Visit to the Blue Mountains by the Central Coast Camino Group
At the end of our monthly walk in February this year the idea of a visit to the Blue Mountains was broached and received an enthusiastic response. It was decided that our visit would coincide with the April monthly meeting of the Blue Mountains Group to meet some members of another Camino group and to take advantage of the cooler weather for walking.
On Friday 26th April eight of us from the Central Coast and two from Sydney arrived at Glenella Guesthouse in Blackheath to receive the traditional warm greeting from the owners, Margaret and Rowan, before going for pre-dinner drinks at the local watering hole. We then joined several members from the Blue Mountains group at Blackheath Golf Club for an excellent dinner. Leaving the Club it was definitely a lot colder than we generally experience at the Central Coast and many of us were grateful for the doonas and electric blankets on our beds back at Glenella. Several members enjoyed a showing of The Way in the Glenella Cellar Theatre before turning in.
On Saturday morning after a hearty buffet breakfast at Glenella we gathered for a walk to Govetts Leap Lookout via Popes Glen and on to Evans Lookout and back to Glenella. There was a large group of about thirty walkers with plenty of leaders, so we split up into three groups – fast, medium and slow taking variations of the route. This was a challenging walk compared to most of our walks on the Central Coast, but very enjoyable. After lunch we gathered in the lounge at Glenella for all of us to introduce ourselves and talk about our Camino experiences. This was a great opportunity for those who had not walked a Camino to ask questions. Later in the evening some of us ordered take away pizzas and relaxed at Glenella so as to be ready for another walk on Sunday.
After breakfast on Sunday almost all of us walked the Grand Canyon trail, and although I say walked, it was mostly up and down a very hard track with many steps, which even the hardy mountain people found tough. After returning to Glenella we coastal people headed back home.
In conclusion we found the walks very beautiful and well worth the effort. I would especially like to thank Margaret and Rowan for their help in making this such a successful weekend, and Carlene and Tony whose assistance in every way was invaluable.
We will definitely be back for another wonderful weekend.
Article by David Barrett
Editor note: On behalf of the Blue Mountains Supporters of the Camino group, we thoroughly enjoyed having CCC group here in Blackheath and hope to see you up here again. Thanks to those who subscribed to our newsletter and facebook page. There are many photos posted in Albums on our facebook page - bluemtnsaustcaminosupporters
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