Terradillos de los Templarios to Mansilla de las Mulas

Day 23 Terradillos de los Templarios to Sahagun (16kms)

Most of our accommodation in rural areas is in pensions or hostels which have a bar and/or restaurant downstairs. Hence, breakfast is in the bar with the locals who call in on their way to somewhere…it’s often hard to tell if they are, in fact, on their way, or if the bar is the destination! Cupcakes, sweet pastries, sponge slices with the occasional croissant is the usual fare, with a cup (2, if you’re lucky!) of tea/coffee.

We start walking today at 8.25am under overcast skies. We take the scenic route as opposed to the senda from the start. We have remarked on the fact that we haven’t seen many farm animals on this section of the Camino, apart from the odd flock of sheep. This morning we pass feed lot cattle sheds – they are the first we’ve seen up close but now suspect that large barns we’ve seen in the distance may have been the same thing. We meet a girl from Oregon who asks if I am a cancer survivor – Relay For Life top strikes again! She was on the organising committee for the event at University of South Dakota last year…she loves Relay and wanted to hear all about our event.



¨Hobbit¨house



The first village we come to is Moratinos where we see some more hobbit houses – little doorways in hillside with ventilation chimneys which appear to be no longer inhabited, but possibly used as storage areas. On to San Nicolas del Real Camino for our second breakfast where we boil the billy, under cover and out of the cold wind, on benches outside the church, and enjoy tostas and jam. We catch up with a lot of peregrinos who have stopped at a nearby bar for their breakfast.



Brekky #2



From here we make a decision to take the quieter and more scenic route, even though it is 2km longer. It proves to be both because we did not see a building or a single other soul for the entire 7.5kms, not even a farmer in a field. The first section (3+kms) is unmarked so it is good to see the way markers start again as confirmation that we are in fact on the correct route. Across the undulating landscape and we catch sight of Sahagun from the hilltop, still about 5km ahead, before turning onto the road for about 300m then off again via the Ermita Virgen del Puente…a church near a bridge which seems to have been built as a picturesque approach to the church, not to keep anyone’s feet dry, because there is no stream in sight! The church is undergoing serious restoration and we stop for a drink at the nearby picnic spot and watch the workers try to decide whether to continue to work, have another drink, turn up the radio, or maybe go home!

Sahagun does not have the most scenic approach, with a walk along the road and across the railway line outside the bullring, but lunch of tortilla, this time with added cured ham, gives us the impetus to set off to look around town. Our hostal is in the main plaza so we have all the services nearby.

The different architecture here, mudejar style, with small bricks replacing stones as the building material of choice. Sahagun is known for its many different buildings, but both we, and others we have met, find it little disappointing and perhaps a bit overrated.

Back at the hostal, we check out our days ahead for supply shopping as there are limited opportunities over the next few days. At the supermarket we meet Emma (Melbourne), Katherine (Canada), Steven (US) and ‘the Dutch woman’ whose name nobody ever used. They are shopping for a communal dinner at the albergue because “the Dutch woman wants to cook.”

Rather than wait until 7.30pm for dinner, we opt for spaghetti at a restaurant where they couldn’t be less interested, possibly because there is a cover charge after 8.30pm and we are early!! We buy an icecream for sweets and sit in the tree-lined plaza watching the world at play…proud nannas with babies in prams, small boys playing soccer, small girls with their skipping ropes, tiny children running the length of the plaza, all intermingling but without mishap, while their parents sit in cafes all around the edge sipping their beverage of choice and generally chewing the fat.

Overnight rain wakes us a couple of times…it’s caught us at last!!

Day 24 Sahagun to Calzadilla de los Hermanillos (13kms)

Another bar breakfast – 1 choice of pastry and 1 drink…have to pay for our second cuppa!...and set onto the footpath at 8.23am under threatening skies, with pack covers on. Less than 1km down the track we have our rain jackets on and not much further before Elaine adds overtrousers. The showers are mostly brief with not much substance, but a couple are quite heavy enough to make the jackets essential.

A matter of perception about the route to Manilla de las Mulas via Calzadilla de los Hermanillos between Lonely Planet and our map book. Lonely Planet describes the way as “on a rugged, desolate, poorly marked alternative…only Calzadilla de los Hermanillos breaks the monotony” and actually recommend the senda for 32kms along the side of the road! On the other hand our map book describes the same section thus: “Leave the busy main road behind and experience the true beauty of the meseta by following the old Roman road.”

Noisy beast!

We enjoy the solitude of the way, and have just commented on the fact that we have seen no-one except a couple of cycling peregrinos, when a roar from the rear produces a large tractor towing a very large trailer. Shortly after, a red van appears coming towards us, and a little later, a two-tone green mini-van appears!

The rain continues intermittently as we walk through a forest of small trees, many with fruit that look like acorns, which provide some protection from the cold wind. The road has become very wet, of course, and we have trouble keeping out of the red mud.



