Day 23 - 1st October 2019: Frómista to Carrión de Los Condes
20.5kms today with a gain of 60 metres in elevation between origin and destination. The Meseta produces long and flat days. The ‘official’ Camino on this section runs the entire length of the road between Frómista and Carrión but there is an ‘alternativo’ that heads on a track to the north out of the first settlement at Población de Campos and rejoins at Villalcázar de Sirga. This is more pleasant, runs along the Rio Uciéza and adds just 0.9km.
We leave Frómista with the sun peeking above the horizon. Hiking this distance makes you very tall.
You can see the Frómista to Carrión road in this picture and we will be glad to leave it and get out to the countryside. Población de Campos is 3.4km along with one café open for desayunos (breakfast). We skip this as we’re carrying pastries and fruit to eat along The Way.
The Camino alternativo turns right (northwest) on the western border of town and we take that route heading for Villovieco in another 4.1kms.
4.1kms of straight as straight country track along the Rio Uciéza and it’s into the very quiet town that’s mostly farm sheds, warehouses and machinery. One stork family also decided to make its home here.
It isn’t the first stork nest we’ve seen but this one looked particularly good. The birds rear their family in the warmer months then head south after. Many return to the same nest the following year.
So Villovieco is quiet but does have a good café, good for a caffe con leche and caffe Americano with our pastries.
Then a longer 6.5km stretch to Villalcázar de Sirgar but this section has good shade from the rising sun. Just before town is the church Ermita de la Virgen del Rio.
A stop for lunch in town girding ourselves for the 6kms to Carrión as this is back on the road. Still straight but now very windy and tiring.
Compared to the last few hours in farmland the view has changed considerably and now it’s just a path on the side of the road with no shade.
Carrión is a good sized place to stay the night.
We stay at the old monastery over the river away from the town centre itself.
We have a few beers, catch up with friends who have lost one of their phones (!) then have dinner. A good day aside from the lost phone.