Life In The Slow Lane - El Burgo Ranero to Leon
Day 14 - El Burgo Ranero to Mansilla de las Mulas: 21.07km / Ascent 78m
/ Descent 146m
This morning’s breakfast was notable for two reasons: first because it
was available nice and early, and second because it was such a copious affair
we were able to eat our fill there and then, take left-over bread, cheese, ham,
tomatoes and bananas for lunch, and still not finish everything!
After another stifling night when sleep was hard-won, it was
surprisingly cool as we set off in the half light of early morning. Nice for
walking, though, and many others thought the same, judging by the number of
familiar faces that were also hitting the trail early.
For much of the morning we walked beside the road, which was quiet enough at this time of the day. With trees on our left and occasional picnic spots along the way, we enjoyed a relaxed pace, passing and re-passing our friends as we went.
We stopped for a drink break beside the entrance to Villamarco village, chatted briefly to a girl from Hungary, and took a short detour to view the exhibition of old farm implements which made for an interesting diversion.
Tumbledown adobe buildings beneath clouds and contrails |
Back en route, we kept along
beside side the road, passed an airfield and further rest stops, until a picnic
area near Reliegos provided a good, shady spot for lunch. A little later on, as
we passed through the village, we popped into a bar for ice creams and cold
drinks.
With only 6 kilometers of the day remaining, we took our time getting
to Mansilla de las Mulas. Nevertheless, it was barely 2.00pm when we passed
through the old town walls and headed for our hotel.
Entering Mansilla de las Mulas |
We bumped into the four Scots for the first time since Calzada del Coto,
and a Japanese girl who had walked the 38 kilometers from Sahagun. This gave us
some food for thought: having eventually reached a level of fitness, we both
felt that the last few days’ walking had not offered quite enough challenge,
and it would have been good if they’d been a little bit longer. Perhaps not
38k at a stretch: maybe 30 kilometers per day, give or take, would be ideal. That way we wouldn’t arrive at our
destination quite so early in the afternoons, and may have “saved” a day – or possibly
even two – by adopting a more flexible schedule between Burgos and Leon. Of
course it’s entirely our own fault in that we pre-arranged the days’ duration
in advance, but it’s a lesson learned for next time, I feel.
Once again, our room is simple and functional, but seems quite quiet
and will suit us just fine. It’s hot, though, just like at Calzadilla and El
Burgo Ranero, and we hope it will cool as the sun goes down.
Camino sculpture, Mansilla de las Mulas |
We spent the afternoon resting and pottering round town. What interest there
was lay mainly amongst the high-sided, narrow streets of the old town. It’s not
a big place, though, and one lap revealed the best of what was on offer. We
went to a bar near the Albergue where a few pilgrims lounged, soaking up cold
drinks and writing up our notes, wondering if any familiar faces would appear.
But they didn’t.
It was later
that we caught up with friends: pre-dinner drinks with Fred, Frans and Ann,
followed by a filling meal of pasta, grilled pork steaks and chips.
Day 15 –
Mansilla de las Mulas to Leon: 20.30km / Ascent 257m / Descent 175m
And so to our
last day – the final leg of this section – from Mansilla into Leon, where we
have to leave the Camino and return home.
Again, it was a
cool morning, belying the fact of another hot, sleep-interrupted night. On reflection,
I think we coped better with the heat during the day (wide-brimmed hat, frequent
applications of sunscreen, plenty of water, keeping to the shade) than we did
at night, which seems slightly odd given all the warnings about afternoon
temperatures at this time of year.
Town walls, early morning |
We were
underway by 8.30am – later than normal, but not too bad considering there was only
20 kilometers to go. Some of our regular
chums were also about, but others had opted to take the bus. Word had got round
that the last part of the walk into Leon wasn’t very nice: dangerous, even, as
it followed the shoulder of a busy road.
True, walking
into the main cities was often less than scenic, but there was usually something
of interest to see. And all the reasoning in the world (more time in Leon, a
chance for a rest day, catching up with others) wouldn’t change one simple fact:
we were not going to put ourselves in the position of getting to Santiago, looking
back and wishing we’d not missed a bit! After all, we’d promised ourselves “the
full distance on foot, no matter what”.
Twenty-arched bridge, Puente Villarente |
As has been
alluded to earlier, the Camino again paralleled the road or used pavements for
much of the day. We passed through a minor village, Villamoros, before taking a
coffee break with Fred at a bar in Puente Villarente, a village with an
historic twenty-arch bridge and a little museum about the history and
restoration of the major bridges along the Camino.
