Author: themchughcamino

April 24, 2017

12.5 miles (20 Km) We left Fromista after quite a noisy night, with fireworks, although it wasn’t as bad as we thought it would be. It was a pretty hot day. After a couple of miles there was an option to stay on the road or take a path next to a river that had a bit of shade, so we opted for that even if it added 1Km. We were able to stop for coffee after about 9 miles in Villalcazar de Sirga, where we sat across a 13th century church. From there the Camino ran next to the road, with no shade at all. Carrion de los Condes is a bit larger of a town, but not much is open today as it is a regional holiday. We’re staying in an old monastery, which has been turned into a very nice hotel. 

April 23, 2017

15.5 miles (25Km). Today was a hard day.  Started out a bit cool, but after about a mile we had a long, steep hill. Didn’t get much easier since after we had a steep downhill, and no shade for most of the rest of our walk. It got pretty hot.

We passed Itero De la Vega, where we had our second coffee of the day and took care of feet hot spots. Mostly preventive stuff, but the days and miles are starting to make our feet complain. We have left the province of Burgos and are now in Palencia. We finally arrived to Fromista, where apparently it’s the local patron feast. Blaring music and carnival games. They quieted down for a bit, but we’ve been told that the real events start tonight and go on to 4 am!!! And it’s another local holiday tomorrow, so no one has to go to work. The party will go on. We have considered leaving town and going to the next stop, but there really isn’t much until about 12 miles away, where we will walk to tomorrow. On the bright side, tomorrow is a shorter walk. 

April 22, 2017. 

12.5 miles (20 Km). Nice sunny day that started pretty cold. Left Hornillos to a nice gradual hill and spent quite a few miles on the heights of the meseta. Had a little break in Hontanas, a small town in one of the valleys, and then had another long walk on the meseta to Castrojeriz. We appreciate the small changes in elevation to get a break from the long flat areas. A pretty good portion at the end today was on the road.

Seems like a lot of people from the last few days took a break in Burgos. Others have gone a bit further, since we had a bit easier walks the last 2 days. So we keep meeting new people. There are more Australians lately, and a good mix of ages, which is very nice to see.  Castrojeriz is a bit bigger and we were able to walk around and explore.

April 21, 2017

13 miles (21 Km). The day started off pretty cold. 30 degrees, but no wind. It did warm up later, so we’re back to shorts weather. We started by walking past the back part of the cathedral in Burgos. After walking for a while through the city we were out in a rural area. We passed a few small towns and were able to get a second cup of coffee. After that we reached the Meseta, a geological plateau that extends for miles and miles, where we will walk the next few days. There is very little shade, not much change in scenery, and the distance between towns is longer, it can be a challenge, especially in high temperatures. 

We arrived to Hornillos del Camino, but our hotel is 2 Km away, in the town of Isar, so we walked a bit extra. There is not much in the town of Isar, a few houses, a church, and the hotel where we’re staying. It has a small bar, where the older men in town play cards in the afternoon. Their language is pretty colorful, I don’t think they realize I can understand every word, although I did order in Spanish. 😀

April 20, 2017

13 miles (21 Km) The day started very cold, it was 32 degrees when we got up. The temperature did go up a bit, but it was very windy, so it stayed cold most of the day. We left Atapuerca and had a pretty nice uphill, then down hill. Much better scenery than yesterday. After walking through a couple small towns finally got closer to Burgos. There were 2 ways to get into the city on The Camino, we opted for one near the river, which was a bit longer, but worth it. The river was very nice, in a park setting that went on for a few miles before we got to the center of the city. There’s an amazing arch to get to the old part, and past that the incredible cathedral. We had a great lunch and toured the cathedral. Then walked around the city some more. What is wrong with us??? 

April 19, 2017

Long day!!! 20 miles (32 Km).

