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Almería to Santiago
  • Norman Graham
mag – lug 2024

Almería to Santiago

Stravagin in the land of barking dogs. Leggi altro
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  • Norman GrahamAlmería to SantiagoNorman Graham

    Alcaracejos to Hinojosa del Duque

    26 maggio 2024, Spagna ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    It was so hot last night that I slept on top of the bed sheet rather than my sleeping bag, i woke about an hour before my alarm was due to go off, so Iay in bed and prayed a bit and thought about the walk today.

    My blisters had been very sore yesterday, the rough terrain had not helped, especially the final 4km. Fortunately, there are no new blisters, and I am hopeful that they will heal quickly as we have some longer walks coming up in the next few days. I am also running out of painkillers so I hope we reach a town with a pharmacy soon, unlike supermarkets in the UK, the ones here don't seem to sell them.

    We were low on water but would be walking through a couple of small towns today, one at 3km and one at 9km, so we hoped to get water at the bar in the first town and breakfast at the second one. At least that was the plan. The bar in the second town was closed because it was sunday. Still, it was a very pleasant walk, it was fairly level on dirt paths that undulated like a rough sea. On the downside, there was very little shade and nowhere to sit, not even so much as a rock.

    Just outside of Hinojosa we arrived at an ermita and there were seats, so we took our packs off and sat down for a 10 minute break. The final few kilometers are always difficult, by the time you get to that point, you can be quite tired and although you can often see the town, it feels like it is taking forever to get there. However, when we finally got there, the bar was open and they had coffee and tostada! The square we were in had three or four cafes all spread around the church.

    The keys for the albergue were to be collected from the police station, which we had trouble finding even though we knew it was in the square somewhere. A lady who was passing by, seeing that we were pilgrims looking lost, she guessed our dilemma and pointed us to the police station door.

    Tomorrows walk is 32 kilometres on a long hot stretch, apparently a lot of pilgrims get a taxi to a certain point and walk the rest, so we decided to do that, it would help give the blisters a little bit of a rest. We arranged for a taxi to collect us from the square at 0800, (he arrived at 0730, fortunately we had been up for ages and had gone to a cafe in the square for breakfast anyway).

    We had a fairly mediocre dinner in one of the cafe/bars, i had hoped to go into the cathedral but it was closed. So as I couldn't go in to light a candle, i stood on the steps to pray. We went back to the albergue, and had an early night.    Leggi altro

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  • Norman GrahamAlmería to SantiagoNorman Graham

    Hinojosa del Duque to Monterrubio de la

    27 maggio 2024, Spagna ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    We had a good night's sleep in the albergue, the only other occupant was a police officer who was going on duty at 11pm. On this camino you have to book a lot of the accommodations, and if you are staying on a Saturday or Sunday you have to let them know by 3pm on the Friday. When we called to book this albergue the lady taking the booking volunteered to book a taxi for us, so we said yes. The fact that we were getting a taxi for the first section of today's stage meant not only that my blisters would get a rest, but we would also be able to have breakfast. We normally just have a piece of fruit or a magdalena cake with some water, so it was a real treat to have coffee and tostada. At 0730 a taxi pulled up right at our table in the square and sure enough it was for us, so we downed our coffee and set off. Twenty minutes later we were being dropped off in the middle of nowhere, but the taxi driver pointed us in the right direction and we set off.

    There was a lack of yellow arrows or any camino signage so we were glad to have the camino app plotting our position, you would not want to get lost out here, especially in this heat.

    The walk was initially on a good hard-packed earthen track, we almost got lost when we lost the GPS signal but managed to find the right track. It took us up towards a disused railway building, (the track was clearly still in use as it was very well maintained). Ken was quite excited to have his picture take there as the building features in some of the Mozárabe guidebooks. So, after posing for some snaps, we set off once more. Almost immediately, the path became less clear but seemed to take us along the edge of a field that turned out to be difficult to get out of. We followed the GPS and found ourselves confronted by a fence, but we followed the fence a bit further and there was a gap in it that we were able to get through that took us up onto a gravel road, very typical for rural Spain. So far it had been an enjoyable walk, even Ken's jokes seemed reasonably funny, but then we arrived at a proper tarmac road.

    The road was very long and straight, there was no shade and it seemed to go on forever, as it turned out the section on the road was 7km long. The more I walked on the tarmac, the more painful my feet became, the blisters were stinging with every step. The town did not seem to be getting any closer no matter how far we walked, and then as is so often the case on the camino, suddenly, we were there. I was greatly relieved to be able to sit down in a cafe with a cold drink, followed by a coffee.

    We were both tired and stayed in the cafe for a while before setting off for the albergue, which, according to the GPS map was on the far side of town. On the way we passed the Town Hall and I suggested to Ken that we should go there first, as I thought that's where we had to register. It turned out to be the right choice as that was indeed where we registered and got the key for the albergue. Once we had completed all the formalities the girl in the office walked us round to the albergue and showed us where everything was and gave us our instructions as to what to do with the key in the morning. We were the first to register and so got the choice of beds - we chose the only two beds that were downstairs, near the kitchen and far enough away from the toilets to be convenient but not be annoyed by people going in the middle of the night. It meant we also got our washing done in the machine and hung out to dry before anyone else arrived.

    We had a twenty minute walk back into the area of town where the cafe bars were, the Casa Victor had been recommended as a good place for an evening meal. when we got there it was closed for the day and according to the very grumpy and unfriendly cleaner it was the only restaurant in town. So, we headed back towards the albergue, and noticed a bar so decided to go for a drink, Ken asked if they did meals, the barmaid said they did but that the kitchen wouldn't be open for another hour, so rather than walk back to the albergue , we ordered coffee and waited at one of the tables outside. It did not take long for all the other tables to fill up, I guess the competition was closed. It turned out that the meal was excellent, and well worth the wait. The only problem now was that it was late (after 9pm) and were had to be up early in the morning. So after dinner we hurried back to the albergue and got our bags packed for the morning, I had a clean disposable sheet on my bed so I opened up my sleeping bag and used it as a duvet, and that worked very well. I don't like being in a sleeping bag, I always feel hemmed in.

    I listened to Electio 365 and thought about the walk tomorrow. I had gone to the health centre around the corner from the albergue, I was sure that one of my blisters was infected, and they said I needed to take a couple of days off the camino. Ken wasn't too keen on that and to be honest it's not that easy, you can only stay in an albergue for one night. So, I had a look at the guidebook, and tomorrow's stage is only 18km and graded as not difficult. The day after will be 28km on difficult terrain. So I thought i would compromise and walk tomorrow and see how I got on, if I do have to get a bus it would be better to do it on the longer, more difficult stage.    Leggi altro

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  • Norman GrahamAlmería to SantiagoNorman Graham

    Monterrubio de la serena to Castuera

    28 maggio 2024, Spagna ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    We had a good night's sleep and got up at 0630, Ken very kindly put compeed dressings on my blisters as I couldn't reach them very easily. The walk was very much as advertised in the guidebook, although there were three very long but shallow inclines. The walk passed quickly and I was surprised at how easy it was - my feet were sore at first but eased off for most of the walk, only becoming painful again for the last few km.

    The walk was uneventful and more of a dull plod rather than an exciting or varied journey, but I was glad to arrive in the town. we went to a cafe for some refreshments, and then registered at the police station, got the key for the albergue and headed off there.

