Camino Frances

Camino Frances is the most famous of the various pilgrim roads to Santiago de Compostela. Saint Jean Pied de Port, which is situated on the French side of the Pyrenees, is by most pilgrims counted as the official start of the route, but there are also quite many that begin from Roncesvalles. The Camino is about 800km long. To get the Compostela, or the proof of your pilgrimage, you have to walk at least 100km. This leads to that most of the people who walks the Camino begin in Sarria, which is located just before the 100km mark.

In the fall of 2011 I travelled to France and Spain to walk the Camino Frances, here you'll find my story from the pilgrimage (work in progress).

Day   1 (19.09):

Saint Jean Pied de Port - Roncesvalles

Day   2 (20.09):

Roncesvalles - Larrasoana

Day   3 (21.09):

Larrasoana - Pamplona

Day   4 (22.09):

Pamplona - Puente la Reina

Day   5 (23.09):

Puente la Reina - Ayegui

Day   6 (24.09):

Ayegui - Torres del Rio

Day   7 (25.09):

Torres del Rio - Logrono

Day   8 (26.09):

Logrono - Najera

Day   9 (27.09):

Najera - Azofra

Day 10 (28.09):

Azofra - Granon

Day 11 (29.09):

Granon - Tosantos

Day 12 (30.09):

Tosantos - Ages

Day 13 (01.10):

Ages - Burgos

Day 14 (02.10):

Burgos - Hontanas

Day 15 (03.10):

Hontanas - Boadilla del Camino

Day 16 (04.10):

Boadilla del Camino - Carrion de Los Condes

Day 17 (05.10):

Carrion de Los Condes - Terradillos de Los Templarios

Day 18 (06.10):

Terradillos de Los Templarios - Bercianos del Real Camino

Day 19 (07.10):

Bercianos del Real Camino - Mansilla de Las Mulas

Day 20 (08.10):

Mansilla de Las Mulas - Leon

Day 21 (09.10):

Leon

Day 22 (10.10):

Leon - Villar de Mazarife

Day 23 (11.10):

Villar de Mazarife - Astorga

Day 24 (12.10):

Astorga - Rabanal de Camino

Day 25 (13.10):

Rabanal de Camino - El Acebo

Day 26 (14.10):

El Acebo - Ponferrada

Day 27 (15.10):

Ponferrada

Day 28 (16.10):

Ponferrada - Villafranca del Bierzo

Day 29 (17.10):

Villafranca del Bierzo - Vega de Valcarce

Day 30 (18.10):

Vega de Valcarce - O Cebreiro

Day 31 (19.10):

O Cebreiro - Triacastela

Day 32 (20.10):

Triacastela - Sarria

Day 33 (21.10):

Sarria - Portomarin

Day 34 (22.10):

Portomarin - Palas del Rei

Day 35 (23.10):

Palas del Rei - Ribadiso de Baixo

Day 36 (24.10):

Ribadiso de Baixo - Arca O Pino

Day 37 (25.10):

Arca O Pino - Santiago de Compostela

Day 38 (26.10):

Santiago de Compostela

Day 39 (27.10):

Cee - Finisterre

Camino Francés // day 19 // Bercianos del Real Camino - Mansilla de Las Mulas

Distance: 26.8km (446.1km).
Altitude (start / end / highest): 860m / 805m / 880m.
Weather: Nice, some veils on the sky.

It was not long between the ups and downs on this day, but at least I had slept well during the night. To Mansilla de Las Mulas, the walk was even more monotonous than the long section between Carrion de Los Condes and Calzadilla de la Cueza a couple of days ago, but the dinner in Mansilla more than made up for it. The dry plains of the meseta still contains its charms.

In the morning out from Bercianos del Real Camino, the Camino going on a senda in the blue light of the morning.

Went out in the early twilight, with a sky far more bluish than usual. It was probably a good thing that I started so early today and so reducing what quickly could have became an even more duller walk. In the morning hours, the increasingly blue light created a nice atmosphere on the Camino after Bercianos del Real Camino. It felt like it was only me and the desolate plains around me, though it was not exactly so. On the map in the guidebook, the Camino to Mansilla de Las Mulas appears almost like a straight line.

