raining in Ciruena

Not every day is dry and sunny and today was a bit dreich. Only the odd downpour and mostly just a cloud walk. Fine misty drizzle that got you wet.

Leaving Azofra the sun came out for 2-3km and the queue for breakfast felt like a huge blessing. The path was caked clay that became clogging shoes for a while.

Picking the racing line is what a good jockey does and as it was 15k not 5 furlongs I let Si choose the best ground but it was cloggy. The sunshine was the blessing not the underfoot conditions.

It didn't last long though so it was head down and we made it to the golf club at Ciruena.

The queue here was 15 minutes long and I was able to strip, change and visit the facilities with Si patiently waiting. The €4 media carne paella was worth the wait and off we went again.

The walk to Santo Domingo is lovely, even if half of it was in rain.

La Calzada are the town's team. Once day I'll watch a game.

The cafe was good and the 13.55 on time so now we are checked in at our lovely albergue twin room in Villafranca Montes Des oca. 

Nice kitchen too.

Azofra such a fantastic time

I've been coming to the albergue and bar Sevilla for 15 years and while some of the locals are a bit younger nowadays I still remember being introduced with Harry in 2011 to the guy who founded Lamborghini or some other fast car company. He must have been 95 then and this year the boys only looked in their 80's.

The menu del dia for €12 comes with a bottle of wine that costs €5 on its own or £9 in the UK shops. 

Let's not beat about the bush I love the inherent value of eating out in Spain.

The albergue was new in 2007 and it's got it's edges now but at €10 each for a two bed cabin it works. We were splashing the cash so it was a two bed cabin each.

We can up for breakfast in the morning while it rained. When we'd finished our €5 worth of bocadillo and tea we headed out into the sunshine! It did rain again but what a wonderful day. €20 each to stay, €17 each for dinner and the extra 2 bottles of wine and with breakfast we spent 42€ for a thoroughly decent stay.

We've been a mixture of canny and extravagant but largely the walk to get to Azofra saw us stop for €5 at 11 in Ventosa and two coffees while it rained in Najera for another 8 so it was a €55 day something these locals probably spend in a week here!

updated timetable

With us trying to get to Vitoria to watch the Godfathers at Helldorado I thought it was time to update our movements.

We will leave Navarreti tomorrow for Azofra and on Friday we get to Villafranca Montes Des oca and then via Burgos up to Vitoria for the gig. Back down on Sunday to Cardenuela then meet Stu of bus Monday 3rd.

We then get pissed in Burgos and jump the bus to castrojeriz. Tuesday Fromista Wednesday carion and Thursday sahagun

 Friday and Saturday is Leon and cultural Leonesa, Sunday is just outside Astorga via hospital de orbigo, Monday is rabanal or foncebadon, Tuesday is El Acebo and Wednesday ponferrade. Thursday is Porto via Vigo and Saturday may be flight home or walking trip to santiago

Camino profile - it's getting flatter!

Walking today from Logrono to Navarette

I have done this walk 12 times and it is because I enjoy it.

Sometimes I enjoy the night before in Logrono so much 11km is all I can handle.

Today it was different - today it was a tactical decision.

We had a big day yesterday and normally I would follow that up with another big day to Azofra. The rhythm of the Camino there is something I find myself in all the time. I walk slow, I walk fast, I sometimes stop at every cafe.

Yesterday I felt very tired. It led to me consuming less than a bottle of wine which has got to be a good thing.

Today we left at 10:30 having enjoyed a really lovely apartment in logrono. Thanks Javi it was brilliant. #27 AVE colon.

I was aiming for a 2pm arrival at the albergue so we stopped for a coffee next to the church. It was open which isn't always the case. Plenty golf on display and you can pay an extra euro to turn the altar lights on.

