My Camino de Santiago (Cold Comfort Farm & Santa Claus)

The Albergue that I had chosen turned out to be a serious mistake; it was a very pleasant stone built building which would be lovely and cool on those hot Spanish summer days. Unfortunately the weather was unseasonably cold and consequently the Albergue was unseasonably freezing cold. My fellow peregrinos and I spent the evening sitting outside in order to maintain some body heat. It was so cold that I woke up several times throughout the night shivering in my thin sleeping bag.

The following morning we shared a frugal breakfast of coffee and sweet cakes for three euros each (paid for in advance). It was a disappointing waste of three euros, I am sick to death of eating sweet cakes and croissants and crave real food.

Myself, Jacques, Amy (a lovely woman from New York via Florida and Honduras - name changed again etc) and a group of other peregrinos set off together in a long crocodile along the road out of town towards a looming wall of a hill called the Alto Mostelares that we could see a few kilometres away. The traverse up this wall was slow and painful but on reaching the top we were rewarded with panoramic views in all directions. The dusty road ahead stretched out down hill and into the distance reminding me of the yellow brick road in 'The Wizard of Oz'.

The sun had come out and the Meseta looked magnificent in the early morning light. After descending the hill we came to a small picnic area where we rested, enjoying a well earned cup of coffee and some fruit that we purchased from a local man for a small donation. Back on the road and an hour later we approached a small stone building set all on its own next to the tranquil Rio Pisuerga. This building is the 'Ermita de San Nicolas' which is a small Albergue dedicated to Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus) owned and run by an Italian Confraternity. The 13th century building has no electricity, telephones or other modcons and it is illuminated by candlelight.

We were welcomed inside by a volunteer Hospitelero, a man with a bushy white beard and rotund figure who bore a passing resemblance to the hostels namesake; no red coat or reindeer to be seen anywhere though. He offered us rest and a drink of water and was happy to sign our credencials. Apparently if you spend the night here the Hospiteleros wash the guests feet before supper as an act of penitence. Unfortunately it was too early in the day to consider booking a bed for the night.

We crossed the bridge and into the Provincia de Palencia from the Kingdom of Castilla and into the old Kingdom of Leon. This is a land of extensive cultivation, mainly wheat but also some vegetables and vines, well served by rivers and canals which provide irrigation for the crops.

Our lunch was taken in a small bar in the village of Boadilla del Camino where I enjoyed a regional delicacy of Empinade, a kind of pastie filled with tuna, tomato and onions. This once thriving village with several hostels serving the needs of pilgrims has become a shadow of its former self with the population falling from 2000 in its heyday to less than 200 today; there are signs of a reawakening however with the opening of a new albergue and shop.

Jacques and I left the village via the church with it's nesting storks in residence on the tower and along a farm track that led to the Canal de Castilla. This canal was constructed in the 18th century to transport the cultivated crops and provide water to drive the corn mills. The rest of our day was spent walking along the peaceful tree lined towpath to the town of Fromista where we intended to stay the night.