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The second leg of my Camino from Vézelay to Compostela started very early this morning. When I began in May, I was more keyed up and apprehensive. There had been a lot of planning and reflection to get me to the point of departure. But while that may be optimal, the whole of the last five days has been taken up by being a delegate for my local constituency party at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool.

That was fascinating and inspiring, but also hard work. With my other two delegates we were in the conference chamber all day for three days, listening hard to speeches from the politicians and from so many diverse delegates. In the evenings there was networking and going to fringe meetings and receptions. I got back yesterday afternoon. So I had the evening in which to turn myself around.

Up early. Laurence dropped me at Newark Northgate and I was off. Thereafter the day was an exercise in patience. The trains ran late, the plane was an hour late, Stansted was rammed with people, which makes me anxious. But I was on no schedule and I made myself relax and just be. A very kind Irishman from the flight took me to the fabulously exotic station in Limoges, and we chatted about refurbishing old French houses in the middle of nowhere.

I decided that for only 6 euros extra I would go first class to Chateauroux. And as we spend through the beautiful country I will be retracing on foot, I remembered Philip Endean, such a kind, intelligent, decent and thoughtful spiritual mentor to so many, and our friend, who died two months ago. Praying for the repose of his soul I recognised as I do increasingly the uncertainty of heading towards seventy. I could live to be as old as my father (ninety-five and going strong), or I could get sick and die like Philip.

Which makes every meeting, every conversation, every opportunity for things positive and constructive all the more precious. And as I look forward to walking tomorrow I know I will value so much being immersed in the natural world – carrying my human restlessness into the world of forests with trees that have lived with their neighbours for sometimes hundreds of years. All of it helping me to journey with a heightened consciousness of both connection and transience – both of which, incidentally, are qualities that we need, more than I can express, in our politics