Natural Beauty and Lessons on the Way : Medina de Rioseco to Villalon de Campos

When we set out this morning we had no idea where we would end up.  We had called the albergues and hostals in the towns ahead of us yesterday, and either received no answer, found the telephone number in our guidebook and apps to be out of service, or were told they were temporarily closed.  Case in point when called the albergue in Villalon de Campos the lady who answered bluntly told us that they were 'closed'.  As a result,  we figured we could have between 55 and 61 km of walking to do today.  As it turned out we should have trusted that the Camino would provide - in the end we only had a 24 km day eventually staying in....the albergue in Villalon de Campos. 

 

Nonetheless, we set out early, making our way to the edge of town as the sky was just beginning to turn a pale yellow.  There we were in for a real treat! The first 8 km of the walk today was along a tree-lined pathway beside the Canal de Castilla.  This canal system is 200 km long and was built in the late 18th century to transport goods, produce, and grain across northern Castille.  Interestingly, we have already crossed this canal system in Fromista, while hiking the Camino Frances. 

As we set out, a delicate mist was rising from the still waters of the canal.  Even though we believed we had a long day ahead of us, we took our time walking and photographing those first magical kilometers.  The still waters provided almost perfect reflections of the trees on either side of the waterway, and bands of silvery mist covered the surrounding fields in shifting bands of light.  As we walked the sun rose, turning the sky pink and golden, and at one point the steeple of a church and the tower of a castle rose up out of the golden mist. 

Except for a solitary man on a bicycle and his dog, we were mostly alone in the still, cool, morning.  Large snails traversed the dirt track, and dew hung like jewels from the lush green grasses at the water's edge.  Loud and exotic sounding bird songs resonated from the trees above us, but we mostly contented ourselves with simply listening to them, rather than trying to photograph them. 

After crossing three curved stone bridges that spanned the canal beneath the canopy of trees, we came to the remains of a large stone mill, and what appeared to be a lift lock.  At this point the canal made a sharp right turn, and the Camino continued straight ahead into the open fields. 

Reluctantly we bid farewell to the beautiful treed pathway along the canal, but not too much farther along we came to a raised wooden bird watching blind.  Posters of intriguing looking wetland birds covered the inside walls, but we didn't actually see much wetland outside the blind.  Perhaps it had been drained for agriculture.  

 

We could see the red roofs and church steeple of Tamariz de Campos ahead of us across the fields, and it was a relatively short walk along the red dirt track to reach it.  We had been hoping to find an open bar where we could have breakfast, but sadly the single bar in town was closed.  We sat on a bench in the town square and had some of the bread and jam we bought yesterday, while watching a white and orange cat sitting on a nearby rooftop.  Across from us was the old Church of Saint Peter.  

Somewhat happier but still a little hungry, we set off across the wide open fields towards Cuenca de Campos.  Apparently we were supposed to follow a dirt track straight across the fields, but the markings weren't too clear as we left town, and we ended up following the cycling route down the paved highway instead.  It was a very quiet road with almost no traffic, and we rejoined the official walking route just before the town, so we were happy enough with our mishap.  

For the 8 km we spent walking to Cuenca de Campos we found ourselves in a minimalist landscape of clear blue sky, gently rolling hills covered in a patchwork of emerald green, brown, and bright yellow fields, with a winding line of light grey asphalt snaking through it.  Every now and again we would spot hawks and kites soaring in the clear sky above, as well as small birds hopping and chasing each other through the fields around us.  A particular highlight was spotting a truly enormous turkey in a nearby field.  Even from a distance we could tell it was desperately trying to impress the girls. 

After an indirect approach that wrapped us around the edge of Cuenca de Campos, we finally entered the town, which was larger than the first two we'd visited earlier in the morning.  Although it apparently offered a full range of services, most things seemed to be closed, including the bar and the pilgrim albergue, which had an indecipherable note taped to the door.  Even the hospitalero sitting outside the albergue just grunted at us rather than providing any answers.

We spotted an open restaurant and stopped in, hoping to find something to eat.  Sadly, we received a pretty cool reception from the bar tender, and although we were able to enjoy a café con leche, there apparently was no food available, not even the usual cookie or biscuit that typically comes with coffee in Spain. 

Although we didn't have much luck there, it was a charming little town with a landscaped main square, a Camino de Santiago mural, and several  beautiful churches. 

Somewhat disheartened, we set off once again into the wide open meseta.  We soon came to a sign suggesting we were following the 'El Tren Burra' Rail Trail, which happily was bordered by a wide diversity of trees on both sides which provided some much appreciated shade.  Along its length there were also signs describing the flora, fauna, and birds of the region, and in places we could still see the metal rails at the edges of the trail. 

A highlight of this section of trail was stopping to check out the Ermita de San Bernardino.  We followed a short track lined with pines to an old yellow stucco building set back in a peaceful meadow with picnic tables and a water fountain tucked into the trees behind it. An old stone cross stood watch out front.  

