clifftop Walk looking out over Mt Solitary and finally ending at the 3 Sisters, the route is full of expansive views of our beautiful Blue Mountains. It was also a day of cafe’s with stops at the Conservation Hut, Sorenson’s Glass House and the Fairmont Hotel planned along the route. The retail shops at Leura lured some, for others the brewery in Katoomba called.
Day 5 culminated the training walk with a final stretch from Katoomba to Blackheath, mainly on the paved path along the Great Western Highway. A detour via the historic Gully and for some a bush walk to North’s Lookout added interest to the route. After a mid-morning cuppa at the Hydro Majestic Hotel, it was a straight forward fire road to Blackheath where the celebratory lunch was waiting.
During the week our wonderful hospitalero’s Eileen and Richard organised evening activities around the Camino theme. They were onsite to support pilgrims throughout their 5-Day Walk experience and were instrumental in creating a genuine Camino spirit at Glenella.
The week ended with the famous Pizza night where groups come together to prepare and bake pizzas. A lot of fun was had in the kitchen.
Mary who is about to embark on her first Camino in April wrote: “Thank you to all for this fantastic experience! I really enjoyed the 5 days – the walking experience, the friendships and the opportunity to learn. It was a great step in my Camino preparation.”
Jenny who has walked many Camino’s including our Blue Mountains Camino a number of times wrote: “what a wonderful time it’s been. Perfect weather, beautiful walks, entertaining meals and evenings. As on the Camino itself, an opportunity to meet and spend time with new friends to create lifelong memories.”
Thank you to all the volunteers who made this 5-Day Walk in the Blue Mountains such a success !
