Camino Sanabrés, the first four days.

I have just completed a four course meal, complete, had I wanted it, with wine and a digestive, along with coffee.  This was a pilgrim meal and cost the grand total of €15!  This has come at the end of four days walking on the Camino Sanabrés, though it was lunch, not dinner.

Main course

Desert!

This is a really interesting route, initially quite easy, though I know there are some steep climbs coming up, but that is for the future.

After leaving Granja de Moreruela, I turned onto the Camino Sanabrés, leaving the Via de la Plata behind.  The first days walk headed to Quintos Bridge crossing the Rio Esla.  I was actually headed just over 25 kilometres to the small town of Tábara where I had booked a bottom bed in a private albergue for €12.  As it turned out I was virtually alone as the only other pilgrims staying there were 2 Italian blokes in another section of the dormitory. 

The albergue

Ups and downs.  I have no idea who the pilgrims are ahead of me.  I never did catch them!

The Quintos Bridge over the Rio Esla

I liked Tábara.  It had interesting buildings, and several churches, neither open.  Of course there were the mandatory storks nests with residents to listen to and admire!

Looking back at Tábara 

It was a pleasant walk, through Holm Oak territory.  After the bridge though I chose to walk on the road as I had been pre-warned that it was a big scramble over big rocks by following the path.  Although my leg is giving me no trouble I didn't want to tempt fate by a scramble!

These four Spanish pilgrims were walking pack free.  

Some sort of flowering water weed.  The water must be relatively clean as the frogs were having a field day.

I had already booked a room in Villanueva de las Peras so I was under no pressure to make a dawn start the next day, and still managed to get there by just after lunch.  When I arrived I discovered that Garis (from Castlemaine) was staying there too.  We had both independently decided to have two shorter day of about 15 and 13 kilometres.   I was not wanting to put my leg under too much stress. We were the only pilgrims staying and our hostess cooked us dinner for €12.

It was so warm I was even able to change into summer clothes!  Our rooms are upstairs.

An old Adobe building in Villanueva de las Peras.

There were some gentle hills to climb and descend on both these shorter days, passing through scrubby bushland.  This is much more comfortable than paddocks of crops as there is sometimes shade.

Bodegas built into the hillsides.

On the second shorter day not only Garis and I, but about half a dozen other pilgrims ended up in a hotel, slightly off the path.  There were pilgrims from Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Israel and three from Australia among them. 

While walking through the village of Santa Marta de Terra, Glade a chap from Wetern Australia, caught me up.  We chatted for quite a while then he went off to find a bed in the albergue, and I went to visit the church.  This church has a wooden carving of Santiago, apparently the oldest known one.  While I was having a sing in the church Glade reappeared, having decided that he felt like staying in a comfy hotel room too, and so we walked together to Camarzana de Tera, our destination. 

The old carving of Santiago 

The simple, elegant church

Glade and I about to leave the church, in front of another statue of Santiago 

The night started quietly, but sometime after I had gone to sleep I was awoken by a deafening roar.  This continued at indefinite intervals - until the football match finished.  Poor Garis had a room that overlooked the TV area and so he had no sleep till it all stopped!

The hotel in the morning sunshine

A few of us had a discussion on the choice for the next day, 25 kms following the marked path, or 17 kms following a pretty quiet road.  Garis and I were the only ones to take the 17 km option which meant we arrived well before lunch time, and I could be confident I would get a bottom bunk!

The road option, Garis in the distance

By studying the maps carefully both of us established that we could, for perhaps half of the route, walk on tracks running parallel to the road.  When I saw Garis on arrival (he had left a half hour before me), he had missed one of the tracks, a track that was particularly nice as it headed through stands of Holm Oaks. 

I did catch Garis up briefly, before separating again

Through stands of Holm Oaks

My itinerary has been thrown into disarray by the couple of short days I have taken.  My next task is to work out how I can fill in the distance, without injuring myself!

My posts are now up to date - what a nice feeling.  More in a few days.