Photography, Travel, Walking

Adios Burgos – El Camino Day 6

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The day of not doing much yesterday revived us and we’re back into it today. We have a big 34kms to pound out. To make it a bit easier we’re catching a taxi to the edge of town and meet up with the Camino there. We don’t see the point of walking through suburbia and making the day longer with a 39km walk. The town we need to get to definitely has accomodation so we need to make sure we get there before sundown.

A scenic view of a grassy area with a creek, surrounded by trees and buildings under a clear blue sky.
The street our hotel in Burgos was on had a river running through the centre of it
Interior of a richly decorated chapel featuring a gilded altar, intricate ceiling frescoes, and wooden pews.
The chapel in the cathedral where we had Mass.

The vigil Mass was on at 7:30 last night at the Burgos cathedral, we walked on down and got a bite to eat on the way. It was Black Friday sales mayhem with plenty of people out and about. Chilly too but that stopped no one. Plenty of young families out which was nice to see.

If this was the chapel within the cathedral I would like to know what the rest of the cathedral looked like. Unfortunately we didn’t get time to do a tour of it. That whole piece behind the altar where the photo does not do it justice is all gold leaf. The chapel was stunningly beautiful and it was warm, a bonus there.

After Mass we headed back home to pack and get a good nights sleep for the next days walking. We had an early start ahead of us.

It had rained through the night and the clouds were clearing. We ate a large buffet breakfast and were good to set out. The taxi arrived and whisked is away. We chose a point on the road just out of town where the highway and Camino path converged and started there. It made more sense to do this otherwise we’d spend about an hour trekking through suburban sprawl just to get out of town.

A man standing in front of the Burgos Cathedral at night, showcasing its illuminated Gothic architecture.
Look, a peregrino!
A tall industrial silo on a metal frame beside a winding road, captured in black and white with overcast skies in the background.
Our uninspiring starting point for the day
Front view of a rustic stone building with brick accents and a green door, featuring a decorative iron gate. Above, a tall tower with a dome and a stork's nest against a blue sky.
Church tower rising above a house
A tall church bell tower with a dome and a nest on top, viewed from a narrow street under a partly cloudy sky.
Church tower in Rabé de las Calzadas

We met a few other pilgrims today. As we headed out we came across an elderly Korean couple (so many Koreans) who had started the journey in Saint Jean Pied de Port the French starting point and another French fellow who started in Lourdes, France a couple of weeks ago and was on his way to Santiago then onto Lisbon.

Pilgrims walking along a road near a wall with graffiti that reads 'camino de Santiago' and 'FRACKING NO!' in bold letters, under a partly cloudy blue sky.
Ron chatting with our French friend

Today’s walk was uphill from the start to a plateau or mesa with not a whole lot of scenery. Plenty of wind turbines up there set amongst wheat fields.

A dirt pathway lined with dry grass and a single tree, under a clear blue sky, showcasing a rural landscape with muddy tracks.
The path leading up to the mesa
A dirt path surrounded by low vegetation and hills under a blue sky with fluffy clouds.
Looking back to Burgos

All the tracks were soggy today from the nights rain. I found a lot of the track uncomfortable to walk on today with the state of my feet and toes. I went with a cousins advice and put Vaseline on my toes which helped a bit but the uneven ground of stones and gravel make for difficult walking. The pain when you step on a stone at a particular pressure point or on a sore area wears a bit thin after awhile but there’s no choice but to continue on.

A solitary tree stands in a field under a blue sky with scattered clouds.
On the mesa, not much to see
A landscape view of a dirt path alongside fields, with a hiker walking towards the horizon under a partly cloudy sky.
A sunny days walking
A wide open field with a bench in the foreground and wind turbines in the distance under a blue sky.
Wind turbines and snowy mountains in the background
Stone church tower with a clock, bell towers, and clear blue sky in the background.
The church in the town of Hornillos where we stopped to have a bite to eat

Since we had a large breakfast lunch wasn’t a huge fanfare today. In fact it never really is. I prefer to have a big breakfast and big dinner and a small bit to eat in the middle day usually. A heavy meal for lunch makes for harder walking too I find. I also found that if I stopped it was harder to get going again with my feet the way they were. We stopped for a bite of chorizo and a banana and moved on.

A person walking on a dirt path through a scenic landscape, wearing a backpack and using a walking pole, with green fields and distant hills under a blue sky.
Walking out of Hornillos

The landscape changed here and we found ourselves walking downhill with the temperature dropping as the sun got lower. This part of the track I found particularly difficult as it was very stony, slippery and sodden. I was glad I had my walking pole and it was a good investment even though at times I’m wondering why I’m carrying it.

A winding dirt path bordered by dry grass and green foliage, leading towards rolling hills under a cloudy sky with the sun shining brightly above.
The soggy track
A close-up of a walking pole held in one hand, with the ground and a hiking boot visible in the frame.
My trusty walking pole and muddy shoes

My walking pole came in handy here navigating the slippery spots. Eventually the track ended at a road and we walked along that till we arrived at our destination for the night.

A traveler walks along a quiet road lined with bare trees, with a sunlit landscape and gentle hills in the background.
Ahhh! Smooth ground
A historic stone archway with remnants of a building in the background, surrounded by barren trees and a cloudy sky.
The road went through some old ruins, the convent of San Anton
A serene landscape view with a winding road bordered by bare trees and fields under a partly cloudy sky, as the sun sets in the background.
Approaching our town for the evening

Finally after 8 hours on the road we could see our home for the night down the end of this road. So good to get to the hotel and get the bag and shoes off.

For stats and a map of today’s walk, you’ll find them below.

Buen Camino!

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Adios Castrojeriz – El Camino Day 7
Older Burgos, Rest Day – El Camino Day 5

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