Fuente and playground



We come to a “park” with a decorative fountain, a small stone shelter and some playground equipment…in the middle of nowhere…before we crest the hill and there before our eyes is the village we seek. As we make our way along the street, the heavens open and an absolute downpour has us trying to shelter along the lee side of the buildings. A sign to the Casa El Cura, our overnight stay, is a welcome sight and we arrive dripping, to be met by our hosts, Gemma and Leo, who produce a hat stand for us to hang our jackets, etc. We change out of our walking clothes, which are not wet from the rain but damp from condensation, and enjoy a lunch of fantastic soup and salad, followed by coffee and a ‘brew’ made by Gemma’s mother…what a punch!

A guided tour of the casa with Gemma, who runs the place with her husband and mother, follows. They have an amazing display of photographs of the family dating back several generations, as well as traditional clothing worn by family members (wedding jacket and veil worn by Gemma’s great-grandmother and grandmother), and artefacts like tools, art work (china painting, stained glass windows, paintings, collages) by her mother, and many other interesting things.

Wash house

John takes a tour of the village while I try to shake off the remnants of the head cold that is still hanging around. He finds a washing shed, where ladies still do their ‘whites’ and hang them in the sun to ensure their ‘whiteness’…not today, though! And lots of frogs, for which this area is famous.

John sneaks off to boil our billy for a cuppa before dinner…all homemade by Leo and La Mama…is spaghetti bolognese, roast beef and veggies, cheesecake, and yoghurt made from sheep’s milk. This is the first evening meal we have had with vegetables and no fries!! For some reason, hosts seem to think peregrinos like/want/need fries!! We are joined at dinner by some folk who are staying at the local albergue where it is cold and dinner is not available. After we all partake of more of mama’s brew, we stagger off to bed.

Day 25 Calzadilla de los Hermanillos to Mansilla las Mulas (25kms)

It is cold and very foggy, but not really wet when we set out at this morning, however we wear our rain jackets to keep out the cold breeze. Our pack covers collect condensation on the inside…body heat produced as we power our way along the trail is obviously responsible for this!!

We have been warned that today “you will encounter no asphalt roads, no sendas, no bridges, and no metal signposts. You will pass through no town, no village, no farmyard and no houses.”

Wet and foggy!

This is the Calzada Romana, the road that originally linked the Bordeaux region of France with the mining region of Astorga, being used by military and traders alike. We leave the village on a paved road which continues for 5-6kms before turning to gravel. We know the going is flat but more than that is a bit of a mystery because visibility is about 70-100m or thereabouts. In view of the previous information, we are surprised to find, about an hour and a half along the road, a new shelter looming out of the fog and we take the opportunity to sit and have a drink, etc. We hear a train only about 1km away but can’t see it.

By 10.30am the first patches of sunlight are breaking through and the mist dissipates fairly quickly. We boil the billy for elevenses on the edge of a culvert which is the only place to sit apart from the middle of the road…no new shelter here! There is a deep ditch right alongside the road, and on the other side of the ditch is either a ploughed field or inhospitable undergrowth. Now we can see the train line and the train as it passes by. The road and train line merge briefly at about midday and we get our first glimpse of Mansilla las Mulas, still about 12kms away

The road continues to be muddy with lots of puddles and we come to the Rio de Valdearcos, with stands of poplars the only shade available for the whole day. Every day we notice a change of colour in the poplars.

As we climb back to the meseta, we come across a narrow fenced section which we assume is protecting a well preserved section of Roman road. A new canal under construction, and a wide, recently laid white gravel road (obviously for access to the canal) takes over from the previous 4WD-style track. It is now a grind along this road, much of it perfectly straight, for the 12km stretch into Mansill las Mulas…the only really boring, soul-destroying section of the Camino we have experienced. We reach the sign pointing to Reliegos, which we decide not to take and it is here that we come to the conclusion that the Camino has been slightly re-routed because of the new road. The one bend, which turns towards the road into the town, never seems to be within reach.

Stone soup!

Two points of interest…firstly, a massive complex of buildings which we can only think is a penitentiary. Other peregrinos have the same thought. And secondly, if you think you have seen stony fields, probably not. We wonder how anything can grow where you can barely see any soil…but the field is ready for sowing.

Finally, we reach that bend in the road and manage the next 4kms into town, entering through the major gateway, part of the original town wall. Somehow we find the energy to stroll around the sights before heading back for dinner in the pension, a shower and bed!

Fromista to Terradillos de los Templarios

Day 20 Fromista to Carrion de los Condes (21 kms)



River track

 Again today we start walking at 8.00am sharp, having passed on breakfast due to severe overcrowding in the only bar open, and walk 3.8kms to Poblacion de Campos where we have brekky and a brew in a sunny spot at the end of a bridge.  The trail divides here – one option is along a senda (purpose-built pathway for peregrinos alongside the highway), the other is a little longer but more scenic and quieter along a laneway through farmland along the river.  It seems more people choose the road option because it is a bit shorter.  We opt for the quieter of the two along the Rio Ucieza, and meet Jan and Amanda, and Michelle, at regular intervals along the track.

