And so begins the Meseta.

A crisp and cool morning with a ground frost. Heading out this morning, the air was confronting. (And boy did it trigger my cough!) 3 degrees, with a cool wind. Still out in shorts though! The plan was a 5 ish mile walk to get breakfast, and a much needed cup of coffee. The camino knows no plans.... the first town everything was closed. Great I think, the next one is only a couple of miles....oops that was just a view point. In the end, it was 11.5 miles to get coffee and breakfast.

Once again, the Camino makes you question what you really need. Anyone who knows me well knows I am a bit of a caffeine addict, and the thought of heading out without coffee or without breakfast is something I would never have imagined possible.

Needless to say, it was the most welcomed coffee ever... so much so that I simply ordered two.

The scenery was simply breathtaking. The Plains, the hills, the changing colours and the low cloud. I can only imagine how stunning and beautiful it must be in the spring.

The Meseta is a section of the Camino de Santiago that stretches from Burgos to Leon. It's known for its large flat expanses of dry fields and is considered by some to be the worst section of the Camino. Yet it was the past I was truly looking forward to. Mind it goes on for at least a week of walking. For me it worked its magic. There is the extreme ability to be lost in your thoughts undisturbed. For some that is not what they want. For me today it had given me greater clarity on some stuff

I love the landscape. I loved walking in the cool air. I loved the cloud floating so low that I was walking amongst it. I loved the solitude.

Tonight I am staying in a building that is over 500 years old! The couple who run it are lovely, and there are only 5 of us here. Patricia from France whom I have met several times. She is lovely. Emmanuel and his wife Galli from Israel who I have known since my first night on the Camino. Lastly an American from Pennsylvania Tomas.

This albergue will shut its doors tonight until next season-a week early. There are some that are year around, and some that only open durng the peak seasons. This year more and more have closed early. What seems insanely crazy is that Karlin and Eric are a day behind me, and again tonight saw people turned away as there weren't enough beds. In part, it is the bottleneck of people who stopped extra time in Burgos, but the bigger issue is all the guide books suggest the same stages, which means everyone in effect stops together. I tend to walk longer days, and am happily staying off stage meaning there are many empty beds in the towns I'm stopping in.

However I have had to rethink my next few days. I was due to walk further tomorrow, but my destination town had only one Albergue with 18 beds. If they are closed or full then it's a further 7 miles. The stops on the Meseta are sparse. So I now have some crazy short days on Monday and Tuesday of 10 and 12 miles as a 22 mile day is too great.

Physically I'm feeling good still. Knee is painful. I have one small blister to my heel from soggy socks. But, my feet simply feel bruised from all the road and bitumen of the last few days. Hopefully the terrain tomorrow is a little kinder.
Today I feel lighter. Today my smile is broad and my heart is full of music. Loving my Camino.

Forecast tomorrow? Maximum 10 degrees and heavy rain until lunchtime....

Steps today 43622
Miles today 21.2
Total miles 298.69Read more