Laguna Olmo, a wetland reservoir next to the Camino. A bird observatory was erected next to the lake, where one can get in and look at the birds without scaring them away.

The best part of this day was over after the sun had been visible on the sky for a short time. The nice start in the morning hours was followed by the wetland reservoir Laguna Olmo. I arrived at the small lake probably at a perfect time, with the sun just on the rise. Next to the reservoir, there was a small bird observatory that I could go into. I could see the sunrays riding across the water. Should have stayed longer at this peaceful small oasis. Short after, the dust took over.

A small pond outside El Burgo Ranero. The name of the small village is as taken directly from a western movie.

Following after two French pilgrims after the bird observatory, I went wrong, but a local Spaniard guided me back on track. In Spanish though. Later on, I saw Martina taking the wrong turn in a large roundabout the Camino crosses over; I managed to yell across the noise from the cards and got her back on track again.

The long and dry senda out of El Burgo Ranero, the Camino goes where the trees goes.

In the air, I could vaguely hear the theme song from the For A Couple Of Dollars-movies, in the wind a low whistling tune. A closer feeling of riding into a western-town, I have never had, except of course that I walked on foot and is located far away from the wild west. That was however how it felt coming to El Burgos Ranero, the name immediately giving associations to the wild west. El Burgo Ranero, could have been a small border town between Mexico and the states that Clint rode through.

Looking at a cross through an agricultural sculpture just outside the village of Villamarco.

The albergue at the place is dedicated to an Italian pilgrim from the seventeenth century named Domenico Laffi and is built of brick and straw, it is rumoured to be a good place. It has not opened yet when we walk past it, so we did not get any opportunity to check it out. We had a short break in a local bar before we continued. Fortunately, no gunfight broke out in the street while we were there. A quiet whistling sound is heard from afar when we left the village.

A ruined cross on the long and boring walk between El Burgo Ranero and Reliegos, perhaps it had bored itself apart.

I survived the boredom of the 17 kilometre long stretch two days ago, but towards the end of the long senda following El Burgo Ranero, it barely held. This section was not as long as the mentioned section after Carrion de Los Condes, but this one actually felt longer. The only small highlights was some curious agricultural sculptures nearby Villamarco and the shady grove that I ate lunch at. The joy was thus high when I saw the houses of Mansilla de Las Mulas appear, only to be disappointed when it turned out to be Reliegos.

I had to have a beer in Reliegos.

One of the elaborate street signs in Mansilla de Las Mulas.

In Mansilla de Las Mulas, the walk into the small town was just as eventless as before, Alessandra and Martina sat and waited for me in the municipal albergue. They were in Reliegos and I had continued walking before them. Then it becomes clear that they had taken the bus into the town, the sneaky ones. The albergue has the appearance of a labyrinth; to find my allotted bunk, I had to walk crisscross inside of it. There were otherwise a nice little backyard.

This was how my boots looked like after many and dry days on the meseta.

Mansilla is not a large town, but it fits well as a sign of what awaits us tomorrow. Leon. It is nice with a slow transition to a larger place. Walking in the town felt uplifting after this day's tedious trudge. The name Mansilla comes from Mano en Silla (meaning the hand on the saddle) and de Las Mulas (meaning of the mules), so here we walked in the streets of the hand on the saddle of the mules. The old medieval city walls were maybe what I found most interesting. On the walls, there are remains of old towers; and you can climb up on top of some of them, from where you can scout out from and over the town.

Tower on the city wall of Mansilla de Las Mulas.

The best dinner on the Camino so far was the one we ate here in Mansilla. We were recommended a restaurant by the hospitalero at the albergue, which was far from a bad advice. The food was delicious and cheap. To us it felt like a gourmet meal. The menu was given verbally and that lead to some amusing small problems. Since I could not understand everything, everyone tried to help me. So, I got the menu explained in German, French, Italian, Spanish and English. All at once. I was more confused after, than before.

The best dinner on the Camino, this was the starter or primero.

