Showing posts with label Hontanas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hontanas. Show all posts

13. Burgos to Hontanas

Camino Frances - Day 15 - September 10th. 2013: Burgos to Hontanas (13th day walking)
Contour Map: Copyright John Brierley click here to see notes










Contour Map: Copyright John Brierley click here to see notes











Click here for Google Map for starting point today
Organising the contents of my backpack at last:
Got up at 5:50 and emptied everything out of my backpack onto my bed. I then picked out everything I now knew I would not use for the remainder of my walk but not prepared to part with. I bundled them together in one of my waterproof bags and stuffed it into the base of the backpack. Then I picked out all the items I would not be using for a few days and put them in next, at last I am organising my backpack properly. Then I bundled the rest of my gear into the backpack with the overflow going into my 'day bag' which I tied to the outside of the pack.  Stuffed some things like water, guidebook and camera into their usual places and set off.

Brenda is travelling to San Francisco today so I wanted to call her and wish her well but held off in case she was taking a short nap before departure. I just know she was up all night doing the last minute things she could not leave home without attending to. I decided I would wait another couple of hours.

The Camino signs out of Burgos were not great with many pilgrims looking lost and checking with others to determine which route to take. I met up with Greer from San Francisco. She just graduated recently after studying the anthropology of music with the focus on opera.  She was clearly making good time because she left St Jean on August 30th. and planned to walk about 30+ today like myself. 

I passed James and Sheila who were walking about 5 metres apart, I suspect they were allowing themselves the luxury of some personal space, a bit of solitude. 

I  stopped at the Tarjados for breakfast where I sat with Greer. She told me about how she would love to go to Austin in Texas and, as if on que, I saw Chris and Clara (from Austin). I invited them to join us and introduces them to Greer. I left them there to talk about their common interest and I got back to my walking. 


Albergue El Puntido
I had planned to break my walk today into three stages:
Burgos to Tarjados
Tarjados to Hornillos and 
Hornillos to Hontanas.

I was surprised to see Ed in Hornllos because he had left Burgos so early. He had taken a wrong turn along the way and lost a lot of time. Bob got lost a few days earlier, then my own misadventure and now Ed. Perhaps getting lost is more common that I realised and I promised myself to be more vigilant to avoid a repeat performance on my part. 


Ger and Jim 
The final 5kms of the last stage were difficult mainly because the temperature. Hontanas is a small town with Albergue El Puntido in the centre of the main street. The pilgrim meal here was one of the best I had to date. 

I had a very relaxing afternoon enjoying a few beers until the cold drove us indoors

After the pilgrim meal I checked my washing to see it the items were dry yet, still damp but took them in anyway. I then retired to my bed to update my notes and prepare for another restless night.

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Other Links, relating to this section of the Camino, you may wish to follow 

Burgos:
Images of Burgos on the internet
Wikipedia on Burgos 
Hontanas:
Images of Hontanas on the internet
Wikipedia on Hontanas
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14. Hontanas to Boadilla

Camino Frances - Day 16 - September 11th. 2013: Hontanas to Boadilla (14th day walking)
Contour Map: Copyright John Brierley click here to see notes










Contour Map: Copyright John Brierley click here to see notes











Click here for Google Map and my starting point today
























I left the hostel  at about 6:45am, 35 minutes behind Ger, Ed and Jim. I used my head light until the sun came up at 7:18am. The Camino signs were good so there was little risk of going astray again. 

I decided I would split up my walking today in a similar way to yesterday:
Hontanas to Castrojeriz
Castrojeriz to Itero
Itero to Boadillo.


The first stage today was easy and as I arrived into Castrojeriz the guys were just about to leave. I stopped for breakfast and took a note to follow up with my son and sister in law about the flowers for Brenda. I needed to have the arrangements finalised for peace ahead of our anniversary on the 15th..

There is a very steep climb and descent after Castrojeriz but I managed to get to Itero early enough to spend some time with the guys over a coffee. I felt tired going into the final stage but lucky for me it was not a difficult stretch.


Albergue En El Camino is fabulous with a small pool in a large garden area. You can see from the image above that the pilgrims were making the most of the facilities. 

Today I had a lot of pain in my lower abdomen, closer to my groin area. It was more painful when I coughed. Ger suggested it might be a hernia. I will monitor this in the coming days.

I did not drink any beer this evening because I felt it was becoming a bit of a habit. I would not have a drink every evening at home, maybe a few times a week, so I did not want to get into the habit while on the Camino. I went back to my bed after a very nice pilgrim meal in the Albergue. Sent a few texts, updated notes. I got into bed because I was feeling very cold but I was unable to get the heat into my body. Feeling a bit unwell and my throat was sore. 

It's not a race:
As I lay in bed trying to get warm I though about my progress so far and what still had to be done. I realised I was being drawn into a routine of getting up, racing to a destination to secure a bed for the night then doing it all over again. My walking was becoming more about the destination that what it was supposed to be, the journey. I decided I would get back to my original plan and the stages I enjoyed the most. I would take my time, have proper breaks along the way to update my notes and to chill out at the side of the pathway and watch the world go by. 

Having said the above it should be remembered that there is a certain amount of routine and restrictions that are impossible to avoid. Albergues can fill up quickly as I witnessed on a few occasions, 'Lights out' and 'Doors locked' can curtail your activities. Very early risers and having to be out of the Albergues early each morning does ensure you will be on the road early whether you like it or not. In between all the above your time is your own so that's the time you must put your own stamp on and not get sucked into the race.  
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Other Links, relating to this section of the Camino, you may wish to follow 

Hontanas:
Images of Hontanas on the internet
Wikipedia on Hontanas
Castrojeriz:
Images of Castrojeriz on the internet
Wikipedia on Castrojeriz
Boadilla del Camino:
Images of Boadilla del Camino on the internet
Wikipedia on Boadilla del Camino
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Topic: