Day 27 (30-Aug-07) - Arzua to Santiago de Compostela

 

Big day…… preceded by a very bad night’s sleep – the worst yet. It was difficult to tell if it was the anticipation of the road that lay ahead, the noise of the road or the plastic undercover sheets!
 

We got up to darkness at 5am and left shortly afterwards embarking on what was unintentionally a long pre-breakfast trek. The road was a little undulating and light on the feet, not least because we had been lightened of our loads by Nelly and Maarten the night before. Day finally broke after around 7kms to the rather strangled screech of a cockerel who like us must have been on his last legs.
 

Thankfully, owing to the early start, we had the Pilgrim’s route all to ourselves, adding to the tranquillity of the wooded scenery unfolding from the darkness. Our light loads made for speedy progress, enabling us to reach our breakfast stop just beyond Arco at 10:10hrs. At 20km distance from Arzua, this was further than originally planned, but the villages we passed on the way were little more than one-house hamlets.

 

Having recharged batteries with chorizo and queso boccadillos, we continued our effortless stroll into Santiago de Compostella. Legs, feet and fitness had by now been so toughened from 750km of hiking that we entered the city after 38km without any feeling of tiredness whatsoever. During the final 2km to the old city centre and the Cathedral itself excitement began to build, with arrival at the main entrance giving way to pure elation and flood of other feelings at finally arriving at journey’s end.

Nelly had been notified of our impending arrival from Motto de Gozo, and was waiting in Praza do Obradoiro to witness our last few steps. Pride and joy in her daughter’s achievement was very evident in her beaming smile. And what an achievement:-

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753.40km in 25 walking days, 3 days quicker than our original schedule and 6 days quicker than recommended minimum.

Nikki’s accomplishment was equally impressive, covering 311km in 11 days, an average of 28.27km/day.

The rest of the day was spent with Nelly and Maarten celebrating and reflecting on the month-long journey, with tiredness finally catching up just before midnight.

Day 26 (29-Aug-07) - Palas de Rei to Arzua

After having to nearly forego breakfast as the bartender who was to take our order was either not in the mood, or not sufficiently awake at the ungodly hour of 06:00, we managed to set off at 06:30 hrs. Leaving Palas de Rei in a slight drizzle, which occasionally gave way to short, alternating bouts of clear(ish) skies and dark clouds heavy with more rain, the first and only coffee stop for the day was scheduled in Melide.

 

As today was to be our penultimate day on The Camino, perhaps we should have savoured the here and now some more by dragging out our walking time to at least 6 hrs. Alas, this was not to be as we already reached the hotel before 13:00 hrs, spending a mere 5½ hrs on the road – not nearly enough by my reckoning!!!

 

In considering a ritual burning of used underwear (not needed anymore after tomorrow), it was unanimously decided to instead opt for the less dramatic disposal method of depositing them in the bin ( in the absence of an incinerator). After the body and luggage cleansing session it was time for a well earned lunch accompanied by the obligatory bottle of wine. This recalled the reverential ‘Sermon on the Mount’, in which Brian had misheard ‘Blessed are the Cheese Makers’, as Arzua is world famous for its cheese, and rightly so based on the plate had for lunch.

 

Awaiting final instructions from the bag collection service to be provided by Nelly & Maarten 2/3’s of our company have decided the best mental and physical preparation for tomorrow’s final push into Santiago is some serious zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzd’s (with the occasional loud snore from Q). As I am obviously the deeper thinker of the group, I have chosen the more cerebral alternative of contemplating the world through the inside of my eyelids

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Day 25 (28-Aug-07) - Portomarin to Palas de Rei

In order to blaze a trail for God’s Legions to follow we departed Portomarin under cover of darkness at 06:30hrs and in thick fog. The fog caused havoc with the light from our headtorches, with diffusion and backscatter (the result of internal reflection and refraction of light inside water droplets held in colloidal suspension with air – honestly!) blinding our progress. Nonetheless, we made steady progress, with sunrise revealing eerily beautiful landscapes draped in mist.

With legs now fully accustomed to the daily plodding ritual, and feet, shins, Achilles and knees in reasonable shape, we advanced rapidly towards our one and only stop on this stage for a hearty breakfast. We covered the 13km to this halfway point at Ventas de Naron by 09:30hrs, by which time, tummies were rumbling.

