El Burgo Rancero to Mansilla de las Mulas

After the warmth (yes the heaters were going flat tack to dry out boots etc) and bonhommie of last night (did I mention the three Spaniards I was with were Jesus, Mary and Jose!) I woke feeling ready for anything. I knew it was going to be wet again but I had done OK yesterday with a jacket and shorts. In fact the whole trip I had planned for any wet walking to be done bare legged. But that was before I factored in the freezing gale that was accompanying the rain today.


I dragged my feet enjoying sardines on toast and hot coffee at the albergue but they kick you out by 8am and you can´t stay a second night. I put on merino long johns under my kathmandu trousers but had no water-proof overtrou. Within 25 mins my boots were literally splodging water at every step and my legs and hands were frozen. It was 13km of nothing but plodding through a freezing rain and a big windchill factor for a long time.

When I finally found some respite it was hardly respite. A small bar, unheated, playing loud music and serving bad soup. I sat in my own puddle in the cheerless spot as a rest but not as any sort of cheer and decided to stop at the next albergue I saw regardless of whether it was as far as I had intended or not.

Another 7kms in the rain I was actually getting concerned that I would get a serious chill that might put me out of action. Then I saw a private albergue and in I went. It took a long hot shower and 1.5hours in my sleeping bag to get even remotely thawed out.

Then it was time to stuff tons of newspaper into my boots and hope that they would be somewhat dry by morning.

I then went downstairs and sat in the bar for a bit. Not too many pilgrims in this place - mostly cyclists who are never the best company I find. Anyway the locals were more interesting and when you try and don´t get too technical you can find out a few things. So I found that there was a shop selling water-proof stuff and also where the albergue was. Then armed with a borrowed umbrella I set off to find them. Before I found either I found Mario. The guy is a god send - so helpful and bi-lingual. So he took me off shopping to the water-proof shop (where I bought a spectacularly ugly but guaranteed 100% effective wet-weather set) and then to the albergue where we found Carina. She in turn had been talking to Karlos who had caught the bus on to Leon to meet his son and found a fantastic little pension for 20 euros a night. She gave him a call and booked me in as well so its good to know I can stay somewhere for 2 nights and have a look around. Not to mention a definite bed after what will be another wet day.