29.3 km (504.5 km)
Wednesday 13th April

Brogan’s last morning 😢 – we left Arcahueja as the sun cam up, shaking the dust from our feet as we did so, vowing to write terrible reviews in trip advisor so that no other unsuspecting pilgrims darken their doorway! 7.5km we arrived in Léon and had quite a difficult time finding somewhere for breakfast in a major city at 9am. We had a quick tour of the city, but didn’t do it justice – I ran into the cathedral and asked if I could forgo the 10€ entry charge and just have a stamp…and we rushed around taking photos of things that appeared to be tourist attractions before bidding each other farewell 😢 I felt quite bereft and actually quite nervous about being back on my own without my very own Spanish translator!

I took the scenic route, not being able to contemplate 17km on the road and must admit that I wish that I hadn’t done quite as much research as I did into attacks on the Camino (they are very, very few and far between but if you need any details I know them all😱). I started my journey away from the road rather tentatively but soon saw the colourful waterproofs of a few pilgrims so I could breathe easy once again. My new trusty guide book highlighted two coffee/food stops but unfortunately it was 17km of closed villages and a diet of bananas and mini snickers. I arrived at Villar de Mazarife, feet burning and very hungry and too late to bag a private room – giving my sleeping bag to Brogan to lighten my load now seems a bit of a hasty decision, but all was fine as I have her lovely new sleeping bag liner and there are plenty of blankets. Anyway I am very glad I made the effort to come this way; Albergue Tio Pepe is lovely, the patron jolly and welcoming. It’s a quirky little place, lots of character so no regrets about the longer day.