By 10:15hrs we could see The Masses descending on our position in full song, accompanied by the roar of a thousand tambourines - well so it seemed. We thus kitted up for the romp into Palas de Rei, with iPods again acting as marching metronome. A cool breeze, firm terrain and beautiful scenery enabled us to complete the day’s 25km trek at a very respectable average speed of 4.7km/hr.

Following hotel check-in and cleansing shower we were sitting down to lunch by 14:00hrs. Discussions naturally turned to the two remaining days into Santiago de Compestella, and what we would do as fitting tribute to end our physical and metaphysical journies. Or are we perhaps premature???

Day 24 (27-Aug-07) - Sarria to Portomarin

After sumptuous feast night before with Maarten and Nelly, featuring multiple different plates of exotic Galicia delicacies, we allowed ourselves to sleep in until 07:00hrs. Good job too, given the torrential downpour commencing 05:00hrs. After a meagre but vital fibre-filled breakfast we departed 08:25hrs, only to find ourselves mingling with legions of new Peregrinos intent on obtaining their Compostella by completing minimum of a mere 100km on the Camino de Santiago.

I’m not sure how many laps round the Rosary Beads would be needed as penance for the blood-curdling cussing that took place barging our way past these part-timers. That said, with this Pilgrimage being one of only three in Christendom resulting in total absolution of all personal sin, then I presume this includes all sins committed along the way!!! (If so maybe we should commit some more!).

Anyway, the hike itself carried us through very scenic rural landscape, with the vast majority of hikers left in our wake by our one and only tea stop at 12km, with short 22km total hike to Portomarin finished by 13:15hrs.

Being at much lower elevation, the traverse was by far the most sweltering to date, necessitating muchos cervasas to rehydrate on arrival at the hotel where we again bumped in to Enriqo and his girlfriend Titiana, who we first met on route at Villamayor. Lunch was followed by our first Siesta in 5 days – a blissful respite.

Day 23 (26-Aug-07) - Fonfria to Sarria

After waking up most of the bunks at the Albergue trying to find the pre-sparrow fart exit, we finally made it out into the blustery wind to head off on our morning’s descent in the dark. Don’t tell Q but I quite enjoy our early morning starts as it breaks up the day and watching the sun rise is magnificent.

 

The descent into Triacaleta was nowhere near as bad as expected much to our relief but being Sunday our arrival was not welcomed by the usual smell of coffee and bocadillos– even worse no one seemed to be at church so the village was just having a lie-in! So off we continued on the shorter 27km route only to be greeted by more hills! Thankfully the wooded route took us to eggs and bacon at Casa Franco where we saw the most gorgeous litter of Alsatian pups only days old, quite indignant at their first experience of Spanish rain.

 

Onwards we headed through quite a long thunderstorm to Sarria which put our wet weather gear to the test. Safely now nestled in our hotel we are ready to paint the town pink (well –tinto probably) with Astrid’s mum and Maarten who arrive today.

Day 22 (25-Aug-07) - Trabadelo to Fonfria

Up with slightly gingerly legs and on the road by 06:20 hrs, which put us in good stead to finish the day in Fonfria. This in turn would enable us to reach Santiago a day earlier than originally planned for some obligatory sightseeing. As there was a definite chill in the air at this early morning hour, Nikki opted to wear everything in her backpack, including the backpack itself, for additional warmth, while Quentin decided a T-shirt and shorts would suffice.

Passing through quite a number of very scenic villages set in an equally beautiful landscape made for extremely pleasant walking. After some 2 hrs en route the obligatory coffee/tea stop was called for. Onwards & (fortunately) upwards!

Nikki seemed to be undecided as to what or how much to wear due to the constantly changing weather conditions, which one minute were sunny and hot and the next minute positively blustery. Also, due to Nikki’s regular need for toilet stops, Quentin has decided Nikki has a bladder smaller than that of a Lesser Lorrie’s.

Reaching our ultimate destination just before 16:00 hrs, passing 600km mark in the process, we were forced to try our luck at the local Albergue. As it turned out we choose wisely since we ended up with our own private room with bathroom for € 12,00 a head.

