ensuitepilgrim's Blog

Sahagun is a sleepy place – in a time warp – the only lively activity was a bouncy castle for children who had made their First Communion – all sailor suits and white frocks.

We were on our way and after an hour or so,it was a welcoming picnic spot for refreshments on the REAL CAMINO FRANCES.

An experience that reminds us that an independently arranged Camino is not a package holiday- there will be occasional setbacks but always more than compensated by the rewards.

In my last Blog I wrote quite a piece on Albergue La Morena, however, the reality of staying there yesterday ( Sat. 10/05/23 ), was quite different. A tale of two contrasting scenarios. FIRST the rooms were modern and bright, with nice touches – fruit bowl, complimentary water, foot cream and hydration pack – the problem was getting in to the room. It took 50 minutes to register and get keys, I was unimpressed by the initial greeting I got on entrance , from a diminutive woman dressed impeccably in white – “ You’ll have to wait “ – she made no effort to assist her hapless colleague on reception duties. SECOND after enjoying a couple of beers in the sun we made our way to dinner promptly at 19.00 as ordered. We examined the Pilgrim Menu 2 choices of first and second courses,3 for dessert. Traditionally, and in every restaurant I have ever eaten, water,soft drink, beer or wine is included in the menu – this menu “ included” water / bread.The receptionist came for our drinks order – 2 bottles of wine €36.50 – no house wine! Then eventually our order for the meal,was taken by the barman, they had run out of one of the choices ( there were only two ). One of the first courses was Estufado of Broccoli ( broccoli stew ). It has to be the worst thing I have ever seen on a Spanish plate. TG I had the soup which was lukewarm . It took 45 minute before any food was served. My main gripe was not the poor quality of the food,on a Camino you can expect the occasional stinker, what enraged me ? It was totally unpilgrimlike and not in the spirit of the Camino . IE – a rip- off as there was no other place to go in this small hamlet. Grandmother La Morena would be turning in her grave.

Sunday’s walk began under cloudless, blue skies. We passed an Albergue on the way out of Ledigos

We passed Hotel Real Monasterio de San Zoilo on the edge of town – a very impressive place to stay, but at £92.00 a night, a little above our budget

We walked along the very Vía Aquitania, the old Roman road that linked Bordeaux with Astorga.

We walked on to Calazadilla de la Cueza – 10.5 miles on from Carrion .

We enjoyed a good buffet breakfast this morning, Ranjit on the coffee, before setting out for Carrion de Los Candes – 13 miles,or so.

La Huerta – a Spanish allotment

At last, the sun shone consistently and the wind dropped. A long stage tomorrow of 17 KM without much infrastructure and so Mike,Ranjit and I went to the supermarket to enable our progress tomorrow. After dropping off the shopping we headed back to the Plaza Mayor to sit in the evening sunshine with a couple of beers.

“That thou, light-winged Dryad of the trees,
In some melodious plot
Of beechen green, and shadows numberless,
Singest of summer in full-throated ease.”

ODE TO A NIGHTINGALE by John Keats

As we were walking along the Canal ,Tom stopped and with the aid of an App. on his phone, identified the song of a Nightingale – something I had never heard before – the Camino provides wonder,too.

A leisurely start to a short saunter this morning,with the ever present markers to guide us.

The Canal de Castilla, an impressive work of hydraulic engineering, was one of the best projects of this type to be built in Spain throughout the 18th and 19th centuries at the hands of the Enlightenment and at a time when it was necessary to sell grain surplus and improve commercial communications.

What was born as a navigation route for the transport of goods, would be closed to traffic in the middle of the 20th century, in 1959. Considered today as an Asset of Cultural Interest, since then its main function has been focused on irrigation, to which unites its interest as one of the most attractive tourist routes in Castilla y León, due to the scenic, natural wealth and the historical-artistic value that the cities that are in its path arouse.

This artificial river, which runs for 205 kilometers of the plateau between the provinces of Palencia and Valladolid, has become a route of cultural interest that in its three branches -North, South and Campos- offers visitors a rich and varied architecture of its own , a natural environment on its shores and the historical and traditional grounds of the towns that are in its path.

The Northern Branch starts in Alar del Rey and ends in Ribas de Campos, where the so-called Ramal de Campos begins, until it reaches Medina de Rioseco. And the Southern Branch begins at the fork of the Campos Branch in El Serrón and continues to the city of Pisuerga, Valladolid. https://www.turismocastillayleon.com/es/arte-cultura-patrimonio/grandes-rutas/canal-castilla

We continued along the Camino and entered Fromista noting another Stork’s nest on the way.

A 12.5 mile walk tomorrow . Ranjit declared “ it would be a walk in the park “ – we’ll he would, wouldn’t’ he ?

Hontanas is a picturesque and typical Camino village tucked away in a little valley – dedicated to Pelegrinos.

Saint Anton known as the hermit or the abbot, was a Christian ascetic of the 4th and 5th centuries. His life was written by Saint Athanasius. We know about him -among other things- that he was born into a wealthy family in Egypt. Later, he sold his goods and became a hermit. His relics were kept for a long time in Alexandria before being transferred to Constantinople and finally received in France. The rapid expansion of this group in free territory was the response to the strong devotion that San Antón produced for his intercessory quality against this disease. It soon ceased to be a lay group to become an order made up of regular canons of San Agustín.

When San Antón cured the founder of his illness, he asked him to create a hospital to cure those suffering from the same disease, giving him a staff in the shape of a “T” (tau), which became a symbol of the Order (Antonians wore a letter tau on their robes) and an essential part of their ritual. ( info. extracted from an article called VIAJE A ASTURIAS

Onwards, then, along a newly constructed pathway to Castrojeriz

 And it was 

these bloody battles that gave Castrojeriz its name since the Arabic name was 

Castro del Xaraiz , whose meaning is 

bloody castro .

There are many interesting structures in this ancient pilgrim town.

Leaving Castrojeriz

A town whose population is diminishing and it’s only lively spot is our “ digs” for tonight Hotel Rural en el Camino.

I have very ambivalent feelings about Graffiti, regarding it as mostly infantile scribbling – in cities I have developed indifference towards it – but my hackles were raised when this son of Wales cast no glory on his homeland by defacing these signs.

High on a hill overlooking Hornillos , was this cross at the top of a rare hill on the Meseta

That quiet scene brings an end to the first day’s walking – such variety of places,scenery and signs…hopefully of more good things to come.

5.30 taxi to Birmingham Airport and a fairly efficient route through check-in with help from an

Assistant as the machine would not read my barcode!

However RYANAIR app did the trick.

Security took a little longer but we soon comfortably seated in the “ Spoons” where I treated myself to Eggs Benedict and limitless coffee. All the group were refreshed and after a trip to Boots we found our Gate and were seated efficiently on Ryanair 08.35 flight to Barajas Airport,Madrid.

An uneventful flight and after disembarking found ourselves in a long queue through security, casting envious glances at the rapidly disappearing EU passport holders,including Rob,proudly brandishing his Irish passport.

Another BREXIT benefit but at least we were in charge,confirmed by the fact that the UK had exceeded record numbers of migrants….Still, the Braverman witch was saying we don’t need to import fruit pickers – we can train our own .

I wonder how many days,weeks or years it takes to train to be a fruit picker. Perhaps you get the same elevated status of someone who can make a cup of coffee who then call the selves “ Baristas”.

Synonyms for “ fruit picker “ are notoriously rude so don’t go calling yourself a “wenatcheebanana” !

Getting back on track we eventually found the transfer bus from Terminal 1 to Terminal 4 and the newly designed Barajas bus station.

Very light and spacious, however, unusually for Spain, no cafe/ bar, but well stocked vending machines even though the group found the sandwiches rather bland. Fortunately, my accountant had prepared a Ramblers style picnic for which I was very grateful.

The weather looked fine from our viewpoint in the departures hall and Ranjit, one of our group on his first Camino disappeared for a few moments, only to return in a very fetching pair of shorts and t-shirt. I had to remind him we were going to Burgos not Benidorm but we all admired his optimism. Perhaps it was well founded because the forecast for our first day’s walking destination tomorrow,Hontanas’ is set at 16* and sunny – ideal walking conditions

There was a little confusion at the departure bays as there were two buses departing simultaneously.

