When I looked at my feet on Monday morning, it became all to apparent that I had an infection in my left foot. Somehow my blisters under my toes had got blisters and had become infected, despite my best attempts at trying to look after them. I was planning on going to the pharmacy anyway, but this became slightly more urgent. My right foot and ankle was swollen and aching, the tendons being unhappy, however the left foot seemed more urgent.

I was able to get a dilute form of hydrogen peroxide to clean the foot, some medicated gauze to help the foot heal and a bandage to keep the gauze in place. I would need to change each day. As I was at a decent sized town with transport links, and the next 6 stages were going into smaller villages and over rocky trails of mountains often for 15 miles a day it felt like a sensible point to make a decision.

I could continue on using the limited (by which I mean 2 buses a day service) bus system to go to each of the small villages in the hope my feet healed. If they did I could try and do a days walking, however I would be in remote locations and up mountains if things went wrong, possibly with no phone signal in very high temperatures. This simply felt unwise, proud and foolhardy.

I had to make the difficult decision to pause here, which I have taken with as much humility as I can. The spirit was willing, but the body weak. It was a great blessing to be able to do as much as I have, especially when I consider ten years ago after a rather bad car accident I could barely put my slippers on my feet. I have been able to walk far and pray a great deal and offer up my discomfort to God as a prayer to those who asked for it, disappointing as it is to not finish, it is perhaps for the best.

Further blessings came when a friend who was holidaying in the Le Marche region said I could join him and his friend. So I am resting up and enjoying the Italian countryside and the very kind hospitality granted to me.