I have had a yearning for a number of years to walk the ancient pilgrimage route from St Jean Pied de Port in France to Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain. So at last, plucking up courage and take a couple of months out of the calendar, I am setting off on the 26th April 2010 for the 800 kilometre solo walk on The Way of St James using the Camino Francés.

As with many of these ideas they evolve and what was once a simple personal challenge has become much more. Perhaps a voyage of self-discovery, and most certainly the realisation that many things could go wrong to prevent me reaching my goal. With this in mind I am inviting sponsorship from the walk to raise money towards the work needed on the bells at my parish church - All Saints Clifton, Bedfordshire - The Sponsorship page provides details of how to make a donation, a simple donation would be fantastic, or to make sure my blisters earn every penny, pledge a donation by distance walked, per 1km / 5km / 10km or whatever - be assured, all donations will go directly to the Bell Restoration Fund.

Frank Rivett

Clifton Bells	Spain - The Country and Weather
It is around 67 years since our bells last had any major work done on them, when they were re-hung just before the coronation. It is now estimated that some £12-13,000 needs to be spent to bring them back to a tip-top condition that will hopefully see them through to the latter part of the 21st century. Follow the links below to find out more about the bells and the work we hope to do. You can use the Sponsorship link below to make a donation in aid of the restoration work. Clifton Church Clifton Bells Sponsorship Beds Assoc Church Bellringers	May is the chosen month for walking, both to avoid the extreme temperatures of Spain in the summer and hopefully to miss the popular holiday times when the route can be really busy. I'm sure I will see plenty of rain in addition to pleasant spring sunshine though, as the overriding climatic feature of northern Spain is it's unpredictability. click here for current weather or here for the forecast from elTiempo.es
Photo Album	Communities & Forums
Some photos of where I will be walking and hopefully some real live shots taken by me along the way, if I can get them back.	The following web sites give some great information about the Way of St James, or Camino Frances as it is otherwise known. Confraternity of St James Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage Routes