Camino for CAFOD - Blog 2

So Yvonne and I caught the train OK from Santander and arrived in Fromista. For those of you unfamiliar with the route of the Camino in Northern Spain, Fromista is about 100 kms from Leon, in the wrong direction!

'What are you doing there instead of taking a train to Leon?' I hear you ask. Well, it was like this.

My assumption about being able to get a train easily from Santander to Leon turned out to be incorrect. The only way to get to Leon was to take a train to Palencia and change there. Two trains a day went to Palencia it seemed. One left at about 7am, about an hour before we were due to dock so we couldn't catch that one. The other left around midday. Great. It arrived in Palencia after 4pm, about 20 minutes AFTER the last train to Leon departed.

A rethink was called for. There was a small town called Fromista on the Camino and on a direct train route from Santander, the train leaving at about 9:30 and arriving just after midday. We could stay there or walk on to a small village just 3 kms along the Camino. This seemed to be a good alternative choice. I re-planned the route through to Leon and combined that with the original plan but still stopping in time to return to the UK for my family holiday. I wouldn't walk quite as far, 165 kms instead of 176 and my finish point would be Astorga.

In fact, the hiccup in route planning turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Fromista is about halfway along the Meseta which is a 220 km long plateau several hundred meters above sea level, starting after Burgos and finishing at Astorga. The thing about it is that it is flat. I was already aware that I find inclines, even gentle ones a bit of a challenge so spending time on flat terrain would be ideal for my Camino. My previous plan had me ascending the two highest points on the Camino, Alto de Cerezales at 1508 meters and Alto do Poio at 1333 meters. The problem with the Meseta is the weather. If you are unlucky you can have a howling wind from which there is no escape and there is no shelter other than in the villages and towns. Or you can have driving rain from which equally there is no escape. I prayed for good weather!

So, back to the Camino.

Arriving as planned at Fromista, our first task was to get a stamp to show our start point. In addition, I had no guidebook so we needed to find the actual Camino. We headed into town from the train station and Yvonne spotted a large Camino information board showing us which way to go. We went over to investigate and I spotted the main church which was open. I went in to pray and lit a candle for all who needed it. There was an open door which I had assumed led into a chapel but no, it was a small museum and there was someone in attendance. I thought 'I bet we can get a stamp there' and right enough we could. It was now time for a coffee. To cut a long story short, we had a coffee, got some info from the local Tourist Information Office and by 13.30 we were on the Camino with only three kms to do.

We reached our destination sooner than I expected though even just 3 kms was enough for me. Yvonne had generously agreed to treat us both to a hotel room which was just as well because the municipal albergue at which I had planned to stay was closed. The hotel room had a lovely fresh feeling, clean with sumptuous towels. After showering we explored the village and chilled in the local bar.

Back at the hotel we decided to have the 'Menu of the Day', the evening meal. It turned out to be a communal affair with all pilgrims at the same table. Several were one group, from France, doing their Camino a couple of weeks at a time. At the other end of the table sat a couple of German pilgrims. It was a very convivial affair. And so ended our first day.

Next morning we set off at 8.30 to get coffee in the bar we had found the previous day. The weather was being very kind. It was sunny but there was a mild breeze preventing it from being too hot. Off we went after coffee with only just over six kms to do. The destination this time was an even smaller village than the previous day's and we reached it just after 11.00. The albergue was very easy to find, right on the Camino. There was a hotel as well in the village but I had planned the pilgrimage on the basis of the availability of cheap, dormitory, pilgrim accommodation.

The albergue was also a bar with an inviting, large, grassy area in front with many tables and a couple of sculptures. I was amazed at the number of pilgrims sitting there. We had only been on the Camino for a short time the previous day so had no 'feel' for how many people were making this journey. After chilling for a bit with a coffee I went in and checked there was space for us and also said we would have the 'Menu of the Day, the Pilgrim Menu'.

The pilgrim accommodation had a bit of a 'hippy' feel about it with very unusual décor on the ceiling! Also, it was very rural, there being donkeys, sheep and geese in the field beside the bar area. In fact, the geese were able to roam freely and we had a set to with them outside the dormitory. Yvonne was trying to help them have a drink of water in a bowl and one of them started hissing and bit her. It didn't break the skin but I had an antiseptic wipe in my medical kit so we cleaned the bite area with it just in case.

The evening meal was served in the albergue kitchen/common room. Again it was communal with all us pilgrims chatting amiably around one long table. This was a private albergue and they are not as strict with lights out as the municipal albergues are. Consequently, I stayed up till 1:30 checking photos etc. This was not really very wise given I had over 10 kms to do the next day. Also, I would be on my own as Yvonne had to get a taxi back to Fromista where she could catch a train to connect with another to Madrid for her plane back on the Saturday.

So ended our second (and Yvonne's last) day on the Camino.

For those of you reading this extract from my blog who would like to read the full version, please send me an email at camino4hunger@famma.info.

It might take a few days for me to respond as internet access is sporadic but I will respond.

If you would like to, please donate to my justgiving page at: https://walk.cafod.org.uk/fundraising/camino4hunger

Ann Milner is an active member of the Hitchin parish of Our Lady Immaculate and St Andrew in Westminster Diocese. As a member of the parish's One World/Livesimply group she has supported CAFOD in both fundraising projects such as the Virtual Village as well as taking part in campaigns such as last year's Walk for Water challenge. She decided to walk the Camino after completing treatment for lung cancer earlier this year.