Allison Cowie

Villares de Órbigo to Rabanal del Camino / 22 miles

I’ve been too immersed in the walk for the past few days to update the blog in real time, so here are some highlights! (Photos are updated in the Photos tab; I’ll get them on here ASAP.)

• 6am departure meant nearly two hours hiking uphill in the dark (with Jeff on the phone to keep me company!)
• Sunrise at the top of the hill overlooking Astorga, with the cathedral in view
• Tasty breakfast of coffee, tortilla and a donut on Astorga’s central square
• The cathedral tower all to myself — I was the first person to go up that day!
• Saying goodbye to the week of flat, golden plains and starting the ascent toward Galicia
• Being surrounded by trees for the first time since Burgos
• Ham and tomato sandwich with a Coke to go, which I ate sitting next to some cows at a pilgrim rest area 6k from Rabanal
• Long day made easier by the early morning and a steady pace