It was very cold when we started, in the high 30s. We left Belorado, and the first bridge we walked over had some frost on it. We walked through a couple of small towns. After that, the scenery changed to a not so pretty trail. Miles and miles of it. I guess it’s preparing us for the more mental portion of the Camino, when in a few days we get to the Meseta. Miles and miles of straight road with nothing around, when it becomes more of a mental challenge than the physical one. We did pass a couple of cool spots, like “The Camino Oasis” in the middle of nowhere where someone set up a little shack, and there are some cool poles (see pictures). Towards the end we walked by some cows very close up! Today I started having some feet problems, hope they recover before tomorrow. Luckily, it’s a shorter walk!

The town where we’re staying, Atapuerca is like the town that time forgot. It is in the middle of nowhere and not much to it. The hotel is very basic, but it will make us appreciate the nicer places we’re staying in!

April 18, 2017

13 miles (21 Km) Another shorter day today. Not that that is easy, but it makes a difference! Started off with a pretty overcast and cool day, but it did get sunny later. We left Santo Domingo de la Calzada after an excellent breakfast at our hotel. As soon as we got to the city limit we ran into Mary, a woman we met a couple days ago while stopping for a snack. She’s from the U.S., in her mid 70s, and walking on her own. We walked a few miles with her, what a fascinating person! Sean and I are pretty fast walkers, and she was keeping up! And kept us both going with her stories, made walking very easy. 

Today’s scenery wasn’t as nice, a lot of walking next to a road, but we did go through a few nice little towns. Tonight we’re staying at a small rural hotel, it’s cute and nice. One of the churches had storks in nests on top of the tower. We also found a hand and footprint by Martin Sheen on the street, from when he was here during the movie “The Way”. Pretty cool!

April 17, 2017

12.5 miles (20 Km) – Much shorter walk today, which was nice. Started off the day with cooler temperatures, in the high 30s, low 40s, and a bit breezy. Leaving Najera took us right to a hill, not too bad, but it helped warm us up! After that we walked by a few vineyards, that turned into miles and miles of wheat fields. They’re still all green, so it’s nice. We ended up not stopping at all, so again got to our destination pretty hungry. After a quick bite, we walked a bit and toured the cathedral in Santo Domingo de la Calzada. We’re staying at a Parador tonight, a very nice hotel. Since it was a shorter walk we had time to chill and enjoy the afternoon. 

April 16, 2017

Longer walk today, 18 miles (28 Km). Another sunny day. Started a bit cool, but got pretty warm. We left Logroño and walked the first few miles through a park in the city and around a reservoir. Very nice scenery, a big contrast to the other side of the city where we walked through yesterday. Once out of the city we walked through miles and miles of vineyards, very nice. Gentle rolling hills. We got to Najera in the afternoon and had a nice lunch by the river. 

A lot of people seem to have either stopped in Logroño or taken a break. Lots of pilgrims do this in stages, a few days at a time. Some others were going by bus from Logroño to Sarria, to walk the last 100 Km, and skip  the stages in between. Also, it’s the end of a week of vacation for a lot of Spaniards, so there were a lot less people walking.  This afternoon we walked a few hours with no one in sight, and before we always could see someone at least in the distance. We will miss seeing a lot of the same faces daily. 

Leaving Logroño 

Miles and miles of vineyards

Town of Navarrete

In Najera

This wall behind the town has a bunch of small caves

April 15, 2017

17 miles (27 Km) Our day started quite grey and overcast, and it stayed that way for pretty much all of the walk. While it was a bit cold in shorts, it was nice to be out of the sun for the longer walk today. Left Los Arcos and walked mostly on dirt roads, with a few small towns along the way. We thought about stopping in Viana for food, but somehow ended up just going all the way to Logroño. Getting close to the city was not very scenic, mostly industrial and not very clean. By the time we got there we were pretty tired, sore and very hungry. Not too many hills, but there were a few steep ones. Logroño is a pretty large town, with the old town area with cathedral, squares, and lots of restaurants and tapas places, but the city goes well beyond that. We are now in the Rioja region, known for its wines. We Will enjoy food & wine, but first some laundry.