Even with the somewhat dull part after El Burgo Ranero, I was relatively satisfied with the day. The day had indeed started great, especially with the visit to Laguna Olmo, and it indeed ended great with the gourmet dinner her in Mansilla de Las Mulas. To me, the adventure on the Camino still lives on. And I enjoy the feeling, the feeling that it is just me, me and the lonely plains around. The Meseta.

<- Bercianos del Real Camino

Camino Francés // day 18 // Terradillos de Los Templarios - Bercianos del Real Camino

Camino Frances day 18.
Distance: 21.0km (419.3km).
Altitude (start / end / highest): 885m / 860m / 885m.
Weather: Hot.

The shout of joy that I stifled yesterday, should have been changed to a scream of anger. Sleeping in a room with only four other pilgrims should have increased the changes of a night without snoring, but I ended up drawing the short straw. When the morning arrived, I had barely slept a minute. Next to me, I had one of the specimen of snorers that sounds as if he is choking, sporadically. When I finally felt my eyelids getting heavier and heavier and the sleep creep into my eyes, the death throes next to begun again.

In the early hours of the day, approaching Moratinos, the round and grassy knolls contains wine cellars.

In the end, I gave up and left the room, thinking of lying down at the couch in the ground floor. There was Eric, the piano player from Granon, sleeping. He had been faster out than me, the smart guy. Back to my bed. When the usual early birds (those who I always wonder if are getting anything at all out of the Camino) began rummaging around in the room with their headlamps on at three o'clock in the night, I was completely indifferent this time. Amusingly enough, you have to be early to bed down here, but there are no rules putting limitations on how early you can wake up, that would have been nice.

Sunrise from the top of a wine cellar in Moratinos.

So I began the day by feeling like the others, stumbling around in a daze. Not due to feet with blisters that hurts, but of a total lack of sleep. Well, I am probably not alone about it. Torsten had been luckier; it was quieter in his room. We started walking without having eaten breakfast; instead we followed the Camino in the darkness that slowly became brighter. Until we came to Moratinos, where a newly opened hotel provided us with our first meal of the day.

In the small village of Moratinos, looking back towards Terradillos de Los Templarios and the rest of the meseta.

After the initial wonderful days on the meseta, the last days has started to become quite similar. A major cause of this is probably that the landscape has flattened out and with that providing less variation along the route, but I still enjoy myself pretty well on the meseta. This day has been like floating through the dry scenery, almost as in a state of contemplative sleepwalking.

Ermita Virgen del Puente with the bridge crossing the river Valderaduey.

Depending on how you end up walking the Camino, Sahagun is probably the most popular stopover on this section. To us however, the town became caught in the middle, we arrived too early to feel satisfied with the walk. For those who choose to stop in Sahagun and spend the night there, the town will have enough attractions to look at. Torsten and I ate lunch, did some small errands and then continued further.

In Sahagun, Arco San Benito that is almost all that is left of the old abbey.

The walk was pleasant enough before Sahagun, afterwards it was just dry and monotonous. Even though we passed an oasis of some sort where the Caminos crosses the rio Cea on a Roman bridge. There are some of these longer stretches of road, pilgrim autopistas.

A cross outside Sahagun where the Camino crosses the river Cea.

Bercianos del Real Camino is probably living almost entirely on the pilgrims that are walking through and spending the night in the village. There are about 200 persons living in the village. The first we noticed was the absence of children and young people. The albergue is donativo and nice. Water already stood ready at the table for us when we enlisted and was allocated a bed. The heat outside made the laundry dry fast.

Virgen del Perales outside Bercianos del Real Camino.

In the village, you find the ruins of a church, only the entrance is left standing. You can go into the church and be just as outside as you were before you went in. You meet few people in the streets. Alessandra and Martina arrived when Torsten and I was about to take our new favourite refreshment on the walk, cerveza con limon. In the heat, the mix of beer and lemon soda is incredibly refreshing.

The albergue in Bercianos del Real Camino, an ochre coloured brick building.

Donativo means a communal dinner and gathering in the albergue. I am not overly excited about standing in front of a crowd, so when it turns out that there is a tradition here that the pilgrims sing a song from their home country for the other pilgrims, I am not all that enthusiastic. Not that I can sing either. I ended up singing 'bæ bæ lille lam' for them, a Norwegian song for children (kind of related to 'bah bah black sheep'), the only song I knew the lyrics of on the fly. My cheeks were faintly blushing while singing. However, the most curious thing about the albergue was that there was an Iranian girl there.

