29 September, Day 8: Atapuerca - Boadilla del Camino

Distance: 89.3 km


By 6:30 there was already a lot of activity in our room, so we also got up; it was still dark, so we had a couple of muesli bars and chatted with a lovely couple from the US and a fellow cyclist, Jean, from Canada.

As we were ready to leave, by 8am, I realized that the back tire of my bike was flat. So we went ahead, replaced the tube and patched the damaged one to have it as a spare (when I say "we" but, although I do know how to do these things, the master mechanic was Micael, who at the same time was teaching Oscar, whose experience is more with dental issues or horses).

Once fixed, we started; again, we had a foggy day and it was about 11 degrees. We followed the camino, which soon went uphill and we had to do some pushing, more due to the loose rocks than to the steepness of the trail. Once we reached the top, it became fairly easy up until the outskirts of Burgos, where we followed the recommended route by the side of the Arlanzón river, a very pleasant bike lane (even separated from the walking lane), until we reached the bridge by the statue of El Cid (Spain's most famous knight) in downtown Burgos. Just around the corner was the Cathedral, and nearby we found a place to have breakfast; Jean was already there, so we joined him. While we were there, we saw two young pilgrims arrive with their foldable "scooters", one of many ways we saw used in the camino.

El Cid Campeador, Burgos

We visited the Cathedral, which is a beautiful piece of architecture; the sun was out but it was still a cool 14 degrees. We wanted to buy some food for lunch, so Micael went over to ask and it was interesting to hear that they all said "ah, the market is far from here", and it turned out to be hardly 1 km away. There, we found nice fruit, raisins, walnuts, bread and cheese.

We left Burgos following the same bike lane y then we reached the camino, passing through a landscape of wheat fields and a few hills with villages scattered.

Micael stopped to chat with a lady about the landscape and how there wasn't a single tree in the horizon and when she learned where we were from, she commented (she was the third person to do it) that ahead of us was a couple "from Costa Rica".

Miguel and Oscar on the road to Hornillos

Just before Hornillos del Camino, there was a van loaded with backpacks and a bus standing by the camino (???).

Micael had gone ahead of Oscar and me and was waiting for us by a shop called "Area km 469" (along the Camino, one finds that the distance left to Santiago - if one is to believe the signs - shrinks and stretches by turns...), where we sat to eat some chocolate and fruit. Then we saw this couple walk by with a patch in the backpack that said "Pura Vida" and, indeed, they were the "ticos": actually, a Dutch man and his English wife, who have been living in Santo Domingo de Heredia for a long time and considered themselves adopted Costa Ricans. They were doing the camino for the second time.

In this landscape so barren, we observed how the raptors are using the high voltage towers as substitutes to the missing trees. We climbed to another plateau and then reached Hontanas, a very picturesque village.

From Hontanas, we followed the local road, straight, flat and with seldom any traffic, with maple trees on its sides; we passed the ruins of what once was the Monastery of San Antón.

Ruins of the Monastery of San Antón, with the road passing right through it

We then arrived to Castrojeriz, where we looked for a pharmacy - we needed medicine for Oscar's cough, Micael's cold and my sore throat, talk of sharing... -, but being lunch time, it was closed. We found a bench by a fountain where we sat and had our lunch, while being pestered by two kittens.

Now, from Castrojeriz, the camino goes by Alto de Mostelares (interesting name, as there are no trees of that type, mostelar = Sorbus sp, or any other for that matter, left in those hills) and our guidebook warns that it is a rocky and steep climb, so we decided to go around, following the road that goes by a village called "Castrillo - Matajudíos" (oh my! I rather not think the reason for that name...), and then we took the ondulated road towards Fromista, while watching a few raptors and a couple of families of Grouses (Tetrao sp.) moving in the fields.

Once we passed the bridge over the river Pisuerga, we were in Palencia province; we took the camino once again and soon we caught up with a Spanish couple of cyclists who were resting. They had just started from Burgos and had followed the camino by Alto de Mostelares (they confirmed that the whole climb had to be done pushing the bicycles).

It was then a few kilometers to Boadilla del Camino, where it was very nice to reach the private hostel: you enter to a very nice garden, with a small pool where there were people cooling their feet and resting while enjoying a mug of beer. The place is run by three people: one Argentinian, a Spanish lady who not only cooks great but is also an accomplished painter and her son.

Hostel En el Camino, Boadilla del Camino

We downloaded our stuff, locked the bikes and went over to have a relaxing beer. The dormitory is a converted barn, which is now full of bunk beds and we got the last three available spaces, all on the top of a bunk. After we showered, we enjoyed a nice dinner of garlic soup, bread and wine, delicious!

Sopa de ajo para nosotros y cayos para Oscar

During the night, I woke up to go to the toilet. I was in my sleeping bag and the top bunk did not have any railing nor ladder. Next, I really don't know what and how I did it, but the fact is that I took the fastest way to the ground... I fell down wrapped in my sleeping bag. Somehow, I managed to fall in between all the backpacks that were next to the beds of the other pilgrims and I fell on my lower back (so I didn't hurt my tailbone). And you know what: Not a soul woke up! (everybody is using earplugs).

I was still for moment, thinking "now I really did spoil the trip" (well, I didn't quite used such nice words...), while I was feeling around and moving slowly; all I could feel was pain in my lower back muscles, so I slowly got up, went to the toiled, where I checked myself all over and then went back to bed. My Guardian Angel does work overtime!!