    It was a very nice, modern and spacious albergue with good showers, but no washing machine. I decided that I would take the bus tomorrow, it was much longer walk and my feet were very sore. I understood th eissue, after all we were on a hike not a bus trip, and there is always the danger that once you start getting a bus or taxi, it gets easier to keep doing that, defeating the purpose of the camino. I didn't want to go down that route any more than Ken, but my feet were very sore, and I needed a rest. However, you can't stay more than one night in an albergue.

    So, using Google Maps, we went out for a walk to find the bus station, it was at a dead end with a turning circle for cars, it was very hot and the Dia store nearby was closed and so there was no one around, the streets were empty. We found the bus station but it was closed, and we couldn't see a timetable posted anywhere. Just then a car pulled up (remember this was a dead end road) and the driver got out and asked if we needed help. We xplained that we were trying to find the time of the bus to Campanario tomorrow morning, and he told us right away that there was one at 0700, 0910, and 1330. Once he was sure that we understood, he got back in his car and drove off. It was for me a little camino miracle, and perhaps confirmation that we were making the right choice.    Leggi altro

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  • Norman GrahamAlmería to SantiagoNorman Graham

    Castuera to Campanario

    29 maggio 2024, Spagna ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    As we were getting the bus today, i turned my alarm off, we had agreed that we would have a long lie in bed until Ken's alarm went off at 0700 - had had set it to that time at the start of our camino and couldn't remember how to unset it. Of course, it was all a waste of time anyway because he couldn't hear his alarm anyway. True to form he never heard his alarm today.

    We got up and had a light breakfast and returned the keys to the police station before heading off to the bus station in town. The cafe in the station was open and so we sat for a while and had the treat of a proper morning coffee.

    People started to arrive for the bus, and before long it was time to go, the journey of 20km cost €1.80, yet in Scotland, a bus journey of about 1 mile to the supermarket costs over £3, it was another reminder of how rubbish and expensive public transport in Scotland is, and the bus was air-contidioned and immaculately clean.

    The journey didn't take long and we arrived while the cafe's were still serving breakfast, but way too early to register in the albergue, so we went to the Plaza Espãna and had second breakfast, hobbit -like. We waited until 11am before going to the town hall to register for the albergue, they told us that the albergue was open and that if we made our way to it, someone would meet us there.

    The albergue was just over 1km away, someone let us in and said they would be back at 5pm to register us and take our money, it was as described on the Gronze.com website as basic. We chose our beds and turned the mattresses over, but the underside wasn't any cleaner than the topside. The toilet/showers were not great, the shower was like an army barracks shower from the 1940s and the toilet was missing the button for the flush mechanism. Not great.

    Just along the road there was a cafe, that seemed quite popular and so we went there, for lunch. the proprietor was a jolly guy who was absolutely delighted that to meet someone from Scotland, his favourite movie was Braveheart. I ordered tostada and he asked what I would like on it, and I, jokingly said that I would love bacon but would settle for butter and jam. A short time later, he brought out a plate of tostada with bacon and cheese on it, and it was amazing. we took our time, ordering beers and coffee, and phoned the hostal we would be staying in tomorrow to book our room.

    we also chatted about the albergue, it had south-facing windows high up on the vaulted ceiling, and the room was already like a furnace by late afternoon, it was already in the 30s, and there were no windows we could open. Given that and the very basic standard of the accommodation, we decided to leave and see if we could get a room in the hostal we had passed further up the road. It turned out to be owned by the guy who owned the cafe where we had breakfast. The room was small and basic, but we each had a proper bed with clean sheets, and a decent bathroom along the hall, it cost us each €13 more than the albergue but it was well worth it.

    I am still concerned about my blisters, they are a lot more painful than they should be. we have a rest day planned for tomorrow, as we will once more be getting the bus, as the nurse had told me to take two days off the camino. The hostal we were going to stay in had its own restaurant, so we can go there reasonably early and not walk about looking for a cafe. Apparently, the bus stop is the same one that we got off at this morning.

    We settled down for a good night's rest in our clean beds.    Leggi altro

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  • Norman GrahamAlmería to SantiagoNorman Graham

    Campanario to Don Benito

    30 maggio 2024, Spagna ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    We were up in plenty of time this morning, the bus wasn't coming until 0925, i had slept quite well considering how hot it had been yesterday. We had the air con on most of the night, I woke up at 0200 feeling cold, and turned it off for a while.

    Once we were up, and packed, we heading into the town, and whilst we waited for the bus the cafe owner stamped our credentials. The bus was right on time and it had two short stops along the way, it took about 40 minutes to arrive in Don Benito. It was full of people obviously heading into work and school/college.

    Our first priority was to get some breakfast, and there was a big cafe across teh road from the bus station so we headed there. we were in no hurry and took our time having breakfast. It was a 15 minute walk to the hostal, and my feet were feeling a lot better. I was hopeful that the rest from walking had done some good, getting buses is not ideal, but sometimes it can't be avoided. It is a very long walk from Almería to Santiago and a lot can happen on the way.

    Our room wasn't ready and so we sat and had some cold drinks, the Hostal Galacia was very nice, the food looked good and we were pleased with our choice of accommodation. The room was functional rather than luxurious, but it was clean, and we had clean sheets, towels and air conditioning. The shower was good, and we managed to get a few small bits of washing done and dried on the small balcony using some paracord as a washline.

    Dinner was excellent, much better than the standard camino fare, I had steak with egg and chips, almost a proper scottish dinner. We asked the owner about getting to Medellín, for the next stage was a bit tricky. The guidebook (and the camino forum) warned about two accident blackspots where pilgrims had to walk on a very busy road with no verge, some pilgrims had been injured, and the road was referred to as the road from hell. The local camino association recommended getting a bus for the first 9km to avoid black spot number one, and then using a variant route across country to avoid the other. The variant route took us past our planned destination - Torrefresneda, but brought us closer to Merída, but it was also 5km shorter. The problem was that we didn't have a map for the variant route , although I had read a newspaper article that said the friends of the camino had gone out during covid and put waymarkers in. The advice was to check with the locals first, so we did.

    The owner of the hostal was adamant that we should turn our plan upside down and walk to Medellín, he reckoned if we left early enough the traffic should not be too bad. from Medellín it was a pleasant enough walk to the next town, Yelbes, although a good bit of it was on a road, there was a verge and it was a quiet country road. From there, he suggested that we get a taxi from there as the section after that was an accident blackspot. He also said it was far too dangerous in the current heatwave to try and walk the variant route. On the camino as on any hike, local knowledge is important and advice should not be ignored, so we decided without much debate to take his advice. As we were getting a taxi we decided to go past Torrefresneda anyway to San Pedro de Merída, that would give us an relatively short, and mostly downhill walk on what would be our last day together on the camino.

    With that agreed, it was time for bed.    Leggi altro

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  • Norman GrahamAlmería to SantiagoNorman Graham

    Don Benito to San Pedro de Merida

    31 maggio 2024, Spagna ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

    After a good night's sleep we left the hostal at 0600, it was 18° and by 10am it was 27°, we found our way out of town without too much bother. I used the Gronze app rather than the yellow arrows, they seemed to want us to go on a longer route through the town. Once we were off the tarmac we got onto a wide flat sandy/gravel path that went in almost a straight line all the way to Medellín. In the distance we could see what looked like a castle on a hilltop. With every step it got closer and larger on the horizon.

