Two magical days in the mountains and two days with little or no connectivity.
We had a wonderful relaxing night staying with Laura and Anna, both of us getting a really good night's sleep. Anna used her magic fingers on my foot and leg, giving me a massage which helped the recovery process.
Laura is a powerhouse, loves to talk, and was unbelievably helpful to us.
Anna and Laura's home, which they also use as an albergue.
A renovator's dream, the last building in town as we left Vegarienza.
the albergue in Fasgar
leaving Fasgar
the fountain almost at the top of the climb.
looking back to Fasgar
the view from the top looking out over the valley of Campo de Santiago.
our lunch spot, and the valley we were to walk down.
inside the little chapel (which, as usual, was closed)
descending
Colinas del Campo de Martín Moro Toledano
Igüeña
the albergue is the yellow building behind the sign.
We began the day with Anna and Laura dropping us in the village of Vegarienza. This gave us a head start, saving me with my bad foot having to climb a fairly steep hill. Nonetheless, we still had plenty of climbing to do as we went up to the village of Fasgar which is a steady climb of about 300 meters, up to 1,318m.
This was a lovely day passing through some delightful villages. One which was a surprise was Barrio de la Puente. We took a detour down to the river for a rest and discovered an old bridge, and an old church - not open of course. We shouldn't have been surprised by the bridge, as it is in the name (Puente).
Jill was excited - I wasn't! She got to wear her new raincoat, because it was raining. I too have a good raincoat, but I am afraid I get as wet inside as out, because I get so hot.
It was raining when we got to Fasgar, so it was not at all tempting to go out and explore the village. Laura had kindly organised for us to stay in the albergue - a comfortable one indeed, though we didn't see anyone to get a sello, or to pay for the night. Instead we left a note and some money for our accommodation. The trouble with staying where there is no bar to purchase food means that we had to prepare food ourselves - not what one is inclined to do at the end of a long hard walk!
Today (Friday), we set off to continue our climb - heading to a altitude of 1,636 metres. I must admit that I was not looking forward to the climb, as we could see switchbacks on the track in our guide. Read very steep for switchbacks, but in this instance it was not the steep ascent, but they were on the descent. Reaching the top of the hill, we were treated to some spectacular views. Mountains, valleys, both had us stopping frequently for photos.
On the descent we were headed for the village of Colinas del Campo de Martín Moro Toledano. Yes that is it's full name ! This has probably been the hardest 8kms we've done. We had to concentrate the whole time as we had rocks which slipped and slid underfoot, a narrow path, and big slabs of granite outcrops, which potentially were slippery.
Nonetheless, this was a wonderful, but exhausting section. We had to stop frequently to admire the views, and all the time we had a babbling river singing to us with each step.
At Colinas del Campo de Martín Moro Toledano we struck gold. The bar was open,and not only could we get a coffee, but the owner was very enthusiastic about the Camino and organised for us to stay at the albergue in Igüeña, our destination for the night. Having taken hours to descend there we made the last 6kms, despite being quite weary, in good time. Collinas del Campo has only 40 residents, but it is a very important historical village. Jill likened it to something out if a film set.
Igüeña is a delightful village and we have the albergue to ourselves. We chose the restaurant Anibal for dinner and were treated to one of the most enjoyable meals we have had.
Ah, what was the meal ?
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