Parque El Parral
Distance to go: 495.6 Kms
After the long 8 Kms dead straight slog into Burgos I picked up a bit of an angle ‘tweak’ where every now and then an intense pain shot up my right leg from my ankle to my knee. This did not bode well at all. Thankfully the stage today was not supposed to be so much of a slog.
Pilgrim monument
We left the albergue by the cathedral at 06:15 and headed out through the western suburbs. There was nothing much to see. We did pass where El Cids house ‘used to be” and is now a restaurant called Maison El Cid appropriately. The Parque El Parral was quite nice although there did seem to be quite a few people sleeping in the place before we struck out for the village of Tarjados along small roads and paths. There is a lovely pilgrim monument that we passed before conning out into greener areas.
The guidebook unfortunately did not mention that the way had been diverted to make way for a major motorway upgrading project and we were diverted the long way around it on gravel construction roads. This added another 2 kilometres to our walk today.
First view of journeys end
After an egg and potato omelette and a cup of tea in Tarjados we walked along the road to Rabé de las Calzados and from there up gravel paths into the Meseta. As soon as we left the hard tarmac roads my knee felt better. A gravel track climbed for around 5 Kms up to a height of 950 metres above sea level before descending down the Cuestra Matamulas, ‘mule killer slope’. It was not that bad compared to some slopes we have had to negotiate.
Arriving at the albergue I just sat on the road outside as it was still closed until noon. It is amazing how the temperature is so much more bearable in the shade and with the backpack on the ground instead of on your back.
We checked into the albergue and shared a bunk room with Jimmy and Antoinette again, a Norwegian, a Dane, two young girls from Minnesota and 2 young girls from the south of Poland. Both sets of girls had just started walking from Burgos and were still fresh after their days walk. The old mules were a little less fresh shall we say.
Antoinette and Debbie in the local watering hole.
Once we had unpacked and showered and little siesta was required to let the body start to cool down and repair the tired tendons and muscles. By mid afternoon Jimmy and Antoinette and we two paid a visit to the local watering hole to remove the dust of the trail from our throats. Then the rain started and did it start. It lashed down.
It is not all sunshine!
The thunder and lightning continued all night so we shall see what the day brings tomorrow. Hopefully the trail will dry out some. Fingers crossed.
The complete lack of any animals of the canine persuasion means again there is no mutt de jour.
Distance walked today: 23 Kms