The was no breakfast again at the albergue and it was 8km to the next town. We set off again in the darkness with a great view of the stars above us. Very little light pollution on the meseta.
I had a good pace due to the need for breakfast. Once fuelled up at El Burgo Ranero it was a 13 km to Reliegos. We stopped half way for a picnic before continuing.
There was very little scenery wise today, I hardly took any pictures. The route followed a road all day. The weather was perfect for walking however as it didn’t get too hot.
We arrived in Mansilla but all the albergues were full and we hadn’t reserved a bed the day before. For the last few days we have not planned ahead and just looked for a bed when we arrive; after a ring around over a pint we settled on at hotel. The last free room in the town!
Tomorrow is Leon, we will have to book ahead for there, as all those that skip the meseta, end up in Leon.
To our disappointment the albergue wasn’t serving breakfast, so it was a walk for food. Only slithers of dawn light dimly illuminated the way when we left. Many pilgrims had their headtorches on as they continued onwards.
After 2km or so I reached Moratinos. At the edge of the village, there are what looked like Hobbit houses! Chimneys sticking out of a grassy mounds complete with TV aerials; these were originally used as food stores.
After some fried egg on toast I continued on my way. I came across a sign reading “I know I know nothing.. but the second bar is cool”. I remember this from one of the books I had read, so I had to stop for a drink when I reached San Nicolas.
The sign was accurate, the bar had music playing and the trees had been pruned to create a canopy over the seating area for shade.
Adi, a fellow peregrino
The next stop was Sahagun, the halfway point. The approach was a little uninspiring as I had missed the crossing point that passes by the pillars that mark the spot.
I got my halfway compastela before having an explore of the area and the churches. The route out follows a tree lined path before following the road to Bercianos. Marcus was a ahead and unbeknownst to him, he had taken an alternative route along the Calzada Romana.
This route rejoins the Camino just before Leon. After arriving in Bercianos and not passing Marcus, I made contact to see where he was!
He said he is in the middle of nowhere! To get to us, he said he just turned left, crossed a farmer’s field, skipped over the railway line and ran across a junction on the highway to get to us at Bercianos!
Greatfully the rain stopped over night, however a mist hungover Carrion de los Condes as we left the albergue. The route out of town joined an old Roman road.
This was 17km of a straight gravel path, cutting through farmland and nothing else. No towns, water stops or points of interest. Just one straight endless road, when I say straight, I mean straight! No bends, only one slight incline and a very flat landscape.
On the horizon the clouds threatened rain constantly but thankfully it never fell. I had to get my earphones out to play some tunes to spur me on.
After a long, long walk, we arrived at Calzadilla de la Cueza. The town appeared closed and deserted. I tried numerous bars, but I learnt a new word, ‘cerrado’. (I managed to miss the only open one) Other pilgrims were in the same boat. We followed our very disappointed brethren out of town.
It was a long walk to the next village of Ledigos. The route followed the road providing a mundane trip to our lunch stop. After 22km it was a very welcome break and I wolfed down a Spanish ommelete.
It was a short walk to our albergue, where I sat in the garden with my fellow pilgrims relaxing. As this is an agricultural region, we are constantly pestered by flies. It is known in Spain as “El Reino de Los Moscas”. The kingdom of the flies.
There was a competition on who could kill more of the little pests. I think Dirk won!
The word of the day is ‘Rain’ because that is all that it has done until 2pm. Right from the go, it was ponchos at dawn. We had a sluggish start, but at sunrise we left. The route out of the village joins the ‘Canal de Castilla’ and follows this into Fromista.
The path eventually gets to a 14m long lock that marks the point to leave the canal into Fromista. We stopped at the first bar for breakfast, enjoying the warmth inside.
From here we looked around San Martin church. Unlike the previous churches I’ve visited on the way, it was very modest. Out of Fromista the route follows the road side for a couple of km before branching off, on the optional scenic route through the countryside.
It mainly followed farmland however it did pass through a small silver birch woodland. The colours just seemed to pop against the dull rain clouds. I had to pause to take a picture before continuing.
The picture doesn’t do it justice
Eventually we reached the village of Villalcazar de Sirga when the rain stopped. We had dinner here and gave me the chance to change into some dry socks!
The last 8km into Carrion de los Condes follows the road. We booked into Monasterio Santa Clara. Although basic, it is a dry place for the night.
As I’m running out of space in my credential, I went up to the San Zorro monestry to buy another. I also had a look around, those of you who have seen ‘The Way’ may recognise the cloister. I got the stamp as well!
