Day 7/32 🥾Camino Via de la Plata, Spain 🇪🇸
ℹ️Stats: Tuesday 9th April
Weather: Sunny ☀️
From: Torremejía
Start time: 8.10am
To: El Carrascalejo
End time: 3.20pm
Accommodation: public albergue - top bunk - 8 in the room. But it’s big
Terrain: roads, cycle pathways, sandy paths.
🥾Km: 32.3
🥾Miles: 20
🦶Steps: 40,874
💰Costs: €17 food - raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, apple, chocolate x3, Fanta.
€63 - new trainers
€10 albergue
€3 ice lolly
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 7/10 - solid day
Fatigue: 4/10
Ease of terrain: 4/10
⭐️Highlights: The Roman Dam of Proserpina - was awesome to see. The romans built some epic stuff!
The public albergue is lovely - really spacious and clean. Plus a bargain for the price.
🏔️Challenges: lots of roads and cycle pathways. Hard going on your feet. I needed new shoes. My feet were getting destroyed. I couldn’t have walked another step in them.
💭Thoughts: I was planning on going a little further - but so pleased to have stopped here. It allows me to get reset for the day. Catch up on social and rest up a bit more. I’ve being doing some big days - so it’s nice to take some time out.
Day 8/32 🥾Camino Via de la Plata, Spain 🇪🇸
ℹ️Stats: Wednesday 10th April
Weather: Sunny ☀️
From: El Carrascalejo
Start time: 7.20am
To: Alcuéscar
End time: 11.50am
Accommodation: albergue - bottom bunk.
Terrain: Rocky, gravel, sandy.
🥾Km: 23.6
🥾Miles: 15
🦶Steps: 30,341
💰Costs: €10 albergue donation
€2 pinapple juice & meat balls
€2 White Wine & sausages
€12 2x snickers, ice lolly, crisps, sweets.
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 7/10
Fatigue: 6/10
Ease of terrain: 5/10
⭐️Highlights: walking in the countryside - wildflowers, sheep, blue skies. The albergue is in a proper monestary with monks. There are 7 monks and they help support the people in the area who are struggling.
🏔️Challenges: a herd of cows running at me! I shouted really loudly to get them to go away!!
Having to stop earlier than I wanted to as there are no albergues open over the next stretch and I don’t want do a 50k day! Plus this albergue is right on the route. It’s a good place to stop.
💭Thoughts: I got nothing of interest! Brain has ceased to function! I am enjoying curating the YouTube short though!
Day 9/32 🥾Camino Via de la Plata, Spain 🇪🇸
ℹ️Stats: Thursday 11th April
Weather: Sunny ☀️
From: Alcuéscar
Start time: 7am
To: Caceres
End time: 3pm at the town - 5pm at the albergue
Accommodation: albergue / bottom bunk
Terrain: sandy, gravel tracks, farmland. Roads, city streets
🥾Km: 41.5
🥾Miles: 25
🦶Steps: 53,294
💰Costs: €5 2x Coke
€13 - Coke, ice cream, 2x snickers, gf cookies
€18 albergue
€30 - a very overpriced chicken salad, coke and a custard like desert.
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 7/10
Fatigue: 5/10
Ease of terrain: 4/10
⭐️Highlights: horses, wildflowers, blue skies and the city of Caceres. Also walked over some cool bridges. Got my accommodation booked for tomorrow. Big day 46 km.
🏔️Challenges: I paid a ridiculous amount of money for a chicken salad. There was hardly any chicken. But I thought I better eat some proper food. Seeing as I just keep eating chocolate and crisps with an occasional piece of fruit!
💭Thoughts: I have to say I’m struggling more than I thought I would on this Camino. It’s not the physicality of the challenge. It’s not the terrain - it’s the mental side. I think I’m feeling burnt out. I thought I was well rested after New Zealand. But maybe I haven’t given myself enough time to recover.
Spoke with my parents on FaceTime so feel better 😀
Day 10/32 🥾Camino Via de la Plata, Spain 🇪🇸
ℹ️Stats: Friday 12th April
Weather: Sunny ☀️
From: Caceres
Start time: 7.20am
To: Cañaveral
End time: 6pm I took 2 big breaks
Accommodation: albergue private - bottom bunk - small room.
Terrain: Rocky, gravel, farmland, roads.
🥾Km: 46.2
🥾Miles:28.7
🦶Steps: 59,356
💰Costs: €18 albergue/hostel
€2.50 orange drink
€9 sweets, rice cakes, cheese
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 6/10
Fatigue: 4/10
Ease of terrain: 5/10
⭐️Highlights: the weather was amazing! Maybe too hot and I rarely say that! It was glorious ☀️
🏔️Challenges: I had to remove my jacket, my waterproof and my pink Hoody after 20 minutes of walking. Normally I wear them for about an hour/two hours until it’s warmed up. It is going to be a super hot day today.
