Some women (and some men) have discovered the joys of walking in a skirt. I am one of them – I can change the tights underneath to suit the weather, temperature, or needs on the day. These skirts are often short-ish to allow for unrestricted movement, though some hikers choose a more modest length when out and about. If you are a member of the camino forum, you will probably have heard of the Macabi skirt. They might as well have called it a Marmite skirt, as people tend to either love or loathe them.
What ever you might think of the aesthetics of this skirt, it has a great reputation for being lightweight, quick drying, shedding dirt and dust and light rain and even wine spills (I can attest to that one) and with the most humongous and practical pockets, so many years ago I bought a black one. I wore it at home, low on the hips so it reached my ankle; I crawled in and out of tents with the pockets full of pegs, I went for walks in it and even took it on holiday. And of course I found ways of improving it and played around with the configuration of clips and snaps and straps.
Then for some reason the love faded, I decided I preferred walking in (and the look of) shorter skirts, and in the end I sold it, modifications and all, to another skirt curious pilgrim. And I didn’t miss it, not until the other day, when I saw a post on the forum with a Macabi skirt, in my size, and in black, for sale … so I thought I would try it again, and see if it would work with the other changes I have made since last time I had one. It would be worth it just for the fabulous material!
Today it arrived, and … it is my old one! Exactly the same as the one I sold, with the alterations I made and was planning on making again. My Macabi has come back to me! What is it they say – the camino gives you what you need, when you need it? It seems I have gone full kit circle, and I look forward to trying it again. Maybe for evening wear this time?
Welcome home, my frumpy-looking but fabulous friend.
Somewhere Slowly 