Hornillos del Campo to Castrojeriz

May 2, 2016 Monday

The Meseta starts: Hornillos to Castrojeriz    Walking Day #14

After getting a ride from the remote El Molina hotel to the town of Hornillos del Camino, I naturally started walking with the Brazilian couple. They were going at about the pace I wanted to walk, so it worked out well. Leaving Hornillos, we started a gradual climb. Many of these towns on the meseta are in river valleys, so to it is often downhill into the town and then uphill to leave. 

Soon we were on rolling farmland again, with only the noise of an occasional tractor to break the quiet. The meseta at this time of year is not the bleak and empty as some of the descriptions have emerged from books and the internet. It is quite beautiful and makes the long walk easier. But then, walking with interesting people helps also. The Brazilian man, Ricardo I think, has worked in international shipping most of his career, and we talked about shipping difficulties and routings and I found it quite interesting. Behind almost everything we have or use that is from abroad, there are people behind the scenes working the best shipping method or routes to get that product to its destination.

Here are Ricardo and his wife Betina as we started descending a small hill on the way to our lunch stop at Hontanas.

A way marker on the meseta. They are not all this good, and not all this new. This one is a combination of the old concrete way post with the shell backwards, a yellow arrow to clarify, and a newer sign with an arrow and a shell that I think should be rotated ninety degrees.

After a while we got behind a shepard moving his flock from one pasture to another. It was interesting to see how well the dogs kept the flock together and kept them moving. Many of the sheep (or maybe all) would rather just stop and eat the green plants along the path. We finally passed the flock and soon after they turned off the path to another pasture.

A way marker in Hontanas where we stopped for a lunch break. A good stopping place, as Hontanas is almost exactly one half of the way to Castrojeriz.

After a lunch break, and time to remove the boots, dry out the feet, and change socks, we continued on the meseta, and it was still quite beautiful, and not at all repetitive.

With about 4 kilometers to go to Castrojeriz, we came upon the ruins of a convent at Saint Anton. The convent was a monestary and hospice of the Antonine Order founded in France in the 11th century and connected to the work of the hermit Saint Anthony of Egypt. When the convent was in operation, loaves of bread were left for pilgrims under the arches through which the Camino path passes. We always are reminded of the many, many pilgrims who have walked this same path over the past one thousand years.

Just after passing through the arches of the convent, we could see Castrojeriz in the distance, with its old castle high up on the hill. Unfortunately, when you can see the ending point, even knowing is it more than 2 miles up the road, the fatigue sets in and it seems to be so near and yet so far away. The last two of three kilometers are almost always the most difficult.

[And for me as well. I seldom take pictures arriving into towns because I just want to get checked in, get the boots off, and get a shower. A shower just feels good after a long walk. So I apologize for the infrequent pictures arriving into the towns and will try to take more; some of the towns are quire interesting.]

Soon we arrived in Castrojeriz. The Brazilian couple's hotel appeared first, and we said goodbye and Buen Camino, hoping to see each other on the road again. I soon found my hotel with some help from a local, and had a very relaxing hot shower, then a large late lunch (at 4:30 - 5:00 PM), and I skipped dinner.

Next: More meseta on the way to Fromista