Via de la Plata: To Calzada de Valdunciel

Afterwards a very bad night's kip (due to me listening to Jim Naughtie's 'Scotland Decides' on t'interweb wireless most of the night) I surfaced around 8am to the sound of hissing down rain lashing against my window.  

Unlike my first leg of the Camino two years ago, this time I had a proper waterproof and a rain cover for my pack. Both were put to good use. 

I diverted to the local Decathlon to buy a very lightweight fleece (€5!) because it had suddenly got much cooler. The weather was much nicer back in Timperley. 

Leaving Salamanca by the Bull Ring, the next 5-6 miles were on roads. Norralot of fun. 

My original plan was to leave Salamanca by bus in order to avoid the roads and the ugly outskirts of what is otherwise a beautiful city. I wish I'd stuck to that idea. Oh well. 

Once off the tarmac the route followed splodgy field paths and dirt-tracks to eventually arrive the little village of Calzada de Valdunciel: 1 shop (closed), 2 bars (open) and most importantly,  1 very cosy Albergue - my bed for the night.  For the princely sum of €5 I have a bunk bed, a simple kitchen and a hot shower.  Magic.

The village has a Casa Rural (a sort of B&B) but that was closed for the fumigacion. Lovely. 

I'm sharing the Albergue with a French couple who started their Camino in Saville where it was a cookingly hot 44degC. 

I could do with a meal but there's nothing to be had here until the morning.  I've got a couple of bread rolls so I'll tuck into them when I finish typing this up.

Today's walk wasn't particularly inspiring,  but I knew that was to be the case. I should have used the bus!

I just hope that the walk tomorrow will be more interesting.