    When we reached the town we stopped at the first cafe we saw and had an excellent breakfast of our standard coffee and tostada. since we planned to get a taxi from Yelbes we had a leisurely stroll through the town and had a look around. It turns out that Medellín is the birthplace of the conquistador Hernán Cortés, and there is a very beautiful square dedicated to him. Of course to the Spanish he is a hero of their past, he brought colonial glory and great wealth to Spain, leading the first phase of the Spanish colonisation of the Americas, principally in what is now Mexico, which saw the collapse of the Aztec empire. He is less revered among the indigenous people who died in their millions by violence and diseases common in europe but for which they had no immunity. The plaza in his honour is very beautiful but it is a lie that masks the horrors he visited on indigenous people in his lust for power, glory and wealth.

    On the way out of town we crossed the lovely Felipe IV bridge and the beautiful gardens around it, but not before we stopped at the cafe for more refreshments - camino rules: never pass a cafe.

    After crossing the bridge, we found ourselves on a tarmac road, which, as the owner of the Hostal Galicia had said, had very little traffic. It also went in virtually a straight line to the town of Yelbes just over 6km away. It was more a village than a town but very beautiful, and there was a cafe/bar open, so we went in for some lunch, which was quite good, a sandwich with grilled pork, cheese and bacon, and the barman phoned for a taxi for us, and it arrived 10 minutes later. The driver was a soldier who taxied when he was off duty, it seems that many people in Spain have two or more jobs. He had absolutely amazing tattoos on his arms of intricate Japanese scenes, and he spoke good English, which is very unusual for this part of Spain. Within 20 minutes we were checking into the hostal in San Pedro de Merída. It was basically the last truck stop before Merída, and seemed to be quite a popular spot. The room was modern and nice, with a good toilet/shower room, and the shower was great. As is often the case in hostals, we couldn't get any washing done, but tomorrow we would be in Merída and knew that the albergue had a washing machine and a drying line outside.

    The hostal had a big restaurant and it was really very busy, but the service was quite prompt and the food was very good, but despite the short taxi ride, it had been a long day, and the walk had been quite tiring in the heat so we were glad to get to bed.

    I was not looking forward to tomorrow, for it would be our last day on the camino together. Ken is my best friend, and without him I would never have discovered the camino in the first place, but Merída is his last stop. We had planned to finally do a full camino together, all the way to Santiago, but he has to go home. I have really enjoyed his company on this camino, and I hope that we get the chance to do another one together in the future.    Leggi altro

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  • Norman GrahamAlmería to SantiagoNorman Graham
    2

    San Pedro de Merída to Merída

    1 giugno 2024, Spagna ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    We had a quick coffee at the bar which opened very early for the truckers and sales reps, and when we left we found the camino path, it was flat and easy walking. The first section was on an old road that was probably the main road to Merída before the multi-lane motorway was built, in fact they ran parallel to one another. After a slight ascent we were walking downhill all the way to the small town of Trujillanos, about 7km from San Pedro. Although it was a small town, it had a cafe/bar that was open, so we sat down in the shade for 30 minutes and enjoyed coffee and tostada

    Just on the outskirts of the town we crossed a road junction and turned off the road onto a dirt path, it was reasonably wide and flat, we would stay on this path until we reached the outskirts of the city. I had to stop at one point and check my feet which were getting quite sore, but on the camino you can only go forward, so it was a brief stop and we carried on. Overall it had been a nice walk, and before we knew it we had arrived on the outskirts of the city of Merída as the dirt path suddenly came to an end and we stepped onto the tarmac. It was a long walk of several km to the albergue, but we were able to stop for coffee and replenish supplies for my first aid kit at a pharmacy. Although I had been to Merida twice before, it was the first time I had come in from this direction and so our walk was a bit more leisurely as we took in the sights. The city centre was crowded with pedestrians, it felt strange to be in a crowd having become accustomed to the solitude of the camino and small villages and towns.

    I think we were the first to arrive in the albergue that day but that was good because we got first dibs on the showers, the washing machine and drying line. Apart from the washing machine which was a new addition, the albergue was exactly as I remembered it, unchanged as Bilbo would say. It is not the worst albergue I have ever stayed in but not the best either. Another new addition was two large floor standing fans, which we left switched on all night. The last time I stayed here the heat through the night was unbelievable.

    Once we had done all our daily camino tasks, we went out for a drink at a very posh bar near the albergue. I had promised Ken an Italian dinner in a proper Italian restaurant for our last night together. We had spent four weeks and almost every day the menus had been the same, and I wanted to exorcise the memory of the terrible Italian dinner we had in Córdoba. The nearest proper Italian restaurant closed at 1630, so we went straight there and got a table right away. It looked like quite a posh place and was expensive by Spanish standards, but it was so worth it. The food was the best we had eaten on the camino thus far, I am so glad we did it.

    We went back to the albergue, and no doubt Ken was thinking about his departure to Sevilla in the morning. He was getting an early bus to Sevilla, and planned to stay in the pilgrims albergue and the next day get a flight back to Northern Ireland. I spent some time going over my route plan for the Via de la Plata, I was not looking forward to the morning, but I was tired and sleep beckoned.    Leggi altro

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  • Norman GrahamAlmería to SantiagoNorman Graham

    Merída to Aljucén

    2 giugno 2024, Scozia ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    It was a terrible night in the albergue, there were six pilgrims, in the dorm and even with the fans going all night it was stifling, at 2am it was still 30°, I don't know about anyone else but I certainly didn't sleep much. To be fair, my subconscious mind was probably on the go thinking about saying goodbye to Ken this morning.

    We were both awake long before my alarm vibrated on my wrist. We dressed quickly, and with no breakfast were out the door before 0630. We said our goodbyes and went in opposite directions. I didn't want to hang about because I remembered when I had to leave early in 2018 and how I felt that I had really let Ken down, and I guessed he might be feeling the same. It was also a very emotional moment for me, I didn't want to be crying in front of him.

    I set off in the darkness, almost immediately everything seemed very familiar, and I was soon outside the city, I remember the first time I walked this road it seemed to take forever and I found it really difficult. This time it was very easy, I covered the 7km on the via verde cycle path to Proserpina in no time at all, 10km and a few hours later, feeling energised rather than wrecked, I arrived in Aljucén. It was exactly as I remembered it, as it was Sunday I was slightly concerned that the cafe would be closed. It was a bit of a disaster last time I was here, as the owner, who had the key for the albergue, had gone away for the weekend. However, it was open, so I dumped my bag at a table in the courtyard and went in to register and get some coffee and tostada. I registered and paid for my night's stay in the albergue. The wife of the bar owner took me up to the albergue and showed me around. I was the first to arrive, so I got the choice of rooms, so I chose a small room with only two beds, it turned out to be a good choice.

    After my shower, I did my washing and got it hung up, then went to the store and bought some supplies including some alcohol free beer. I then went back to the bar for an early dinner and was pleasantly surprised to meet Japp and Helen, they had been staying at a posh place nearby, and were waiting for the bus to Cáceres, it was a genuine joy to meet them again.

    By the time I got back to the albergue there were six other pilgrims, three of them were cyclists from Devon in England, which is not a bad thing in itself, but one of them had taken my beer out the fridge and drank it. He was horrified and his friends did their best to make him feel worse. I of course said I had been looking forward all day to having it, and how devastated I was. There was an Italian guy who had the largest backpack I have ever seen, a German guy and a Belgian guy who lives in Germany. They were all very noisy.

