Ysios Bodega Laguardia

... in French. The change in geography is quite startling though because as soon as we entered Spain it became more hilly and mountainous. One thing that we have noticed is that Spanish campsites are a little on the expensive side but hey, it's still cheaper then hotels. On to another long day of driving….oops….

... the very deep cellars built throughout this town hundreds of years ago to produce its wines. Another interesting and enjoyable visit.

And so I'm writing this 6 days after returning to the UK and going back to work. I'm reflecting on a fabulous week with some great food, wine, culture, history, scenery and company. This was a busy week, I was always doing something, I didn't get around to the two novels I brought to read.

For the wine tour element I'd ...

... easy but we spent lot of time walking on a road! we prefer the pilgrimage by walking on footpaths... since that day we hate walking on roads!

Navarrete is a small village with a charming refuge and all the services u may need (supermarkets, ATM...)

... eat, check out the village, buy food for the next day. Have not been eating in restaurants - spending 10-13 Euros each day for the most days.

Many Pilgrims have blisters - we put lotion of our feet four times a day to keep them soft. So far my shoes are OK, but I do feel stones through the soles. May get insoles at some point.

Have met wonderful people from Finland, Sweeden, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria ...

Another easy but long stage... A few kms away from Estella we began to see Logroņo, it seems to was so close, but Not!
I recommend the people who is going to do this stage to take a break in Viana, a beautiful village with an incredible church and city hall.

The main refuge in Logroņo is too small, so if u'r going to be late, u better look forward another refuge or hostel.
Logroņo is another of the ...

This stage has no difficulties, the landscapes begin to change, we left the woods behind us and we begin to see beatiful fields til we reach our destination.

In Los Arcos I don't recommend the main refuge... when we were there we saw lots of bugs, an unpleasant smell, a small kitchen... the village is not very impressive but the main church (worth to see)

We'll remember this stage for the amount of mud we accumulated in our legs. It was an awkward day, at least this stage was pretty easy but the beginning (a huge climb with a lot of mud).

We founded the main refuge in Estella newly renovated, clean, with all the facilities... a nice place where we met people from Italy, Germany and New Zealand , we decided to cook together a huge tipical spanish omelet!!! We also took a walk around beatiful Estella despite of the pain in our legs!

... after half an hour, with the French gals gone ahead, getting up again is somewhat painful. I realise that my body hasn't fully accustomed yet to the strain, and the last few kilometres uphill to Estella seem to hurt twofold. Suddenly, out of nowhere, my hips start to ache. Even worse, my knees, which where fairly unproblematic yesterday, join in, so by the time we arrive at the next spring I'm limping so strong that people put on concerned faces and ask me if everything ...

Pitch black this morning and a 5am start, the temperatures in the middle of the day rise to 40 so the only way to get kms under the belt is to set off early. Saw a lot of the gang that started on the same day as us so just chilled by the pool....YES the hostel had a pool! and went for eats. Feet blistering up a little now, treating them as i go.

... around the bus station trying to work out where the campsite was and where to catch a bus from. Luckily I bumped into another former staff member who pointed me in the right direction. The campground was ages away, it took 40 minutes to get there. Once there I found my tent. I had booked my Accommodation through Back Packers and ended up sharing a tent with some random Aussie guy, who was pretty cool. With my gear all stored away I went off to find Lyall, who had been there already for ...