We followed the canal past small plots of vegetables then irrigated fields, into the first village of Olleros de Tera. The church was open so we popped in briefly to have a look - usually they're closed, and we wonder about the cost of maintaining all those tiny churches.
We left the village on a dirt track through flowery fields. Again, there was evidence of the wildfires, with many burnt trees and electricity poles left unrepaired. We did come across some new tree plantings down near the dam.
We crossed the Presa de Agavanzal dam wall and followed the shore around, skirting large boulders, until we came to the village of Villar de Farfon. Our guidebook said that the construction of the dam flooded many parts of the village and the 2022 wildfires caused more damage. A lady outside the (closed) school and a gentleman cutting grass offered directions to the albergue, where we had a cup of coffee and a biscuit. The missionary had been there for 12 years: he said only he and his wife and one other man lived in the village all year round.
We headed uphill into grassy fields, fringed with wildflowers. We looked for deer but did not see any. We descended down towards the village of Rionegro del Puente, finding a flock of sheep grazing peacefully near the river. We met the shepherd coming back unhurriedly with his dogs as we crossed the footbridge.
Our arrival had been planned to coincide with the lunch hours of Me Gusta Comer, which offers a legendary pilgrim menú del día. For 15 euros each, we had a starter of fish paté, a hearty vegetable soup, roast pork with apple sauce, and icecream with coffee flan. This was accompanied by water, red wine, coffee and even shots.
Across the road we met four pilgrims checking into the albergue and recommended the restaurant to them, but it was already on their radar: they had booked for that evening.
We waddled uphill with full stomachs and another 15 km to go. A refreshing breeze keep us awake as we crossed the motorway on a footbridge then continued through meadows to Mombuey. We still didn't see any deer.
In Mombuey we stocked up at the small supermarket and had a rest in the school bus stop. When we left the Camino to take the road to our accommodation, two people separately tried to redirect us back. Luckily our Spanish was good enough to allay their concerns.
Along the road to Manzanal de los Infantes we found the first cows since we had joined the Camino Sanabres. As we were admiring them, we finally spotted some deer in amongst the trees. We continued on through the village, photographing the old village wash house, before arriving at our cosy cabin for the night.
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| Gourmet pilgrim's meal in Rionegro del Puente |
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| Canal-side walk from Calzadilla de Tera to Olleros de Tera |
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| Olleros de Tera |
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| On from Olleros de Tera |
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| More burnt vegetation, and telegraph poles |
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| Walking across the Agavanzal dam |
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Helpful Camino signs. We saw lots of them today
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| Around the Embalse Nuestra Señora de Agavanzal on the Camino Sanabrés |
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| In and out of Villar de Farfón |
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| The Camino Sanabrés to Rionegro del Puente |
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| Itinerant sheep amusing themselves on the basketball court while waiting for their shepherd, Rionegro del Puente |
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| Rionegro del Puente |
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| Lunch at Me Gusta Comer, Rionegro del Puente |
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| The Camino Sanabrés on to Mombuey |
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| Mombuey |
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| On from Mombuey - a bit of road-walking through farmland |
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| We had been hoping to see a deer, and on this stretch we did |
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| On to Manzanal de los Infantes |
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| Manzanal de los Infantes |
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| Birds |
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| Day 53 - Map |
Day: 53
Distance: 32.56 km
Walking time: 6 hrs 51 mins
Elevation gain: 674 meters
Cumulative distance: 1,065.53 km
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