Itero de la Vega to Frómista

After a decent night’s sleep, left the albergue a little before 8, to walk through the quiet sleepy village of Itero de la Vega. Before I was halfway through the village I bumped into 2 Californian (and part Mexican) friends from the San Anton convent.

After catching up, we agreed to start walking together, although my friends were keen to say that I should only walk with them if they weren’t too slow. As it turned out, their pace was just right for me and so we enjoyed each others’ company, sharing our stories and experiences on the Camino and elsewhere as we walked together until Frómista, which was lovely.

Although still part of the Meseta, Palencia is watered by various canals and linked irrigation channels, and so is much greener than the earlier part of the Meseta.

Our first stop, for breakfast, was at Boadilla del Camino, another small village some 9km from Itero.

Once refreshed we set out for the relatively short stretch to Frómista. A couple of kilometres before the town, the path joined the towpath of the Canal de Castilla, a 18th & 19th century waterway intended to transport corn from this area (and further south) to Santander on the north coast. Not unlike the British canals, this ideal was overtaken by the advent of the railways. Just on the edge of town, we came upon the location of a staircase of 4 locks (although only the top gates remained in place).

Frómista is a little bigger than most of the villages since Burgos with bus and rail connections, and more than a dozen albergues or hotels.

I was initially thinking of continuing past Frómista to the next village but I learnt that one albergue there is currently closed and the other was already full. So I’ve called it a day here, even though today’s distance has only been just under 18 km, and I was here by about 12.30.

After getting some lunch, I thought I’d try the municipal albergue here, and in fact I arrived before it opened. I left my rucksack in the virtual queue outside and went in search of a supermarket to buy some more lemons (for my water bladder) and some other fruit. By the time I returned, the albergue was opening and I was in the first half dozen to enter.

Having showered and done my laundry (washing today’s walking clothes is a daily task), I’ve found a table at a bar in the shade to enjoy a cold Radler beer - effectively a lager shandy with cloudy lemonade, but it’s a popular drink here, and often available on tap.

One of the main attractions here is San Martin’s church, said to be one of the best solely Romanesque churches in Spain. It’s currently closed but I’ll visit when it re-opens later this afternoon. I’ve also seen signs for a concert this evening in one of the other churches in town, which sounds worth investigating.Read more