Beyond Puente
Villarente, we headed off on a now-familiar gravel track. A short detour to the
Albergue in Arcahueja offered a lazy rest stop with cheese and chorizo sandwiches
and cokes. We met Belgian Dirk, and caught up again with the Chamonix ranger
from a few days ago, who was stopping for the day there and then because of foot trouble!
We rejoined the
main road in Valdelafuente, and followed an intricate set of paths and bridges
to reach the outskirts of the town proper near the Psychiatric Hospital at
Puente Castro. From what I can work out this sinuous route is new, created to
remove the pilgrim from a dangerous roadside plodge.
Extravagant new bridge, Valdelafuente |
Walking through
the streets, familiar voices hailed us from a nearby bar. Having passed us
while we were ensconced in the Arcahueja Albergue, Mike and Carol had been
there a while and already slipped into relaxation mode. So we joined them for a
beer: a bit early, maybe, but if it was OK by the locals and OK by other
pilgrims, it was certainly OK by us.
Looking back at
my notes and photographs, it seems like these final days just flew by. The
thought of finishing this year’s section had been preying on our minds a little,
and with these longer breaks I get the impression we were deliberately trying
to prolong the experience and delay the moment when it would be time to rejoin
the “real world” once again.
The odd thing is that over the last two weeks the simple recurring mantra of “eat, sleep, hike” had become our reality, and we were reluctant to leave it behind. Our busy lives of only a few days ago, lives full of noise and stress and obligation, structured by outside commitments and pressures and soon to be rejoined, are the lives that now seem peculiar, distant and incongruous. I guess this is how the Camino gets into your system; how it changes your life.
The odd thing is that over the last two weeks the simple recurring mantra of “eat, sleep, hike” had become our reality, and we were reluctant to leave it behind. Our busy lives of only a few days ago, lives full of noise and stress and obligation, structured by outside commitments and pressures and soon to be rejoined, are the lives that now seem peculiar, distant and incongruous. I guess this is how the Camino gets into your system; how it changes your life.
Double thickness city walls, Leon |
There was
another kilometer or so of pavement bashing through the outskirts, before
finally passing through the ancient walls and entering the beautiful and
historic city centre. We followed the Camino through narrow streets, and
turned towards the Plaza Santo Martino to reach our hotel. Part of the collegiate
church of San Isidoro, it proved a magnificent setting in which to spend the
last night of our pilgrimage.
Inside the Casa de Espiritualidad |
After a rest and
a quick wash and brush up, we set out to explore the city – wandering the
streets and soaking up the atmosphere. We’d arranged a rendezvous by the
cathedral, but bumped into JD while we were out and about who said a bunch of
pilgrims were gathered at a bar round the corner.
Leon Cathedral |
So we all joined up – us, Mike
and Carol, Frans and Ann, Don, John, John and Stephen (the four Scots), Dirk, JD
and Becky, Sandi and Dean – all our friends from the last couple of weeks on the
Camino gathered together one final time before we all went our separate ways.
Sandi, Dean, Ann & Frans |
Frans, Don & John |
John, Becky, JD, Dirk & Stephen |
Us, with Mike & Carol |
I had deliberately kept fairly quiet about it being my 50th birthday – the idea of arriving into Leon at the end of a great fortnight being present enough. But word had got out: Carol had bought me a small present and a beautiful hand-painted card which everyone signed. It was great – a lovely thought and a fantastic memento of a unique and wonderful two weeks!
It also turned
out to be Ann’s birthday, and the eve of her and Frans’ wedding anniversary, so
there was a definite celebratory air about the evenings’ proceedings. Eventually,
though, everyone began to drift away. For some, the immediate future meant carrying on
along the Camino: for others, like us, it was time to turn for home.
Cheers! |
We had dinner with
Mike and Carol at a small off-the-beaten-track café – loads of food and wine at
a very modest price – and rounded-off the evening watching a son et lumiere show telling the history
of Leon, which was projected on to the side of the San Isidoro church.
Brilliant! It was a fabulous evening of fun, friendship and celebration, and I
can’t think of a better way of marking the end of a memorable fortnight.
Sound & light show projected on to the facade of San Isidoro church |
Day 16 – Leon
to Home
There was precious
little chance to do anything much this morning, but we did our best to make the
most of what time there was. We had a quick look round town, wished a few departing pilgrims
well (with more than a tinge of sadness) and took a guided tour of the
hotel/church complex.
Tower and courtyard, Casa de Espiritualidad |
It was hard to
leave, but we know we have lots to look forward to when we return. And return
we will to finish our pilgrimage – God willing, of course.
Interior of San Isidoro from the gallery |
Another wonderful long distance path. Happy 50th too Jules. I'll not be long behind you, and like many of your walking buddies along the Camino, I am all too ready to give up work and enjoy life.......... I just need a little help ;-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the read, and all the wonderful pics.