Oh how the early risers annoy me… I get up at half past five merely because I’ve been woken and can’t get back to sleep.
Last night the nuns got everyone together to sing pilgrim songs in almost every language, it sounded nice from where I lay… Later in the evening they also held a pilgrim blessing.
The day starts cool with clouds but as soon as the sun began to rise we could tell it was going to be a nice day, a hot day.
The first 17km to Calzadilla de la Cueza is almost straight on gravel tracks and small roads. There are many pilgrims today, most of which we pass before the small village. The walking is fairly uneventful and so we put our headphones in and zone out to music. I choose some fairly uplifting hip hop to stride to. (Probably not the most pilgrim like, but it works, we make 17km in little over three hours)! From here the remaining journey follows gravel walkways next to a main road, (although we don’t see much traffic).
After one quick coffee stop we arrive in Terradillos de los Templarios by just after midday, (as you may recognise from the name, the village was once owned by the Knights Templars).
We pass the first albergue which looks very nice as a self contained complex, instead we opt for the albergue in the village itself. It seems ok. We are some of the first here so we get quick showers, wash our clothes and relax in the afternoon sun.
Although I still have no solid plans as to my return to Blighty, I’m more baffled by what I’m going to do once I get to Santiago de Compostela. Jaz is coming out to meet me and the plan is, she’ll walk with me to Finisterre, (and I haven’t heard from the other people that wanted to walk this last leg)?! But from here I don’t know whether we’ll try and get back across to France to meet up with my parents or if we’ll head back from Spain somehow…!?! Ooh the excitement of not knowing…
Sometimes plans are good, sometimes it’s better to ‘wing it’… (and sometimes I just wish I had my trusty motorbike)…!