It was another frigid 5 degree morning and I think I may have a cold coming on, as I’ve had a sore throat for the last two. Probably because I hadn’t packed for such temperatures.
It was a late start as I hung around Leon waiting for the pharmacy to open. Due to it being a Sunday, they open at 9.30am. I also had the problem of finding a down type jacket. I had been in the outdoor shops yesterday but hadn’t seen any. There is a Sunday open air market by the river, so I decided to try my luck there.
As I had time to kill I explored the city while no one was about. I managed to take better photos of the cathedral and the ‘Leon’ sculpture that was crowded constantly the previous day.
At 9.30 I got some lozenges and a packet of paracetamol. For a bargain of €30 I picked up a down type jacket from the market, just in time for the sun to appear!!
After following the river it arrived at the Camino. A good enough point to continue the way. Soon the city was left behind below as I climbed past some more Hobbit houses.
The route goes through an industrial area where I met a nice chap with a donativo store. You can pick up fruit, drinks, even walking sticks; you just leave a donation.
He also has maps that he asks peregrinos to mark their home towns on; there is a map for each month. I picked up a banana and a can of pop.
Today’s target was Villadangos del Paramo, however as we left the suburbs of Leon we had a choice of the route following the main road or the scenic route. We opted for the scenic route not realising it bypasses Villadangos and rejoins halfway through the next stage!
We’ve ended going off piste grabbing the last two beds in Villar de Mazarife! I did think I swapped one road for another as the first few kilometres was on a road, but it soon followed a gravel path through shrub land to our impromptu stop.
Stu's Camino 