 

 

The rail trail continued to the edge of Villalon de Campos, where we again seemed to skirt around the edge of town instead of taking the direct way in to the center.  When we had finally woven around to the main square we found it strangely empty, as though it was a holiday.  It was.  Happily, a row of bars along one of the streets leading off the square was open, and we chose one at random.  As we were ordering a café con leche (they did not serve food either today), a kind man approached us and asked in English if we were staying in the albergue or walking on.  We replied that when we called we had been told by a lady that the albergue was closed, but he said this was not the case, that it was open and we were welcome to stay.  We gratefully accepted the offer, and after finishing our coffees, we followed the arrows through town to the albergue. 

The albergue turned out to have three live-in hospitaleros, 7 bunk beds, a bathroom with one toilet and two showers, a kitchen, a washing machine, and a cozy living space.  The hospitaleros were initially very friendly, offering a lot of advice and help, and the chance to visit a local museum with them later in the evening.  They suggested that if we bought groceries and wine for the night that we could all have a communal dinner.   As such, despite being hot and tired we set out to find a grocery store to get supplies for dinner.  When we returned to the albergue they again asked if we wanted to go to the museum with them, however we were now both extremely hungry and so declined their offer.  I think this disappointed them greatly, which was not our intention. As a result we were told that the albergue was going to be closed while they were away and so had to go out until they returned.  

So we deposited the groceries and wine on the common room table and went out for a cold cerveza and a small slice of tortilla.  Later, we also walked around the medium sized town, which presented an interesting mix of old and modern. 

In the large central square we found the prominently placed Rollo de Justicia.  These tall and ornately carved stone columns are used to denote the jurisdiction of the community where they are located, whether the town is subject to royal, council, ecclesiastical, or monastic rule.  Towns in Castille y Leon which had a Mayor and were  bestowed with a rollo had the authority to judge and sentence criminals, including giving the death sentence. 

The Rollo de Justicia in Villalon de Campos is a tall stone column carved in the Gothic style during the 16th century.  The town council sent a letter to the Burgos Cathedral Chapter requesting help in constructing the scroll.  They sent Flemmish artists who had worked on the Burgos Cathedral, as well as the stone which is the same as the material used in that famous Cathedral.  It is a truly impressive monument, which features a lot of scallop shell decorations. 

On one side of the square where the impressive and ornate column stands is the Parroquial Iglesia de San Miguel. This Gothic-Mudejar building was built in the 13th and 14th centuries, but was updated in the 16th century.  Its light coloured adobe and brick facade fits well with the rest of the square, and somehow looks invitingly simple compared to some of the more ornate churches we've visited. We had hoped to get a stamp from the cathedral and to visit when it opened for mass, but while the bells tolled and people showed up in the square for mass at 7:30 pm the doors were never opened. 

We wandered the streets at random, remembering the hospitalero's claim that this was once one of the biggest market towns on the meseta.  We passed another Mudéjar church - the red brick Church of San Pedro, as well as many interesting adobe buildings, and walked several colonnaded streets, some of which had strings of peppers drying under the overhangs.  

The old buildings were mixed with a modern Cheese Museum (which was closed), and a Bread Museum (also closed).  We also visited several city parks which hosted a huge variety of different trees. 

We enjoyed our wandering, knowing we were locked out of the albergue until around 5 pm, when the hospitaleros returned from their visit to the museum.  When they returned and we got back inside it was to find that the groceries had been put away, the kitchen was closed for the night and all the heaters in the dorm going full blast, which made it uncomfortably hot for us.  We were very glad the dorm wasn't full, as the added body heat would have made it unbearable. 

As we sat talking with the hospitaleros in the common space about our pilgrimage plans one of the gentlemen got increasingly agitated with us - an attitude that only shifted when the lady of the house answered the phone to tell the caller (presumably a pilgrim) that the albergue (which was empty except for us) was closed.  As a result all three hospitaleros went outside to have a very loud conversation with one another.  Clearly this was the lady whom I had talked with yesterday who had also informed me that this albergue was cerrado.  Sigh.

Tomorrow we plan to walk to Sahagun, a distance of 37 km, which is something the hospitaleros think is too far. We have walked longer distances than this previously and think we will be okay,  but I suppose tomorrow will tell.  

It has been a strange evening.  We don't really fit the description of a typical pilgrim, with our larger packs, Sean's cameras, my habit of writing the blog each night on the cell phone, and our belief that we can manage slightly longer stages than those recommended in the guidebooks each day. Sadly, our inability to do things the usual way seems to frequently disappoint and frustrate people, and I think this may have been the case with the hospitaleros tonight.  They told us we were "clearly not ready to hear their advice", and perhaps they are right.  We simply aren't doing this conventional way, and while it isn't always easy, it is what we enjoy.  On the other hand, I think we ended up here tonight for a reason, so now is the time to reflect and learn the lessons presented to us along The Way.

Distance: 30.2 km
Accommodations: Albergue de Peregrinos