After a quick phone call to various parents and loved ones (especially Mum & Maarten to ensure they will be available to ferry our considerable luggage to Santiago for the final push) all that’s left to do is ‘defungify’ ourselves and await the evening meal – accompanied by a bottle of wine……

Day 21 (24-Aug-07) - Ponferrada to Trabadelo

Congratulations to Nikki for breaking 30km barrier for first time, with the very scenic 33.78km route to Trabadelo covered in total time of 9.18hrs. Having scoffed very basic breakfast at the Hotel we embarked on our day’s journey at 06:50hrs, with brunch scoffed at Cacabelos 10:30hrs.

The route both before and after Cacabelos taunted us with field after field of vineyards. Little did I know until today that white wine is made from black grapes without the skin! Clearly dragging Nikki along has broadened my limited cultural education.

Lunch at Villafranca Del Bierzo gave us opportunity to be ruthless about ‘carry on’ luggage, with Nikki forced to shed her Encyclopedia Britannica (Nick’s rubbish novel) and face cream jar that featured more glass than the 1851 Crystal Palace world exhibition! Thereafter, we ‘raced’ past fellow Perigrinos, along the supposed dangerous final leg to Trabadelo. Fortunately, this section through a deep gorge valley proved to be very idyllic – marred only by a bl**dy wasp that stung my left Pinky!!!

The only effective pain remedy that I know of is to imbibe copious quantities of red wine…..

Day 20 (23-Aug-07) - Foncebadon to Ponferrada

HORRENDOUS! After transporting our flabby carcasses 520km up and down dale, our feet protested with great indignation at the harsh treatment inflicted on them today during the 1100m descent from Foncebadon. Jamming toes into front end of boots was considered particularly egregious behaviour. The fantastic sunrise over mountainous landscape and the vista of the plains below us was scant recompense for the intense misery felt by feet and knees alike.

This was a true baptism by fire for Nikki on just her 4th day of walking. All told, we covered 28.6km today in 8.3hrs, at the end of which Nikki surpassed the 100km mark. Alas, she may face a sleepless night contending with various throbbing pains.

A highlight, more so than normal, was our breakfast stop in El Acebo, a quaint hamlet 12km from Foncebadon. Their house specialty is cheese covered tuna sandwich made from donut dough – obviously high in calories, but we needed them. Another highlight was coffee stop in Molinaseca at bottom of the descent. The restaurant was situated next to a mountain stream into which we could dip our hot sore feet while rehydrating on beer.

Tonight’s entertainment will likely be very restrained and limited to sitting-only activities…

Day 19 (22-Aug-07) - Astorga to Foncebadon

After a poor night’s sleep for Astrid and I due to an all night concert on the plaza next to our hotel, we headed off out of town on yet another chilly morning. Today’s route however was glorious with rolling hills, moor-like shrubbery and antique villages that were almost ruins as well as little traffic on the small road that ran beside the path we followed. The sky’s turquoise was only broken by blackened puffs of cloud we so rarely see in Dubai.

Astrid’s efforts, hampered yesterday by sore shins and Achilles were Amazonian today as she practically ran our final 6kms uphill with most of the contents of my rucksack in hers, while Quentin ensured I did not slip behind suffering from sore feet. We added an extra 6km to buy that extra day in Santiago and found comfortable accommodation in an inn in the small hamlet on the hilltop, which looks like it will provide the right sustenance tonight!

Day 18 (21-Aug-07) - Villadangos del Paramo to Astorga

After an hour of clambering over each other we were on our way once again by 07:15hrs. While 2 days in Leon had been enough to recharge batteries and connect mind with soul, it had done nothing to ward off shin splints or Achilles problems, with Astrid suffering from both. Consequently, progress was slow today, with the first 10km to Puente de Orbigo being also very dull and noisy as it followed the road at ear height. Furthermore, Nikki found the weather positively Baltic, shivering her way into town.

However, breakfast, sun and the vista at Puenta de Orbigo made up for the earlier drudgery, with the Camino heading thereafter into scenic wilderness towards San Justo de la Vega. Astrid did well to control her frustrations at the slow walking speed, with Nikki also contending well with hip and leg pains. After another coffee stop to boost energy levels in San Justo, we plodded the extra km into Astorga at 15:00hrs and booked 4-star accommodation to lick our wounds in luxurious surroundings.

After long showers to remove body odours (eye-watering stench in my case), it was time once more to rehydrate on fermented grapes, chased down by some of San Miguel’s cousins. Tonight Astorga will hold its annual Fiesta, and so we feel compelled to take part also!