The ruins of a church in Bercianos del Real Camino, only the entrance door is left standing.

I really enjoy myself together with Torsten, Alessandra and Martina, they are really great people. We walk at different speed on the Camino, but are gathering in the evenings. The evening in Bercianos del Real Camino was the best part of this day on my walk towards Santiago de Compostela, I am over halfway now. In the end, the Camino turned out to be quite different from what I had thought it would be. I had brought with me a book to read in the afternoon and evenings, I have barely had time to read it. Today, I decided that The Hand Of Fatima by Ildefonso Falcones will get to prolong its stay at the albergue in Bercianos del Real Camino, I leave it behind so that any pilgrims coming later can read it if they want to.

Dinner in the albergue. Alessandra and Torsten waving to the photographer, Martina with her head turned around towards the photographer.

<- Terradillos de Los TemplariosMansilla de Las Mulas ->

Camino Francés // day 17 // Carrion de Los Condes - Terradillos de Los Templarios

Camino Frances day 17.
Distance: 26.2km (398.3km).
Altitude (start / end / highest): 840m / 885m / 900m.
Weather: Not a cloud in the sky.

Today, the most exciting thing that awaited me was a 17 kilometre long stretch of walking without anything at all. A straight line with dryness on all sides. There was one thing absolutely every Camino guidebook had in common this time, fill up with enough water in advance, as well as food. Most of the excitement lay in not suffer from too much boredom.

Morning in Carrion de Los Condes, sitting and contemplating about my Camino while the morning light slowly awakens.

However, it was not the long stretch of walking that bothered me most today. Up to now, I have not been bothered by any of the ailments that the pilgrims usually suffers from, like sore feet, blisters and stiff joints after all the walking. Where the other pilgrims uses shoes that are more lightweight, I however, walk with my quite heavier hiking boots. This was something I did on intention. I have used those shoes in over ten years now and to date never got any blisters by using them. Unfortunately, I think there are many that choose to buy completely new shoes for the Camino, but forget that they need to be walked in before you can use them on a long walk like this.

Jon Venn along the way out of Carrion de Los Condes in the morning.

Back to my first feet related ailment on the Camino, the only thing I have otherwise been bothered by is snoring in the dormitories. Today however, I noticed that the top of my feet hurt a little. And this became more and more pressing during the day. I have probably felt it a tiny bit in the last few days, but have not been bothered by it. Until now. To try to amend it, I decided to change how I tie my shoes.

Canada Real Leon, today's walk went on a long and straight section that is also known as a Canada Real, old transhumance routes for herding livestock across Spain.

In the morning though, everything was good. Quiet and calm in the opening hours of the day out from Carrion de Los Condes, Christoph already early on his way, me and Jon alternating between walking past each other. The route went on the paved road to Calzada Romana / Via Aquitana after crossing the river Carrion. Until then, there had been vegetation alongside the road, afterwards it bid farewell.

The albergue in Calzadilla de la Cueza, a solitary pilgrim waiting for it to open.

From Calzada Romana the awaited dry section is beginning, going almost in a straight line towards Calzadilla de la Cueza. The strange thing about it is that it goes through an area of wetland at the start. Something that you did not really expect, given what you have heard about this part of the meseta or Camino. More interesting is it that you walk on a section of an old Roman way that has been used in over 2000 years, built by massive amounts of stone transported to the area. The wetland was apparently devoid of any suitable stones for the undertaking.

A stone with a map of the route, on the alternative section between Calzadilla de la Cueza and Ledigos.

Then I could look at the long section that just extends and extends further towards the blue background. Fortunately enough, this lone line of dust does not cover all the 17 kilometres mentioned before, they are measured from Carrion de Los Condes and I have at this time already covered some of them. It was just to buckle up, grab a sip of water and suppress what discomfort my feet gave me.

Someone had written Pain on a rock on the ground, fittingly enough since this was the first time on the Camino that I had any ailments to talk about.