The only interruptions along the tranquil, poplar-lined track are a farmer ploughing his field producing the smell of freshly-turned damp earth, and the bells of a large flock of sheep wandering along a nearby road.  The poplar leaves are just starting to change colour.



Senda

 We lunch under a stone bridge close to the Ermita de la Virgen del Rio, a seemingly abandoned monastery, then follow the road into Villalcazar de Sirga, one of the few documented Templar villages. 

We are back onto the senda for the gentle climb to Carrion de los Condes where we say goodbye to Jan and Amanda, as they will probably walk on tomorrow when we have a rest day.  Again our accommodation is on the Camino and our host is charming.  He takes us through to the kitchen and explains the self-service breakfast system…it seems we are the only ones doing B & B.

It’s time to stock up on lunch items, so it;s off to the supermarket where we decide to buy a small tortilla for lunch tomorrow…we can keep it in the Hostal frig…and we buy John a new hat!

Day 21 Rest Day Carrion de los Condes



Iglesia Santa Maria

 As has become our wont on rest days, we sleep in, and today we have a late self-service breakfast with lots of tea and coffee. Neither of us is feeling great this morning – possibly from something we had to eat or drink last night.  John has a squirmy tummy and Elaine seems to be getting a head cold.  Both have weak legs and fuzzy heads.  Just as well it’s a rest day because we can do just that.  We spend most of the morning catching up with our diary and blog posts, and are delighted to find that our computer has decided to accept blog posting, but is still a little hazy on the photo front.

On our walk around town, we find that most of the churches are closed today – one for a funeral – but the others for no particular reason.

We have our DIY lunch in the park and are entertained by the local ladies and gents.  Four ladies walking arm in arm stop when we come close, put their heads into the middle of the circle and whisper….who are we going to tell, even if we can understand them?  They progress very slowly through the park, stopping and circling whenever anyone has anything to say.  On the other hand, a group of four men are meeting in the same area…they are much more effusive and go their own ways with cheery waves and shouts of goodbye.  Then there are two quite elderly gents with sticks who, for the entire time we are having our lunch, walk slowly back and forwards down the same row of trees…probably at least half a dozen times.

We have coffee at a bar in town before heading back to the hostal for a rest again, John takes a ‘squirmy tummy pill’ and we decide to go to the Farmacia for something for the head cold…when we they open at 5, of course!

We make ourselves a cup of tea by boiling the jug in the kitchen – we know how to get in there…and watch a Spanish sporting channel, The Road to London. When we get to the Farmacia for the cold drugs, we are amazed to fine they have scales for weighing babies…something we haven’t seen for probably 50 years!  At the library, where we go to use the free internet, there is an after school program underway…lots of children, a few adults and lots of noise!!  And much Ssshhhh-ing!

Due to this being a rest day, we decide on a light meal for dinner – one course each with bread and a drink – which proves to be comparatively expensive but convenient – €21.60, when you can get a Menu Peregrinos which includes 3 courses, bread,  and wine or water, for around €10 pp.

Day 22 Carrion Los Condes to Terradillos de los Templarios (27kms)

The meseta

We hit the pavement at 7.28am after another self-serve breakfast, and bravely wander off into the dark along what we know to be the Camino route through town.  Signs and yellow arrows are prominent except for one intersection and we sus that out before leaving the street lights and heading out along a sealed country road.

It’s light now, and we can see peregrinos ahead of us on the dead straight road which takes us the first 5kms before a small kink precedes another 10kms of dead straight gravel road.  The sun is peeping through and we stop to take our jumpers off.  The highlights of the morning are a couple of opportunities to rest – which are few and far between – and farmers ploughing, fertilising and sowing.  We are starting to see corn crops in this area, and suddenly the peregrinos ahead disappear over the edge and we find ourselves in Calzadilla de la Cueza after 17.5kms of high excitement!!

The picnic place

It seems that there are more peregrinos on the track today, but possibly we have come to that conclusion because there is nowhere to hide…people disappear into the bushes, reappear, rejoin the procession, and off we go!

All the seats at the entry to the village are taken, so we continue to follow the arrows…which turn out to be a detour to a Bar.   This happens in a lot of villages…the bar owner gets out his pot of yellow paint and creates a detour from the Camino route that just happens to wander past his bar. We see one local lady peeping out her door, the aforementioned bar and another old man before we find a picnic spot at a disused fountain where we boil the billy for soup today, for a change. 

In our map books, and our Lonely Planet guide, there are alternative routes from here.  We find the “sign” that is supposed to explain all this but John follows one of the options and comes up with a blank as far as way markers go.   We decide to err on the side of conservatism and go via the senda…not a bad way to go as it happens…well off the road and there’s not much traffic.

