Walking the Camino de Santiago: Hornillos del Camino to Catrojeriz

Those of you who follow me on Instagram will know I’m currently walking around 190km along the Camino de Santiago, from Burgos to Léon in Spain. This is the third leg of the Camino that I started in 2016 (if you’re interested, I wrote a Q&A post in response to some of the questions people had asked me along the way). This is Day 18 (other posts linked at the end of this post).

Camino Frances Day 18: Hornillos del Camino to Castrojeriz (approx 20km)

I didn’t sleep well the night before this stage – in my pension there was a whole choir group who had stopped singing by the time I went to bed but who were pretty loud on the tiled floors as THEY went to bed (MUCH later than me!) – so there was only one thing to do – COFFEE! Back to The Green Tree for the most delightful café con leche enjoyed out on a quiet street at 7am…

It was still kinda dark when I set off…

But soon it dawned bright and sunny…

(you can just spy me in the shadows there on the left!)

It really was a pretty stage…

(yup, more poppies!)

It is roughly 10km to Hontanas where I stopped for my mid-morning coffee (and where I heard people bemoaning the fact that they had missed out on awesome vegetarian food at The Green Tree. I tried not to feel a little smug…). Didn’t for long because it was fairly hot already at 9.30am and I still had another 10km to go…

(uh huh, I cannot get enough of these!)

The terrain is, as expected, pretty flat on this day and for a long stretch after Hontanas, there’s not much. Until you spy a little old man in his car selling fruit, giving out pilgrom passport stamps and offering you a keychain in exchange for a donation. I mean, who could resist?

Shortly after this, the ruins of the San Anton Monastery. It’s breathtaking, popping up out of nowhere…

This used to be a hospital dedicated to caring for sick pilgrims and there’s a very basic alberge (summer only, no electricity) there now (as well as a small bar/ shop). Even if you’re not staying, it’s magical passing by…

Heading into nearby Castrojeriz, the scenery continues to wow you!

And Castrojeriz itself is gorgeous!

Here’s a view out from one of the pretty plazas…

Be aware that the town itself is well over 2km in length (and it’s a but confusing to navigate) so if you’re excited to stay at the town entrance, you might not be excited with the extra 2km you need to walk on top of the next day’s 25km. Fortunately (for me the next day), I was staying at La Posada right at the exit of the town which felt like a long way to walk when you think you’ve already arrived… Worth it though…

And the common spaces are gorgeous too…

The hotel also operates El Mesón Restaurant.

Here I enjoyed a Pilgrim Menu for 10€ (garlic soup, garlic chicken – yes they are big on garlic and later in the month there is a Garlic Festival I’m sad to miss – and my favorite Spanish dessert – flán.

Hey – I figured I needed the fuel as the next day I would be walking 25km which included a very steep climb. Right? I can highly recommend El Mesón – friendly service, excellent food and lovely atmosphere. Stay tuned for the next instalment next week 🙂

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Disclosure: I researched Camino trips independently and chose the Camino Travel Center based on a number of features such as flexibility to accommodate a couple of “splits” in some of the longer days, price and customer service. They were, in fact the first company I came across in my very first Google search and the one I ended up booking with. From the initial inquiry to the actual trips, they have been a pleasure to deal with and we have been very impressed with the service provided (bag transportation) and the accommodation choices. I was not compensated to write about this trip in any way but I love sharing companies and products I believe in with my readers. I couldn’t recommend the Camino Travel Center more and, in fact, am booking another Camino walk with them for next summer (and every summer until I reach Santiago!).

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