Tuesday 17th April 2018

18.6 km (459.2 km)

A short and flat stage today, that runs through the cereal region known as Tierra del Pan. Another perfect day and I was finished by 11am. I arrived at the hostel to find it was unmanned and I was alone so I grabbed a bottom bunk (Just in case a bus load of peregrinos arrived) put my boots outside to air and then set off in search of food; secure in the knowledge that no one in their right mind would steal my boots. I returned to a full Albergue and everyone’s washing done and on the line. One gentleman had used up all the pegs and all the peregrinos were muttering about it! I won’t say which nationality he was but they do have a propensity to steal all the best spots round the pool of any given resort… The Albergue is sitting right beside the main road but actually has a very countrified feel, with bbq areas with benches and tables. Not sure what I’ll do this afternoon, I have been trying to find the nearest ATM but it is apparently 50km away so that’ll have to wait, I could go for a walk round Montamarta, that’ll take up five minutes.

Interesting fact learnt today: the storks that have built nests in every spot possible are protected, as are their nests. Generations of them live in one nest, each one building on the previous generation’s effort to the effect that they can weigh up to 300kg (maybe this part was lost in translation?). The bottom line being that an individual cannot destroy or displace the nest, even if a stork has decided that the individual’s chimney is the perfect place to build…strange but true. Similarly (and we saw this earlier on) if the storks have nests on the telegraph poles they must be left there even if the telegraph poles need to be replaced, ie the old ones must remain.