💭Thoughts: mentally, I’m feeling in a better place. Probably because I had some proper food yesterday instead of just my crisps and chocolates. Although I had that as well. I’ve got accommodation booked for today. Added motivation to get there. It also takes away the stress of wondering if I’m going to get a bed or not. Because when you do a massive day like today.I know that I just want to check in and get to bed. I don’t want to arrive and find out there is no bed and I need to flaff about or walk further to try and find somewhere to sleep. So it takes the pressure off me.
Day 11/32 🥾Camino Via de la Plata, Spain 🇪🇸
ℹ️Stats: Saturday 13th April
Weather: Sunny ☀️ & hot
From: Cañaveral
Start time: 8.10am
To: Galisteo
End time: 2.45pm
Accommodation: albergue (small - only 8 beds)
Terrain: large rocks, small rocks, medium rocks, gravel, sandy paths, farmland. A little bit of road
🥾Km: 31.3
🥾Miles: 19
🦶Steps: 40,064
💰Costs: €15 expensive for an albergue. It’s clean & I could not have walked any further
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 5/10 - blisters on the bottom of both feet are causing me constant pain.
Fatigue: 4/10
Ease of terrain: 5/10
⭐️Highlights: making it to the albergue and getting the last bed!
🏔️Challenges: every step is painful. It’s also super hot - I’m going to have to start leaving earlier.
💭Thoughts: long, long, long day. Still haven’t been able to cook my pasta and pesto.
620 km to go - 20 days left - approx 👉
31km each day
Day 12/32 🥾Camino Via de la Plata, Spain 🇪🇸
ℹ️Stats: Sunday 14th April
Weather: Sunny ☀️ & hot
From: Galisteo
Start time: 7.30am
To: Ventaquetmada
End time: 2.45pm
Accommodation: hostel private
Terrain: Rocky, sandy, meadow fields, little bit of mud
🥾Km: 30.1
🥾Miles: 18.6
🦶Steps: 38,619
💰Costs: €24 hostel - slightly more expensive than normal. But it was the only accommodation I could find.
€3.50 pineapple juice & crisps
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 6/10 - actually pretty impressed I’ve done 30 K
Fatigue: 4/10 - i’m not tired I’m just in pain.
Ease of terrain: 5/10
⭐️Highlights: reaching the road at 2.25pm- I’m ready to stop walking now. I’m pretty much limping and going so slow! I just need a hitch to the accommodation. Which I got straight away. There was a couple who had just finished a bike ride so they gave me a lift to town.
🏔️Challenges: My feet are not doing that well so I’m being forced to walk a lot slower than I normally do. There’s probably a lesson in there though. Probably about patience and slowing down life.
💭Thoughts: Sunday can be a challenging day for food because a lot of the supermarkets and shops are closed. but I finally managed to cook my pasta and pesto which I’ve been carrying for days at least I’ve had some proper food to eat.
Day 13/32 🥾Camino Via de la Plata, Spain 🇪🇸
ℹ️Stats: Monday 15th April
Weather: sunny & hot
From: Ventaquetmada
Start time: 9.31
To: Aldeanueva del Camino
End time: 5.30pm
Accommodation: private albergue - top bunk
Terrain: roads, roads, dried mud, lots of little river crossings. Grassy and sandy lanes.
🥾Km: 31.2
🥾Miles: 19
🦶Steps: 40,246
🚗 Hitch - 1 back to the Camino.
💰Costs: €2.30 - fruit. Apple, pear, orange, 2x tangerine
€15 accommodation
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 5/10 - it is what it is.
Fatigue: 4/10 - still in pain.
Ease of terrain: 4/10 - it’s not difficult - my feet are just messed up.
⭐️Highlights: I love when things work out. I left the accommodation after having some porridge. Walked to supermarket bought some fruit and then it took me about five minutes to hitch ride and I was back at the Camino at 9:31 am.
🏔️Challenges: because I’ve been walking a little bit differently due to the blisters on my feet. My calves are now a little bit messed up.
There are no foods places, no cafe or supermarkets open. So I have no food! Apart from an orange. I need to wait to 9am tomorrow for a supermarket to open.
💭Thoughts: I actually can’t believe how well the past 20 hours has worked out from getting to the road - getting getting a ride to town being able to cook my pasta getting in bed at 4 pm staying until 9am the next morning and being back on the trail at 9:30 really rested and well fed. I could not have planned it better. Sometimes, things just work out. I believe in the trail will provide.