I didn't see the need but maybe someone had already done it. We had a conversation about abortion when I came out and it was nice to just talk about something over which as men we had no particular right to get involved. I'm fairly pro choice for women to decide whether it's to carry or not to carry, that is their choice. My mind often gets distracted with so much nonsense talked about women's rights in Afghanistan or wherever as I feel there's a few western countries need to listen to themselves. They've done nothing apart from find bullying stupid men who enjoy imposing their power on another individual. I still don't understand why women have to accuse someone of rape and then go through a process of them being called liars. Surely the women who are raped are presumed victims and it is for the man to prove otherwise. The laws for rape were presumably written by men. I'd rather a few innocent men got found  guilty than all the women getting abused. Maybe it's just me, maybe the law is an ass, but I think all we are talking about is sentences. If the man is not found guilty the woman is made to be a liar. That's shit. It should be that the man gets away with a non custodial sentence and has the mark on his file  much better that than the woman be accused of being a liar. There are many more high profile cases which highlight how easy it is for a man to abuse a woman. It breeds even worse abuses in society. So I thought as we sat down to have a coffee before heading to the albergue.

Now I've had my shower I've written it up, probably badly but it's put there now.

Time for another picture I think.

Simon staring into the camera as the lake at logrono quietly stares back.

rest day to Navarette today

arrived in Los Arcos

Tired now. It's funny how fatigue catches up with you. A bit of food then a siesta.

my playlist for Camino 2022

Back in 2007 there were songs going through my head so loudly I didn't need to carry any music with me. The landscape stimulating the brain and I was off.

This year I've got my headphones for the communal sleeping.

In some albergues it's essential but for most of our time we will sleep not in dorms but in hostals or pensions.

Santa Fe at Cardenuela Rio Pico is one such place.

The dorms are small, 5/6 beds and are 10/12€. The rooms on the other side of the hallway are a double for €40 a twin for €50 and a single for 30€. All are ensuite and if you were to design a bar/ restaurant albergue this would be it.

Miryam is the perfect host and her chef is a wonderful woman cooking great simple tasty food. It always amazes me how good a night out it is when I stay here and it's why I always come back.

We are generally the only English speakers and I think the Swiss, German and French we've met here over the years must have had a tip from a guide book!

After you climb over from Atapuerca you descend to a flat if curvy road into Burgos. It's easy to walk on by as you chase Obanos and then Burgos but settle down and chill.

When we were here in May we'd rented an apartment in Burgos for a week so were bussing out and walking back toward Burgos eland getting the bus back. The first day we got the bus back in from Santo Domingo and the second day we got the bus back in from just after villambistia. I always forget the name of this pueblo but the albergue had just changed hands so we will stop there this year. That then means we can have a short walk to Villafranca Montes Des oca and climb the hill after breakfast.

That with any luck means we will have Saturday night here and so a 30km walk to cardenuela or possibly Friday here and have a nice easy day to San Juan or Ages.

Ideally if we get to Cardenuela around 1pm we can get the washing done and a siesta before it's then dried etc. There is also a nice pub crawl in Cardenuela up the hill and back to the start of town.

All these plans of course go out the window as the hands of St Jacques and the fates dictate. You plan a laundry stop only to find the washing line is full or under torrential rain. The best part of the plan is the fact you had an idea from which you can change or as our north American cousins would say, pivot.

September 2022 - we are on our way

Such a joy to finally pack the bag.

Much smaller than usual and we shall see how it pans out.

St Jacques will provide but I always like to do a rough plan which he then alters!

So we fly to Bordeaux for £25 and down to Hendaye Irun and San Sebastian before heading down to Pamplona.

I asked Simon if he wanted to do St Given pied du porte but he declined.... 15 years ago it was tough for us but nowadays I quite enjoy it, but he's right. We are tourists.

Who else would wear a hoodie like that around Edinburgh in the festival.

in May we did a wee taster trip for some of the boys and we'll pick up where they left off when we get to St Juan, Burgos and Rabe de las calzadas.

Stu missed that photocall in st Juan but had arrived by Rabe.

this time we will get to ponferrade where Simon and I were in March. Then we will jump the train to Vigo and bus or train across the border to Porto.

its hard to believe it's only 6 months since we climbed out of Bierzo toward O'Cebriero and then down to Portomarin.