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.

Wish me feet good luck!

It was another stuffy night and outside it was very humid. Leaving Logroño in the dark was not as troublesome as previous cities as the route was well marked.

The way follows inner city parks that act as an obstacle course with the automatic sprinklers spraying in every direction.

The path eventually splits to the left down through an underpass leading to a wide paved track leading from the outskirts of Logroño through a park with a reservoir. Very tame squirrels bounded about, coming up to you in search of food.

As you reached the far side of the reservoir the path ascended into Navarrete. I had gone ahead of the group and I reached a vineyard with a sign pointing to the left. There was a gaggle of confused peregrinos at this spot with a few cutting through the vineyard.

After a bit of deliberation I decided too, to cut through the vineyard. I was walking with two sisters from Swindon, a chap from the Philippines and a chap from Quebec. I joked this is a scene from the film “The Way” at which point, one of the group started playing ‘Thank you’ by Alanis Morrisette.

The way followed the highway out of Logroño from a lofty position, for the approach to Navarrete, I tagged along with a chap called Iván from Zaragoza, Spain.

We stopped at a bar for breakfast; Marcus and Brian joined us shortly afterwards. After fueling up I hit the road again. The route went through vineyards after vineyards. This truly is the wine capital of Spain.

It wasn’t long before I entered Ventosa where I sat with my fellow pilgrims at the bar. I joined Iván and two ladies France. We ended up all having paella together for our dinner. Although there was a language barrier, Iván was able to translate to keep the conversation going.

I had a great time and in the evening we were joined by the Camino Gang and fellow pilgrims that we had met along the way. The drink was flowing, the laughter was plentiful and Camino memories were made.

The alarm went off a 6 am with a start, calling the end of a very hot night. Despite having the windows open, it was stuffy. The gang assembled out the front at 7 am to begin the journey to Logroño; I opted for the transporter.

The sun had yet to light the sky and the street lights showed us the way out of the village. As we ascended above the village the sunlight peaked over the mountains in the distance.

About a mile into the journey we were treated with a beautiful sunrise over the village of Sansol. We had to stop and take the time to admire the view.

It was good to get back on the Camino, I felt fully refreshed, my achilles seemed strong and full of energy; so I pushed ahead leaving the group briefly. Soon Marcus caught up with me as I was taking a picture.

The path was undulating as we entered the village of Viana, we stopped at a bar on the main thoroughfare to have breakfast.

From here the route wasn’t so clear and we got a little disoriented, luckily a lady saw our predicament and pulled over her car to point us in the correct direction.

The trail followed the highway between Viana and Logroño and crossed over it at one point, to pass through the industrialised outskirts. At this point me and Brian were leading the charge into town.

The heat was high today and so was our thirst. As the descent into Logroño began, we came across another iconic stop on the Camino. A little house with a stall outside beneath a fig tree.

The lady who lived here dedicated most of her life to serving pilgrims on the way. She was known for her generosity and a major figure on the route. Felisa Rodriguez Medel. She died in 2002 and her granddaughter has taken over mantle.

There is a plaque on the house in honour of Felisa. There is also a special stamp for your credentials, inscribed on it is “Higos, Agua y Amor” which means “Figs, Water and Love”. This is apt on account of the huge fig tree, a great oasis and a lot of kindness from the hosts.

We stopped for a few drinks so the whole group could catch up, in order to all walk into town together. On the way in, there was a huge foot bath! A long line of bags propped up against it, as the peregrinos dipped their feet in the soothing water.

I kicked off my shoes and joined in; just pure happiness. After some frolicking in the cooling waters, we dried our feet to continue on to our destination.

The town is quite modern, built up around the old town centre. We passed an elaborately carved church that invited us in to explore. We were treated to a stunning and ornate interior.

After taking some pictures we continued on to our room for the night. Having a few drinks at a bar just outside while we waited to check in.

We were up by 7 and Brian made us all breakfast, perfect to fuel us for today’s walk. Unfortunately Sandra’s feet were no better, so she decided to take a rest day in Luquin.

We all gathered outside the albergue to say goodbye. It was hard to say our farewells as our Camino family became one less.

The route was down hill to Los Arcos which made walking very easy. There had been no rain during the night and no clouds in the sky. It was a hot one today.

We soon arrived in Los Arcos where we had a quick bite to eat outside a small shop. A little hill lead us out of town on to a very straight and very flat dirt track. The scenery was vast, open and recently harvested farmland.

There was very little shade along this stretch and the sun was showing no mercy; perhaps a taster for the meseta? On a hill straight ahead was the village of Sansol.

My Achilles, on both feet were hurting at this point; they welcomed the rest stop we had outside a little shop in Sansol, where we had a cold drink. I also made a new friend; a doggo sat under my seat for shade.

Our destination of Torres del Rio was only 1k further on. We passed a bus stop where there was a pair of trainers left on the platform. Maybe the end point of someone’s Camino?

We dipped down the valley and up into Torres del Rio, to our oasis, Hostel Rural San Andres. From the entrance we could see a swimming pool! We checked in, stripped to our underwear and jumped in!

Me and Dirk then went for a walk around the village, calling in to the Templar church which has a 14th century sculpture of Jesus. I also got a stamp for my credential.

Overall it has been an easy day. My body is getting used to the backpack, I’m walking quicker, although I slowed towards the end on account of my Achilles. However after the brief rest stop they didn’t hurt.

As we had crossed over the 100km mark yesterday, we had a celebration; the food and drink was a plenty; we didn’t retire until 1 am.

From pilgrims who had walked the way previously, their advice is not to stop at the albergues in Los Arcos; our next stop. We tried for a hotel but they were all booked up.

With Sandra’s feet still causing her problems we opted for a short day and try for Villamayor de Monjardin. Then we can shoot past Los Arcos tomorrow aiming for Torres del Rio.

First we had to go to Decathlon to get new shoes for Sandra. As it didn’t open until 9am we headed to a café for some breakfast in the meantime. Once eaten and shoes obtained we head back on the Camino.

After 3 km we reached another iconic spot on the Camino; the ‘Fuente de Irache’. This is a winery that has two fountains, one dispensing wine the other water. It had been a tradition for the winery to offer a drink to pilgrims.

Just before this we came to a blacksmith who was selling trinkets and metal sculptures at a quirky little shop. He also had a stamp for our credentials. I picked up a little metal shell with the Santiago cross on it for good luck.

We reached the fountain and sampled the wine. It was like paint stripper, Brian joked it would cure alcoholism!

The path forked as there is an alternative path going through Luquin, but ours is to the right for Villamayor. It was easy going; walking along vineyards with amazing views of mountains in the distance.

We came in to a small village called Azqueta, 2km from our destination. As there was no rush, we stopped at the bar for a cold drink before moving on.

The path to Villamayor is overlooked by a castle ruin on top of a free standing hill, adding to the aesthetics. Just before our end point, there is a medieval fountain; it was tempting to soak our feet in the cold water.

We reached the albergue to find out it was full, however the concierge phoned an albergue in Luquin and reserved 5 beds for us. This was only 2km further away but on the alternative route to Los Arcos.

With the accommodation sorted we had dinner at the bar opposite the albergue, relaxing and enjoying the moment.

Once fed and watered we left for Casa Tiago, our albergue for the night. We arrived just before 5pm and booked in. It is a quaint little place in a sleepy village. A fully stocked kitchen to use, included in the price. However the best part is a terrace with stunning views.

The bar in town has a swimming pool and serves tapas. That’s tea sorted!