We arrive at Ledigos and see Terradillos de los Templarios on top of the next hill...not far to go now.  But no!  There is no direct route except across fields…so around the hill we go on a senda until we come to Terradillos de los Templarios, sitting just where we know it is.  Our albergue for tonight is right at the entry to the village, so we gratefully walk right in, see our bags waiting patiently and are welcomed by the owner’s son who gets his mum and we are in.

I have a nap – starting to feel like another flu pill – and John goes on a voyage of discovery to the village proper and comes back empty handed.  Apart from another albergue, there is nothing apart from private houses.

Burgos to Fromista

Day 17 Burgos to Hornillos del Camino (20kms)

We are ready to walk straight after our 8.00am breakfast and walk out the door at exactly 8.30am and immediately join the Camino route, past the Cathedral, and out through the town gate into the suburbs.  It’s quite a pleasant walk along the river, past the university and a huge sporting complex – athletics track with all events catered for, and a very large building which could house an indoor 100m track, as well as maybe gymnastics and other training facilities.  We have our first break as we hit the end of town, and shortly after, both need a toilet break.  I think I part company with the remainder of the Castellano soup!  But my new shoes are going well.

There are some discrepancies with our map along the next part of the route…both the Camino and the railway line seem to have been re-routed, the railway line upgraded to a VFT line – we see a train (2 11-car trains joined) to confirm this.  We pass a very large penitentiary, by-pass the first two villages, and see a large housing development, street lights in position, road made, but only 2 apartment buildings in one corner…the sales office is looking a bit tired so maybe someone ran out of funds.

At Tardajos we stop in the main street on a park bench for our baguette and jam, collect water from a font, and continue on to Rabe de las Calzadas.  As we start the steady but gentle climb to the meseta, we find a chapel and cemetery on the side of the road.  There is a nice shady tree beside the chapel with a park bench so we decide to have elevenses there, even though it’s actually just after 12.  Our original gas canister is still soldiering on...starting to struggle but manages another boil.

We have been seeing groups of walkers throughout the morning with not much gear, in fact some with no packs at all.  It seems there are 2 groups…one is French, from Paris, who walk a different part of the Camino for one week each year.  They will catch the night train tonight back to Paris.  The other group is Spanish, who are walking just for 3 days.  They walk today from Burgos to Hornillos, a bus takes them back to their hotel in Burgos, brings them back again in the morning when they will walk to Castrojeriz, stay the night, and then they walk on to Fromista where they will stay the night, and then are taken home by bus…a very civilised way to make the journey…but not real peregrinos!or (according to some people you talk to.)  

As we climb – about 150m over 2-3kms – we see the start of the meseta.  This is open farmland, no fences, mostly stubble at the moment apart from a couple of struggling sunflower crops, but not rolling away to the horizon as the guide books say – not yet, anyway. The meseta seems to be the Spanish equivalent of the Alti Plano in Bolivia. We meet a young Dutch girl riding her Dutch bike – with no gears – loaded up with panniers.  This is a great effort, considering that most of the bikes we see are state-of-the-art mountain bikes, or at least hybrids, with all the whistles and bells.  The wind is getting up as we gain height, whipping across the open plain, and we see a sign warning cyclists of the dangers of a steep descent and advising extreme caution.  We have to move off the road for a Civil Protection Service vehicle – both the vehicle and the occupants are reminiscent of the SES. 



Casa Rural El  Molino



The warning to cyclists is well founded – a very steep descent, with loose stones, some quite big, and ruts in the road – a test of skill and you would have no chance of recovery if you made the wrong decision.  Once on the flat, we soon come to Hornillos del Camino and are surprised to find a small shop as well as a bar…and about 50 French and Spanish walkers, all wanting a seat, all wanting a drink from the bar, and all wanting to talk at the same time!  We use our ‘new’ Spanish SIM card to make a phone call to Casa Rural and John thinks that they say they will pick us up…the lady speaks no English at all so the conversation is reliant on John’s Spanish…!!  In the fullness of time, a Mercedes arrives, parks and the man goes into the bar.  A while later (just enough time for a pot, we estimate) he comes out and asks for the people going to Casa Rural.  That’s us, so off we go…it’s about 11kms, a little more than the 6kms we have been told, and certainly too far to walk, and even if we did, the convoluted route would  confuse the most efficient navigator!!



Beer on tap



On arrival, we find that our bags are not part of the pile on the veranda…a phone call to Jacotrans (our luggage transport company) from our hostess finds that they are still in Burgos, not having been collected by the courier.  She assures us that they will be here in one hour – it transpires that someone from Casa Rural drives to Burgos and picks them up…what great service!  We enjoy a walk around the property and beer (on tap), coffee and orange juice. 

An interesting water story...a canal runs beneath the house.  Water is lifted from the river by a water wheel into the canal which is then used to operate another water wheel that originally drove a mill for grinding grain, and then rejoins the river below the house. 

