day 41 – draft Sunday, 15 October 2017 San Nicholas del Real Camino to Reliegos

day 41 – draft
Sunday, 15 October 2017
San Nicholas del Real Camino to Reliegos
39 km today - 445 km on Camino Frances – 1,190 km from Le Puy - 339 to Santiago

Today activity starts about 06h.  And as my intention is for a long day I am up with the first mover.  I am underway just before 07h.  I am back on the road as I don’t trust my feet on the pebbly and slightly uneven paths.  This is the N-120 again.  This road started way back in Logrono and, where convenient, it is the preferred road as it has wide shoulders in open country.

First stop is Sahagun, about 7 km don the road, for a Danish, cafe Americano and Zumo de Naranaja Natural.  As I pass out through the town I hear the bell calling the faithful and I keep going.

For the rest of the day I am on a sealed country road with very little happening.  The whole region is flat and so is the road.  The principal features are road bridges being lifted up over the two high speed rail lines.  Yes, two, one to my left and one to my right, each about 500 metres or so away.  And part of the road bridges are for the A-231, a major arterial road between Burgos and Leon not far away to my right: I can often see trucks and cars scudding along in either direction.

After Sahagun there are only two stops.  Berciamos del Real Camino is 10 km on and a good place for a late morning break.  And a near new cafe has pride of place on entering the town and offers me a slice of newly cooked tortilla along with the usual.

El Burgo Ranero comes up a further 8 km on and makes for a lunch break.  On approaching the village I notice a tall tower with a peaked cover and ladders almost to the top and think fire station, the tower being to hang hoses to dry.  On the way out of town I look back and see a cross on top of the tower and a bell under the peaked cover.  On the ground is a (relatively) squat building with an arched roof.  Now I am thinking church.  If so this is likely to be one of the more recent churches in this part of Spain serving a catchment of not many people.

On the final 13 km stretch for the day I encounter irrigators.  I have seen these on the Canterbury plan as a line that trundles along the length of a field trailed by a hose attached to a supply point somewhere and so cover a rectangular area.  While those I encounter today look the same in outline there is one major difference: they are tethered at one end to what looks like a water bore head and so would water all or part of a circular area.

Reliegos comes up.  At the entrance to the village is a modern albergue and a Canadian couple from Vancouver are heading into the town.  There are at least four bunk rooms and only one with pilgrims stuff in it.  No one else about I so I continue on.  The next albergue seems to be an add on to a restaurant / bar and the cook, who also seems to double up as receptionist, and I have trouble communicating, even with the help of a translator on my tablet.  In the end it seems I could have a room to myself for E 30.  I decide to keep looking and find another near new albergue, but in an older style.  The staff are helpful and I wash some smalls to dry overnight.  They are either merino or synthetics, so that is not a problem

I forget what I had to eat.  Possibly the rolled oats / porridge that was cooked for me in San Nicholas the night before.

And so to bed

day 40 – draft Saturday, 14 October 2017 Carrion de los Condes to San Nicholas del Real Camino

day 40 – draft
Saturday, 14 October 2017
Carrion de los Condes to San Nicholas del Real Camino
30 km today - 406 km on Camino Frances – 1,151 km from Le Puy - 378 to Santiago
I am awake at 06h30 and my two (male) room mates have already left.  I prepare my stuff and am the other side of the town by 07h30.  Then down an ancient bridge (too dark to appreciate) that is about 5 metres (and maybe more) higher at the town end than the opposite bank.  While I didn’t see any in this town (too dark) many towns had walls and ramparts to protect them in the middle ages and a river on a boundary also helped.

Today has the longest (but only just) stretch without a watering hole: 17 km.  However, sunrise is over an hour way and the road already has many pilgrims.  And for about 6 km it is a road with almost no cars etc.  After the sealed surface runs out there is a very even lane for agricultural services.  About another 6 or 7 km on there is a shelter with a very large and overflowing rubbish bin.  I take off my long sleeve tops and replace with one short sleeve one: and throw a banana skin in the rubbish bin. I am nearing the end of the alignment of a Roman road that from Carrion to Leon and then to Astorga.  This early in the morning it is a dream to walk, though I have to be fit and have stamina.

At the 17 km point I descend down, round a bend and there is a welcome sight ahead to my left: at least 20 seats set around tables with sun umbrellas.  This is Calzadilla de la Cueza.  It is just after 10h30 and I am amongst the first to arrive, but not by much.  I notice at least two other bars/cafes with a handful of chairs each and no tables doing little trade.  I ask for a zero dot zero beer and a glass of zumo de naranja natural (natural orange drink – freshly squeezed).  Outside there is a great hub-bub and the new arrivals chat to one another.  I am soon off.

The next town is Ledigos.  Some times you get a feeling on not being wanted.  Ledigos exudes some of that: all the camino direction signs I see have been blacked over, but the locals seem friendly enough.  Another stop for zumo de naranja natural and off.  The blacked out sign strike again.  If t were not for a local motorist I may have gone several hundred metres more before turning back and picking up the track from my maps.  And what a terrible path it is: stones of an awkward size all over it.  Even the approach into the next town, Terradillos de los Templarios, is one of the worst I’ve come across.  And the only local I see takes one look at me and turns away without any greeting.

I take to the N-120 for the last stretch to San Nicolas del Real Camino, arriving there just before 15h.  The welcome is efficient and friendly and I soon have a large cold glass of Sangria to hold onto.  Sock and top washing is the order of the day and soon put on a rack to dry.