The long stretch that you are walking on is by the way a Canada Real, old and large transhumance routes used to herd livestock across large distances on the Iberian peninsula. Now it is used to herd pilgrims towards Santiago. That there were nothing to get on this section was not correct. After walking for a while, I arrive at a mobile café. Where the owner sold cold refreshments, bocadillos (baguettes) and hot dogs from a barbeque. The Norwegians that I met yesterday at the albergue in Carrion de Los Condes were also here, so I sat down with them and refreshed my Norwegian.

A dovecote outside Ledigos.

In Calzadilla del Cuesa, I had come to the end of the long stretch. Outside the albergue, there was a lonely pilgrim sitting and waiting for it to open. I found myself a table together with the other pilgrims in the local bar instead. My feet was hurting even more afterwards. I decided to take the alternative route that goes through a calm and thin woodland instead of the main route along the road, Senda del Bosque. It was here that I made the decision to change how I tied the laces on my boots. Jon disappeared past me on the way, seemingly in a hurry.

Ocher-clad houses in Terradillos de Los Templarios.

I arrived in Ledigos, yet another example of a dry and dusty village where I found myself a cold beer in an almost empty bar, I felt slightly out of place. From the dust in Ledigos, I chose again the alternative route that avoids the roads. My entry into the village of the Knights Templar hence came from the side and not through the main road. That the albergue I arrive at has taken the name Albergue Jacques de Molay is not really of a surprise. I stiffled a small shout of joy from escaping my mouth when I heard that you sleep five persons only at each room. To have a night without snoring would be marvellous.

Albergue Jacques de Molay, named after the famous leader of the Knights Templar.

Torsten, Alessandra and Martina also came to the albergue, but Jon had taken the main route and ended up at the first albergue he came to (which the alternative route bypassed). We were satisfied with this place, which had cozy small backyard garden and a nice balcony to enjoy the sunset from, but we were more sceptic to the young boy walking around with a rifle (a modern Knights Templar?).

Sunset in Terradillos de Los Templarios. From left Martina, me, Torsten and Alessandra.

<- Carrion de Los CondesBercianos del Real Camino ->

Camino Francés // day 16 // Boadilla del Camino - Carrion de Los Condes

Camino Frances day 16.
Distance: 25.2km (372.1km).
Altitude (start / end / highest): 783m / 840m / 840m.
Weather: Nice weather with a blue sky.

The arrival in Carrion de Los Condes today brought with it a joyful reunion of a sort. Of the pilgrims that I had met and walked together with on the first eleven days of my Camino, Christoph and Jon was in the small town, the others were still a day ahead of me on the route. The walk on the meseta today undertook a slightly change of character and was for the main part flat all the way from Boadilla del Camino.

An ethereal light over the sunflowers outside of Boadilla del Camino when the sun woke up.

I walked out of the gates of the albergue in the morning hours with a longing look back at the pool, later in the day than usual. Outside it was already bright, though the sun had not appeared yet. When the sun did show up, it was flaming red and eventually coloured the sunflowers in an ethereal light. This sounded quite pompous, but it often gets that way on the Camino.

The church of Santa Maria XV in Boadilla del Camino in the morning sun.

The morning hours were indeed glorious. For eyes that are tired and dry of looking at the landscape that the meseta forms, the walk alongside the Canal de Castilla is a small relief. The channel was earlier used both for irrigation, transportation of crops and for running the corn mills. The channel goes almost all the way into the centre of Fromista, and is crossed on an old unused lock gate. We walked bathed in gold, with the sun rising on the sky behind us.

Canal de Castilla, a liberating walk after several dry days.

In Fromista, the most impressing building was the church Iglesia de San Martin, consecrated in 1066 and built in a pure Romanesque style. I did not stay very long here though, which in a sad way of speaking is in accordance with the population of the small town, which is declining.

Fromista, Iglesia de San Martin. A lovely church in a Romanesque style.

After the next village on the Camino, Poblacion de Campos, the route goes on one of the first encounters with the more monotonous stretches on the Camino. Called pilgrim autopistas in the guidebook by John Brierley, these sections goes right next to the main roads and offers little of interest. The Camino passes through Revenga de Campos and Villarmentero de Campos (there are three de Campos villages in a row here) before Villalcazar de Sirga. Torsten and I chose instead to bypass this part of the Camino and left the official route at Poblacion de Campos.