Day 17 (20-Aug-07) - Leon to Villadangos del Paramo

It was a chilly start to the day as we took a quick tour of town so that I could catch up on the beautiful sights of Leon. Although not a religious bone in my body the cathedral was so stunningly simple yet rich in meaning. It was just as well as most of the morning’s 20km walk was at the edge of the road and therefore it was a little difficult to imagine one was walking through a particularly historic part of Spain.

 

Astrid alas was suffering from various Achilles and shin ailments and so progress was more pedestrian than usual, taking 4.5hrs to cover the short 19km to Villadangos. As we did not leave Leon until 09:15hrs the long stay in the sun resulted in some comical ‘bikini lines’ appearing on various parts of our torso’s, in particular on Nikki.
 

Having found accommodation for the day, an order was placed for the habitual bottle of Rioja (and a very fine vintage it was too). Following wee walk through town and a spot of berry picking we loaded up on provisions for tomorrow and beat a hasty retreat for a late afternoon Siesta. The Perigrinos menu de jour was the usual bland affair, with lights out by 22:30hrs amid pile of Nikki’s worldly possessions – all of them!!!

Day 16 (19-Aug-07) - Leon

Another lazy start, with Astrid making first move at 08:00hrs to repack rucksacks. We then headed through eerily quiet streets for breakfast and use WiFi link to update blog site. The masses meanwhile had flocked to the various churches and cathedral to overflowing, proving in this province at least that Catholicism is alive and well.

On returning to the Hotel we checked out and continued along the Pilgrims Path across town to the Hotel originally booked for our planned arrival today in Leon. We then phoned Nikki to check her flight progress, after which we embarked on another self-guided tour, this time around the river district.

Breaking with tradition we elected to purchase supplies at local Supermarket to make our ‘Jamon con Queso Boccadillos’, washed down of course with bottle of Leon’s finest export. While walking of the after effects, we bumped into 2 fellow Perigrinos that we last saw in Belorado. They had just arrived, having taken the bus to cover the last 13km into town. They too were looking forward to 2 days respite and nurse aches and pains.

Nikki alas was plagued by flight delays so, poor girl, did not arrive at the Hotel until well after midnight. At least her backpack made it to Leon however.

Day 15 (18-Aug-07) - Leon

What luxury, what bliss!!! – or is it??? How would our legs cope with a day of seeing no action?

With the day to do with as we pleased we intended to get up around 07:30 – 08:00 after which we wanted to have a quick breakfast followed by a visit to the Cathedral, having already caught a glimpse of it last night and looking forward to seeing it from the inside.

Breakfast took a little longer than anticipated as we found a place where we could have an internet connection whilst munching our way through our food, drinking copious amounts of tea/coffee.

Following this drawn out affair we finally made it to the Cathedral, and well worth the visit that turned out to be! Spectacular stained glass windows, beautiful sculptures and many pieces of breath-taking religious art were to be seen. Even for the non-religious the high vaulted halls exude the strong beliefs of those that do have a strong connection with God.

A quick visit to the tourist office later and we were on our Q-guided tour of old Leon. As we hadn’t really been able to absorb too much of the history or culture en route we felt obliged to do so now by paying a visit to the Basilica and its museum, which includes an old library some hand-written bibles with intricate illustrations dating from the 10th century, and the size of small coffee tables. If only we had carried larger rucksacks….

Of course, ensuring we recover our strength for the rest of our trek forces us to imbibe fluids and other solids at regular intervals. So, a light lunch and carafe of Sangria later (at which time it was already nearing 15:00 hrs) we headed back to the hotel for a “quick” snooze, which would put us in good stead for another night on the town in Leon.

Day 14 (17-Aug-07) - El Burgo Ranero to Leon

With an extremely cold start to the day, necessitating even Q to put on his jacket and me wearing T-shirt, long sleeve shirt, jacket and legs zipped on to my trousers, the breakfast after the first 3.5 hrs (19 km) to Mansilla de las Mulas was a very welcome affair.

On this first stretch we encountered a group of what appeared to be 4 people and a dog. However, upon closing in on them, we discovered that the loud whistling coming from the group was`produced by a little girl of about 4-5 yrs old who was walking along side her daddy. Although daddy, apart from an already extensive backpack, also had a carrier for the little girl to use should she get tired, she seemed to be happy to “walk” (read “run”) alongside for the time being.

After breakfast we “only” had another 17 km to go before reaching Leon. However, these final few miles proved to be the hardest yet as the body was already in shut-down mode. Fortunately the landscape was far from boring, boring, boring,with the occasional hill to be climbed.

On reaching Leon we decided to try and find a hotel near the old centre and cathedral. The first, and by all appearance, only available hotel was a 4-Star place. However, the place turned out to be fully booked as proper double rooms are concerned so we are sharing a single room which means the bed is not quite as big as it should be.

A quick shower later and we somehow found ourselves scoffing away our first truly bad meal of the holiday: Burger King! This additional exercise turned out to be too much for the body to cope with so we decided to go for a 3 hr snooze prior to hitting the town for our well earned bottle of Rioja. Whoever said we aren’t allowed to also enjoy ourselves after a hard days’ work?

Day 13 (16-Aug-07) - Calzadilla de la Cueza to El Burgo Ranero

The pre-dawn start was decidedly a chilly one, necessitating use of jackets for the first time this trek. The day’s walking followed the same schedule as the last few days, walking non-stop for 22km to the first major town (Sahagun) for a well-earned breakfast at 10:00hrs.

After some minor distractions to send an urgent mail to Dubai and await opening of the municipal Albergue to collect our requisite Pilgrims Stamp, we plodded on not quite knowing when to stop. On the one hand my metatarsals were bruised and painful and Assie’s right knee was a bit ‘squeeky’, and so reaching Leon in 3 short days would be the more sensible strategy. On the other hand, pushing on to arrive in Leon in just 2 days would mean having an earlier bubble bath and 2 whole days respite before Nikki joins us in the evening of the 19th. It would of course also give us more time to visit the many famous attractions in Leon, in particular its Wine bars!

It was the lure of the latter which led us to walk straight through to El Burgo Ranero, along a poplar tree-lined path purpose built for Perigrinos (Pilgrims), with fantastic views of a mountain range to the north. With iPods to add to the majesty of our surroundings we completed the 41km hike at 14:10. After finding suitable accommodation for the night we kept to the daily ritual of prescribing copious amounts of Rioja to anesthetize pain receptors that other medications can’t reach.

Day 12 (15-Aug-07) - Fromista to Calzadilla de la Cueza

BORING, BORING, BORING – that’s all we can say about today’s straight-as-an-arrow and perfectly flat traverse. To give you a sampling of how we felt for the 7 hrs we spent on the road today, let me give you some of our statistics to date.

Todays Mileage: 36.24 km
Total Mileage: 365.20 km
Average Mileage: 30.43 km
Walking Time: 7 hrs 5 min
Total Walking Time: 74 hr 23 min
Average Walking Time: 6 hrs 17 min
Calories Burned Today: 1,877
Total Calories Burned: 18,912
Average Calories Burned: 1,576

* Numbers do not take into consideration (varying) weight carried in backpack and are based on AM details.

We trust you too have been suitably bored with the above……

Anyway, the boring journey left plenty of time for self-reflection, self-flagulation and all the other things expected of a pilgrim whilst on this route. However, as the conclusions reached during these times of introspection will be even more boring than the above statistics or today’s route, I will leave it at that.

Whoever said this journey was supposed to be easy anyway???

Day 11 (14-Aug-07) - Hontanas to Fromista

Waking up at 05:00, before the alarm or other residents gave us the opportunity to be out the door by the intended wake-up time of 05:30hrs. This was quite surprising as we’d met up again with Brian and some alcoholic beverages the night before.

Having to be guide to some other early birds (why do these people think they can start in the dark without head torches to even distinguish their heads from their a***s?) the first hour was spent as always heading away from sunrise. As Quentin was suffering with sore soles following yesterday’s mad dash to the albergue to beat the towel waving German down the mountain, we made 3 quite long stops today. This allowed us to walk 5 km more than planned to Fromista. Having done the additional 5 km puts us in good position to make the average travel day after tomorrow a lot shorter.

With Q’s feet suitably soaked we now need to try and find a place where we can soak our insides prior to immersing ourselves into the local culture on offer and revel in statistics - 51 km in 1 day, 83km in 2 days and 143km in 4 days - THAT´S SMOKIN´!!!!

