Rest day.
I’ve had a bit of a cold this past week, but it’s on its way out now. (It’s difficult to avoid picking up a bug like that when staying in dormitories.) It didn’t knock me around too much energy wise though, which was good. I did, however, manage to strain the tops of the quad and hamstring muscles in my left leg a couple of days ago – probably from taking longer strides than usual when walking with another peregrino – and that has proved a little more challenging to deal with as it made walking distinctly uncomfortable, especially yesterday. So, a few days off the Camino without a pack and only short wanderings around León will do the body and me the world of good. It’s an elegant, relaxed city to do that in.
Some stats for the journey so far from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to León:
– 468 km*
– 21 walking days, 3 rest days
– 22.3 km per walking day
When I was planning the Caminos, I estimated the total days required based on 5.5 walking days p.w. at 20 km a day and 1.5 rest days p.w. That was just to get an overall walk duration. At this stage that estimate is holding true. 20-25 km a day is proving to be a comfortable distance. The remaining section of the Camino Francés – León to Santiago de Compostela – is 313 km so should take me about 18 days with two rest days. Then there’s a few more days walking the Camino de Finisterre out to the end of the earth aka Cape Finisterre.
Portugal firming up as the post-Caminos destination.
An overcast morning in León, mild but with a little drizzle. View from my 5-star hostel room (a comfortable bright single room, with own bathroom in the Hostal Prada Borges; €84 for three nights).
Will add more photos later when it stops raining.
Well it has been drizzling on and off all morning so a good day to lay low.
Well I never!
All quiet on León streets during siesta time.
* To put that distance into an Australian context, it’s over half way to Sydney via the Hume Hwy from the Melbourne GPO (just past Tarcutta) or, heading to Adelaide via the Western Hwy, just past Bordertown. (I wouldn’t walk to Bordertown though. That name connotes a certain unpleasantness!)