    I had discovered that the albergue in Alcuéscar had closed unexpectedly, and that left me with few choices. According to the guidebook there is another place to say a few km from Alcuéscar, it is a truckstop, and the guidebook says it is a fleapit, and if you stay there (and it advises against it) you should under no circumstances drink the water. So that was a firm no from me. The next available albergue was in Aldea del Cano, a 35km walk from Aljucén, not only was I unsure if I could walk that distance, my blisters had not healed and one was definitely infected. the other alternative was to get a bus from Aljucén to Cáceres. I had checked the timetable in case it stopped at Aldea or Valdesalor but it was direct to Cáceres. I was not too keen on that idea but of the three it was the only viable option. So, that's what I planned to do.    Leggi altro

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  • Norman GrahamAlmería to SantiagoNorman Graham
    1

    Aljucen to Cáceres

    3 giugno 2024, Spagna ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    The three european pilgrims were very noisy getting up, the English guys (who were all in their late 60s were late in getting up, which is unusual on the camino, as most cyclist fumble about making a racket at 4am, usually because they have forgotten to pack their gear the night before.

    The bus to Cáceres was due at 0815 so I was in no hurry, and went down to the bar for breakfast, which was a nice treat. I am not happy about skipping a couple of stages but I don't have many options, I will just have to write it off as a rest day. The bus came on time, it was quite full and by the time we got to Cáceres I was feeling quite sick, I don't travel well in buses. I got off at the bus station, it was about 2 km to the Plaza Mayor but I actually remembered the way as the camino from Valdesalor passes near the bus station. I had booked a bed at the same albergue I had stayed in previously, but check in wasn't until 12 noon, so I went and had some coffee, and then went round to chance my luck and see if I could leave my backpack. The hospitalera checked me in and took my backpack and said the room would be available at 12, and I was ok with that, I could be a tourist without having to carry my backpack around.

    When I went back to the albergue, I found I was in a 3-bedded room, which was odd because I had booked a single room, and my Spanish isn't that bad, however, that was the room that was available, so I just go on with it. I had forgotten that the showers here weren't great, not the worst, but not great. When I went back to the room I found that there was another occupant, a spanish guy who spoke no English and was a smoker.

    I did some touristy things in the afternoon and lit a candle in the cathedral, I spent a fair bit of time there, I found it a very peaceful space. Even in bigger towns and cities, a lot of the cafe and restaurants close for a few hours in the late afternoon, so I left the cathedral and went for some dinner - patas bravas with cheese and bacon. It was delicious. Tomorrow I would be going to Cañaveral, it is a difficult stage due to accommodation problems. It is 10 km to Casa de Cáceres and you can stay there, however, it is another 35 km from there to Cañaveral because the alberge that is roughly halfway has been closed since before covid and there is no indication of it reopening. It is also a very difficult stage, there is no shade, and nowhere to get food or water. When I came two years ago, almost all the pilgrims got the bus, but it doesn't go through Casa de Cáceres, so it would mean going direct to Cañaveral from here, roughly 46 km.

    Once again I found myself contemplating getting a bus, it was not ideal, but the distance, the difficulty and the fact that my feet were still very painful, was pushing me in that direction.

    I spent some time in the evening replanning my route, and have worked out a route that will involve another bus but should get me into Santiago by 1st of July.

    My infected blister was looking better thanks to Babs' medical advice and a rest day in Cáceres, hopefully the next couple of days I will not be walking any significant distance and so it should improve further. Tomorrow I will get a mid-morning bus to Cañaveral, and have a 2nd rest day, I have booked a solo apartment in the albergue, it's a bit more expensive but having skipped a couple of albergues, its within the overall budget. At least I won't be arriving on a Sunday like last time, when everything was closed.    Leggi altro

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  • Norman GrahamAlmería to SantiagoNorman Graham

    Cáceres to Cañaveral

    4 giugno 2024, Spagna ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Today is an odd sort of day. I chose not to walk the 35+km distance with no shade etc. given the current heatwave in Spain, I didn't think that was a good idea. So I went in a comfortable air-conditioned bus and arrived midday. I had stayed at this albergue before, but found it busy and noisy and hard to sleep. So, I splashed the cash and spent 38€ on an apartment in the albergue. Yes, I said apartment. It was great. A small kitchen/living room/diner, with a bedroom on a mezzanine level, and a fabulous shower and toilet. It also had AirCon. It was worth every cent, and I regret nothing.

    I had sought guidance form a higher power about treating my blisters and so getting the bus to Cañaveral also gave me plenty of time and peace to follow the instructions for treating my infected blister, and plenty time to read, pray, and relax.

    Kelly's guidebook recommends the Restaurante Asador, and so I went there for dinner. It was very good.

    Apart from that, there's not much to say about Cañaveral. It's a typical small Spanish town, a few cafe bars, a couple of shops, and not a lot else. Nice place, though. The last time I was here was not a good experience, as it was a Sunday everything was closed, even the restaurants, and the albergue was full of noisy pilgrims. On another note, it cost €4.8 to go 45 km in a clean, air-conditioned bus that was also on time. Once again, travelling abroad, I realise how utterly rubbish our transport system at home is.    Leggi altro

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  • Norman GrahamAlmería to SantiagoNorman Graham

    Cañaveral to Carcaboso

    5 giugno 2024, Spagna ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    I had a lazy morning, in my luxurious apartment, and went out for breakfast, the bus wasn't due until 1140 so I had plenty of time. I decided to have a wander around Cañaveral, as I saw very little of it the last time I was here. To be honest there's not much to it, other than the fact that it is a nice little village with amazing views. It is very overcast today and a cool 18°. I had to get two busses one to Plasencia which seems to be a bus hub. and then one to Carcobosso. I was hoping that one more day off the camino would make a big difference to my feet.

    Carcaboso was just as dull and uninteresting as I remembered. The albergue is ok, it could do with some modernisation, but it is comfortable enough, and the owner is a friendly guy. I was the only pilgrim. Tomorrow is a long haul on a stage with accommodation difficulties, you have to go off the camino for 7km which you then have to walk back the next day, or else walk 38km to the next town. However, I discovered that if I went back to the bus hub in Plasencia I could get another bus part of the way thereby cutting the distance. Common sense prevailed over the desire to get back on the camino so that's what I planned to do. I had a chat with the hospitalero and he gave me the bus time. and pointed out the stop which was 20 metres from the albergue.

    When I was here two years ago I felt that Carcaboso was on its last legs but it seemed to have had some life injected into it, there was some development going on and a new supermarket had opened up.

    I went to the excellent and well recommended restaurant up the street and had a really good meal, it was slightly more expensive than the average menu del dia but really good. I met an elderly American, from Texas, and we shared a table. We had a good conversation and I was able to give him some advice about tomorrow's walk. He planned to walk to the Roman Arch and then get a taxi to Aldeanueva, he was doing the camino via a mixture of walking and getting taxis (despite the ease with which I managed to get buses, they often don't stop at the smaller towns and villages on the camino). I suggested to him that he might be better getting a taxi to the Arch, as it is quite a remote spot, and then he could walk the 18m to Aldeanueva from there on a fairly easy path. I also showed him how to use the Buen Camino App, he had downloaded it but couldn't work it out. He said he had done a comino before but he was older now and also finding the heat oppressive. By the time we had finished our meal, it was bedtime for me, so we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways - he was staying in the hotel that the restaurant was part of.    Leggi altro

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  • Norman GrahamAlmería to SantiagoNorman Graham

    Carcaboso to Baños de Montemayor

    6 giugno 2024, Spagna ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    I had a really good night's sleep, and my foot that had the infected blister was feeling a lot better, it seems to have sealed over. So, hopefully this will be my last bus journey on the camino, I am so ready for getting back on the path.

