Day 18 - 28th April Hornillos del Camino to Castrojeriz 20.4km and 170m
After our food I went for a little wander round the little town we were in. Its a very sleepy little place - almost untouched by the outside world.
It was abit of a rush in the morning, 7 people and one bathroom. We went downstairs to breakfast but I couldn’t be bothered. Carrie had managed to secure some food but the problem was the kitchen was tiny - someone was trying to work out how to do the coffee right next to the toaster and in front of the fridge. There was at one point about five people vying for space. I beat a hasty retreat and had a banana and put my boots on. It was chaotic!
We set off around 7.30 - it was freezing fog that greeted us and I was gutted as this was the bit I was so looking forward to - the heart of the Meseta.
But we were incredibly fortunate as the mist lifted and the sun came out. The views were our favourite so far, green flat plains on both sides and ahead wisps of mist lifting under the sun. We both walked in silence most of the way.
Our first marker below 500km. And don’t we feel it!
We stopped at Albergue De Peregrinos Fuente Sidres en Hontanas which was around 150ft off the path. Most pilgrims were passing it by but I liked the look of it. And it served fresh omelette which was delicious and coffee in large cups (a rarity in Spain). A gentleman (German?) who was sat outside waved us in - apparently he had been there 5 days. He was on the Camino but loved this Albergue so much he had decided to stay there longer. He was taking 3 months to do the Camino.
As we carried on past Hontanas, a very pretty village with a few cafes and eating places, we both were impressed by the ruins of San Anton…
It certainly was impressive but slightly further down the road was Castrojeriz and that really was an impressive looking town with a castle, magnificent church and a monestary.
We paid 1€ to see inside the massive Iglesia de Nuestra Senora del Manzano. Our visit unfortunately coincided with a coach load of tourists.
We got to our hostel just before 1pm. A sweet Spanish lady took us to our room and let us shower and unpack before we registered. We actually have a private bathroom… which after the last few days is a luxury!
Carrie and I went out then for a glass of wine and found this really lovely bar - we are well impressed with this town. The delightful puppy was running around outside the first place we stopped at - it wasn’t quite a wine crawl but almost.
We did stop for strange interactive tour of the local church. Very odd…
We went back and washed our clothes, the water was freezing! And then sat in the back garden snd patio - both being sun traps. The weather is beautiful sunshine but incredibly cold. In a sheltered spot it gets warm enough almost to take your coat off. I think we are both fighting the cold. Temperature at night plummets to freezing and there is very little heating at night time.
We ate at the Albergue, it meant we didn’t have to go outside but the meal was sparce. However what made it worthwhile was the tour the owner did of the wine cellar. The building sits on top of an old wine cellar and houses the wine press which is huge in the dining room. The cellar tunnel dates to 100AD and although now blocked up - it apparently was 1km long and goes all the way to the castle. The whole place is incredible. He was very obliging and sweet. I wanted to take him with me in the rucksack but Carrie pointed out the logistical difficulties. I would have had to leave my face cream behind and thats definitely not happening!