The ducks and geese enjoy the water, the chooks sleep in the dog house, the dog sleeps in the middle of the driveway during the day, obviously conserving his energy for after dark!

The other bags on the veranda belong to 5 French couples, from the Versailles area, who are walking the Camino one week per year, and today is the first day of their 2010 Camino.  They met when their children were in Scouts and some of them were leaders.  They all have 4 kids, like us, and now they mostly have grandchildren!  We enjoy their convivial company at dinner, which was magnificent…after which our host brings out the tray of liqueurs!  Much hilarity as tasting gets underway.  After a really nice chat, we all head for bed.

Day 18 Hornillos del Camino to Castrojeriz (21 kms)

Most people are kept awake to some degree by barking dogs during the night – they seem to be like the people…sleep all day and come to life when the lights go out!  One of our French friends actually went and knocked on the host’s door to ask if they could tell them to stop!  At 6.30am there is a starry sky but by 7.00am it has clouded over and the wind is intensifying by the time we leave.

Breakfast for 12 is served by one man, with the assistance of one toaster and a double gas ring.  He toasts baguette slices, 4 at a time and water is heated, on request, for tea and coffee.  Needless to say, breakfast takes some time

We are first to leave the casa en route back to Hornillos del Camino for resumption of our journey.  We start walking at 8.20am in overcast conditions with a cold, gusty wind.  We climb out of the village onto the meseta directly into the teeth of the ever-increasing wind…it is enough to unsettle our footing and impede progress.  This section of the meseta is the unending vista we have been reading about.  Grain fields to the horizon with numerous piles of limestone rocks being the only feature…we find these very useful for windbreaks when necessary.  The strong winds make this an ideal location for wind turbines which line the horizon.



Out of the wind into Hontanas



The trail winds its way down to San Bol where there is one lonely little albergue…possibly an old church as there are ruins around the area that could indicate the presence of a village in days gone by.  Back up onto the flat top for another battering until we descend to the village of Hontanas – a pretty little medieval village nestled at the head of a valley…we can well understand why villages were built in the valley around here!  Not knowing where or if we will be able to boil our billy today, we decide to stop at the albergue bar for a coffee and baguette, filled with delicious tortilla.  The church bells are summoning the faithful to 11.00am Mass and we meet more peregrinos here than we see for the rest of the day.

We follow the valley down on a foot track, past San Miguel…one tall stone column standing guard over the valley, possibly the only remnant of a monastery or the like…wending our way down to the road which we follow to the substantial ruins of the Gothic Convento de San Anton.  There is a refugio here where a nice man offers shelter and hot drinks to pilgrims if they need to rest.  A small albergue is next door to the Convento.

When the disease, St Anthony’s Fire, broke out across Europe in the 10^th and 11^th centuries, causing reddened extremities, burning skin boils and gangrene, the saint’s order blessed pilgrims as insurance against the disease as they passed through.



Convento de San Anton



The race with the rain now begins.  Threatening clouds gather to the south-west and we see rain on the horizon.  We are about 4kms from our accommodation, put the “pedal to the metal” and we reach the Hostal El Manzano, right on the edge of town and next to the Church of the Virgen del Manzano, just as the first drops of rain fall! 

After our ‘nanna nap’ the rain has eased, but the strong wind accompanies us as we explore the village.  We have a beer and a coffee at a bar where we can use the internet, sharing the area with 7 card players, 8 spectators, and a cloud of smoke!  We haven’t seen any of the aforementioned Spanish walkers today until we meet a couple who have lost their hotel.  They eventually find their bus, complete with a bin still full of luggage …must be quite a few still on the track…and the driver gives them directions.

We return to the hostal to complete our diary and put on another layer of clothing before heading back to town for dinner.

Rain is falling as we find the nearest restaurant to our Hostal…La Taverner, where the ambience is probably the best we have experienced.  The menu is varied and the young waiter is charming, suggesting a nice Rose instead of the usual heavy red wine that is usually served.  As usual the locals come and go, the ladies play cards, the dog sleeps on the seat below the coat rack and the cat takes up a chair in the bar, tolerating an occasional scratch behind the ear!

The rain has stopped as we walk ‘home’ and we hope for a fine day tomorrow to continue our way across the meseta.

Day 19 Castrojeriz to Fromista (26.5 + 6 kms)

We start walking at 8.25am under a clear sky but still a cold wind, and not quite light.

We called at one of the Albergues to get our Credentiales stamped but when we found the manager, he wouldn’t give  the stamps…all he was interested in was that I hadn’t removed my boots at the door!

Uphill into the wind

Outside of town is an ancient 11-arch causeway, leading on to a wooden bridge which is closed to road traffic because the roadway at the end of the bridge has been washed away and there is a drop of several metres into the river bed.

