Another 20km day today, but despite a breakfast of Coco Pops, neither of us tackled the Camino with much gusto this morning.

Perhaps we were reluctant to be leaving our lovely lodgings, Casa de Albuerto. Not even the thought of climbing out of the valley to communication with the outside world put a zing in our steps. It was quite a climb and it was some time until we began to hear pings from our pockets, announcing that we had Orange service again.

We decided to wait until our first stop to check out emails and msgs, by which time we’d gone down into another valley, and service had once again deserted us. We stopped at the tiny alberge nevertheless and had coffee and toast. Another 5 kms and we had another stop, this time freshly squeezed orange juice and tortilla in a baguette bocadilla (sandwich), as well as wifi from the cafe. Refreshed with food and news from the outside world, we set off with renewed vigour through emerald crops of wheat towards a waving stand of wind generators. While they no doubt do a great job of boosting Spain’s power supply, to pilgrims they mean any of three things…… hill, wind and cold. Today it was all three!

D2 walked briskly against the wind, then waited patiently for Mamá to catch up.

After our last stop D2 strode off armed with the name of a private albergue. My phone was fading so we decided to meet at the beginning of the town if things didn’t work out as planned.
Castorjeriz is a town dominated by the ruins of a castle on top of a huge hill, and can be seen for quite a long way out of town. It took me quite a while to get into town.

Of course things didn’t go as planned. After a walk of a couple of kilometres through town I found the albergue, and at the same time that I was standing at the locked door, desperately pressing the button that I knew wouldn’t be answered, my phone died. I sat in the street and wondered whether I wanted to tramp back to the start of town. I didn’t.
Armed with my phone, charger and a mournful face I finally made the owner of another albergue understand that I didn’t want a bed, I wanted a powerpoint. Phone charged, I called D2 and she had done it again. We had a cabin in a camping ground, Camino de Santiago, bedroom each, own bathroom, for €35! Whatever would I do without her!