Wednesday 10th May 2023
Distance 23.4km / 14.5 miles
Carrion de los Condes – Ledigos
The guidebook warned me about today,
We pass through a flat and somewhat featureless landscape with little or no shade… Anticipate no facilities with no water and no toilets
John Brierley
I had low expectations about today and to be honest it became a bit of a grind though it wasn’t as featureless as I feared.
There were some attractive views as I left Carrion in the morning after Morning Prayer in the square outside the hostel.
This bit with woodland and rivers soon gave way to the long straight road. Whilst it was easy walking I did feel troubled by the little blister on my toe. This was a day when I practised my Nordic Walking technique. It certainly propelled me forward that bit faster. It took me a while but I did finally remember that this was a great example of a Roman road, obviously with some resurfacing since it was built. In so many places it was built on a causeway across the low lying and wet land (now drained). It was interesting to think that not only Romans had walked along this road but countless others over the intervening two thousand years.
A pop up cafe was open, thankfully so I was able to stop and have my normal coffee and pastries. As I set off walking again my mind was free to roam without having to worry about navigation or where I was going to sleep. I had booked a bed at the Albergue Morena at Ledigos. Among the thoughts I had was how the parochial hostels I had stayed in so far had punched above their weight in terms of hospitality and impact. The churches themselves seemed like so many in this country with congregations of a few, mainly older people, yet with a few committed volunteers they were providing something special to hundreds of volunteers each year.
I also was surprised to realise as I walked that I had come to terms with my mortality. I felt that if I died now I would be ok with that, it’s kind of difficult to explain. I could die in peace knowing that I and my life were accepted by God. Of course it’s immediately followed by the thought that while its ok to die now I’d rather stick around for a while longer!
At the end of today’s walk I came to a slightly hilly section with a scenic option. I wasn’t confident about the way marking so I continued on the main route. I entered the village and had to go all the way through to get to the albergue. It was quite modern and had a restaurant as well as a bar. I checked in and discovered this was one of the new places where the beds were in pods. You crawled in at the end and then pulled down a blind. Thankfully I didn’t have any claustrophobia. I got showered and did my laundry as usual then decided to treat myself to a Sangria. This was the first one I had, had in Spain and very nice it was too. I was on a roll and then had the meal of the day in the restaurant. This was a very different experience to yesterday’s accommodation.