Day 24 - Astorga to Foncebadon

 

A hazy day as we get into the hills.

We've fallen on our feet here. Hostal El Trasgu at Foncebadon is absolutely wonderful.

Rough surfaces - a precursor of tomorrow's descent?

Today we left the high plains of the Meseta at 900m and headed into the hills of the Montes de Leon, climbing first to Rabanal at 1155m after 20km, then on to Foncebadon at 1400m, with 26km on the clock. The last stretch was a test over rough terrain and many pilgrims were travelling very slowly by the end as the mercury climbed into the mid-30s (although most stopped at the hillside village of Rabanal).

At midnight, the plaza below us was drenched with heavy rain.

But first: Last night in Astorga we were blessed with a fancy city hotel and air conditioning. Sadly, it stopped working some time before midnight, displaying an error message. Maybe it was the lightning. The rain was pouring down and it was refreshing to open the window. I turned all the power off, then on and the air conditioning seemed to reboot, so we shut the window again. We'd have been better off ignoring technology and leaving the window open. We passed a restless, sweaty night and reported for breakfast at 6.30am, ready for an early start.

We didn't quite know what to expect as we walked out of town at 7am. It was already warm and predicted to rise significantly, but it felt cool and there was even a light breeze, so we made good time, stopping at 9am at Santa Catalina de Somoza, where we had a nice coffee and appreciated the toilet facilities. We'd walked 9.4km and had only 17km to go.

We noticed how red the earth was - such a lot of iron in the soil.

I'd been troubled a bit by an incipient blister on my right foot. As well, the paths of soft sandy gravel tend to flick small stones into your shoes, so I took them off during our coffee break. It was a great trick - my feet felt a lot better when we resumed. However, the shoes are looking a bit worse for wear (and not particularly clean).

We could see hazy mountains in the distance. The weather forecast was reporting the air quality as "unhealthy" and temperature rising into the high twenties and low thirties. The surfaces were good and even considering the stops (we had a second one at the Cowboy Bar in El Ganzo after nearly 14km) we were averaging 4km/h.

A swarm of cyclists.

We've been a little plagued by cyclists. They're a momentary irritation, but when you're hot, sweaty and tired it's a little irritating to have their imperious cries warning you to step aside, when you're having trouble just stepping straight ahead.

Very atmospheric bar in Rabanal - pity about the flies.

Things started to get hotter, harder and steeper as we began the rise to Rabanal, where most people were to stop the night. For a small village, it has an incredible number of bars and accommodation options.

Lunch.

We ordered bocadillos, stuffed with tortilla. We should have learned - a huge amount of dry bread with crusts that rip your mouth to pieces. No butter, oil, relish - just a big lump of omelette, not the easiest to digest on a hot dry day.

Purple heather at the higher altitudes.

Sustained, we set off for the last few kilometres. Our Aussie friends Scott and David and a Scottish woman called Wendy were staying in Rabanal, but they'd decided to walk on to Foncebadon and taxi back, repeating the taxi ride in the morning to give them a head start for tomorrow, which promises to be difficult.

We arrived just before 2pm. Our hotel is great. We had a lovely cold sangria as we waited to check in. We have good pillows, a very efficient shower and a nice little foyer outside our room (number 2), where I've set up my computer and associated aids to creativity. Incidentally, we've just finished whisky number two, a 700ml Johnny Walker Red after two thirds of the trip, but found a 700m Grants yesterday, which should see us through the next 231.7km.

Not only that, but lunch, dinner, or any other meal is served any time you want until 9pm (by which time we'll be well and truly in bed). Breakfast is not until 7am, a little later than we prefer, but not bad. We should be able to make it to bed in good time. Meal times and availability are prime concerns, so this one works well for us. Tomorrow we climb a further 2km to the Iron Cross at 1505m, then Alto Altar at 1515m, 2km later, the highest points in our entire journey (our Pyrenees crossing peaked at 1450m). But that's another day.

As a footnote. Lovely though this place is, the meal was rendered totally unpleasant because of the flies. No screens or deterrents in place. It ruined the meal. To make matters worse - more impenetrable Spanish bread and big unadorned lumps of meat - oh for a bit of finesse.

Thunder and lightning now as we prepare for bed.

Here's today's Relive video (I'm a clot - I said it was from Leon, but of course it's from Astorga: https://www.relive.cc/view/v26MXyNZB3O

Here's today's photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/uxCqYxV3dE8PWS48A

As for music. Today was pretty trite. We were so focused on the walk, the various songs that came and went vanished into the ether. But try this for light entertainment if you want to see what Gandalf is up to now: https://youtu.be/ZS0WvzRVByg