Orbaneja del Castillo to Polientes

For today’s walk, I had to decide whether to take a route that would go to two rock hermitages, one probably carved in the 7th C, and one in the 10th, or whether to take a detour that would take me up to a high point in the area. Since I hadn’t been able to visit the rock ermita yesterday, I decided to go for less elevation and more cultural interest. https://www.lasmerindades.com/es/patrimonio-rec….

That was a terrific decision. I was totally unprepared for how amazing these two places were. I have been in a number of rock hermitages, usually a little praying nook carved into stone with openings on the sides. These were two stories, with arches going all the way up from floor to the top, several separate spaces on each floor, and one had what must have been an altar. The 10th C one even had a horseshoe arch!

They both looked solidly closed, but on further inspection I was able to get inside both of them. In spite of the padlocked gate on the first one, climbing up the dodgy ladder on the right gave access to the stairs that came up from the first floor. And at the second one, the padlock was open!

I was glad I had nothing to rush for, and I found myself sitting inside these two places and reflecting on the kinds of things that spots like these elicit. But I did eventually move on.

There is an absolutely beautiful church along this route, San Martín de Elines. It’s a colegiata, which means it’s more important than a “regular church.”
https://www.culturadecantabria.es/listado-patri…

I had been unable to get any information about visiting hours, but I left very early this morning so that I would be sure to get there before typical closing times if in fact it were open. No such luck. It was closed tight with no indication of phone number or opening hours. I was bummed.

Beautiful windows and apses, and many varied corbels— animals, fantastic figures, a few humans. Oh I would have loved to get inside. I am now 0 for 3 when it comes to the standout Romanesque churches on this route. But the exterior was beautiful itself, and I was still thinking about those rock hermitages (and I decided they should be called rock cathedrals), so I couldn’t get too upset.

The last 8 km were pretty much of a slog, on the side of sunny but untraveled road. I’m in a cute place in the pretty unremarkable town of Polientes. But the kids are in the plaza and having fun.

I have two more days of walking, but that’s only because I can no longer walk a 43 km day. I don’t think either day will be particularly special, walking towards the finish line in Aguilar de Campóo on Sunday.Read more