Day 8 Burgos to Fromista

Day 7 Burgos to Fromista

47.25 (total 272.04)

Yet another 6:00 and out of bed to get on the road in the cool of the morning. As we left the aubergue a young man with a severe speech impediment and some physical disabilities came along to claim a rather nice looking bike that we had been admiring. He had some laminated cards to tell us that his disabilities resulted from some medical negligence when he was young. He entertained us by kicking his shoes against the wall to get them on but came across as a thoroughly nice guy.

Another empty and pan flat road

We rode as far as Tardajos before stopping for coffee and tortilla where we met Jim and Karen. These two were hauling Bob Yaks and we met them again several times over the next few days. There was a climb about 7 miles after Tardajos but this was followed by a long descent as we rolled onto the Meseta plain for several days on flat land. The roads now were quiet, very quiet and the day was heating up rapidly. The guide books warned of high temperatures with few places to stop and buy food or collect water. The guide books were right. The sun got hotter and the heat just bounced back off mile after mile of wheat fields at the side of the road. The roads were long and straight. The rider in front shimmered in the heat and any car that passed (and there were very few) was visible for many minutes. Villages visible in the distance teased us by not getting any nearer.

And another day over!

We came across a garage so stopped to fill water bottles and pick up biscuits and the like to help us keep going. There was then a long haul of going on for 20 miles to Castrojeriz, 20 miles of nothing! Castrojeriz, on the other hand, was a nice village with a nice church, but it was all closed. The aubergue in the village was open so we collected a stamp for our credentials but there was nowhere to stock up on food. That being the case we carried on to Fromista using local roads, noticing only that a wind struck up from the west as the afternoon progressed.

One of the things that had struck during the day was the extensive arrangements made to move water around in order to water the crops. This was achieved by various means including canals (as they called them). There was a canal cascading down the small hill as we entered Fromista which served only to remind us that we were thirsty. Just as we entered the market square there was a small bar that kept us supplied with Tonic Water as we had discovered that this was a good thirst quencher.

Crossing boundaries

Again we booked into the aubergue and after scrubbing up and washing clothes we were sat outside and then fell asleep on the benches in the market square, by the church. Again, our evening meal was in the bar right outside the aubergue and again, we chose from the Perrigrino’s menu. Again, we were in bed early, certainly by 9:30. Apparently Spain won the semi finals that night and there were fireworks and much partying, none of which I heard!