San Esteban de Gormaz - Huerta de Rey, Day 23
As it was Sunday morning I had zero hopes for any breakfast before noon. I left San Esteban de Gormaz at 05:30. The town was still sleeping. I passed many small-to-medium-sized pueblos, but didn't see much activity. Your best shot at a bar would be in Villálvaro, where there is a cafetería with a fairly large terrace on your right as you walk through the village. But Sunday morning... No luck.
Important: there is a fuente before leaving Villálvaro which warns that the water isn't treated or something... So, only partially drinkable, I presume. After leaving the village, next to a small recreational area, there is another fuente with better water! But it's a pump, so you have to work it to get the water up. At first it seems dry, but keep pumping! One of the villagers told me it is drinkable and that everyone goes there to fill their household bottles.
It was a surprise to see a restaurant in Alcubilla de Avellaneda! You pass right in front of it on the road that runs through town, in a curve. The guides don't mention it, and I don't remember it from before, so it must be new (?). Very fancy in a castle-like, old building: I had to look around. A cafetería and restaurant, but also an outdoor area with a terrace, arcades, a lawn, and a swimming pool (!). In a village of 150 inhabitants, they opened what looks like a Parador. And it's open on Sundays! First picture below.
I took a long break, then carried on to Hinojar del Rey. Thirsty pilgrims: don't miss the hidden fuente before the village. You will see a small, grey house at a point where another road joins the camino from the right. The fuente is on the other side of the building! It can't be seen, or heard, if you don't turn around as you pass the house. The villagers have told me it's drinkable. After a dry walk in the heights between Alcubilla and Hinojar, that water is so cool and refreshing...! And then only a couple of kms to Quintanarraya, where I stayed two years ago.
Quintanarraya must be the smallest village on the Lana to be pinpointed as the end of a stage. There is nothing, but a bunch of summer residents (in summer) with their families. There is also a bar (on top of the Ayuntamiento). Go to the bar to get the keys to the albergue. 5 euros!
Personally I have bad memories from the albergue in Quintanarraya. Last time, I arrived one day after the infamous Spanish youth organization MWM (Millennials Without Manners) checked out. A bus load of schoolchildren had left the place a mess. I won't tell you how the shower looked. But I think I was filthier coming out of the shower than stepping into it. When I moved around in the bathroom, I wished I could hover two inches above the ground so I didn't have to touch anything.
All day long I was worried that history would repeat itself and that I would run into them. Or one of their affiliate organizations that also operate on the
Camino de Santiago, such as: VDT (Vocally Disturbed Teenagers), UCC (Unsupervised Children of Castilia) or YDD (Youngsters Deprived of Decency). Pick your donation. But the barman in Quintanarraya didn't mention any of this so I could well have stayed for the night. I was just so tempted to push on to Huerta de Rey... Just 6 or 7 little kms. I decided to give it a go.
This turned out to be a good decision! I found the casa rural La Tejera, which charges 20 euros. And this for a room in a house that is just as fine as, let's say, El Rincón de Sandra in Monteagudo. Once again, a ridiculously low price for a standard like that. I was flabbergasted. I asked Nice-Guy-In-Charge if this was a pilgrim deal, but he said it was the same price for everyone. Thank you Huerta de Rey! I also noticed a freshly painted Hostal El Cid (last photo below) in town, which the guides don't mention. Do they only accept Cider pilgrims or can Laners check in as well? I was too tired to investigate... I was so happy to be in a village with more than one half-empty bar and two goats, and with some action going on. With almost 1000 inhabitants, Huerta de Rey is a metropolis compared to Quintanarraya. That said, without a youth mob there is nothing wrong with the albergue in Quintanarraya. The people in the bar and the villagers are very helpful and kind to pilgrims! I'm just giving you some alternatives here.
The camino between the two villages is flat as a pancake. If you feel you can push on six more kms, I seriously think you should do it. That gives you a short stage of 18 kms to Santo Domingo de Silos the next day. And Santo Domingo deserves to be explored!
Sorry for the long post! I will cut it down the next time.
Hang on!
BP
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