Medina de Rioseco to Villalon de Campos (18.91 miles / 40.40 kms)

Today started well and ended well, not something you can say every day on the Camino. I was pretty happy with my room last night and I am actually glad I didn’t find the alberque.

I loaded up my fifty pounds of groceries into my overload Wheelie and started out around eight. The Camino was only two blocks away and at that point started at the end of the Dársena del Canal de Castilla en Medina de Rioseco. This is an old canal that was built in the early 1900 connecting some of the small cities and has now become a draw for recreation because there is a bike/walking path running along it. The Camino runs on this path for about five miles. It is probably one of my favorite sections of any Camino I have walked. It’s shaded by trees and it’s flat and well maintained. At the end of the five miles, at the remains of an old mill, I was a little disappointed that the Camino moved onto a narrow asphalt farm road.

For the next two miles, through what were just planted fields, I must have lost two pounds. One pound of blood the millions of misquotes drained from my body, and then another pound of sweat I lost swatting them. It was grueling and I was just hoping and praying something would change to get rid of them. Maybe it was the old church I passed, as I said thank god, when I entered the little village of Tamariz de Campos. Once through the little village there were still some mosquitos but they gradually disappeared after a few miles. That was weird and horrible.

Once out of Tamariz de Campos the Camino goes in three different directions. Me and decisions, Wrong Way Ted! Two were routes were on the road and the other on a trail and then partially on a road. The one I picked was the shortest one on a road that the book said was, “unpleasant and boring.” I don’t think any way on the Camino is boring. I liked it very much, but then again pulling the Wheelie on a road is the easiest for me.

As I mentioned before, if it were summer and everything was brown I might have a different perspective of the fairly flat farmland, but now it’s green and fairly cool, in the mid to high seventies.

About a mile outside of town I saw a man leading a few hundred sheep towards the road where we would probably meet at the same time. It was funny because he didn’t have any dogs and the sheep were following him by what looked like his commands. as though he was talking to a dog. I had to stop because I think they have the right away out here, and I couldn’t help but laugh at this man talking and walking his sheep like was walking his dogs. Now, how can this be unpleasant and boring.

The rest of the way to Cuenca de Campos was pretty uneventful but I enjoyed the serenity of the walk on the quiet country road. For that five to six miles I only had eight to ten cars pass me in both directions.

Cuenca de Campos was one of my options for stopping because it has an alberque but it was only 1:30 and I felt like I still had energy go the additional three miles to Villalon de Campos. At this point the Camino moved onto the road for a short distance and then a dirt frontage road running parallel to the road. Since the road was so quiet I just stayed on the road.

Villalon de Campos is not a little village but a nice size town. I had to walk through much of it to get to the alberque. It’s attached to an old church. It has twenty-four beds but there are only two of us here, a Spanish bicyclist peregrino and me. There is a hospitalero here, and like most albergues, he and his wife are volunteers. He is eighty and Spanish, she was born in Cuba, but lived in Los Angeles for the last fifty years until he went there, married her, and brought her back here to live. I thought it was a sweet story.

I am staying here tonight and cooking some food that I already have since the doors will be locked at ten, which is an hour after most restaurants just open their doors. A late dinner and I might not get back in!

After tomorrow I will only be one day away from Sahagún and the junction of the Camino Francis. Hopefully tomorrow will be good day like today, but then again, and day on the Camino is a good day.

As always, please excuse the typos, grammar, and spelling, etc., because I am writing this on my phone and don’t always review it.

Best wishes,

Ted

Early morning commute traffic in town.

The canal ends right in town. The Camino runs on the trail next to it for five miles.

One of the most beautiful and peaceful sections of the Camino.

Path is on both sides of the canal.

One of three bridges.

Wishing this went all the way to Sahagún.

Old abandoned mill where the Camino moved away from the canal.

A very large picture of the past along the path.

I am surprised this picture turned out because I was swatting mosquitos in this section like crazy!

Beautiful poppies everywhere.

Approaching Tamariz de Campos.

I think this is where I said, “thank God”, and the mosquitos started thinning out! Note the storks in the steeple.

My pick, follow the Camino on the road. Note the yellow directional arrow.

I could see this guy was going to stop traffic. Well, at least me!

Traffic jam. That’s my thumb top left.

I think they have the right of way.

I will look at these photos and counted them tonight when I am going to sleep.

Too many to count!

All along the Camino. Spring!

The plaza mayor in Villalon de Campos.

An old church that has the alberque attached at the right side.

The alberque, my home for the night.

My bed, the top bunk. Twenty/four beds but only two of us so I had my pick. For 5€ here they do give you a clean sheet and a pillow case. Nice place with a full kitchen, but a hospitalero that locks the door at ten at night, and kicks you out by eight in the morning. Typical Camino rules.