Day 10 (13-Aug-07) - Burgos to Hontanas

After our day of madness yesterday I was expecting us to get up with not only aching, but also weary bones. If truth be told, the legs were a bit stiff, but not excessively more so than usual.

Not having a long day today (you may note the word long has taken on a totally different meaning over these past few days). We had set the alarm for 06:30, but after a considerable time spent on foot husbandry, it was 07:45 by the time we left our hostal.

The first few km took us through Burgos past its beautiful cathedral. As we were both quite peckish we opted for a quick breakfast stop after 11 km in Tardajos. With no accommodation pre-booked in Hontanas, and not wanting to be forced on another 10 km should even the Manger be occupied (we thought a 30 km day following yesterday’s 50 would suffice), we decided to push on at marching speed.

The walk was somewhat boring as both the terrain was fairly flat and the landscape monotonous. We nonetheless had our iPods to accompany us and act as marching metronome. Thus by 12:15 we suddenly found ourselves in Hornilios del Camino.

After guzzling a few isotonic beverages we plodded on to Hontanas. However, this 10 km stretch soon descended into the ´Wacky Races´as everyone on the trail wanted to secure best possible accommodation at the one and only Albergue in Hontanas. Q and I therefore alternated setting a blistering pace, reaching Hontanas in just 1 hr 30 mins – in first place of course.

With a few beers down Q’s neck (mine could only take 1), bodies cleansed and the very sweaty clothes in the washing machine, we are ready for our afternoon kip, which has to be followed by the biggest meal this village has to offer.

Day 9 (12-Aug-07) - Belorado to Burgos

After night of feverish sweats to get rid of the last of the food poisoning we departed at 05:45hrs for what was meant to be a routine hike to San Juan de Ortega. As always the first hour progressed in total darkness, with coffee and tea stop taken on arrival in Villafranco at 08:00hrs. At 12km this was to be our half way point.

However, with a favourable breeze, shade through the forested route ahead and fantastic scenery, we found ourselves in San Juan at 10:50hrs; a ridiculously early time of the day. We thus decided to push on to Atapuerca 6 km further on.

On the way, we bumped into Brian once more, who volunteered he was intending to cross the next ridge and as far as possible to Burgos. Having reached Atapuerca by 12:30hrs, and with conditions still favourable, we opted to accompany Brian. On reaching Orbaneja at 14:00hrs Brian treated us to a few beers. 0.5hrs later, feeling well oiled, we continued on our way.

Alas Brian started to feel acute pain in his right leg just before Castanares, so after assuring ourselves he could ´hop´ into town on his good leg, we abandoned the ‘old codger’ to his fate and legged it ourselves into Burgos, arriving at 17:10hrs, covering 51km total for the day in just under 12 hrs.

Now where’s the bar, my old mate San Miguel is waiting for me...

Day 8 (11-Aug-07) - Santo Domingo de la Calzada to Belorado

“Only a short, easy day” I can hear you think “So let’s just skip reading today’s escapades”. Well, there was absolutely nothing easy about today, let me tell you!Quentin spent half the night with either the front or the rear end hanging over a toilet as a result of seafood poisoning – swine crustaceans!. Getting up this morning therefore was and wasn’t easy for him as you can imagine.In my case, my left foot – especially the little toe – still isn’t feeling any better. In fact, it felt more painful and swollen than on previous days so Quentin’s sandals were the only option for me as far as walking was concerned.

As Q was feeling rather faint, I had to carry some additional stuff with the weight distribution now being 20 kg for me and a mere 11 kg for Quentin (or so it felt to me anyway).On the trail by about 07:45 and a short tea/toilet stop some 2 hrs later. The final 3 hrs to Belorado really took its toll on Q and it showed. Not only did he have his insides to contend with, the sun also bore down on us unrelentingly, and to top it all off the path we were having to follow was extremely boring and unshielded from the sun and devoid of any breeze.

We did make it to Belorado nonetheless but decided that the Albergue I had booked (with dormitory accommodation) was possibly not the place to be. The first obvious Hostal or other was to be our refuge for the rest of the day. Turned out the place to be (Casa Waslala) is run by a Dutch guy and his Ecuadorian wife, so it has to be good.

