We walk a Marathon - Azofra to Belorado

43 km or 26.875 miles
Up 463 m and down 473 m

This morning we were up bright and early. Just after 8 we were having breakfast in a nearby cafe. The breakfast was a bit basic, and so by 8:15 we were on the road planning our second breakfast in Santo Domingo de la Calzada, 15 km (just over 3 hours) away.

Our track took us through undulating countryside, with fields as far as the eye could see. None of the fields have fences, the only dividing lines being changes in ploughing or crop.

Half way to Santo Domingo we came to the township of Ciruena. It was a modern development based around a large golf course. The houses/apartments were all fairly uniform in their look, all had their shutters down, many also had for sale signs up. The surreal thing was that there were absolutely no people (or even cats or dogs) about. Walking through it felt like being in one of those 60's and 70's b-movies where the hero is the last person alive after an outbreak of a plague or chemical war.

I guess the truth is that the houses were built to feed off the golf club, but with the credit crunch etc. people can no longer afford to buy such places.

An hour and a half later we arrived in Santo Domingo de la Calzada, a town steeped in the history and legend of the Camino. Its founder Santo Domingo was someone who dedicated his life to helping pilgrims, after being rejected by the local monastery because of his lack of education.

The town's other claim to fame is that it keeps white chickens in it's Cathedral. Why white chickens you may ask.

The story goes that a young man on pilgrimage with his parents, stopped at Santo Domingo de la Calzada. The daughter of an inn keeper took a fancy to him, but he turned her down on account of his pilgrimage. The scorned girl planned her revenge and planted some valuables in the boy's bag. She then denounced him, he was caught, tried and sentenced to death.

He told his parents that he was innocent and that they must complete their pilgrimage. They did and weeks later on the way back, they stopped off to visit the place where the boy had been hung. There he was on the gallows and he called out to them to say that because he was innocent, St James himself had been holding him up above the noose for all this time.

The joyful parents ran off to the mayor's house to tell him the good news and get the boy cut down. The mayor was about to have his dinner of a couple of roast chickens and did not want to know, and wouldn't believe them. He said to the parents "your son is as alive as these two chickens" At which point St James steps in again and the two roast chickens jumped off the salver and flew around the room.

The boy was cut down and the chickens and their descendants were moved to live in the Cathedral. No one says what happened to the inn keepers daughter.

After visiting the Cathedral and seeing the chickens, we set off again. We continued through more rolling countryside on a track running parallel with the main Logrono to Burgos road. Road works along the way have affected the Camino, so the road gangs have made a special pilgrims' path right through the middle of their constructions.

Before we set out we had planned a longish day of about 34 km (which in reality would be about 36 with detours etc.) to the village of Villamayor del Rio, where there was a very nice sounding hostal. However, when we got there, there was a sign up saying "cerrado" (closed). We had to continue on to the town of Belorado at least another 6 km away. The path continued parallel with the main road and just as our spirits were sinking to a bit of a low, a couple of lorry drivers passing the other way gave us long blasts on their air horns and big friendly waves. It was their way of saying Buen Camino (good camino -a general greeting for pilgrims), and was just what we needed to raise our spirits. Indeed it made me feel quite emotional.

Eventually we arrived in Belorado at the Hotel A-Santiago, which also had a hostal. However, after walking just over a Marathon distance we decided to treat ourselves and have a hotel room instead.

In our room was a complimentary flask of wine. In the bathroom a shower that was supposed to give you a massage, but succeeded in flooding the floor instead!

We went for our meal and the owner put on a DVD about the Camino. It was great to revisit where we have walked already and to see some of the sights we will see in the next few weeks.

After a good meal, coffees and a long day's walking, hopefully we will sleep well!

On the Camino in Spain