    The hospitalero arrived to make sure I got on the right bus (there were a lot of buses that morning, mostly taking kids to school), which I thought was really nice of him. I got to the bus hub in Plascencia within 15 minutes and was dismayed to find the same surly and very unfriendly person behind the counter, he had, I think deliberately, given me wrong information about the bus to Carcaboso yesterday, he did the same today. He had told me a time and platform, but when I checked the actual ticket, it gave a different time and platform. The ticket information was correct and the driver had a list of the valid tickets, Maybe the guy was just offended that I didn't speak fluent Spanish, or maybe he just wasn't a nice person, who knows.

    Having got the bus part of the way I didn't have too far to walk, and when I got to Baños I went looking for a private albergue that was listed in the guide book, but I couldn't find it. So, I went back to the turistico albergue I had stayed in before. It is fine, it is very clean and roomy, with proper beds and sheets, so I didn't need my sleeping bag. The toilets and showers are quite good, but there's no washing machine so you have to wash your gear by hand in a sink in the garden, but they have a drying line.

    Baños is a very pretty town, with Roman baths and a spa - not within my camino budget - and plenty of cafe bars and restaurants where you can get a decent meal. However, there are almost no shops, just a garage shop and a couple of very, very small shops selling the basics, it is quite difficult to get supplies.

    I managed to get some water, a bar of chocolate and a couple of magdalena cakes for tomorrow, and then went out for dinner, which was very good. I had been to Baños before, and pretty as it is I didn't really want to wander around so I headed back to the albergue and discovered that there was another customer in the same room as me, definitely not a camino pilgrim. his suitcase had been delivered earlier by one of those bag transport companies, he looked more like a businessman on a work trip. He was Spanish, and didn't engage in conversation. I went to bed and read for a while.

    Not for the first time I reflected on the difference between walking the camino on your own and walking with friends, I missed Ken's company, even his terrible jokes. I missed Meg and the other camino ladies, I wondered where they all were and what they were doing. I think for the first time on the camino, I felt very alone.    Leggi altro

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  • Norman GrahamAlmería to SantiagoNorman Graham

    Baños to Valverde Valdecasa

    7 giugno 2024, Spagna ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    I was up just before my alarm went off, and there was no point in staying any longer in the albergue than I had to. It had been incredibly hot through the night, the Spanish guy was near a window and he opened it wide but it made little difference. At one point in the night there was a torrential downpour of rain and that helped to cool things down a bit.

    As is my habit, I had packed my bag the night before so that I wouldn't be fussing about in the morning disturbing anyone (I'm not a cyclist!). It was still dark and I wasn't sure how long the batteries on my head torch would last so I waited until it was almost 0600 before setting off, I could just about see and no more. The walk on the camino out of Baños begins with a 2.9km uphill climb rising 200m over that distance. However, the path is paved like a Roman road and only a little bit overgrown, so it was easy to walk on and before I got to the top the sun was rising. It is a fairly straight and monotonous walk to Calzada but I was glad to get there, and as I expected the only cafe in town was closed. I sat outside at one of the tables and took my shoes and socks off and let my feet cool down, whilst I drank some water and had a banana and a cake. It is definitely a village that is dying, some of the buildings look ready to collapse.

    With no reason to stay, I moved on. It is a fairly pleasant walk from Calzada to Valverde Valdecasa, it is quite flat which can be a bit soul destroying as you sometimes don't feel like you are getting anywhere. It was a relief to finally get there, and the first thing I did was get a coffee and tostada at the bar, which was also where I had to register for the albergue which was just around the corner. It was not exactly as advertised, there was no kitchen or washing machine, but there was a good drying area.

    A couple of hours later a Japanese man arrived, he didn't speak any English but I got that his name was Seiki and kept to himself, so I left him to it not wanting to disturb his privacy. As it happened I would meet him again the next day and we would be a help to one another. I called the private albergue in Fuenterroble that I had stayed in before, and booked a room, it cost twice as much as a municipal albergue, but I would have a room to myself, and a great shower.

    Tomorrow would be a reasonably short day of just about 12 km, i think that might be the shortest stage i have done on the camino so far, and it is mostly on tarmac, though a lot of it is uphill. Still I wouldn't have to leave too early so I planned to have a proper breakfast in the cafe bar.    Leggi altro

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  • Norman GrahamAlmería to SantiagoNorman Graham

    Valverde to Fuenterroble

    8 giugno 2024, Spagna ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    I checked my journal and today was indeed set to be the shortest walk I had done on the camino so far, I had chosen to do a longer walk yesterday because 90% of today's walk is uphill. Although there are no steep inclines, walking steadily uphill for 3+ hours is quite tiring. I was expecting it to take about 3 to 3.5 hrs so I planned to leave quite late at 0830, I was to arrive at the albergue after midday. As it happened I woke up quite early, but I lay in bed as long as I could - I'm not very good at that, once I'm awake, I like to get up and get on with the day.

    The albergue in Valverde had turned out to be a bit dire, there was no fridge, and nowhere to sit and chat, and although the toilet/shower was ok, the rest of the place wasn't very clean. So I was glad to get out, the cafe bar was open and I had my usual breakfast of coffee and toast and then set off. The walk was unremarkable and I didn't stop to take many pictures, it was a bit foggy in places and there was an occasional drizzle of rain. The fog was more of a problem because the path was actually the main road, and there wasn't much of a verge. However, I made it in one piece.

    When I arrived in Fuenterroble I went straight to the cafe for second breakfast and then went around to the albergue. It turned out I was the only person booked in but that suited me fine. I did all the usual camino stuff, messaged home and then lay on the bed and read for a while, then I went out to get to the shop before it closed at 1430. It was larger and better stocked than I expected. I was even able to buy a couple of pairs of lightweight trainer socks.

    I went back to the cafe for dinner and Seiki arrived, it turned out he knew a few words of English, and with the help of Google translate, we were able to have. bit of a conversation. He was staying in the municipal albergue, which, from what I saw of it, did not look like a great option. He was worried about the next day, 28km, mostly uphill with a steep ascent and the forecast was for high winds and torrential rain. He clearly did not want to walk it but didn't know what else to do. So I suggested to him that we could perhaps share a taxi part of the way which would mean arriving in Morille before the worst of the weather. He was overjoyed at the thought of it and asked if I could arrange it. So i spoke to the barman and asked if he knew anyone who could take us to a certain point on the camino the next day. He said he would do it, and we agreed a price and departure time. I agreed to meet Seiki back at the cafe bar in the morning.

    I had a quiet evening reading and doing some internet research on flights home, as there are no no direct flights from Santiago to Edinburgh. Flying from Madrid would cost over £300, but I could go from Santiago to London Stansted with a connecting flight to Edinburgh for less than £100. So I wrote down all the details for later, when I could be more certain about when I would arrive in Santiago.

    Then it was time for bed, tomorrow would be here soon enough.    Leggi altro

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  • Norman GrahamAlmería to SantiagoNorman Graham

    Fuenterroble to Morille

    9 giugno 2024, Spagna ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    I didn't sleep great, although I enjoyed the comfortable bed and the quiet, it was a bit cold, and sure enough once I looked outside the skies were dark and clouds heavy with rain waiting to fall. It had certainly rained through the night, I guessed no one would be worrying too much about the heat today.

    I packed quickly and headed off to the cafe bar to meet Seiki. The cafe owner met us as promised at 0900 and we set off. I have to say he was not a great driver, and I actually had to use the camino app on my phone to direct him. By the time we arrived at our agreed drop off point it was raining hard and we had just over an hours walking to go (I average 6 km per hour on a flat path) . We headed towards San Pedro and then took the cut off towards Morille. We got there in good time, and thanks to our ponchos we were quite dry. I think we had made the right choice as the rain had been bad enough when we were walking, but it was getting heavier as the afternoon went on.

