Stage 27 - Calzada de Valdunciel to El Cubo de Tierra del Vino (19.6km): 25/09/2014 07:09

Downtown in El Cubo de Tierro del Vino

Today was an uneventful day and nearing the albergue I was wondering what I would write about, but a short time later that changed.

We were advised by the owner of last night's Hostal they we should stick to the road today as the Camino path was in poor shape. We assumed the problems were related to recent heavy rain and sure enough, at one stage when the path was near the road, a section of the Camino was badly flooded.

We left the Hostal at 7:10am with 19km-20km ahead of us. Unlike the early weeks we had our fleeces on when starting out but today that was far from adequate. Pauline eventually put on her rain jacket as well. I stuck it out but even with a cloudless sky it remained on the cool side, with a northeasterly breeze getting the better of the sun.

The nearest thing we had to excitement along the way was the proximity of a large modern prison in the middle of nowhere.

Vanessa and Matthew, who are now way ahead, strongly recommended the F y M Albergue in El Cubo de Tierra del Vino and we are glad we listened to them. We were met by Hospitalera Mercedes. First we were able to choose a twin bedroom rather than a dormitory, for an extra €2 each, before Mercedes poured a wine for Pauline and fruit juice for me. She also provided each of us with a chorizo tapas. As we were registering it suddenly dawned on me that we would have to find an ATM by tomorrow after the extra expense of the Hostal last night. Credit cards are seldom used for payment on the Camino.

Despite what it said in our guidebook Mercedes assured us there was no ATM in this village. Nor is there one in the place we will be staying tomorrow. We discussed my getting a bus to Zamora, more than 30km away. That, however, would have meant me waiting on a return bus for three or four hours. Instead, Mercedes insisted that she would drive us there, and did. She refused payment but we insisted on recompensing her. I am not sure where we found the ATM. We weren’t long enough in the car to have travelled the 30k to Zamora but we could have covered between 15km and 20km.

After we registered, Mercedes gave us the option of having lunch in a nearby bar/cafe or in her house. We opted for the latter and enjoyed a fine three course meal with wine in a room that would remind you of the inside of an Irish farmhouse. Total cost was €4 each.

We were the first to arrive at the albergue. Since then we have been joined by a Canadian man, three German men, two Spanish women and a Swiss couple - the latter are going the wrong way, having walked from Porto to Santiago and are now on their way to Salamanca.

500km completed according to Googles "My Tracks", 402km to go, or so I have been told.

The isolated prison

Our albergue

Next: Stage 28 - El Cubo de Tierra del Vino to Villaneuva de Campeán