Both via Burgos and it was far from obvious which was which until we started to board the wrong one ! The joys of travelling independently. ALSA buses

We had hardly travelled for five minutes when the coach approached the barrier to the Autovia, a coach in front moved through and just we were about to do the same, the brakes were jammed on suddenly….the barrier had managed to wedge itself between the drivers side wing mirror and the bodywork of the coach. Two female employees started rushing in and out of the booth and achieving precious little…I expect this was a “ first”. After a wait of fifteen minutes or so assistance appeared in a van with a man. After a few light hearted exchanges with our somewhat surly driver, he pressed something and the barrier lifted, the bus reversed a metre or so,the barrier was tested twice and then thankfully were were able to continue our journey northwards.

About 90 KM from Burgos there was a hold up on the road by the Guardia Civil – diverted into one lane- with guys holding serious weapons – I’m pretty sure they weren’t checking for insurance. No photos for obvious reasons.Not too long a delay and we were off again.

Tom got us to our Digs – Hotel Norte y Londres – pleasant check in and within half an hour we were in Bar Aguilas where Ranjit recounted his problems booking in down the road, but with only 200 metres to walk to our chosen restaurant for the evening – something to do with Blacksmith’s).

A pilgrim friendly menus for €17.00 , 3 courses plus wine and bread and a choice of ten starters and mains – rustic cooking at its best and to complete the night a dessert of Arroz con Leche. Muy Buen.

Somebody had the idea of a “ digestif” and so we called in at Los Aguilas again. Whilst deliberating on what to drink the waitress held a bill for 3 unpaid beers earlier on! A total oversight that they accepted good humouredly.After all, if we had done a runner we would not have some back!

A good night in Burgos.

Walking tomorrow.

The capital of the county of Maragatería in the province of León offers a rich medieval legacy, the result of its location at the crossroads of: the Pilgrim’s Road to Santiago de Compostela and the Ruta de la Plata (Silver Road). Its walled town preserves churches, convents and hospitals which take travellers back to the purest tradition of the Pilgrim’s Road. Another outstanding feature in the town’s streets is a culminating work by the Modernist architect Antoni Gaudí: the Bishop’s Palace. Astorga is, also, a good opportunity for enjoying the rich cuisine of this area.

Astorga stands at the confluence of two important Spanish routes which in past times were pilgrims’ itineraries. The older of the two, the Silver Route, dates from Roman times. This itinerary (Gijón-Seville) was the route used to transport the metal extracted from the mines in the north of the peninsula to the shipping ports in the south. During the Middle Ages it was used by Arab and Christian troops at the time of the conquest and the reconquest. This excellent communications route throughout the centuries then became the way for pilgrims heading for Santiago de Compostela.The Way of Saint James, the Jacobean route that has been declared a part of our World Heritage by the UNESCO, also runs through Astorga. This was part of a series of paths that criss-crossed Europe and northern Spain on the way to Santiago de Compostela, a holy city by virtue of being the site of the tomb of Saint James the Apostle. The historic quarter of this town in Galicia is also a World Heritage Site. WP States “ In Astorga you May notice a sudden increase in the number of pilgrims…they are likely Spanish, as this is a common starting point for Spaniards,or they have come from Sevilla along the Via de la Plata. A quick peek at their boots will tell the two apart”

“ Astorga also marks the beginning of the territory of Leon known as the Maragateria,home of a people called Maragatos….defined by the unique culture of strong mountain people, including arrieros ( traditional muleteers ) who transported goods over the mountains before there were railways and trucks and who were key to to Astoga’s rebirth as a centre for chocolate making”. BB

Here are just six of the highlights in what JB describes as “ An attractive city ( more akin to a lively market town) set atop a steep ridge with an…interesting array of historic buildings all tightly packed within its medieval walls”.

Brierley’s guide book has a useful walking tour on P.199

On the morning of 27 th May we take a five minute walk to Astorga Bus Station to board the 10.20 ALSA coach to Madrid. On arrival at 15.00 we will make our way to TACH Airport hotel.

I have benefited greatly from these four guide books and hope I have credited them accurately.