It has not been particularly hot today.  While there are about eight in the albergue only four sit down to dinner at 19h30.  An American in his later 30s who completed at Santiago a year or so ago and now is doing what the original pilgrims did, return from whence they came.  A Spaniard (I think) who has limited English and a former nursing sister and matron from the Kingdom of Fife (for Sassenachs: that’s the part of Scotland across the Firth of Forth from Edinburgh and where the first Scottish king was crowned) while her husband lies ill above us.

Not only is there a top sheet but also a blanket: I relish the luxury.

And so to bed

day 39 – draft Friday, 13 October 2017 Boadillo del Camino to Carrion de los Condes

day 39 – draft
Friday, 13 October 2017
Boadillo del Camino to Carrion de los Condes
25 km today - 375 km on Camino Frances – 1,053 km from Le Puy - 419 to Santiago

As soon as a light goes on at 07h I am up and about.  But I have two immediate concerns.  Before going to bed I wanted my headlight to be able to read, and couldn’t find it anywhere: the room lights were not convenient. It is quite compact, weights almost nothing, goes around my wrist and has solid and flashing white and red lights: the latter is really good when going about a room as it tends not to wake anyone.  And I remember, when I brought my washing in I had not brought in my wash basin cum foot bath cum carry all.  The latter is quickly solved: the owner had brought the drying rack under the verandah and there its is.  And as the pre-sun rise takes effect I notice a shadow under the bed: it is the headlight.  But all is not yet well: I cannot find a small open pouch which contains my hikers wool, washing detergent and two toe crests: a diligent search and talk with the owner reveals nothing. 

I had paid E3 for breakfast: a great disappointment at having a thick hard piece of toast, water, orange drink and coffee.  One of the three amigos appear and, seeing files all over the remaining pieces of toast asks the owner for fresh, the owner refuses and the one amigo goes off, not to appear again.
So I am off just after 08h  This should be a game of four quarters.
First up is Fromista, 6 km away.  But the real gem is the ‘Canal del Castilla’ which appears as I crest a small rise.  The path alongside is good and, although early in the morning, the trees offer a nice shade.  The apparent use is for irrigation and not navigation. Every so often there is a sluice gate and a channel leading away into the distance.  The Canal ends at Fromista with  curved dam and no locks leading to a lower level.  Just as I arrive at this point civilisation rears in the form of a fast train whizzing across less than 200 metres from me.  I have tortilla and coffee and are off quick quickly.

After 4 km on I take a loo stop and carry on to about halfway, Revenga de Campos.  I go into the church to say the morning office and note two sisters in attendance for Exposition.  I have along multi-layered text conversation with my London son and say the office and away by midday: this turning out to be a slow day even though the way is flat.

My fourth stop is at the ¾ point and is a sit down afternoon tea and a catch up with one of the three amigos from the last two nights.

Eventually I get to my destination for the day.  I check out the first albergue, the (now defunct) Monasterio del Santa Clara.  In front of me at check in are two American cyclists: the hospitalero checks me in and invites the three of us to accompany him to the rooms.  He shows the two women to a room that looks to have only two beds in it and then invites me in as well: I can now see three beds.  I check with the women if this is OK and they reply in the affirmative.  I go off to get some money, drink some 0.0% beer and check out the town.  When I get back the stuff on the other two beds seems different.  And when I see the hospitalero he asks if I am from Scotland.  I decide on a dinner of porridge (last eaten on Monday) and, in the kitchen, talk with a group from Marseille and a young woman who has completed 42 km that day. Wow!  When I get back to my room the two American women have changed into two cyclists from I know not where.  My guess is the hospitalero thought me to be a bearded woman.  Oh well.

And so to bed

day 38 – draft Thursday, 12 October 2017 Hontanas to Boadillo del Camino

day 38 – draft
Thursday, 12 October 2017
Hontanas to Boadillo del Camino
26 km today - 321 km on Camino Frances – 1,027 km from Le Puy - 467 to Santiago

I wake at 07h35 and should be out by 08h and leave by 08h20.  While having a croissant a woman in the albergue uniform comes to me and asks if I remember: of course I do. I take leave of the owner and make good time to Castrojeriz, 9 km on.  About 2 km before that I skirt through the ruins of a 15th century convent dedicated to San Anton: my understanding is we pass a typical west door into the church with its serried arches of, typically, saints and biblical figures telling gospel stories. 

At Castrojeriz the church at the eastern end is both a well ordered museum and a working parish church.  It is € 1 to enter and I say the morning office.  I go to a cafe opposite to augment my breakfast.  Castrojeriz is spread out around about half the circumference of a conical hill and takes almost 20 minutes from east to west.

After a 2 km stroll across a river valley I encounter a stroll up an escarpment: it is 1 km of linear distance and the rate of climb is 18%.  I calculate that to be an increase in elevation of 180 metres.  After putting on a short sleeve stop a young woman and I set out within a few seconds of one another.  She makes better progress but stops about 100 metres from the top and I pass her.  She restarts, passes me and reaches the top about 2 metres in front of me: the little red engine has done it again!  Our effort is short lived: after about 500 metres level we descend, at 18% again, for 350 metres linear losing  or 60 metres of elevation we had just gained!

The countryside appears to be exclusively agricultural (cropping) and the farm machinery is out in force.  Clouds of dust indicate the current area of activity.  My lunch stop is 12 km from Castrojeriz, Itero de Verga.  Here I introduce myself to 0.0% beer and find it refreshing.  Then the final 6 km today to Boadillo del Camino, passing over a bridge built some 500 or so years ago and also now used as part of a local road.

The albergue at Boadillo is quite new on the inside and, luxury of luxuries we have a top sheet and blanket.  Dinner is grand and I join Michael from Florida, Seamus from Ireland and Wilfred from Germany but now living in Sutherland in north-west Scotland (cherche la femme?). And these three were at dinner on Wednesday night at Hontanas.

And so to bed.