Day 11 Hornillos to Castrojeriz

Day 11 Hornillos del camino to Castojeriz 22 Km

At 6 am, my weary feet reluctantly started walking today’s route of 22 km.
On several occasions, during the night, a pain in my right foot had disturbed my sleep. I applied a cool compress and hoped and prayed it would calm down before the morning.

It’s at these times you have to be focused and determined - bombard your mind with positive thoughts and the reasons why you are on this journey.

Reflection and gratitude to those who support and guide me are the diet of the day.

This part of the Pilgrim Walk takes you into the deepest and most authentic landscape of Castilla.

Between Hornillos del Camino and Castrojeriz, it was endless flat paths meandering through corn fields and not one tree in sight.

Taking the time to pause and look in the metaphoric rearview mirror, I identified the similarity of the path to success in my past and now on my journey along the Pilgrim Walk.
The winding roads with bumps, potholes and barriers have to be addressed and conquered in order to succeed.
One day at a time.

Suddenly, I came across the Monastery of San Anton’, now converted into a private hostel, having previously been the Palace of King Pedro I of Castile.
In the Middle Ages, under the arches of the old church, parishioners performed the ‘cure of the fire of San Anton’, a widespread food disease.

Arriving in Castrojeriz, I was stunned to see the magnificent Collegiate Church of Santa María del Manzano, one of the best examples of the transition from Romanesque to Gothic.

Following my ritual of salt soaks and Epsom salt soaks, I gained the courage to walk to the ancient castle of Castrojeriz, where it is said Queen Leonor of Castile was assassinated by order of Pedro I.
The views were stunning and because of the angle of light that day, the distant cereal fields adopted the appearance of a vast ocean.Read more