Day 16 La Robla - La Pola de Gordon - Buiza - Poladura de la Tercia - 27kms
Another great day, that my gps measured as longer than the widely published 23 kms. It started with a much-larger-than-is-healthy German getting hot under the collar this morning; he didn't like being woken up at 6.30am as five people were getting ready to go out the dorm into the kitchen with all their stuff. He even decided to get out of bed and came up to me, grabbed my light from my head and put it on my bed before stomping off.
Unfortunately, people just laughed at him, which put him in a bigger huff! Poor chap. So five of us left at 7.00am in exceptionally high spirits. He needs to stay in a hotel if tolerance isn't a strong point! Albergues do require a bit of a thick skin, a set of industrial strength earplugs and some give and take.
It took only just under two hours to cover the 9 kms to La Pola. I had an hour long breakfast in one of the many bars that were open at that time, as the large supermarket opposite the municipal building didn't open until 10.00am. After grabbing three packs of noodles, some fruit, cheese and bread, I was finally off, stocked up for three days at a push. As it happened, I had also phoned up the hotel in Poladura and have booked an evening meal, so I won't starve! It cost €8 and included a fabulous soup, salad, a beef stew and fruit - an absolute bargain. When you arrive, you go and find out from the hotel when you can collect your meal, then collect it and take it to the albergue, eat, wash up and return everything. Don't forget to buy plenty of cider from the cider artisan in the village!
The five kilometres to Buiza took just over an hour. It's along the main road all the way, but the scenery is a taste of things to come. Big mountains start looming high. Canyons and peaks, rivers and meadows are all around. Buiza is a fairly largish collection of houses, but there are zero facilities so you need to bring food if you are planning to stay in the albergue, and it is an absolutely lovely setting so if you aren't in any rush, stay in this place and enjoy the peace and beauty.
I should say that I carried only one litre of water from La Pola to Buiza - there are many water fountains all the way. From Buiza, I also took just one litre but today wasn't particularly hot and it was just enough. If it is hot when you go, take twice that as there were no fountains and the next hour and a half will leave you seriously sweating. From Buiza, it's up, up, up for about an hour and a half. Sometimes the up is very steep. It's exhausting but eventually you hit the part of the walk where you walk fairly level around the sides of mountains for an hour, and then another hour or two descending to Poladura.
It's hard to get lost on this entire stretch. The path is well-signed. There are two small buildings the size of a small shed from Buiza which you will see when you start to descend to Poladura, where there are path junctions and where at a pinch you could go wrong - but just follow the arrows as they are crystal clear which way to go and not go! A gps or smartphone using
maps.me and a trail loaded onto it is also reassuring, if not strictly necessary. The mountains, meadows, valleys, peaks, wildlife, gorges - they are now all getting spectacular, and the descent into Poladura is great, too. If the weather is good, you will take lots of great photos. As mentioned before, you can book an evening meal by phoning up the only hotel in Poladura, and if you feel like treating yourself, you can book a room there as well for just over €40, although with mountain walks, I like to make as many friends as possible so prefer staying in the perfectly nice albergue. When you are sitting around drinking the homemade cider on sale (see below), notice the ski resort on the distant mountain tops!
As you enter Poladura village, you will notice a sign advertising a 'cider artisan' - home made cider, which is excellent and only two euros a bottle. Just knock on the door and say, 'see-dra' and prepare to be amazed. The actual brewery is a sight to behold. You could learn the Spanish for 'Could you sell me half a dozen eggs, please?' as well because the village seems to have hundreds of chickens everywhere, but no signs for eggs for sale! Scrambled eggs for breakfast done in the microwave and a few boiled eggs for lunch the next day might be nice! The albergue is in a big building two minutes away from entering the village and has a big sign on it. It's great, with the top floor having 12 beds, two shower / toilet rooms and a kitchen with microwave, hob, fridge and plates, knives, forks, cups etc and there are plenty of power sockets. There are a couple of working, well-stocked vending machines downstairs selling a large range of chocolate bars, fizzy drinks and coffee, and next to these machines is also the place to leave your empty cider bottles.
This is a wonderful, beautiful, relaxing wifi-free village in a stunning setting. Follow the yellow arrows out of the village on the other side to where you entered for two minutes to the bridge and the fast running stream. Walk down the gently sloping bank to the water, have a seat on a stone and dunk your feet in the ice cold running water. Let them feel redemption. Breath in the herbs that surround the bank and all is well. Perfecto!
I took about 8 hours in perfect walking conditions to get here from La Robla, with a few breaks and including an hour hanging around waiting for the supermarket to open in La Pola; a keen walker should take between six and seven hours in good conditions. This is another place not to miss on your Camino de San Salvador! This is a walk that should be savoured not rushed!
I leave Madrid on Thursday of next week...