Dumped Q in our room so I could hunt for some rehydration fluids and provisions for tomorrow. On my return Q was already well looked after with a pot of green tea. Finally a chance for me to sit down and peel my plasters off. On doing so, the ooze from my little toe immediately started free flowing. With the pressure in that area at least having been relieved, I can now go for my well earned shower while Q has a snooze.

Day 7 (10-Aug-07) - Navarette to Santo Domingo de la Calzada

Our longest day yet at 39km, and Astrid’s strongest also. Having solved her footwear issues (by now wearing my evening rock sandals for the hike) Astrid blazed her way up and down Dale and across today’s finish line in 7.5hrs total, of which 15 minutes was for breakfast. We otherwise walked non-stop, she with 16kg and I with 15kg (according to Astrid).

As on previous long days we started early at 05:30hrs, hiking by the light of our headlamps until sunrise an hour later. The route wound inexorably uphill for two hours, culminating in our first vista of the famed Rioja valleys.

We reached Najera by 08:30hrs for our one and only scheduled stop and well-earned cuppa. Astrid was still suffering from the cold headwind, but soon forget her discomfort by the sight of hectares of mature Rioja vines that lined our route all the way to Santo Domingo. Again, the route wound uphill for another three hours to Ciruena, a new town, resplendent with golf course.

After chasing down some day trippers we entered our final destination at 13:00hrs and quickly located our Hotel for the night. After a quick shower, we dulled the pain in our feet with a couple of bottles of Rioja’s finest!!

Day 6 (09-Aug-07) - Viana to Navarette

As we only had a short day (22 km) to look forward to, we decided to enjoy the pleasures on offer at our luxury 3-Star hotel, and by staying in bed as long as we possibly could (06:30hrs). This was followed by a sumptuous breakfast buffet at which we gorged ourselves up to the Epiglottis.

 

The hike from Viana through Logroño was pleasant enough and thankfully downhill. We also met a very interesting 67 year old Brit (Brian) who had joined the Camino some 800 km earlier in France. Brian was walking in boots made by himself (being the owner of a specialist boot manufacturing company), and attempted to persuade Quentin that every man should own a good pair of shoes. If only Brian had known Quentin…..

 

The final 10 km took us through more of the Navarra countyside along a gentle uphill track. Our final destination was a very pleasant Albergue, where we were greeted with a cold beer (a must as it was rather sunny today) by the owner. He subsequently offered to do our laundry (which I’m sure he later regretted), and so all that’s left for us to do is relax and mentally prepare ourselves for tomorrow (37 km!!!). And what better way to relax than with friends ‘San Miguel’ and ‘Rioja Tinto’!!!

Day 5 (08-Aug-07) - Villamayor to Viana

A terrible nights´ sleep due to the excessive snoring of a fellow pilgrim. As far as we´re concerned people with sleeping disorders like that should be banned from dormitory accommodation (especially when we´ve decided to spend the night there).

 

05:00 was again the time for which the alarm was set and breakfast was again something not to be enjoyed at this early hour. We were on our way again by 05:40. Enjoying the dark and quiet for the first hour meant we were able to make steady progress to our first point of call along the route, Los Arcos.

 

The first 12 km had taken their toll on my (AM) feet, especially the little toe of my left foot has been suffering severely. I decided to wrap up the offending item (after attempting to lance the blister) and to replace my hiking boots by my sandals (with socks I´m afraid). Bliss!!!! - for one of us anyway. As Quentin thought my poor but ugly feet had suffered enough for one day, he decided that my hiking boots should be added to his already considerable backpack load of at least 30 kg (?) rather than adding their weight to my already hefty load of 1 kg (?).

Another 20 km later through the beautiful countryside of Navarra with regular stops for feet resting, photo taking and the obligatory watering took us to our final stop for the day: Viana. As the hotel we´d pre-booked didn´t appear to be immediately accessible, we decided to change hotel and book ourselves into a 3 Star luxury hotel (suite was the only available room) and are about to have a quick drink prior to exploring the cultural riches Viana has to offer.

Day 4 (07-Aug-07) - Puenta la Reina to Villamayor

With over 32 km under our boots today and not feeling too much worse for wear, there is hope for the future. Although we’ve got another hard 30km+ day to look forward to tomorrow, we know we can do it (in principle). Yes, we can.

