Madrid in March then Leon and away

Jackie's big birthday and we're off to Madrid for a couple of nights before heading to Leon, the capital of the camino in Spain for me. Most of the time will be strolling around enjoying the tapas but a day trip to Astorga for the chocolate factory and another outing to Burgos seems likely with a train to Sahagun another distinct possibility. With Stu arriving in El Burgo Ranero on Saturday after walking from Sahagun we might have a coffee in Sahagun with him or afternoon tapa in El Burgo. Either way we will munch our way through the countryside and the city landscapes. On the 22nd Simon flies out from Edinburgh on the Easyjet flight jackie gets back home on so they will seemlessly pass like ships in the afternoon and we will party one last night in Leon before heading off for a short camino culminating in a £7.22 flight from Santiago on MArch 28th. Its hard to not fly at these rates. Our camino will take us up over the hill at Cruz de ferro and then over O'Cebreiro.

May 26th 2002 Walk from Fromista to Boadilla del Camino, and back, then Friday 27th Castrojeriz to Fromista.

After the early train from Santander we will check into our digs and then walk along the Grand Canal de Castille to the pueblo of Boadilla del Camino. Boadilla now boasts a couple of albergues and so we will have a drink in both. The Grand canal is a gentle stroll with little or no sound. We pass the many padlocked sluice gates and if we are lucky one will be opened and we can watch the majesty of the water rushing out into the irrigation channels that hit the thirsty fields. Like the pilgrims they cant have enough water. We follow the path until we see the pueblo of Boadilla and then step down from the canal at the terminus for the canal boat.

There are two albergues, one in the centre by the church, a magnificent oasis, and the other as you exit town, or in our case as you enter it, from the canal. Both serve drinks and food. We will stop in both before turning around and coming back to our digs. On Friday we will take the Burgos bus at 10am to Catrojeriz (departing 11am) and walk back to Fromista via Itero de la Vega (departing 1.45pm) and Boadilla (4.30pm) before returning to Fromista for our 2nd night there around 6pm. On Saturday we will take the Burgos bus to Burgos and check into our apartment for the next 4 nights. On arrival we will check in and have a tapas before taking a bus to Tosantos and then walking 7km in the afternoon to Villafranca Montes des Oca, with stops on the way at Villambistia and Espinosa. If the temperature and time suggests we want to do 12km we will get the bus to Belorado and make Tosantos the first stop. My money would be on Tosantos being the first stop after we get off the bus! There is a beautifully sculptured grotto carved from the rock on the mountain overlooking Tosantos which is worth the 400m climbing detour. Sunday will be a very early start as we bus to Nejra and walk to Azofra, Ciruena and Santo Domingo de las Calzadas, while we await the arrival of the next batch of pilgrims. If they get there by 9pm there will be a river walk through Burgos, otherwise its tapas and sleep. Another early start on Monday will see us head to Villafranca Montes Des Oca for the two hills walk to Cardenuela Rio Pico. We set off over the hill to St Juan. A 3 hour journey which will burst the lungs for 20 minutes before strolling through the forests of Montes des Oca, and descending into St Juan for lunch. We leave St Juan at 2pm for Ages pronounced, Ahes leaving at 3pm for Atapuerca. After another quick beer we climb olmoso de Atapuerca for 30 minutes, a scraggy, shoe shredding piece of granite with sheer slicing mica before stopping at the top to adrmire the view. Ahead is Burgos and down below the pueblos that prepare us for its partying. We will stop at Cardenuela Rip Pico, arriving about 6.30 and with any luck getting a three course meal at 7pm before a taxi to Burgos. If there is no food we will settle for the taxi and tapas tea in Burgos! Tuesday will see us stumble out of bed into our walking boots and a slow steady stroll through historical Burgos and out via the University on our way to Tardajos, Rabe and Hornillos Del Camino. Its an easy day with gently rising road culminating in a steep descent in Hornillos. Hornillos has grown in fame recently owing to the film the Way. In short co star Emilio Estevez married the local lass. Ah, romance isnt dead.