Tuesday 25th April 2023
Distance 21.9km (13.6 ml). Total Ascent 300m (984 ft)
Puente La Reina – Estella
I had a good sleep and woke up refreshed. I got up about 6am and was by no means the first. I was out of the Albergue as dawn was breaking and found a nice quiet spot across the road to say Morning Prayer, sitting on the base of an old stone cross which seemed appropriate. Then it was a short walk through the town to go over the actual bridge which gives its name to the town. I passed a couple of bars which were serving breakfast but decided to press on.
I had been hoping for some social interaction and just as I was walking across the bridge someone I had met before stopped for a brief chat so that felt good.
The walk started by walking up the valley. It was pleasantly flat and easy walking but I shouldn’t have been lulled into a false sense of security.
Just round the corner was a steep climb through a beautiful wooded valley, which was mercifully quite short, followed by a fairly steep descent into the next valley. This was the theme of today’s stage – up and down. There were fields of wheat and what I assume was mustard or oilseed rape.
I stopped at the village of Maneru and had my preferred breakfast of coffee and a napoletana (pain au chocolat) sitting at a table outside watching the pilgrims pass by. Who should appear but the man who was in the same dormitory as me at Saint Jean Pied de Port. I had met him again half way up the Pyranees but never expected to meet again. We shared some experiences of the past few days and then off I went again. It was more up and down to another hilltop village of Cirauqui.
These villages had retained a lot of their medieval charm and quaint cobbled streets albeit a bit on the steep side.
It was more steep ups and downs. I was concentrating on getting up the hills and the physical challenge of the day, only to realise I had crossed an authentic Roman bridge. The weather was getting hotter and hotter and today there didn’t seem to be much shade.
Why is it that the last two or three kilometres at the end of the walk are twice as long as the ones at the beginning of the day? As I was walking I decided it was a week since I had started and maybe resting on the seventh day would be a good idea. I knew I had plenty of time so wasn’t under any pressure. My next destination, the town of Estella seemed like a good place for a day off.
I got to Estella in good time to check in to the Parochial Albergue of Saint Miguel. It was a tiny Albergue and the bunk beds had almost no room between them. I started getting my stuff out of my backpack then I thought I should book a room for the following night. I found a cheap hotel on Booking.com and booked online. It was then I suddenly felt overwhelmed by being surrounded by strangers, being crowded and anxious and on impulse booked the room for tonight, then packed up again and checked out!
I don’t know what it was unless it was just the accumulation of the experiences and stresses of the past few days. Whatever it was I walked through the town to my hotel room with en-suite bathroom and a bed with proper mattress and sheets. I did feel a tinge of guilt that I had chickened out but after a lovely shower and a siesta on my comfortable bed I felt a lot better.
After my nap I walked back into the town and had a look round. It had some really interesting buildings and charming streets.
I ended up in the main square and felt confident enough to sit and order a meal and have a well deserved (I thought so!) beer.
It was good to watch the world go by. There were plenty of pilgrims around so I still felt part of the Camino.
After my meal I went back to my hotel and after reading for a while I drifted off to sleep.