Now at Belorado

A very good walk through undulating countryside....it was just over 23 kms. The usual cloud cover and cool weather to start - we set off at 8.15 - but the clouds burnt off and it was sunny from 10.45, so we got fairly hot, but there was a little breeze, and we are not overwhelmed!! And we went through such picturesque areas....to my delight we have finally found sunflowers! Fields and fields of them, now half dead and droopy but still with a gold look. I don’t know what happened to the ones I was expecting earlier - either they had an early harvest, or they don’t do them there any more.

And today we walked out of the Rioja and into Castilla y León! Progress! No more vineyards - or the occasional one, but not everywhere as they were in the Rioja. Now there are fields of wheat stubble, and fields of stubble cut and lying in rows ready to be made into bales of hay, enormous haystacks and quite a lot of ploughing going on. Very rural and peaceful.

The end of our walk into Belorado was in a separate path but alongside the busy N-120 which we see near us from time to time most of the way to Santiago. But apart from the noise of trucks and cars, we were surrounded with the beautiful rural panorama. Trucks and cars quite often tooted to us, or yelled out “buen Camino” and we’d wave our sticks.

We’ve met many people...a group from Malaysia - a Catholic priest and 5 followers, the Canadian sisters, a father and daughter from Cronulla way, a man from Melbourne, several Irish, Americans, a woman from Gold Coast who is a yoga teacher. Germans, Swedes, Japanese....and probably more that I’ve forgotten now. And so many people are doing it multiple times...we find ourselves saying “this is just our second time!” But of course many first timers too, the majority. And, maybe it’s this time of year, but most people would be in 50s or 60s I think. And quite a few in 70s I would guess. Anyway, lots of fun and lots of variety.

I think I will on principle publish my words first each day, then experiment with photos as they seem to be the stumbling block when wifi is weak. Also, tomorrow we stay at San Juan de Ortega which is a tiny place - just a plaza, church, hostel and hotel...and no wifi. So tomorrow’s report will be published when we get to Burgos on Sunday. The next 2 walks will be the longest, we think, of the whole trip...but we are now in the swing of it and will be fine. We just go at a comfortable even pace, and have breaks if we want...but mainly steadily walk on!Read more