Me by the pilgrim statue in Villavieco on the alternative route towards Villalcazar de Sirga.

If the alternative route we decided to walk was not that exciting, we were still pretty sure that it was more pleasant than the walk along the road that otherwise awaited us. From Poblacion de Campos there was another option, to follow a route (also marked) to Villavieco that continues further to Ermita de la Virgen del Rio and from there rejoin the official Camino again at the Knight Templar's Villasirga.

Until Villavieco, we were quite satisfied, but not entirely. However, after the small village, the alternative route followed the river Ucieza. To hear the quiet sound from the water sounded much better than the hum from the cars along the main road we thought. Torsten is a pleasant companion to walk with and I enjoys his company. We have also walked so long together now that we do not feel uncomfortable when we are quiet. Some other pilgrims has referred to us as the 'picture brothers', referencing to that we are often seen standing next to each other and taking a picture of the same motive.

Ermita de la Virgen del Rio in the background, Torsten on his way across the bridge next to it.

In and around Ermita de la Virgen del Rio it was altogether quiet. More life came into the walk when we arrived in Villalcazar de Sirga; I think most of the other pilgrims chose to walk the usual route. The village was a commandery of the Knights Templar and is famous for its church of Santa Maria la Virgen Blanca, which is now declared a national monument. Maintenance work is done at the church. It was dark inside of it, the church to all excess was actually open, lights from the sun through a narrow window formed a beam of light in the dust. The church is well worth the visit. We stop for some food and a cold beer in one of the bars outside the church.

Inside the church of Santa Maria la Blanca in Villalcazar de Sirga.

6km with dust lay between Villasirga and Carrion de Los Condes. The albergue in the town, Albergue Espiritu Santo, is run by the nuns of Hijas de San Vicente de Paul. A straight place, but with a large backyard to relax in. It turned out to be some other Norwegians in the same albergue, so I talked for a while with them. Afterwards, I began speaking in Norwegian to Torsten, who just looked baffled at me.

The Way to Carrion de Los Condes from Villalcazar de Sirga.

I did not spend much time looking at the town; we mainly relaxed in the backyard of the albergue before we went out to eat dinner in one of the restaurants in the town that had a menu del peregrino. As mentioned, it was really nice to meet Jon and Christoph again. Unfortunately, Christoph was running out of available time, so he had concocted up an ambitious plan for the remains of his walk and would haste on tomorrow, going further than we had planned to do. It got dark while we were eating.

Dinner in Carrion de Los Condes, Jon, Martina, a German pilgrim I cannot remember the name of, Torsten, Alessandra and Christoph.

While the others were ready for the dormitory and the bunk beds after dinner, Torsten and I was actually ready for a couple of beers more. We found a local bar not far from the albergue and sneaked back in to the albergue just before closing time. The curfews and bedtimes imposed on the pilgrims down here never stopped amusing me.

A nice enough day on the Camino and meseta, but not of the most thrilling. It was then nice that a pleasant surprise came when I least suspected it. Tomorrow 17km without anything awaits me again.

Evening in Carrion de Los Condes, an enlightened pilgrim statue.

<- Boadilla del CaminoTerradillos de Los Templarios ->

Camino Francés // day 15 // Hontanas - Boadilla del Camino

Camino Frances day 15.
Distance: 28.4km (346.9km).
Altitude (start / end / highest): 874m / 783m / 900m.
Weather: More blue sky and frying sun.

Second day on the meseta and it continued offering a dry landscape and scorching heat, but it was chilly in the morning. And dark. I had difficulties finding the way from Hontanas in the darkness. Uncertain a long way before I saw a headlamp in the dark and shortly after, the good feeling of seeing a yellow arrow again. Before that, I could hear voices in the darkness around me, from which I could interpret that I was not alone being uncertain of where the route was going.

San Anton, the feeling of being haunted was the one surrounding me when the ruins appeared.

