Leaving La Rioja

By 5 miles this morning we were officially out of the wine region of La Rioja and into the province of Burgos. Not only were there no grapes for breakfast but the blackberry bushes and the odd fig tree also seemed to have disappeared.

We passed through six villages today when normally it's two or three. The advantage is that it breaks up the walk and there is the interest of passing though different places. The disadvantage is that almost every village is built in high ground and you have a climb up to get to them.

This morning it was Carol's turn for her calf to tighten up, so we had to slow down from the pace we had been setting the last couple of days. However, we still got to our accommodation for 12:00. A quick shower, a tour of Belorado and then a pilgrims lunch, €14 each, for 3 courses and a bottle of wine between us.

There was an outdoor area outside our accommodation where people were drinking as we returned from our lunch in town at around 15:30. From a distance it sounded rather rowdy, though as we got there we recognised some of the people making all the noise and before we knew it we were introduced to the rest of the group and were there for the next couple of hours.

My only escape was that I'd booked a massage at 18:00, which probably save me from myself!

Santo Domingo to Belorado
Distance: 13.68 miles
Time: 4hrs 43min
Speed: 2.9 mphRead more