We left at 08.15 after breakfast – very friendly place – good dinner too.
A very misty skyline with a few breaks in the cloud – no rain forecast – sunny intervals late afternoon.
Slowly climbing towards the cruce de Ferro – 1504 Metres up and the highest point on the entire Camino – an iconic spot.A Lavadero where the washing was done and a fair bit of gossip too I should imagine.A Fuente and shelter Val and Richard heading towards a coffee break in FoncebadonMike and I were stopped in our tracks by the volume of noise made by the croaking of the frogs!Remaining ruins of a former hermitage/ hospice – now a “ peace garden”.Leon Mountains Flora
Climbing on pretty good terrain, wet in places because of heavy overnight rain, we eventually reached the summit.
THE CRUZ DE FERRO – some details on the link below.
Three Solihull Ramblers,Myra,Val & Richard I don’t normally do selfies for obvious reasons!PUERTO de FONCEBADON 1504 metres And what an experience - the descent from here started gently – but…A hippy dreamCows in the mist
The five guidebooks I have used for the Camino Frances have been almost faultless in their unique ways in detailing information about routes, accommodation, local history and mapping. However, they all omit to mention the difficulty level of the final 900 metres descent. Of all the Caminos I have walked including the Primitivo, the climb across the Pyrenees, the valleys of the Camino del Norte, nothing comes close to the challenges of both the path and the awful terrain in many stretches of this descent.
Km after Km.
The difficulty was exacerbated by recent heavy rainfall but even taking that into account it still remains inexplicable that the guidebooks do not go into any details of the dangers of this section . I got so fed up with it I reverted to the nearby road which mercifully was very quiet ( Sunday ). I even managed then to get a couple of photos as the mist began to clear .
There is a saying amongst Pelegrinos that “ the camino provides “ and as I was walking downwards It crossed my mind that some of our group might be experiencing similar difficulties and that I would not be surprised if they had already taken a taxi to miss the last section. Lo and behold, a couple of km later a taxi drew up alongside and in the front seat was one of our group wisely safeguarding against a knee problem ( no one wants to get injured, especially only two days into a Camino ). Inside were also m two Australian pelegrinas who had become unnerved by the state of the path. Guarding my dodgy hip I needed no second invitation to grab a ride as my intention was to take a taxi from the next village anyway.Molinaseca was our destination - a lovely village with its river beach and Roman bridge – relieved to get there unscathed. However,I have to acknowledge the fortitude of five of our group who managed the entire descent, albeit taking some considerable time and an accumulation of blisters!Views from the little balcony of our digs the owner of which suggested dining in their house to enjoy a Brazilian dinner .The menuThe dining room was on the first floor Our host explaining the menuCocktails to boot – It was an enjoyable meal – the Camino provides…The Puente RomanaThanks to Val for this montage of another special place on the CaminoROMAN BRIDGE MOLINASECA
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