Leigh wasn't feeling that good when we woke up - a sore throat - so we hoped to spend and extra day lazing in Leon.  We have time on our hands so it wouldn't have been an issue.  Unfortunately, the hostal was fully booked for the weekend so we made our way slowly down the camino in the direction of Burgos, about two hundred kilometers away.

The countryside here is pretty flat and boring and normally we would have pushed on a bit to make Burgos by tomorrow but with Leigh a bit under the weather to didn't rush.

We soon arrived in the village of Mansilla de las Mulas where we thought there was a campsite next to the Rio Esla.  The campsite was there but the gates were locked and it clearly hadn't been operational for a while.  Back in the village we came upon a work crew setting up for an outdoor chess competition.  Not what we expected.  What was more expected was the enormous sound system they were erecting.  Clearly this wasn't going to be a quiet chess competition.

Heart

0

Comment

0

Link

Log in to comment or reply

Heart

1

Comment

0

Link

Log in to comment or reply

A few more kilometers down the road was the village of Reliegos.  With the next village another twenty five kilometers away we made an effort to find accommodation there.  Easier said than done because two of the albergues in town had closed for the weekend (the one I called said they were "having a rest day").  By now the temperature was in the early thirties and the streets were full of pilgrims wandering around trying to find a place to stay.  We ended up paying over the odds for a rather crappy room - the term "scalping" comes to mind.  The only tienda in town is also in on the act and everything is twice the price than it normally would be.  I am afraid the Camino de Santiago has become a gravy train in certain parts.