Day 8: Estella

We hiked 25 beautiful kilometers between our lodging in Obanos and our hostal in Estella, with a few very steep inclines along the way.

Obanos and Puente de la Reina were glowing in the early morning light.

Between the towns, we saw a farmer irrigating his crops, and a blue tractor rolling down the road. Red peppers, green tomatoes, and leafy greens were visible along El Camino, giving way to plots of grape vines and olive orchards as the day wore on.

Fields with hues of brown and gold are becoming prevalent as we move south and west.

After Puente de la Reina, the path became quite steep leading up to Mańeru.

It didn’t take long to traverse Mańeru itself, and we could soon see Cirauqui beckoning from its hill. We arrived at that village with a group of Spanish women we’d met at our albergue in Pamplona. They are on their sixth annual weeklong walk on the Camino, and they are a fun, boisterous group. They put on an impromptu 15-minute song and dance fest in front of a Cirauqui cafe before we continued on toward Lorca. Along the way, we sampled fresh fruit from a donativo stand before losing track of our Spanish ladies.

Lunch was a quick bocadillo and a slice of tortilla in Lorca, with about 9 kilometers to go to reach tonight’s lodging in Estella.

By the time we arrived, our feet were protesting! Tomorrow we’ll walk 19 kilometers to Los Arcos.Read more