CAMINO FRANCES DAY VI – LEDIGOS TO SAHAGUN – 11 MILES.HALWAY ON THE CAMINO,400 KM.

“To come to the knowledge which you have not,
You must go by the way which you know not.” “Ledigos wins the award for the most confusing Camino signs. Fear not,both directions will take you to Terradillos de Los Templarios.” WP

It’s a short walk to Terradillos.” After the relative luxury of Carrion we know experience rural simplicity,thankfully bypassed by the N-120. Formerly a stronghold of the Knights Templar nothing,on a physical level remains of this noble Order but it’s spirit lives on in the place name..” JB

“ The Albergue Jaqueline de Molay is named after the last grand master of the Templars ( who was tortured and burned at the stake in 1314 )…………………….The Templar name is a reference to the legend of the Templars’ hidden golden hen or goose,possibly still buried here in Terradillos.

“ The true gold is the hospitality,along with the daily meditations written on chalkboard in the garden. A recent one “ Sometimes you have to lose yourself to find yourself”. The village has a general store and a bar” .BB

Not too further on is “ a seemingly sleepy little village,Moratinos.” BB

“ decked out in colourful Knit yarn creations that are strung across the chuch plaza and wrapped around the trees. These “ yarn trees” are the project also of the Asociacion Cultural de Moratinos,who wanted to add colour to their village.

Not bad for a population of 58 ! “We will then continue onto a pleasant gravel track ( away from the N-120 ) all the way into San Nicolas del Real Camino” JB There is a bar and restaurant in the village square along with parish church.

Iglesia de San Nicolas Obispo ( it’s humble exterior also serving as a pelota court ! ) JB On the edge of the village is Casa Barrunta, a ranch-and-tavern like restaurant. “ This is some of the best food on the Meseta,served with the biggest heart and professional flair.”

PROVINCIA DE LEON,“part of the autonomous region of Castille y Leon and offering the most varied terrain on the Camino. We start off with a continuation of the now familiar Tierra de Campos with its flat and well irrigated agricultural land.” JB

Then we reach the evening’s rest place,Sahagun, in Hostal San Juan, after crossing the Medieaval bridge at Ermita de la Virgen del Puente.

Although an established Alojamiento in Sahagun,the Hostal did not feature on the CORREOS drop down list of accommodations when I was just recently booking our luggage stops. It was only after an E-Mail to the Correos,together with proof of the Hostal having someone on duty between the hors of 08.00 – 14.30, that a polite agreement was reached! To give the CORREOS credit,they were quick to respond and set up my stage on their website.

“SAHAGUN is one of the towns that prospered greatly under the powerful order of Cluny which at one time controlled as many as 300 monasteries and churches along the way” SR. “ It seems to combine all the joys of close-to-the-land village life with ease and amenities of city life.” JB

“If you join the locals for a drink on the Plaza Mayor, you’ll begin to feel a harmony here” **JB There’s a strong possibility that we will!**

The Santuario de la Peregrina. As we began our Camino in Saint Jean Pied de Port,we will have passed the halfway point to Santiago. “ This warrants a celebration- you’ve gone almost 400 kilometres ( 250 miles )! You can mark the moment…in the Santuario de Pelegrina to receive your halfway certificate…in pretty cursive script.

Sixty-seven kilometres to the south-east of Leon we find Sahagún, a historic city that stretches on top of a smooth mound, whose nerve centre is the main square, or Plaza Mayor, which still has its original porches.

In the streets we can see some houses with brick and wooden structures, and some others that were built with clay and straw. The local artistic heritage, the legacy of a booming past, includes remarkable buildings such as the monastery of San Benito el Real, from which only a Neoclassical arch still stands; the Mudejar churches of San Tirso and San Lorenzo, from the 12th and 13th centuries, respectively; the convent of the Benedictines, presently the site of the Sahagún Museum; and the sanctuary of Peregrina, in the outskirts as described above.