Today’s walk was almost entirely on gravel back roads with virtually no traffic and very peaceful .

It was a chilly morning again. A good thing about this cooler weather is that I’m now only carrying 2 litres of water which makes a big difference from the weight of my pack with the 4 litres I was carrying previously .


I found the landscapes very attractive .




There were large expanses of corn in irrigated fields.


The way was well marked with a lot of these large concrete blocks similar to Roman milestones . This one had a pilgrim’s staff and was bilingual.


I had one of those village bar lunches.


These sunflowers looked a bit sad.


A nice colour combination on the outskirts of Zamora!


The albergue is located in an ancient building next to the city wall.

These guys turned up in period costume just after I did but left when they found out there were no blankets – you have to have your own sleeping bag.



Zamora is noted for its fine Romanesque churches. This is the portal of Saint Mary Magdalene and it reminded me a lot of churches I’ve seen in Ireland.


The church of Santiago is reputedly where El CID was knighted by Ferdinand I.


Detail from a 15th century tapestry in the cathedral .