We start the steep climb to the meseta in the first rays of watery sunshine on a stony, but well formed track.  Great views over the valley can  be had on the way up, and from the top where a reasonably new shelter of stone and timber cuts the wind and allows some comfort as you recover from the climb.  We have a drink and a snack and catch up with 3 young men, one of whom we have seen most days.

500m across the meseta and into a very stiff cold wind…one of our party comments that “it is strong enough to blow the s..t back up your nose”… and we see another sign warning cyclists of a dangerous descent.  This descent is quite a bit steeper than the ascent and leads to more farmland with no signs at all of habitation.  Another shorter climb leads to a picnic area and fuente.  We stop for another breakfast and drink.  An enterprising fellow is handing out brochures for his accommodation – we are seeing this more often as we head west.  We are overtaken here by the first of the Spanish.



7 arch bridge



The tarmac road takes us to the Rio Pisuerga, the boundary of Burgos and Palencia Provinces and the 7 arch stone bridge.

We decide to stop off in Itero de la Vega for a toilet, which has to include a coffee.  Here we meet Bev and Chris from Cessnock – they recognised our Relay tops as they are regulars at their local event.  They are walking about 30km a day, so this will probably be the last we see of them unless we catch up in Fromista at the end of today. 

A booth in the town gives us our sellos and then it’s back to open farmland, and for the first time, we see round bales wrapped in plastic.  Our map book says that across the meseta our only complanions may be a shepherd and his flock – today he found us!  One shepherd, one donkey, two dogs and many sheep wandering across the open meseta.

The village of Boacidilla was the location of our second lunch, and a brew.  Just along this road, I lost my other Fuji bell!!

We become temporarily geographically embarrassed after taking the wrong turn out of town, but after back-tracking, find the correct route and walk along the bank of a substantial canal, once used for transportation but now for irrigation.  After about 4kms we come to a series of locks, cross over bridge and walk down into town.

Again our accommodation is not difficult to find, but we are not happy that breakfast is not included.  Our host takes her duties very seriously, speaks no English, and explains about six times in rapid fire Spanish where we might find dinner and breakfast.  Elaine is very tired and sore tonight so has a ‘nanna nap’ while John reconnoitres and shops.  He meets Jan but not Chris and Bev.

We think we may be the only occupants of the accommodation until Michelle comes along – she is French, and lives in British Columbia for 6 mths of the year and France the other 6.

We have dinner at the restaurant recommended by our host and Michelle joins us there.  She is doing the Camino in stages – she began some time ago in Le Puy in France, has walked over 1,000kms, and this time she will reach Santiago.

Santo Domingo to Burgos

Day 13 Santo Domingo de la Calzada to Belorado (24 kms)

Asked for 7.30 breakfast but actually started at 7.20 which was a bonus.  Genial owner comes to say goodbye and we get a kiss each from our hostess as we leave.  Very cool morning…may have to get the fleeces out for early starts soon.  Storks are very active here in the nesting season with nests on chimneys, church steeples, old stone wall parapets and anywhere a flat spot can be found. 



Sunflowers

 As we make our way up the first hill, we are overtaken by a woman replicating the style of Cliff Young.  She is on a mission! 

Country side is mostly broad acre farming.  Wheat harvest has finished and farmers are busy with the plough, sunflowers are still nodding their heads in waiting and the potato harvest is well underway.  We get a cheery wave from a man on his John Deere tractor as we take a short cut across the field he is ploughing.

To the north we see a rugged mountain range, possibly limestone with white cliffs.

Most of today’s walking is on minor roads or tracks running adjacent to the main N120 highway which is undergoing extensive duplication and resurfacing work.  Our first break is in Granon where some young people kindly give up their seats on a park bench to the elderly newcomers.  Elevenses is in Castildelgado where we park on a bench outside a building…a man comes and unlocks the door and people come at regular intervals and leave after a while clutching small pieces of paper…we are probably outside the doctor’s surgery!  Don’t know how he feels about having a billy boiled almost on his doorstep, but his patients are quite cheery as they pass by. 

Sun warms us as the morning goes on and we shed out jumpers and later on have to get out the sunscreen. We pass through Viloria de Rioja, the village when Santo Domingo was born.

We meet Yolanda who is Polish but lives in Norway, and Jan and Amanda, a young Canadian couple.  We are hoping to pick up water at Castildelgado and Villamayor del Rio, but both are non-potable.  In Villamayor del Rio, a lady has a little stall selling icecreams, drinks and a few snacks.  We don’t see her until after we have had a drink break on another park bench, this time definitely outside a doctor’s surgery…it has a notice on the door.  He is also closed for business and his doorstep escapes the billy ritual! 



Downhill to the doctor!

 During the day we cross into the province of Castilla y Leon.  The wildlife highlight of the day is a hummingbird-like insect gathering nectar from the roadside flowers.  After much stalking, and shots of where it has been, John finally manages some excellent photos.

