Mansilla de las Mulas to León 20 km

I was in no rush this morning as I was planning a 20km stroll into Leon. I spent a few minutes booking a hostel so I knew where I was going. A private room, 10 metres from the main central district, breakfast included shared bathroom (turns out the room had is own shower and basin) for €27, where’s the catch.

After that, I set off slowly not really knowing what to expect. There were a few “pilgrims” about, and I decided first things first, breakfast. I’ve spent so little time in towns the choice was overwhelming. I just hit a little cafe, and had an “American coffee” and (I was talked up to) a big bit of tortilla. It was a good way to start.

I headed off, the Camino is well marked there is absolutely no need for any navigation. Just follow the signs, or failing that there are still the trusty yellow arrows painted everywhere. The yellow paint painter is impressive, but hats off to the black paint painter, who has blocked out EVERY “Castilla y” on anything that should say “Castilla y León”. There are some serious underlying issues here!

There’s not much to write about the Camino, it’s a big wide gravel track usually close to the road, occasionally making its own way. I had just overtaken my first pelegrinos, greeting them and leaving plenty of room before pulling back into the left, when I came across the Pilgrim Mobile Police Station parked up with two officers standing either side of the path. I kid you not!* I explained how my overtake was perfectly safe, they were not interested/didn’t speak English, and just wanted to know if I was having a good time. It really shows the scale of this thing.

From my initial thoughts, the best things about the Camino here are, the ease of navigation, the frequency of coffee/cake shops, and many more walkers. On the opposing side, the worst things about the Camino here are the ease of navigation, the frequency of coffee/cake shops and many more walkers (and you can’t just have a wee when you need one). So it’s really take your choice. I’ve got about five days on the Camino Francés, I’m sure I’ll decide.

I went up over the last hill, it was a quite complex motorway junction where I could see walkers lost in the roundabouts, and suddenly León was below me.

It was a long walk into the centre but I got there to check into my hostel at 2pm. It two floors up in a really old building. I have a big room, really nice people and the plants really make it.

A quick supermarket lunch, and I headed to the cathedral. Unfortunately, it was shut. So I headed to the second most important place of worship for the Pilgrim…..

Decathalon, my favourite shop. There was one thing I needed, a hat, and I wanted to contemplate whether my boots, which have started to fall apart, should be replaced. Also whether I could replace my hiking trousers with the exact same model, as they are developing a hole in an awkward location. I decided against boots, but bought some new insoles to refresh the spring, and the new ranges of trousers are to “hikey”. I also got a hat, only available in blue (like everything else I have), a Swiss army knife (exactly the same as the one confiscated- that’s €34.99 you owe me UK Border Force) and a cheap shirt I couldn’t resist.

By this time, the Cathedral had opened. Its a tourist affair with an entrance fee, the self guided tour on your own phone is very good. Plug in your earphones and you are taken to a different world with music and a good guide. There was a description of stones starting to fall from the central nave arches in 1850. Everyone feared a collapse. The engineer who took it on, shored up all the vaulted ceilings and everything, and proceeded to rebuild. He died before it was complete, but 50 years later the shoring was removed and the building squealed a bit as it settled, it was a fine job.

I kept asking for a stamp, to add to my other cathedrals. I had to wait all the way until the gift shop, and it wasn’t a patch on the UK cathedrals.  There was a quiet chapel, which was nice to sit in, thinking of those having a tough time at the moment. I’m pretty lucky to be doing this.

After leaving the cathedral, my story turns pretty dark, so those of a sensitive nature should look away. Big cities are not really the place for the solo traveller. Finding places to eat is a lottery. Therefore I found myself in Mcdonalds – I know, I know, I’m very disappointed with myself. Obviously, it was lovely, I went for the top Spanish Special (large) Meal, together with unhurried service, comfortable seating, WiFi, flushing toilets, and everything.

It did let me peruse the Web to find the best beer offerings in the city. The Cerveceria Celtica was near the top and close to where I was staying. Really nice pub and friendly staff. Unfortunately, it seems that Spanish beer is a bit of a dirty word in beer circles here. Everything was imported, from Belgium, Germany, etc. I opted for their namesake beer, Celtica Pils, brewed by Bitburger in Germany. It was nice but a disappointment.

It’s been a good day, half walking, half sightseeing, I’ll look and see more opportunities to do this. It certainly beats frantically walking until 7 or 8 pm.

* I’m not kidding about the Pilgrims Mobile Police Station! But everything else is a fabrication, except Mcdonalds, which really happened.