After mud and rain the day before, the day opens with a foreboding cloud covering the climb out of Castrojeriz. The climb into the cloud is at 16%, very steep, but not too long. It would be easy to have been troubled by the challenge, but knowing I had overcome much harder climbs in the Pyrenees, I just kept a steady pace and was at the top before I knew it. It is like any problem encountered, just call on past experience and the answer is there somewhere. The descent was another story. My knees screamed at me as I slowly tackled the 19% slope downwards. They did not forgive me for this for the rest of the day, all the way to Fromista.
We stopped at Itero de la Vega for the best bacon and eggs on the planet. We met another couple from California, Pamela and Daniel, who were experienced hikers and showed me a better way to use my walking poles. This proved to be a godsend and my knees were given some relief for the rest of the day… And the days to follow.
The walk takes us through more of the Meseta, beautiful fields of healthy crops and ancient remnants of past eras. We cross a bridge built nearly two thousand years ago, aqueducts that have been carrying water to fields for hundreds of years.
The last part of the day is spent wandering along the Canal de Castilla into Fromista. A disused lock at the end punctuates our walk and we know we have arrived in Fromista. I (and my knees) thank God. It was a long day, but with beautiful inspirations and wonderful people to keep us going. An early dinner after a look at some historical sites, then an early night to bed. My knees stop complaining at last.