Day 23: The Battle of the Bed Bugs (Astorga to Foncebadon) Today the Meseta officially ended, when we passed through Castrillo the flat ended and the ascents began... I was wildly relieved that my knee coped very well with the increase in uphill trudging; I'm not sure whether the tiger balm self-applied massage, the paracetamol, the walking poles or the increase in water consumption deserve the praise for my apparent success. Its probably a combination of all...

Day 22: Astorga (San Martin del Camino to Astorga) Today was another stupendously hard day, more mentally challenging than anything else as my nostrils flare while pain rockets though my leg with every step and my jaw is set tight as I picture my dad at every one of my cross country races clenching his fist and saying, "Come on, get going!" to encourage me forward. It still makes me stand up straighter and dig in. It's strange, the things you conjure up from ...

Day 21: So Long Cowboy... (Leon to San Martin del Camino) It was absolutely freezing this morning and following the convoluted route out of city, which always happens when trying to get back into the Camino, wasn't helped by the 7°C temperature! In the darkness we also stumbled upon two British people, quite literally the first British people I have met on this walk! Neil was from Ireland and had walked from Belfast! The other was called Freddie and he had w...

Day 20: Leon (Mansilla de los Mulas to Leon) I won't bother to bore you with the details of our trudge to Leon today, there's only so much you can say about a gravelly road that runs absolutely parallel to a very busy bypass for the duration of your hike. My heart and spirits were lifted however when I saw the tall spires and iconic round windows of the 13th century gothic cathedral of Leon. I'm not alreally sure why I had Leon as such a focal point on the C...

Day 19: I Can Smell Leon! (El Burgo Ranero to Mansilla de los Mulas) Walking in torrential rain again wasn't exactly idyllic. The sun sat stubbornly behind a ceiling of black clouds while the Gravel and dirt paths continued to slide underneath out feet in their linear fashion. The walk today was a spritely 20km, the same as tomorrow. I could absolutely do it in one stink of 40km but I'm reluctant to leave the group and as I have no need to rush now as I've ca...