    I remembered the albergue in Morrille as a real dump, with no privacy in the showers, however, there was a new owner, and although the showers were just as bad, everything else seemed to have been upgraded a bit. I phoned the number on the door and within 10 minutes the hospitalero arrived and booked us in.

    There was only one cafe/bar in town and it was open to serve food from 1300 to 1530, and then again from 1930. So we went and had some tapas and I had a much needed coffee.

    There is absolutely nothing to do or to see in Morille, so we went back to the albergue and Seiki went for a siesta and I lay on my bunk in my sleeping bag - it was very cold - and read a book my kindle for a while, and spent some time writing up spiritual reflections from my camino journey so far.

    I went back to the cafe bar and had dinner and it was ok, not the best menu del dia I have had but not the worst either. Tomorrow, I will walk into the great city of Salamanca where I have booked a room in the very nice hotel I stayed in before, it is a bit of an extravagance, but it is worth it. I packed most of my stuff before going to bed, making sure I had my head torch handy, the toilets are down the very narrow stairs, and there is no night light. Despite not walking too far today, I was tired and happy enough to turn out the light.    Leggi altro

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  • Norman GrahamAlmería to SantiagoNorman Graham

    Morille to Salamanca

    10 giugno 2024, Spagna ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    I had a comfortable night in the albergue, Seiki and I were the only pilgrims so it was a quiet night and we chose beds at opposite ends of the room. I was glad of the duvet as I had felt cold for most of the day. I had set my alarm for 0600 but decided not to get up, It is only 21 km to Salamanca, so there was no need to hurry, and I ended up leaving at 0640. I was wishing that I had more than just a banana for breakfast. The hospitalero had told us that 10 km along the camino there was a village just a few hundred metres off the path and there was a cafe, so a chance of breakfast...needless to say when I got there at 0900, it was closed.

    I remembered this stage of the walk very well, it is an almost straight path from Morille to Salamanca, the road rises and falls and has a few twists and turns, but once you are on it you don't turn off it until you get into the city. In the distance you can see the the two cathedrals of Salamanca appearing and disappearing as the path rises and falls. The sky was overcast with a temperature of around 15° and there was a gentle cool breeze, perfect walking weather. I stopped on the hill with the cross and had the salad that I had been saving, I reckoned I would be able to replace it easily enough in the city.

    Even with my futile detour in search of coffee, I arrived at the edge of the city well within four hours, but it was nearly an hour before I arrived at my hotel. I had a lot to do today, I needed to find a bank, get fresh supplies from the farmacia - it looks like I have another blister forming under the one that was healing. I also need batteries for my head torch, and food supplies for the next couple of days, if i remember correctly there are not may shops between here and Zamora.

    The hotel was exactly as I remembered it, and although I was in a different room it was just as luxurious, and only two minutes walk from the Plaza Mayor. The plaza is regarded as the finest in Spain, but once again its beauty was obscured by a massive stage and lighting that was being made ready for a concert.

    I went and had a good dinner mid-afternoon, and met an English couple who were there as part of a river cruise, the place was also hoaching with Americans from the same cruise. We had a good chat and they went off to some touristy things, and I wandered along the main shopping area and bought a few small things, on the camino, weight is everything

    I like Salamanca, it is a very beautiful city, the kind of place where you can sit in a street cafe and just watch the world go by all day, but I liked the idea of going back to my luxurious hotel room and having a quiet afternoon, reading and journaling. I wanted to get an early night, I had a big walk the next day.    Leggi altro

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  • Norman GrahamAlmería to SantiagoNorman Graham

    Salamanca to El Cubo

    11 giugno 2024, Spagna ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    I awoke at 0530 after a great sleep, Last night I had put water and yoghurt in the mini fridge, so I had the yoghurt for breakfast and put the cold water in the bladder pack and set off. The first six or seven km out of Salamanca from the hotel is alongside a busy road, it is a dull and unpleasant walk, so I got a taxi to Aldeseca just outside the city and walked from there.

    Two years ago I stopped in Calzada del Valdunciel and it was there that I met Anita and Mirjam, an event that would not only change my camino experience, it would change my life. Despite the wonderful memories, I didn't dawdle, the past is, as they say, another country and we can;t go back. On the camino, as in life itself, the only way is forward. I still had 20-23 km to go, and the path was quite exposed with a few ascents. It is a bit of a dull walk, huge flat fields on one side and a motorway about 20 metres away on the other side. The path mostly follows the course of the motorway, and occasionally a driver would toot their horn at they drove past, their way of saying buen camino.

    I remember being absolutely shattered the last time I walked to El Cubo, and that was only from Calzada, but once again on this camino I felt fine this time round. The albergue had not changed a bit, I was the first to arrive and I paid my €32 which included a communal meal. and went and chose my bed. I got my washing done and hung out on the line, then a German woman (Marion) arrived and she took the other bed in the same room as me, fortunately she wasn't a snorer as the beds were only about a foot apart. She had thought I was the hospitalero, so I phoned him for her, she spoke little English and even less Spanish. Soon other pilgrims started to arrive, the place was filling up, I was glad I had had my shower and got the washing done. I also met a tall thin dutch lady called Jan, who naturally spoke impeccable English, and whom I would meet again and travel with for many days. The Spanish guy spoke Spanish.

    I managed to find the tiny shop to get some more supplies, and then spent some time in the cafe before heading back for the communal meal, which was fabulous. Then, it was time for bed, I had packed my bag for an early start.    Leggi altro

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  • Norman GrahamAlmería to SantiagoNorman Graham

    El Cubo to Zamora

    12 giugno 2024, Spagna ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    In what was to become a feature of this camino, I found out last night that the albergue I had planned to stay in tonight had closed unexpectedly, which meant a 31 km walk to Zamora. On the positive side, it was still slightly cooler than it has been over the past few weeks, still it was going to be a long walk so I had no time to dawdle taking pictures or long breaks, I wanted to get there before it did get too hot.. and it did get hot.

    Zamora is another beautiful city, I spent the day walking around here with the very lovely Anita from Brisbane, I sat where we had our lunch last time, near the albergue with an amazing view, but it wasn't the same, she wasn't there. So I went to find a cafe, which was not a problem. Although I didn't want to walk around the city, I ended up doing another 10 km by the end of the day. I went into the church to light the candles and ended up doing the tour, it was very interesting. The altar cloth was very moving, it was a beautifully rendered image of an ancient Christian symbol of the Lamb, and i was suddenly reminded that in the end the Lamb wins. Despite all that we have to endure, and all that we suffer, in the end all will be well because the Lamb wins.

    Jan and an italian guy called Joelo, whose pack was way too big - he had far too much stuff - arrived in the albergue, along with a guy from New Zealand
    The albergue is big but clean with decent toilets/showers, and although the drying line is too small, it has a centrifuge to spin the clothes. It also has a fully stocked fridge, and friendly staff.

    Tomorrow, we head to Montamarta, 21 km, it is a nice walk but a lot of it is quite exposed with little shade. I remember being so tired last time, really done in, but this time I felt fitter and my pack was lighter and better fitting. I feel that once you are past Zamora the camino seems to go in very quickly.    Leggi altro

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  • Norman GrahamAlmería to SantiagoNorman Graham

    Zamora to Montamarta

    13 giugno 2024, Spagna ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    I set off a little later than I had intended, but it's only about 20 km so there is no great rush, and there are plenty of beds in the municipal albergue. The walk was quite pleasant, it was not too hot and most of it was on hard packed gravel through lovely countryside.

