The Le Puy Chemin is definitely worth walking- lots of magnificent scenery, lots of history and historic buildings, amazing architectural structures for the times. Interesting paths through forests, farms, towns and cities. Plus interesting people along the way. The first 2 weeks are very steep, lots of going up and coming down steep rocky paths. We heard from other more seasoned hikers that they felt that the first 14 days of this Camino was the toughest hike they had ever done. So be prepared! It seems that 20km/day is a reasonable pace considering the hills and rocks, plus you also want to have time to stop and enjoy the scenery along the way as well as when you get to each days destination.

Sometimes the book/maps/apps overestimate how long it takes to get from town to town, - be warned!
This part of France seems to close fir the season from 1st October, not many places for food or accommodation are open. You can still find something but your choices are limited. Plus there are a lot less people doing the walk, so it could be quite lonesome.

The weather is still good though- not too hot or too cold.
Nearly everyone on a camino takes away something from it. In my case - a realisation that everyone is different, we all have our idiosyncrancies, and we all have our good points - appreciate diversity! And concentrate on the good in people.

Overall- it was a beautiful and worthwhile hike, can thoroughly recommend it. If anyone would like more information about this walk - I am always up for a chat! Au revoir, A bientot.

Helen from Australian Brain Coaching

Helen Dugdale / Friday, 24 June 2022

/ Categories: Blog

Spider phobias

It is ok to have a fear of spiders – they can be poisonous!

We should all have a healthy respect for danger, no matter what that danger is, for example: a spider web strung across our path, a hole in the ground with a spider in it. It is when this fear becomes irrational and / or impacts on your life, that you need to do something about it. If, for example, just looking at a picture of spiders on the TV will bring on heart palpitations and sweating or may be refusing to go into your own house if you think there is a spider in there and then yelling and screaming uncontrollably – very debilitating reactions!

Recently I had a client, (Jane) with a fear of dying and that spiders were going to be crawling all over her body. These thoughts were making her physically ill. During the brain coaching process, we uncovered that it was an incident in Europe (where she grew up). Her and her 6-year-old friends were playing out in the backyard and lifted a sheet of tin, when 100s of little black spiders came running out. One of her friends brought one spider over to her and she ran off screaming. That night Jane had a nightmare about spiders and her grandmother. It just so happened that her grandmother had recently been buried as well. The two events combined in her dream, and she dreamt that when she dies, spiders will swarm her. Jane has had this fear since she was six years old and she starts to feel physically ill.

In our brain coaching sessions we resolved how Jane felt as a six-year-old. The logical side of her now-adult brain knows that there was no danger back then (none of the children were bitten) and it was coincidental that her grandmother had passed away. She also does not know for sure that spiders swarmed her grandmother’s body. This client feels so much better now and is not unduly upset by spiders or about death and tells herself to stay calm when she starts to feel nauseous and panicky. She is managing this issue in a more controlled relaxed way now.

Brain coaching can help you, no matter what your phobia is. Sometimes the original trigger is not that obvious. Brain correctly coaching identifies the trigger, then helps you come to terms with that trigger and then set you on a path that you are comfortable with in dealing with your phobia.

Give Helen a call on 0417 064 507 for a free 30-minute introductory chat, and have a much more relaxed, less stressed life.

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Below shows the map of the area of France where you walk the French Camino. The blue line is the distance travelled from the starting point to the end. The redline shows Helen's progress across France walking between 19kms and 25kms a day. Staying at BnB's a long the way.

French Camino Walk Sept 2019