Beneath the absence of light, I also walked past the first of the ruins of the day, an old mill. Not far away, a ghost village lay hidden by the darkness, San Miguel. If the more famous beer brand had come from that village, it would have been far more special.

Arco de San Anton.

There were few if any who had prepared me for the meeting with Convento de San Anton, they knocked the breath out of me. And the sky itself had barely become bright when I arrived at the unprecedented ruins. A flock of black birds took to their wings screaming above me and the ruins, when I walked beneath the Arco de San Anton, the remains of the archway to the monastery. Never before on the Camino have I had this sensation of being transferred back in time, or the feeling of walking in a haunted place. I wonder how the monastery looked like at the time when it was in use.

The road to Castrojeriz, the village situated below the ruins of the Castillo de Castrojeriz.

At the ruins, there is also a pilgrim's albergue, with no electricity and with a communal dinner, but it is only open in the summer. The thought of staying the night here. The monastery was run by the Antonine order, whose symbol is the cross that looks like a T (Tau). Later, this cross has more and more became known as the Cruz del Peregrino, the pilgrims cross, and is apparent on several places on the Camino. There were whispering sounds in the wind when I left the monastery.

Colegiata de La Virgen del Manzano, the church at the entrance of Castrojeriz. The cross on the wall is in reality a pole with lights used to illuminate the church in the evening.

History repeats itself and on the flat stretch on the road to Castrojeriz, I was greeted by the sight of the ruins of the castle above the village. There and then, I know that I had to go up there, just like with the castle above Villamayor de Monjardin. Castrojeriz itself seemed like a very pleasant stopover for pilgrims. I found the way up towards the ruins and left my backpack behind a short distance up into it.

The ruins of the castle above Castrojeriz.

Unlike aforementioned Castillo de San Esteban, these ruins are fully accessible. And it is possible to climb around on them, in some areas handrails has been erected for safety reasons. From so high up I managed to get, I could enjoy the view of the meseta in several directions. I could ascertain that it was dry around me. And flat. I could see the road to Castrojeriz as a straight line towards the hollow with Hontanas and the ruins of San Anton in. The horizon is also a straight line. Pity the pilgrims that does not choose to go up to the castle.

View from the Castillo de Castrojeriz with the village below. If you follows the road, where the Camino goes, you come to the hollow where San Anton is with Hontanas further up.

After Castrojeriz, the steepest ascent of the day awaits, up towards Alto de Mostelares. The way up cuts a clear line through the dry scenery. And on the top, the view is as on the top of the ruins above Castrojeriz, only that you look at them in addition. A rest area offer well needed shade for the pilgrims, who has been gathering before continuing further, both known and unknown faces. 12% is inclination of the way down to Castrojeriz, 18% on the other side down towards Itero de la Vega.

Alto de Mostelares, you cannot fail to pick the correct way up.

More of the dusty scenery, but then a river broke the dryness, Rio Pisuerga that we crossed on the bridge Puente de Itero. I had a longer break in Itero de la Vega, where lunch and refill of water was necessary, with 8 kilometres to the next place and albergue in Boadilla del Camino. Just to look at the landscape here, makes you dry in the mouth.

View from Alto de Mostelares. The hilltop with the ruins above Castrojeriz in the middle of the picture.

In Boadilla del Camino is the albergue that is my goal of the day and an albergue I was a little bit desperate to get a place in, Albergue En El Camino. After the long and dry, but great, walk; coming to a place with a swimming pool was a blessing. This was the best albergue I have stayed on so far.

Tierra de Campos that you walk between before Boadilla del Camino.

Here you do not sleep in typical dormitories, but in pleasant rooms. Inside the walls of the albergue there is a nice garden containing several peculiar statues, and of course, mentioned pool. A fantastic place. In the afternoon, I sat with my feet in the water with a cold cerveza con limon in my hand, Arroyo San Bool forgotten after this. Torsten and Alessandra also came to the albergue; we did not see each other during the walk. The dinner in the restaurant at the place was also very good.

Albergue En El Camino in Boadilla del Camino.

The meseta may be flat, though there were some ascents on the route today, but contains more than enough highlights to weigh up for that. Yet another great day on the Camino that finished with a perfect stay in Boadilla.

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