    I had walked up the long hill out of Zamora and had turned onto the gravel path where the camino cuts across the countryside, and i hadn't gone far when i stopped and took my rucksack off the get my sunglasses, as I was walking directly into the sunlight. As I was doing that I looked back the direction I had come and saw in the distance another hiker, and as I wasn't in a hurry so I thought that I would wait for them to catch up. It didn't take him too long, his name was Jonathan, a geography teacher from Texas, he had decided to do a seven day camino from Zamora. Unfortunately, he had done the very thing I had warned the other pilgrims about last night in the albergue, namely that at the top of the hill out of the city there is a local camino that goes to Portugal and it is easy to get on the wrong path...which is what he did. Once he realised his mistake, he retraced his steps and saw me in the distance and assumed that I was walking the Via de la Plata.

    I helped him to download the Gronze app and showed him how to navigate it so that he would not get lost, and said he was welcome to walk with me, as I knew the way. So, for the first time since saying goodbye to Ken, I was walking with a camino companion. We stopped for coffee and some food in a little village on the way.

    Marion had decided to spend an extra day in Zamora, so there was a good chance I would not see her again. When we arrived at the albergue in Montamarta (marginally cleaner than two years ago) we met a Serbian woman called Svetlana, she was an interesting character, she would offer you some food and say quite forcefully, "I give you this, you take it, you enjoy, we be friends." She had walked the camino Levant from Valencia, and had not met another pilgrim for 35 days. Other folk started to arrive, including Christoph from France, he only spoke French, and he had also walked the Levant, though he had not met Svetlana.

    As I had been there before, I showed them all where the shop was and the restaurant where we all went for dinner.

    It had been a fairly uneventful day but I had enjoyed the walk, Jonathan was a good companion on the road, and we found plenty to chat about. I spent some time reading but then it was lights out (normally 10pm) and a walk tomorrow that I nearly collapsed on last time, so time for sleep.    Leggi altro

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  • Norman GrahamAlmería to SantiagoNorman Graham

    Montamarta to Granja

    14 giugno 2024, Spagna ⋅ 🌬 24 °C

    We set off at 0630, everyone was either already gone or getting ready to go. I had only walked about 1 km when I realised that I had left my hat, so I turned back whilst Jonathan waited for me, but I had only gone a few hundred metres when Svetlana appeared with my hat.

    The walk was nice enough, if a little bit dull, although there were some nice views we were mostly walking on gravel paths that sort of ran along main roads, and through fields. It was the first time on this camino that I had walked as part of a group, albeit a spread out group, everyone has to walk at their own pace. When we stopped for a break, I had a closer look at the map and realised that there were a couple fo shortcuts we could take and Jonathan was happy to go with that. So we took a slight detour along an old road, it took 2-3 km off the stage. We arrived in Granja within 5 hours of leaving Montamarta and a couple of breaks along the way, one of which was in a cafe! It was a very different experience from last time, when I arrived my legs were like jelly, I struggled to walk from the albergue to the bar where we had to register and pay. I was not tired at all this time. To be fair my pack is about 4 kilos lighter and fits properly.

    Like so many of the albergues I had stayed in the one in Granja hadn't changed a bit, but it is a decent albergue, the showers/toilets are ok and the room upstairs is brighter and cleaner than downstairs.

    Tomorrow we leave the Via de la Plata and join the Camino Sanabrés, it is a long walk to Tabara, I remember last time Mirjam kept messaging me to encourage me as I was very unsure about the distance. She was very excited to hear I had made it, and we went for drinks as soon as she arrived. It was also in Tabara, that she introduced me to Meg and Kathleen, Anne, and Julia, and it was from that day that we became a group. It changed everything. So I have fond memories of Tabara, though I wondered what it would be like. Just a few weeks after I got home from the camino in 2022, the town was evacuated due to a forest fire.    Leggi altro

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  • Norman GrahamAlmería to SantiagoNorman Graham

    Granja de Moreruela to Tábara

    15 giugno 2024, Spagna ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    The day started badly, I was very tired and too busy talking to Jonathan, and we missed an arrow and walked a couple of km in the wrong direction and had to walk back, meaning we would do 30 km today.

    Having said that, I enjoyed the rest of the walk, there are some very beautiful bits, but once we got over the bridge we decided to go via the road through Faramontanos, it was uphill most of the way, and tiring, but the road was quiet.

    There was a detour due to the new AVE rail line, that hadn't quite reached Tábara last time. The entrance to the town was very different, it was just a dirt road two years ago but is now tarmac with pavements and parking spaces.

    We had already decided to stay at the municipal albergue, it was on the far side of town about 1 km away, but we found our way there and logged in. Once we had all done the daily camino tasks we walked into town for something to eat, and to get supplies. In the evening the hospitalero provided a communal meal, but I wasn't hungry and I was tired, so I just wanted to lie down on my bed and listen to some music. He didn't seem too pleased, i guess he thought I was refusing his hospitality.

    When everyone came back after dinner they said that the hospitalero told them that the albergue in Santa Marta de Terra, tomorrow's destination, had closed to be disinfected. As there was nowhere else to stay near there, the next albergue (Calzadilla de Tera) was a further 14 km meaning we would have to walk nearly 40 km.

    So I had a look at the map on the Gronze app, and using the satellite overlay feature was able to work out a path across country that would take us directly to Calzadilla de Tera, and by my calculation it was about 25km. So, a few of us decided to give it a go, we would walk to the coffee point in Villanueva de las Peras and from there join the cross country route following the Gronze map.

    The walk to Villanueva was uneventful, and seemed to go quicker than I remembered from last time, the cafe was open, the coffee and tostada were great, and it had the cleanest toilets I have seen in Spain so far. After our refreshments, we set off to find the farm path we had looked at on the map last night, and were soon on our way.

    The plan to go cross country worked beautifully, it was a very pleasant walk that was again almost a straight line to our destination. When we got there we were the first to arrive which was good because there were only six beds. Two Spanish guys arrived shortly thereafter and the albergue was full. A German guy turned up having gone on a further 2 km to find that the albergue in the next village was also full. According to the guidebook the albergue at Santa Marta can be a bit of a bottleneck because it only has 13 beds, with nothing else nearby, and now that it had closed without much warning, pilgrims were struggling to find a bed.

    The German guy had walked back to Calzadilla but left when he saw there were no beds here either. About an hour later Jan arrived, and knowing that the next place was full, I gave Jan my bed and slept on the floor, I put down some blankets on the floor, then my paper sheet and then my sleeping bag, it worked ok. Tomorrow we have a longish walk to Mombuey.

    We had to walk a bit of a distance to get a cafe bar, and they only had tapas, so we made the best of it, but at least we had beds for the night.    Leggi altro

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  • Norman GrahamAlmería to SantiagoNorman Graham

    Tábara to Calzadilla de Tera

    16 giugno 2024, Spagna ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    We were all up early, at 0530 as the hospitalero was providing breakfast, I thought I should go since I had offended him last night by not going for dinner. We had some, quite strong, coffee, some toast and jam, it was ok.

    I set off with Jonathan, Giolele and Jane and we made good time on the paths. The walk to Villanueva was uneventful, and seemed to go quicker than I remembered from last time, we covered the 14km in just 4.5 hours. The cafe was open, the coffee and tostada were great, and it had the cleanest toilets I have seen in Spain so far. After our refreshments, Jonathan and Gioele set off to find the farm path we had looked at on the map last night, and were soon on our way. Jane had decided go to Santa Marta and walk from there, and to be fair, we were not even sure our plan to go cross country would work.