The walking is pleasant but Belorado proves quite elusive as it is tucked away in a hollow and you are almost in the town before you see it.  Hence the last 5 kms seem to go on forever. However we arrive just before 3.00pm, making it a reasonably easy day.  A crumbling sandstone outcrop looks very much like a Spanish sphinx – who needs Egypt?

Our accommodation is right before us as we come into the town proper – a charming young lady is our host and makes us most welcome.  We get the choice of “one bed or two”…maybe there is an advantage in arriving early at these places!  Have a beer and a coke before our ‘nanna nap’ and then shower and take a tour of the town.  We get our Credentiales stamped at the Information Centre which is beautifully set up with photos of the district.  The town square is really a circle around a bandstand and encircled by restaurants, cafes, bars, etc.  We find the supermarket for a couple of things and then sit in Restaurante Bulezar (recommended by our host) with a coffee waiting for the restaurant to open at 7.00pm for dinner.  Menu de Peregrinos is more than adequate for €8.50.

A cool walk home and bed, after John returns to pick up the shopping left in the restaurante.

 Day 14 Belorado to San Juan de Ortega (25kms)

Another cool morning.  Our hosts make a mean coffee and lots of ham and cheese on toasted baguettes…just what the doctor ordered for a hard walk!  Senor compliments John on his Spanish language, so his feet don’t hit the ground for the first 2 kms!!  Days are shortening and at 8.00am, when we start walking, it is barely light.  However there is no dawn as we know it – first it’s dark and then it’s light!  Across a wooden footbridge and a slight climb away from Belorado, we follow a dirt track to the village of Tosantos and the light is good for a view of Nuestra Senora de la Pena, an ancient church excavated into a cliff. We meet Birgit from Austria and walk with her to Villafranca, which is the last opportunity to stock up on supplies for the next day, as San Juan de Ortega (12 kms away) has no shops. 

We find the panderia where we manage a couple of baguettes, and ultimately the supermarket, which is hardly ‘super’ but more a mini-mini-mart in a little room off to the side of…you guessed it…a Bar!!  However, they have Powerade and enough bits for our lunch, including a container of what we hoped was mixed salad – turned out to be better than that…actually a mixed salad of tuna and veggies!



San Juan de Ortega

  A steep climb takes us out of Villafranca (350m in 2.5-3kms) and we wend our way through the Montes de Oca, mainly oaks and pine plantations, in the shade and along a barely used country road, and we reach a picnic ground just before the top of the climb and take the opportunity to boil the billy and have a nice rest.  Here we meet Chantelle, a truckie from Canada, and Leonard, a retired Swedish gentleman.  Jan and Amanda, whom we have met before, take us through their understanding of Waltzing Matilda…and billy boiling, etc….and the cultural discussion becomes quite confusing!!  Leonard’s contribution is a rendition of Jake the Peg!!

To the top of the climb, Alto de la Pedraja (1150m) after lunch where there is a memorial to those from the district who died in the Spanish Civil War in 1936.  What is not mentioned in the cross-section on our map is the next descent/ascent, which is -100m/+100m, back to 1140m, a lovely surprise as you can imagine!  The next 8kms into San Juan de Ortega is ever so slightly downhill and easy walking. In the early days, warnings of wolves and bandidos made this one of the more dangerous stretches of the Camino through more oaks and pines, however we complete the journey without incident and see the bell tower of the church peeking above the trees.

Our accommodation, Casa Rural, one of a chain of hotels set up by the tourism commission, is right on the trail but no-one is home, just a very confused French couple who speak absolutely no Spanish.  At least we could understand that the note on the door says we must register at ‘Recepcion’ at the Bar in the village, the only commercial outfit in the village apart from our hotel and the Albergue de Peregrinos.  We leave the French in charge of our bags and walk the 100m to the Bar.  On arrival, we are told we need to phone ‘Manuel’, but when we say we have no phone, Manuel appears from somewhere out the back!!  The hotel is apparently closed except for bedrooms – no breakfast or dinner as advertised.  I go back to the French and “explain” what is happening.  Manuel, John and the key to our room arrive.  En route, John asks about dinner…”in the Bar at 7.30pm”…and brekky – “9.00am in the Bar, or a ‘picnic.’”  Hmmm!!  The French couple go to follow us into the building but are sent away to await their turn to go to the Bar and Manuel repeats the process…not exactly Fawlty Towers, but reminiscent!



Dinner in ¨The Bar¨



We have a drink at the Bar with Chantelle, Leonard, Jan and Amanda before heading to our room for a rest and a shower.  Dinner is in the Bar ‘dining room’ – we order from the one copy of the menu which is thrown from table to table as Manuel, man of many talents, takes our orders.  We duck as the tablecloth is flapped over our heads and lands on the table.  We are sitting with the aforementioned French couple and attempt to swap tables so they can sit with other French, and we can sit with other English speakers.  “No!  No!  No!”  Manuel will not allow it!!  Another lady comes in to join her friends and again, “No!”  Regardless of language, we all have a good laugh at the ridiculosity of the situation but Manuel soldiers on undeterred!   At the completion of our dinner, we have a plastic bag of goodies put in front of us by Manuel…”Desayunos”…Breakfast!!  Contains an orange juice, water, muffin, pastry fingers and crackers.



