Friday 20th April 2018

22.7 km (533.1 km)

A great night in the lovely new quiet Albergue with only four of us staying. There were a few comments about the expensive €2.90 breakfast (obviously no pilgrim has ever visited Copenhagen where a slice of toast and a coffee would be €20…). Another perfect day, slight breeze and a few clouds keeping the heat down a little. It was easy underfoot and the day passed without event, apart from encountering more sheep guarding dogs…I should mention that last night I noticed at least 10 pilgrims made it past the dogs that had caused me such distress and not one of them seemed to have been mauled.

There were no coffee stops (as is usual on the VDLP). We went through a town, Bercianos de Valverde at 15 km and I was hopeful but it was completely dead, as many if these town’s and villages are, they are ghost towns; where are all the people? The landscape was slightly different today with forested areas, lots of silver birch and oak trees Along the way there is a shelter built by the owners of Casa Anita, a hostel along the route . They bought this land and built a small shelter for the weary pilgrim. When we passed there was a young dutch man, Marten, who had camped there the previous night. Marianne wondered how he washed as he is always camping but this evening he arrived at the Albergue for a shower and to wash some clothes and then he was off again!

The Albergue in Santa Marta de Tera is great but there are two people without beds, one a 70 year old Finnish lady called Sirka. They are waiting for the hospetalario to find them beds because apparently it is up to him to find them bed somewhere! Sirka seems unperturbed and reported that she had previously been put up in police station when on a Camino….

Update: the hospetalario arrived and whisked Sirka off to a nearby hostel then returned to book us all in and give us a tour of the beautiful church, parts of which date back to the 12th century. Th oldest statue of Santiago is here too, more photo opportunities.