Day 16 - Rabé de Calzadas -> Castrojeriz

After an enjoyable evening the night before, and a good breakfast, we left the village at around 7am. The sun was rising ahead of us. I quickly realised that this was going to be one of the most beautiful stages of the Camino. And it was. We were walking on the long and lonely dirt roads where ancient Roman roads once existed.
After just over an hour of walking we could see the silhouette of the village of Hornillos del Camino on the horizon.
The path continued through endless dirt trails in the middle of wheat and barley fields. The strong and constant wind made the fields seem to dance in perfect harmony with the rest of the landscape. The atmosphere was amazing and the scenery breathtaking. It was definitely one of the most beautiful days of the Camino.
After a 2-hour walk we reached Hornillos del Camino, a small village with a medieval appearance, in the middle of the Mesetas. By the way, Hornillos means ovens in English.
The distance from Rabé de las Calzadas to Hornillos del Camino it was 7.6 km. After a short stop for a coffee and some rest, we had another 10.5 km to go to Hontanas. The same landscape, long and lonely dirt roads. Although we walked during the hottest part of the day, the wind was so strong and cold that we felt cold. But again, an amazing landscape to walk through. Mesetas is definitely magical.
We arrived in Hontanas around 12pm, and this time we took the opportunity to rest longer, including taking off our boots. We also had something to eat and drink during the rest. Hontanas is very small, only about 70 people live there.
After we rested for 1 hour we left. First a short stop at the church and then on to Castrojeriz. Now the landscape changed a bit, poppies and more poppies. After less than 4km, we reached the ruins of an 11th century monastery and pilgrim hospital, named San Anton. While stopping to visit the site and get a stamp, I noticed that there were some bunks to accommodate pilgrims. So we ended the day staying there.Meer informatie