Day 18 - Carrión to Terradillos de Templarios - 27km

I made sure I had something to eat and drink and food and water to take with me and left before 7 ready to face the first stretch of 17.5km with no villages and unreliable water fonts (my map book said they were dry). It was nice and cool initially and I walked briskly to try and cover as much ground as possible before it became too hot. Nola had decided to stay behind and rest as her leg was too painful and Marcel, who had been taken to the doctor by a nun, had been ordered to rest up for a couple days after having his feet seen to.

The path was reasonable if a little pebbly and fairly level. There was no shade as usual, the occasional trees being separated from the path by ditches on either side. It was also quite straight as it formed part of the old paved Roman road, the Via Trajana. The heat slowly increased to the point where it felt as if it were physically hammering down on you. I don´t know what the temperature was but on days like these pilgrims who were unused to such heat suffered from heat exhaustion and sunburn. The secret, apart from a hat and sunblock cream, is to walk slowly and steadily, keep to shady bits if there are any, take frequent short breaks and drink plenty of water. I used to feel the heat, naturally, but never suffered any ill-effects from it because living in a tropical country I am accustomed to high temperatures.

I was surprised to come across a caravan serving refreshments further on, it hadn´t been indicated on my map but was certainly a very welcome sight. There were tables with shady umbrellas where I sat and had a snack, but unfortunately no loos. John the Australian also stopped there but no other familiar faces. After that break there was nowhere else to stop and it was a long long walk to Calzadilla de la Cueza, a tiny hamlet with a basic albergue and not much else. The only spot with any shade was a pavement covered in straw and droppings but I was so bushed by then and dying to get out of the sun that I just plonked myself down anyway. Shortly after a shephard passed by with his flock and I was surrounded by dogs and sheep while I sat there. My back had become quite uncomfortable over the last few kilometres to the extent that I´d had to take my rucksack off and just stand (in the sun) until the discomfort wore off and I could carry on, so the rest on the pavement was even more welcome.

I carried on to Ledigos, mostly following an undulating road now, where there was another albergue where I stopped for a refreshing tonic water. I had a few words with Ursula who was staying there, she was finishing her Camino in the next town and we wouldn´t see each other again. I had decided to carry on to the next village and albergue as I felt there were still a few kilometres left in my legs and I was attracted by the name - Terradillos de Templarios. There are many Templar and Crusader places along the Camino and I thought this sounded interesting. Actually it turned out to be no different from the other villages as far as I could see, but the albergue was comfortable. It had three-bedded rooms and I shared one with Luis and another woman. The albergue also offered pilgrim meals and I enjoyed a good meal in the restaurant there. Once again it was strange to sleep in a bed, especially one with bedding.