Carrión de los Condes, Castile and León, Spain and Canary Islands
Distance by the guide book - 25.1km
Total distance for the day - 30.2km
Flights climbed - 2
Well it was certainly a test of the ankle today and you’ll be pleased to hear it held up well. We took it steadily and I didn’t stretch it by making myself go faster than I felt comfortable with. It certainly helped that much of the walk was on level flat ground today. At the end of the day we’d finished almost 30kms and all seems good. I’m being cautious and continuing the ice treatments and the drugs are working too, I think. Restaurant people are very nice and all comply when I ask them if I could have some ice in my plastic bag.
We left early again this morning because we knew that we had a long walk today. We’d tried to book into Frómista last night but couldn’t get in anywhere so we stayed in Boadilla instead. But that meant we had to walk the 6kms that we missed yesterday as well as today’s portion of the walk. All in all that amounted to nearly 30kms today.
We enjoyed most of the walk. We knew we had a booking for the night so we weren’t in any hurry.
We treated the walk like a Sunday morning outing. We strolled along, listening to the cuckoos who’d joined us again. We followed the Canal de Castilla almost all the way into Frómista. It was beautiful in the early morning light with the reflections on the water. The canal was once used for transportation but is now just used for irrigation and leisure.
We stopped at a cafe in Frómista for breakfast. The array of baked goods in the window was so tempting. I had the most delicious custard pastry about the size of two of my hands and didn’t feel guilty at all!
Once outside Frómista the track starts to follow the main road. A soulless gravel track that goes for kilometre after kilometre. There was a suggested deviation off the track along a riverside path that bypassed about 10km of the roadside track. It added a kilometre to our journey today and even though I was a bit wary of how the ankle would hold up we opted to take the deviation because it sounded much more peaceful walking beside a river than walking beside the highway.
It was a lovely walk. We had wildflowers on both sides of us, a pretty stream to follow for most of the way and some small villages to pass through. At the village of Villovieca all was very quiet as we passed the town square. Sundays in Spain are usually very quiet in the villages. I asked a German pilgrim sitting under the fountain if he thought there might be a cafe open somewhere at which suggestion he laughed. Disappointed, we decided to perch on a brick fence for a short time to rest our feet before continuing on.
Then we walked around another corner and found a lovely open air cafe. We stopped in and found our German friend ordering coffee. He just laughed and shrugged. You just never know what’s around the corner.
We could see the other Pilgrims who had taken the highway route walking in the distance so we knew it couldn’t be too far before the two tracks join up again. They meet in the village of Villalcazar de Sirga. What followed next was 7 kilometres of hell! It probably didn’t help that we were tired but that awful stretch of road just seemed to go on forever and the sound of our scrunching feet on the gravel was just about enough to drive us insane. We just put our heads down and trudged it out. Luckily Carrion finally appeared and we had a lovely hostel with a twin room and our own bathroom to luxuriate in.
Carrion was hopping when we arrived. It seems Sunday is a busy day here. Maybe because it was Mother’s Day but there seemed to be a lot of people in the restaurants. Most of them disappeared around 3, no doubt for siesta. It will be interesting to see if they come out again later this evening.
Karen K
2023-05-14
So pleased your Achilles is holding up - no steep climbs would help! As you journey along the Camino, I’m re-reading the book “Boots to Bliss” by Claude Tranchant whom I met at the Riverside markets about 7 years ago. She travelled from Vezelay in France to St Jean Pied de Port and then follows your route. Originally from France she lives in Brisbane now. You may have read the book yourselves? Take care and I hope tomorrow won’t be such a long walking day for you.
Marl
2023-05-14
Glad the ankle is holding up for you, Lan. In that last photo, they both look a bit swollen. Don’t think you need to feel guilty about the pastry. 🤣
Karry
2023-05-14
Always take the scenic route. It looks pretty beside the river. Fingers crossed for your ankle xx
Margot
2023-05-14
Those little village cafes are so important for your health and happiness. We found that the further west we walked the more cafes we found open on a Sunday. I hope it’s true for you too. I’m amazed how much prettier the Camino is at this time of year.
Kathryn
2023-05-14
Gorgeous colours and reflections. Glad to hear that you've got the measure of that ankle. Keep on soldiering on. Do hope Sheila is holding up well also. Best wishes.
Ange K
2023-05-15
Your pictures are stunning. I love the colours and reflections. You are inspiring me! Thanks for sharing 🌺
Beth
2023-05-15
I'll bet that the twin room (with private bathroom) in Carrion was greatly appreciated after your 30km walk, Leanne. Can you believe that 30km is 'do-able' (just) for you guys now? xx
Suzanne
2023-05-15
Loving your photos. Pleased you had a good day and took the scenic route. A private bedroom and bathroom would be bliss!
Helen D
2023-05-15
Impressive mileage, beautiful rural scenes, a twin room and an ankle that has behaved, make for a fantastic day!
Helen
2023-05-15
Wow, you certainly deserve to put your feet up!
Liz Davis
2023-05-15
I love the way you are so relaxed and just take each day as it comes. I loved the way you both put your heads down and dealt with that hellish last bit of the day's walk. Glad that you had a good place to rest up in after a hard day.
Karen
2023-05-18
It is all simply amazing. Your pics say it all.stay safe and tread warily.🦋
Tomasina
2023-05-27
Leanne some of your photos look like postcards, keep them coming. Sorry I forgot your Birthday Sheila. Many happy returns, I'm sure you will never forget this Birthday. Hope your feet are not too sore. Stay safe.