Saturday 10 September 2016

Day 5 - Puente de la Reina to Estella (Monday 11 July 2016)

Overnight - Hotel Yerri

Another reasonably straightforward walk through some ancient villages, barley fields, and - towards the end - some industrial operations.

I'd pre-booked a hotel in Estella this time and the weather promised to be a little milder, so again, it was a very relaxed start to the day with a leisurely breakfast at the albergue.

The route had a few challenging inclines but it was mostly quite a benign journey.

After checking into the hotel, which was nearby the town’s bull-ring, I had a long hot bath, then wandered around downtown Estella in the early evening. It was another very pleasant and architecturally interesting little town. The rest day in the Tour de France upset my plans a little, so I mostly hung around the hotel, flicking through the TV channels and trying to decipher some obscure Spanish game show.

It also gave me the opportunity to audit my belongings and repack things. So far, I've jettisoned an old pair of running shoes I'd brought along as non-track footwear (my thongs are proving more than sufficient), while I've managed to lose the charger for my phone, rendering it inoperable. The many gels and Hydralyte solution sachets (to mix into my water bottles) I brought along appear to be working very well but are also being progressively used up. My only real acquisitions so far have been a couple of scallop shells to adorn me and my pack, a black Camino t-shirt bought in St Jean Pied de Port, and a blanket souvenired from the Singapore airlines flight (they're OK to take, right?). All are proving their worth. I haven't needed to use the toilet paper roll I brought along just yet, but it's a must-have item.

Overall, after four days, I'm comfortable with the stuff I've got with me now, but I'll be keeping it under review.

Weather - Much milder today than the previous couple of days with a pleasantly cool evening.

Health - The right foot issue I mentioned yesterday settled down after I applied a small bandage last night. I actually felt quite strong all day, albeit I didn't walk especially quickly. The solid breakfast in Puente de la Reina seemed to assist.

Food - Breakfast at albergue (coffee x3, bread rolls with jam and marmalade x3, pack cracker biscuits); Small tub of liquorice from a store in Lorca on the way to Estella; 2 mini packs of crackers from the albergue breakfast; Apple; Bread stick; 1 litre chocolate milk (why is flavoured or even plain milk that is fresh so hard to come by over here?); 120g pack of trail mix

Expenses - Accommodation - 45.00; Food/Drink - 3.00; Total - 48.00

Walking time - 5 hours, 45 minutes (start 8:00am, arrive at accommodation 1:45pm)

Brierley distance - 21.9km (total 113.6km)

Daily Steps - 39,105

Total Camino steps - 198,161

No comments:

Post a Comment