After a quick breakfast at the albergue we hit the road. I decided to take my time and amble along; soon I fell behind on my own. It was nice to listen to the birds, see the sunrise and enjoy the peace of the Camino.
The path followed the valley and the road so it was fairly flat. This road went through an archway connected to the ruins of the San Anton monestry.
From here I walked into Castrojeriz with Dave from America and Dominic from Germany. The town is overlooked by a castle on top of a hill. Had Castrojeriz been the end for the day I would have climbed up to explore it.
At the first bar I spied Marcus and Dirk. I joined them after ordering a pan chocolate. We then had a look around the church that doubled up as an art museum, before ambling out of town to ascend back onto the meseta.
Coming up to the Mesta
As we approached Itero de la Vega we passed a small monestry that is now an albergue. It has no electricity and operated by Italian volunteers. It also appears in the BBC show about the Camino and it has a good stamp (and coffee, so I’m told).
After a bite to eat in the village we continued as the clouds came in and a headwind developed. The weather apps had predicted rain for the afternoon and from the angry looking clouds on the horizon, it looked like the app would be correct.
We arrived at Boadillo just as light rain started, but this didn’t stop me from dipping my tired feet in the pool.
After the Camino gang returned to the albergue from an evening of museums, castles and tapas. I was getting ready to go to bed when Marcus came to chat and got into the bunk next to me.
The problem was it wasn’t his bunk and there was someone fast a sleep in it. Before I could stop him, he had practically sat on the slumbering man. I don’t know who was more shocked, Marcus or the man?! Luckily the sleeping peregrino realised what had happened and wasn’t angry.
I was up and ready quickly this morning and itching to get on the road. I decided to leave Before the gang was ready. I wanted to call past the cathedral to see if it was lit up and with no crowds; however it was in darkness.
As per usual with cities, finding and sticking to the route is difficult; eventually I found my way out of Burgos. I stopped at Rabé de Las Calzadas for breakfast before heading onto the meseta.
Rabé de Las Calzadas
The stories are true, it is flat, hot and repetitive. I made good ground covering 20km arriving in Hornillos, just after 11am. It is a sleepy little village but an oasis in this arid landscape.
Welcome to the Meseta
I called into a bar and sat with two ladies from Switzerland; Sandra and Lorna. About half an hour later the group caught up. Once watered, we then left for the last 10k to Hontanas.
The sun was out in full force but we soldiered on arriving at our destination. The town is in a small valley and couldn’t be seen from the meseta until you are upon it.
There was very little shade and when there was, you would find a cluster of pilgrims sheltering in it. I stopped with a few in the shade of a tree. I joked we should take it with us.
On the descent into Hontanas, Me and Dirk joked it was like some spaghetti western. We started to whistle the theme to “The Good, The Had and The Ugly” as we strolled into town like John Wayne. (More so from aching legs than imitation)
After booking into the albergue and having the pilgrims meal; me, Dirk and Arnica from Denmark climbed up the hill overlooking the town to take pictures of the sunset.
It was a short walk today through the fog into Burgos; it was also very cold. We left as the sun was rising giving some fantastic photo opportunities before we were enveloped by the fog.
It was all road into Burgos and the outskirts were uninspiring. Once in the city the fog had lifted and so did the temperature.
We booked into the albergue before getting lunch and having a tour around the cathedral. Another magnificently decorated church, the stonework is something else. An absolute must visit if you find yourself here.
Tomorrow is the start of the meseta, 1/3 of the way now completed. This marks the end of the physical stage and the start of the mental stage of the pilgrimage. From here the scenery is very repetitive with high temperatures; you need some mental fortitude to see it through.
A lot of people say this bit is boring and opt to take the bus, skipping the meseta…. I won’t be.
As today would be only 24km, a short day, we had a lie in. We had breakfast at the albergue where the waiters would give Laurel and Hardy a run for their money.
After 8am we left into then cold morning air. It was jumper weather, but thankfully we had a big hill to climb to warm up; Villafranca sits at the be bottom of Monte Oca (Goose Mountain). The route passes through woodland as you ascend.
This used to be a dangerous area for pilgrims as bandits and robbers preyed upon peregrinos making their way to Santiago. Although this was centuries ago, we still kept alert and stuck together just incase.
The changes of scenery was welcomed. The array of colours were so vibrant making it an enjoyable stretch. The 12km to San Juan seemed a walk in the park.
We had second breakfast at the first bar in town where I met familiar faces. Iván recommended the ‘pinchos de tortilla y potata’. I butchered the pronunciation but got what I ordered.
