The romanesque bell tower of the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción in Mombuey, originally built in the 13th C and declared a national monument in 1931. Taken in the misty morning, hence the photo quality! After a couple of ankle rolls yesterday, Susan's ankle was a bit swollen so she took a taxi … Continue reading Via de la Plata day 34: Rionegro to Asturianos, 25.7 km →

Dressed for the weather A day that would have been perfect if it wasn't for the weather or the distance! Most of the day was walking through forests or scrubby trees - the forests along the riverside and the scrubby forest away from the river. Much of the upper areas have suffered from fires, which … Continue reading Via de la plata day 33: Santa Marta to Rionegro del Quente, 27.7 km →

Slim pickings in the photo department due to the rain, so maybe this cast iron down pipe is appropriate! Breakfast was at 0700, but due to the paranoia surrounding getting a bed at the next town, most people were gone before first light. The only accommodation in Santa Marta de Tera is the municipal albergue, … Continue reading Via de la Plata day 32: Tabara to Santa Marta de Tera, 20.7 km →

Yes another sunrise! After a token 25m on the via de la Plata, we turned left onto the Camino Sanabres which will take us to Santiago. We're done with things Roman - as far as I know - but it was a meaningful historical overlay to the walk so far. It also means that the … Continue reading Via de la Plata day 31: Granja de Moreuela to Tabara, 24.7 km →

Ermita de la Virgen del Castillo at sunrise (i.e. post coffee) A very pleasant walk through rilling farmland, with unobtrusive snippets beside the autovia, and some beautiful vistas across to the mountains of Portugal. The turbines were turning, albeit reluctantly, which meant for much of the day it was partly cloudy and not too hot … Continue reading Via de la Plata day 30: Montamarta to Granja de Moreuela, 22.9 km →

The departure point, Zamora A cool but dry day, so ideal for walking. If we'd been near the ocean I'd describe it as marine cloud. The scenery was the usual trudge through the light industrial areas of the city, and then into farm land. The large solar panel arrays were not generating much, and the … Continue reading Via de la Plata day 29: Zamora to Montamarta, 19.4 km →

As I was ahead of schedule having foregone rest days earlier in the walk, I had two "0" days in Zamora. It's a beautiful city - at least the traffic free old town is. We visit the 'burbs tomorrow on our way north. The city was one of the mansios on the via north from … Continue reading Via de la Plata day 27 & 28: Zamora →

This replica milario features in all the guidebooks, so I figured I should include it too! A pleasant morning walking initially up a shallow valley beside a disused railway. Bug I'm glad I didn't walk it on a rainy day as there were mud holes that could hide a peregrino. When the railway veered right, … Continue reading Via de la Plata day 26: El Cubo de Tierra del vino to Zamora, 31.2 km →

The milario 'garden' in Calzada's dawn While the route was parallel to the N630 road and or the A 66 Autovia, it was relatively peaceful as being a Sunday, the big transport trucks were not operating. In addition, although there was a perfectly good gravel road all day, the via path followed its own 'sheep … Continue reading Via de la plata day 25: Calzada de Valdunciel to El Cubo de Tierra del vino, 20.1 km →

The Calzada camino welcome sign, with typical meseta scenery as a back drop! A short day, but the stretch between Salamanca and Zamora doesn't divide up very nicely. Some folks do it in days of 35 and 32 km. I've decided to do it in three days, so I get two easy days before the … Continue reading Via de la plata day 24: Salamanca to Calzada de Valdunciel, 15.4 km →