As there was quite a bit of walking to be done, 05:00 was again the designated wake-up time. Getting all our stuff sorted meant we weren’t able to leave until 05:40. Wanting to ensure we will be able to continue our walk all the way to Santiago de Compostela meant pacing ourselves, therefore making regular stop.

A quick and rather light lunch (must have been as I’m starving now) in Estella around 11:00 and onwards and upwards took us to Villamayor and our first dormitory accommodation by 14:00. The last stretch after Estella was supposed to have filled up our empty water bottles with some free wine from the Iroche Bodega, but this was not to be as the, obviously too numerous, hikers ahead of us today had already managed to empty todays’ pilgrims allotment.

15:30 sounds like the perfect time for a reconnaissance trip of the village and hopefully a little drink, which is what I think we should do now.

Day 3 (06-Aug-07) - Pamplona to Puenta La Reina

Clean, well soaked, completely washed up and another 23 km closer to our ultimate goal.

Todays’ hike took us through more of the beautiful Navarra region through a number of quaint little hamlets and villages. Fortunately, weather was quite inclement with the occasional drop of rain. If the sunny conditions of the previous 2 days would have persisted, we could have been in for a rather sweaty affair. As it was, weather was ideal since no shade was to be had.

Getting up at 05:00 and leaving the hotel by 05:45 hopefully meant we would have been the only idiots setting of at this unholy hour. As it turned out we weren’t the only eager beavers by far.

With the route getting progressively busier (although that’s still relative) the types of people encountered along the route incrementally grows more interesting. Having now joined the ranks of the proper pilgrims, we are fully equipped to tackle the next and first ‘long’ day tomorrow. Not, however, before sampling some of the local goodies we’ll find on today’s food & wine lists.

Day 2 (05-Aug-07) - Zubiri to Pamplona

Although another “short” day today, being able to reach Pamplona already by 11:15, our legs tell quite a different story - not to mention hips and shoulders. As we weren’t able to check in to the hotel before 12:00 we dropped into bar next door and consumed much beverage and Tapas to oil and numb the much aching bones, joints and limbs.

Returned to the Hotel at 13:00hrs to unpack, shower and wash and then followed local tradition with a Siesta until 16:00hrs. Aftre the sleepless night before, nothing short of the famous bull run would awake us. After dressing as typical tourists we toured the town to absorb its many cultural and histroical delights, after which we sat down to early dinner of more beverage and Tapas at 19:00hrs. By 20:00hrs the lure of bed was irresitable!

Day 1 (04-Aug-07) - Roncesvalles to Zubiri

06:45 was the hour at which we were to start the first proper day of our holiday. Breakfast and the taxi at 07:45 meant we were in Roncesvalles at 08:45 to pick up our Credenciales from the appointed place, ready to set off properly by 09:00.

The first 15 minutes en route were spent vigorously adjusting and readjusting straps, boots and what have you nots (and not in the least thoroughly enjoying the greenery and fresh air). After that it was merely a matter of enjoying what was there and actually being there, having planned it for the past few months. Making the occasional stop to take pictures, watering and taking care of other relevant issues we reached Zubiri at about 14:30.

After checking into our Pension we unpacked, showered, washed clothes, went for a brief walk and finally succumbed to a well-earned afternoon kip. Awoke again at 18:00 and strolled to the other end of town for dinner – a sumptuous affair for a fixed price of €11.00 p/p – washed down with a bottle of vino blanco plus a bucket of beers. Staggered our way back to the Pension for deep sleep – only we didn’t get any as it transpired that 3-Aug-07 is the anniversary of the Patron Saint of Zubiri. As such, we were kept awake all night by a Mariacho band blasting Merenge and Salsa music all night long until 06:00, which was our designated Revele!!!

Dubai to Pamplona

Finally sitting down in a good way: behind our first glass of Rioja in our first hotel on our first day of our our long and eagerly awaited holiday.

Having had a shower and repacked the backpacks we are all ready for an early-ish start towmorrow. Up for breakfast at 07:00 to be ready for our taxi to Roncesvalles by 07:45.

The trip to Pamplona was rather long and mainly uneventful although before boarding at Madrid for our final leg of the journey we were rather worried either we or our luggage (or both) would miss the connecting flight to Pamplona. Fortunately, all of us made the flight, after which it was only a short taxi ride to our hotel ”et voila”.

We’ll finish our wine and retire to our chambers shortly, ready for our 1st days` hike tomorrow.