    However, it worked beautifully, it was a very pleasant walk that was again almost a straight line to our destination. When we got there we were the first to arrive which was good because there were only six beds. Two Spanish guys arrived shortly thereafter and the albergue was full. A German guy turned up having gone on a further 2 km to find that the albergue in the next village was also full. According to the guidebook the albergue at Santa Marta can be a bit of a bottleneck because it only has 13 beds, with nothing else nearby, and now that it had closed without much warning, pilgrims were struggling to find a bed.

    The German guy had walked back to Calzadilla but left when he saw there were no beds here either. About an hour later Jan arrived, and knowing that the next place was full, I gave Jan my bed and slept on the floor, I put down some blankets on the floor, then my paper sheet and then my sleeping bag, it worked ok. Tomorrow we have a longish walk to Mombuey.

    We had to walk a bit of a distance to get a cafe bar, and they only had tapas, so we made the best of it, but at least we had beds for the night.    Leggi altro

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  • Norman GrahamAlmería to SantiagoNorman Graham

    Calzadilla de Tera to Mombuey

    17 giugno 2024, Spagna ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    I had a very rough night, the floor wasn't very comfortable, and one of the Spanish guys snored very loudly, it was also hot, so, I was awake long before my alarm went off. Everyone else was late in getting up and we didn't leave until 0645. Naturally, the cafe in Olleros de Tera was closed so we plodded on.

    the walk was quite nice, the sky was overcast and there was a cool wind blowing. when we got to the bit before the dam, before Villar de Farfōn, we had followed the online map but a brand new fence had been put up right across what was obviously a path or what used to be a path. The fence was broken in one place so we climbed over it to find ourselves confronted by another fence. There was a bit where the ground had subsided, so there was just enough room to slip under it.

    When we got to Villar de Farfon we stopped for coffee and biscuits provided free (donations welcome) by a couple of Christian missionaries from South Africa. It was both amusing and slightly cringy to hear the guy try to shoehorn religious terms into the conversation. Still I left a donation.

    We plodded on to Rionegro only to find that every cafe bar was closed, and the restaurant wouldn't be open until 1330, by which time we wanted to be in Mombuey. Just then I remembered that there was a vending machine in the albergue - it was open - so we scraped together as many coins as we could and got some snack that kept us going. The walk to Mombuey was tedious but went by quickly enough, for which I was glad, we were doing about 30km today so I was delighted when we got the the edge of town to the truckstop/hotel with a restaurant attached.

    The albergue is one of the most basic I have seen so far, but it was veyr clean and had everything we needed. we made a big mistake going up the street to a cafe bar for dinner. It was the worst meal i have ever eaten and in fact i left most of it, and the owner was extremely rude.

    We couldn't find a celio in the albergue so we got our credentials stamped at a cafe near the albergue.

    Two spanish cyclists arrived, i think we will be long gone by the time they get up in the morning, they seemed to be very impressed by the number of stamps on my credential and took photos of it.

    It started raining by the time we went to bed, it could be a damp walk tomorrow.    Leggi altro

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  • Norman GrahamAlmería to SantiagoNorman Graham

    Mombuey to Puebla de Sanabria

    18 giugno 2024, Spagna ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    I was woken up in the early hours of the morning by the worst thunder and lightning storm I have ever experienced. The rain was torrential and continued for hours. I was very glad the albergue was a solid stone building. Also, Jan's phone kept buzzing all night because she didn't seem to know how to put it on silent.

    The rain was still pouring down when we left. In fact, it rained all day except for about one hour in the afternoon. A lot of the path was very flooded. We had to navigate our way around some of the floods, which meant walking through bushes and trees. By the time we got to Asturianos, our feet were very wet. Jonathan had been walking all day in running trainers rather than walking shoes, so his feet had been wet within minutes of setting off this morning. My walking shoes were GoreTex, and they worked well for a while, but eventually, I could feel my feet getting wet.

    We arrived in Asturianos at 11am, all the cafes were closed, the albergue didn't officially open until 1400, but the door wasn't locked. So, we went in, dried off, changed our socks, and then made ourselves some lunch. Jonathan suggested going on to Puebla de Sanabria. It was another 15km on top of the 16km we had already done. On the plus side it was a bigger town with supermarkets and all the cafes and bars would be open. So, I agreed, and we packed our stuff and set off.

    Once again we had to navigate a lot of flooded areas, and the rain was still pouring down, so we checked the map and took to the road, although it was exposed to the wind and the rain it wasn't flooded.

    We had decided not to go to the municipal albergue but to a hostal, and as it turned out, the municipal albergue was temporarily closed anyway. The hostal was €50 for a twin room with an en suite, which wasn't too bad. It was basic but clean.

    The plan for tomorrow is that Jonathan and I will part company. He is heading back to Zamora and getting a train to Santiago as he now heads home to Texas. I will walk on to Requejo, which I remember as an absolute dump, but the private albergue was good. It is only 12km, but after a couple of long days, one in constant rain, I am ok with a short day.    Leggi altro

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  • Norman GrahamAlmería to SantiagoNorman Graham

    Puebla de Sanabria to Requejo

    19 giugno 2024, Spagna ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    I had a really good night's sleep in a proper bed with a duvet, I had been very tired after the long wet walk yesterday. Jonathan broke the bedside lamp, which I guessed we would need to pay for. As he was leaving the camino, he gave me some gear - first aid stuff etc - that he wouldn't need. My fitbit wasn't working well, it keeps switching off, and then display keeps flashing, but I had messaged JP and he told me what to do and it seemed to work.

    Since I was only doing 12km today I decided to have a lie in bed until 0700, and Jonathan was staying here another day as we were now a day ahead of schedule. We went downstairs to the owner's cafe for breakfast and Jonathan confessed to breaking the lamp and I offered to pay for it but the guy wouldn't take any money for the damage.

    After breakfast we headed into the town centre, I needed to top up my cash and there was a bank there, Jonathan had a hotel booked for tonight so he headed there. We said our goodbyes and I set off. Within 15 minutes I wished I had taken the road. Today's stage is in roughly three equal parts, with the middle section on tarmac and the others off road. The grass in the first section was very wet and parts of the path were still flooded from yesterday's rain. I had to navigate my way around them. When I reached the final section, I decided to stay on the road, i think it was very slightly longer but it was flat and dry. I reached Requejo in just over two hours, not bad for an old guy.
    The private albergue was closed for the day, what a shock, so I had to go to the municipal one, it didn't get good reports but i really didn't want to to do another 16km, especially as there is a 5km incline up the main road to the pass at Padornelo, and the rain had returned.

    The negative reports about the municipal albergues were if anything under playing how bad it is. Unusually for an albergue there was nowhere to wash or dry clothes, there were too many beds and the mattresses were somewhat thin, and nowhere to sit and socialise. The toilets and showers were ok, as in not terrible. I was regretting my choice but then it was absolutely pouring with rain, so I made the best of it.

    The albergue slowly filled up, a guy who made it clear he was Basque nor Spanish, an Italian, a Spanish guy, a french guy, and the German guy who got turned away from the albergue at Calzadilla de Tera because it was full, his name was Mike, he was Vegan, carried cooking utensils and food with him, his backpack was twice the size of min. He arrived barefoot in the rain to save his boots and socks from getting wet.

    I think that the next few days could be quite difficult, the weather forecast for the next few days isn't great, and there have been an increasing number of albergue closures, and some of the distances are longer, which could be problematic if albergues are closed.    Leggi altro

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