Mansilla de las Mulas to LEON 21km

Cant quite believe that we are arriving in Leon today, the walk itself is very much on the average side. A lot of lovely tarmac roads with some factories thrown in for good measure. Though there is a pretty amazing sun in the morning to get us going.

Stop at a very exciting fountain just before Arcahueja which tells us that we have only 307 km to Santiago - a doddle.

Finally Leon is within sight though it takes us another hour to actually arrive, not as bad as Burgos though. With the cathedral in our sights off we keep marching on, now officially at the 300km mark, one reason to love Leon...

We may have also possibly just checked ourselves into a rather nice hotel... bath, fluffy towels, bed with sheets, no snoring.... wow.

For those of you who dont like gorey.. dont look further... but this is the result of too much walking!!

Bercianos del Camino to Mansilla de las Mulas 27km

After a rather entertaining (or not) departure, where we managed to do a 20 minute walk and find ourselves back at the start, we headed off for what we expected to be a nice short day.. bruised feet and very tired minds we meandered along at an extremely slow pace to the next town 7km along, paid an expensive visit to the pharmacy for more of the amazing Compeed bandages for blisters, and pottered further along through rambling fields where an awful lot of slurry had just been spread.. funny for about 5 minutes, not so funny for 10km´s!

Eventually arrived in ´Reliegos´ where we had planned to spend the night, however with not a word between us we both kept walking, we could not hack another night of nothing! It was quite an ugly village, with again nothing but a hostel and a bar.. some civilisation was needed... Found one of our most entertaining pilgrims, Helmut from Austria to accompany us on the next 6km to Mansilla de las Mulas where we found some empty beds and had a good feed in a restaurant next door. Some wine and poker and off to bed.. Vanessa taking pleasure in photgraphing Isabel wrapped up like a mummy..

Ledigos to Bercianos del Camino 26km

Today was our 20th day of walking and boy are we feeling it when we set off.

Highlights of today include discovering another random stone spiral on the side of the path, somebody is taking REALLY long breaks.

As we walk along start to see these doors in the hillsides, turns out theyre called Bodegas and are wine cellars.. Walk through Sahagun where Isabel and her apple have a photo moment...

Arrive in Bercianos del Camino which is basically the middle of nowhere.

Turns out to be a really funny night though, the Hostel does a communal meal and we lend a hand to the lettuce cutting though Isabel observes some serious health and safety violations.

The meal gets off to a rocking start, quite literally, with some very enthusiastic clapping and table banging involved as all 70 of us are packed into the dining hall for 30. With alot of 2 euro spanish wine flowing the evening just keeps on going. Tomorrow should be interesting.

Carrion de los Condes to Ledigos 24km

WORST DAY OF THE CAMINO... this was the day of tears, tantrums and blood! Horrible, no other way to describe it.

Although the land was flat, we set off early with no idea what was coming our way. Sore feet already, we were oh so pleased to find ourselves on extremely rocky pathes, and what turned out to be a 17km, completely straight road, with NOTHING, and meaning nothing, the whole way. No villages, no people, no bars, nothing. After 8km the pain was unbearable, we had a small break beside a ditch, and then continued on the brain numbing, foot stabbing path for a further 9km. By the time we arrived in a small village called Calzadilla de la Cueza we had decided we needed to purchase some hip flasks to fill with whiskey for any further days like this one.

Continued to Ledigos, another rather non existent village, the hostel was in the pub, as was the shop.. and nothing else in the whole place.

Had dinner, in the pub, removed bloody socks and made an escape for bed, decidedly over it and hoping for a better day tomorrow...