The route continued through more woodland however the path was uneven cobbles that were not kind to our feet.
We reached Agés where we stopped for a drink with Dwayne from America, before following a road into Atapuerca where we had dinner.
How long have I been walking?
Marcus had a chorizo sandwich that attracted a couple of cats. One in particular was insistent on getting a bite.
The last 6km stretch was up hill following the boundary of a military zone. There were purple flowers growing out of the rocky ground adding colour to the path.
We arrived at our albergue Via Minera, where we were greeted by new and familiar faces. The albergue even has a swimming pool, however I had been informed it was very cold.
Me, Dirk and Marcus set off at 7am leaving behind Sandra. She took a rest day as her feet had worsened. My Achilles in my right leg this time was very sore, with the 6km to Granon being very uncomfortable.
There was a lot of pilgrims on the way today as we started at a stage end. The last couple of days we had begun mid stage; the route tends to be quiet in these circumstances.
Most of the day was a gentle climb with a bit of an undulation. Just before Granon we were treated to a sunrise. Throughout the day there had been a breeze and partly cloudy making it ideal walking weather.
I had a croissant and an orange juice at our breakfast stop before attending to my Achilles problem. I applied some ibruprofen gel to my leg and took a couple of tablets; this kept the pain away for the rest of the day.
Today we crossed in to the Castilla region swapping the vineyards for sunflower fields. The little towns became more rural in aesthetic and there were plenty to stop at.
The route mainly followed the highway which didn’t give us much to look at scenery wise, however the lorry drivers kept cheering us on by beeping their horns and waving at us.
We entered Belorado and had a picnic before getting a stamp from the church for my credential; it is one worth getting. We then had a drink in the main square.
There was 13 km left before Villafranca, so we soldiered on in the afternoon sun, passing small villages that we could have happily stayed at.
After a long drawn out hill we finally caught sight of our destination. A much needed moral booster to spur us on. The last 100m of the route was rubbing shoulders with the highway, making it very daunting as the HGVs sped by.
Once we arrived in the village, myself and Dirk went straight to the bar while Marcus booked into the albergue. While at the bar I met Sophie and Matt, two peregrinos I first met in St. Jean!
We had a little catch up after which they decided to book into the albergue. Both our groups ate together at the pilgrims dinner offered by the albergue. A very pleasant day on the Camino.
I could have done with an extra hour in bed after last night’s festivities, but by 7 am we were back on the Camino. Sunrise was not for another 45mins and the air was cool; perfect for walking.
We climbed a small hill giving us views of vineyards and the town of Najera in the distance with the mountains for a back drop.
As it was overcast the day before, we didn’t see the sunrise, but today we caught it. Again pausing to take in the moment; we pressed on in Najera.
You pass through the outskirts into high rise housing. It appears run down and left behind, I felt an uneasy vibe about the place, however this was alleviated when we crossed the river into the old town.
Me and Marcus had moved ahead of the group, the rest off the gang only reached the town once we had finished breakfast; we donned our packs and continued. The town sits on the river Najerilla in the shadow of sandstone cliffs.
The way led up into the Cliffs, giving a desert like canyon appearance. Once through this there were vineyards as far as the eye could see. The route took us through these and a small village called Azofra.
We didn’t stop as it was too early for lunch. We decided to press on to Ciruena 10 km away as we estimated it would be 1pm when we arrive.
The vineyards gave way to freshly ploughed fields as we climbed into Ciruena and stopped at the restaurant at the golf course, as they welcomed peregrinos. After a bite to eat we continued on for the last 8km into Santo Domingo.
The albergue is in the old town right on a square; opposite is a laundromat which is helpful, as the albergue only offers sink basins for laundry.
The town is famous for its story about a chicken. A family on pilgrimage stopped at a farm. The farmer’s daughter took a shine to the son of the pilgrim family. However he turned down her advances.
She was not happy about this, so hid some silver in the boy’s bags. When they left, she informed the authorities who stopped the family and found the silver.
Despite claiming his innocence, they hung him. The pilgrims continued to Santiago and on their way back stopped to see their still hanging son. However he was still alive! They go to the mayor while he was eating a chicken dinner, saying it’s proof he was innocent and to cut him down.
The mayor disagreed, at which point the chicken on his plate reassembled and came back to life, to state the boy is innocent. Hard to believe, but for a small fee you can see the chicken’s descendant.
Today we covered 32km, the furthest so far on the trip. I am going to be picking up the pace with a 35km tomorrow. I need to cover more ground if I want to get to Finsterre after Santiago.
Stu's Camino 