Camino a Santiago Day 15: Castrojeriz to Fromista

Distance: 26km (16.3 mi)

Elevation Gain: 237m (777ft)

Duration: 7hr

Steps: 40,575

Calories: 1,616

My view makes me happy. And my tinto de verano. And my patatas ali olí.

If today sounds like I’m more into my food than the walk it’s probably because I felt it was just one of those stages to get through. After walking through some truly deserted villages the last few days, having a bigger-sized destination town with a picture perfect hotel patio is definitely the high point. I’m just in awe of the Romanesque church I’ve been sitting in front of for the last couple of hours.

Knowing that the temperatures were once again heading into hot and uncomfortable territory I left my guesthouse in Castrojeriz around 6:45am. The owners were kind enough to pack me a picnic since I would not be staying late enough to have breakfast with them. For €3 they gave me juice, a banana, a chocolate croissant and a ham and cheese sandwich. To say this part of Spain is ludicrously cheap would be an understatement. Between yesterday and the day before I believe my most expensive meal was €13 and that was for three courses and two glasses of wine. It was good food too. Mind you I more than made up for it with lunch in Fromista today, but I deserved it and it was wonderful.

As for the walk, today we had a short but steep climb out of Castrojeriz to officially set foot on the highest point of the Meseta. What is the Meseta you ask? The Meseta is a region of Spain, that for Camino Frances purposes goes from Burgos to Leon and stretches along 180km (112mi) of the trail. But the real Meseta, without a doubt, started today. Think about the flattest of flatlands. Wide open spaces. Nothing but fields of grain. Big sky. No clouds. The sun beating down on your head with barely a tree in sight. It is a part of the Camino some people love, many people hate, and many people skip over entirely. It can, to be sure, be quite monotonous, boring. It will take me five days to make it across. If I don’t go completely batty. But it’s an important part of the Camino. It is, what many pilgrims consider to be the beginning of the Mind stage. More on that, later.

Accommodation: Hotel San Martin Fromista. Serviceable, generic hotel but with an unbeatable location and patio overlooking the stunning Romanesque church it is named for. For that alone it’s worth the stay. €50

Lunch: Villa de Fromista. Great service and a really enjoyable meal. This is one of the higher end spots in town. Although the place specializes in grilled meats being such a hot day I wanted to keep it light. Their recommendations of white asparagus and grilled octopus hit the spot along with a lovely bottle of Rioja Rosé. Their homemade ice-cream was also amazing. €50