Today’s walk was another short walk of 18kms from Navarrete to Nájera through vineyards for the most part of the day. The sun was out and it was a very pleasant day’s walk. The hotel we stayed in last night was very nice and had been renovated by the hotel owners who were very hospitable.
The restaurant of the hotel was closed last night so we had to go down the road for a meal which consisted of a salad to share for starters then burgers for main. It was the safest option for us as everything else seemed too hard to translate and decipher what the dish really was. Breakfast at the hotel was sufficient to get us through the day with eggs on toast, a croissant, orange juice, some yogurt and black coffees. A good start to the day. The beds weren’t the most comfortable and I felt mine was about to collapse at any moment during the night when I turned over or moved about. Sleep was a little restless throughout the night.
It was so good to see blue sky this morning. Sunshine was forecast for the whole day. It was warmer when we left the hotel at around 11am. As today’s walk was under 20kms we could afford to leave later than usual. Today’s’ terrain was slightly uphill for the first half and then down for the rest. A very gentle walk in the sunshine which was very welcome compared to the past few day’s walks.
We hit the open country learning Navarrete pretty much straight away and find ourselves in the vineyards with blue skies above. Such a welcome sight!
Just a gentle gradient going up for the first half of today. We did follow the main road from Logroño to Burgos for a little while but that didn’t bother us. We weren’t on the actual road itself but a side road that ran along side it.
We came across the statue above and couldn’t work out who or what it was. Looking at the photo now it doesn’t look religious at all as the figure isn’t dressed in religious garb. The animal at his side looks like a poorly sculpted sheep as far as we can make out. The arrow below shows the Camino path ahead.
It was a very different walk this time round going through this area. The last time we passed through we were surrounded by fog so it was good to see this landscape in a different light, literally.
We’re nearly at the peak of our walk for the day. At the top of the hill in the above picture we can see our destination for the day, Nájera.
It was lovely scenery to view with the sun shining today. A thousand times better walking on days like this then when it’s bleak and miserable. The sun was warm, I still wore my beanie but the useless gloves were put away in the bag and I didn’t need my jumper on either. Just the two layers and my gore-tex plus the sunshine kept me warm enough walking.
The Camino path leads us towards the old part of town and the river that runs through the middle of it. The footpath you can see above is very narrow and all it would take would be the clip of a bus or truck mirror to send you flying. Thankfully that didn’t happen to either of us but it was a little hairy. The sun is still shining for us and it really was a pleasant afternoon. A couple of bars were open with the patrons sitting out in the sun having their drinks.
Our hotel wasn’t far off the beaten track. Once again I booked a hotel on the Camino path so we didn’t have to walk far to our accommodation. We met Dominic from Scotland who is also doing the Camino and he showed us to the local restaurant and bar where we can get a meal and a beer later on. It was a blessing to have him recommend a place to us.
That’s it from me for today. It’s time to shower and get ready for the aforementioned meal and beer. A good easy and relaxing day’s walk for us. Looking forward to more days like this. Open space in the country with the sun shining is what it’s about.
Thanks for reading.
For stats and a map of today’s walk, you’ll find them here.
Buen Camino! 😊