We return to the hotel and decide to have a coffee from ‘Manuel’s’ coffee machine in the lounge area…€0.50 per cup.  I put a €2 coin in the slot, push the button for one ‘café con leche,’ get the coffee and 4 €0.50 coins in change…Go Manuel!!!!

Day 15 San Juan de Ortega – Burgos (27kms)

800,000years ago

We eat our picnic breakfast in our room, John boiled the billy for a cuppa, and we are able to set out at 7.50am for what we assumed would be a long day…little did we know! Quite cold, with mist down over the nearby hills, we take the road leading away from the village into forest and then opening  out across what we think is called a ‘shepherd’s gate’…we would call it a cattle grid.  Here, on the meadow, we find the first cattle we have seen for many days.  We walk with Chantelle and Leonard to Atapuerca where they stop for breakfast and we have a break on a park bench and our first snack of the day.  There is an active archaeological dig around Atapuerca and we see evidence of this in some standing stones, with plaques, indicating they have been dated 800,000 years old.  It is getting colder with a nippy little wind coming up so Elaine changes into her most attractive pink and purple striped thermal top for the first

time this trip.

Stone circles in the mist

Up the only climb of the day – 200m on a rough, stony track through limestone country, mostly along the perimeter of a military zone with a double barbed wire fence protecting the army from peregrinos!  We are now in the mist and it is quite windy when we meet some soldiers and have a ‘chat’ – 2 are in a jeep, and 2 are in full kit checking what we think may be a navigation point…a navex perhaps?  A big wooden cross on a cairn dominates the exposed plateau at the summit and nearby are stone circles, but what they signify we have yet to ascertain. 

We descend to a minor road and find a spot out of the wind for another rest.

Chantelle has told us about a French group called ‘Friends of St James’ who assist walkers with disabilities complete sections of the Camino, some walking only 10kms a day, others walking complete sections.  Each challenged walker has a companion. They have a van in which they transport those not walking and support those who are. Today we meet some of these walkers…a man wearing a reflective vest who tows his daypack on a luggage trolley which has small pram-type wheels…a lady who has had 2 knee and 1 shoulder replacements…another man, disability unknown, wearing reflective stripes on his clothing.  We have not seen any wheelchairs, but some folk are pushed along the more accessible sections.

We follow the minor road through the next two villages before leaving the road route (which goes directly into Burgos via the industrial zone) to pick up the river trail.  After a cuppa and lunch, we pass by the airport and pick up the Camino signs which become fainter and less frequent until we find ourselves in a suburban backwater with no signs at all!  We head for the river which we assume will take us into town, and a kindly gentleman offers directions which help us to find the river but on the opposite side to the route indicated on the map.  The next 5kms are the longest so far…but we easily find our hotel and drop everything in favour of a well-earned rest!

A shower does wonders for both the body and soul, and we take a stroll around the immediate area of the hotel and the Cathedral, enjoying the usual mayhem that is Spain after 6.00pm!  We have a very pleasant meal of tapas and crepes/pizza in a restaurante where 90% of the patrons are groups of women enjoying drinks, coffee, food and what Spanish women do best…all talking loudly, at the same time, no one listening but everyone responding!!  Which poses the question…where are the blokes??

Day 16 Rest Day Burgos

Boys´ stuff!

Ah sweet luxury of life…a sleep-in!  9.00am breakfast, Chinese laundry and a late morning stroll around town.  And we discover what the blokes do in ‘bloke-time’…they stand around construction sites watching ‘boy’s toys’ at work on bridge construction!  We visit the Information Centre for our Credentiale stamps, walk along the river and have a nice lunch.

Back to the hotel for internet/diary/blog, which we can’t send until we get access to another computer.  Both our boots are starting to be a bit sad – one of John’s has actually come apart at the heel…mine are not so bad but on the way.  On the way to the mini-mart we find a sports shop with hiking shoes and boots, so we go in to see what they have and how much they are.  End up buying a pair of shoes for me from a man who’s only English is ‘Goretex’ and ‘Vibram.’  We get on well, he reduces the shoes from €99.90 to €90.00 and wishes us ‘Happy holidays’ (we think) as we leave.  Need to buy some lunch supplies because apparently there are no opportunities during the next 2 days.

Burgos Cathedral

We have dinner in a small ‘off the beaten track’ restaurant that has Menu de Peregrinos €8.50. 

Elaine has Castellano soup (made from a vegetable of some sort, no idea what, in a tomato based stock with sprinkled cheese), the white wine is not something we will have again, but the water was fine!