Having spent the two previous nights in more up market accommodation , the ‘  ‘Donitivo’ Albergue with discretional rates was a stark reminder that we were in fact pilgrims not tourists. The Albergues small communal area had a very welcoming open fire – but with no loo paper, no heating in the bunk bedded rooms and a dribble of a hand held shower , a 10 euro donation felt about right…as brother Geoff would say – “it’s all about the deprecation you know”

We set off early at day break, another 30Km day ahead with with Ponchos deployed once agin.
With so much rain , the soft ground had reached its saturation limit as we picked our way through a maze of muddy puddles.

By midday – patches of blue sky had broken through.
Our gradual climb onto the plateau brought a little more wind and a marked chill in the air as the altitude slowly increased.

The Bar at 18 Km was a most welcome rest. Buzzing with locals enjoying their Sunday lunch tapas , there were a few sideways glances as we aired damp feet and lanced our blisters.

Meanwhile , Dr John’s alternative route took him over a challenging ridge, the highest point of the weeks walk and home to a dozen wind turbines. Two hours later the rest of us arrived at the village of Morille when a WhatsApp message came through from John ‘I’m in San Pedro with Claudia sorting out the Albergue’

…it was only then is we realized we had forgotten to communicate the change of plan to John.

Resourceful as ever, having cadged a lift from a local van driver and navigated unexpected road closures, John finally joined us at our Albergue in Morille.

No matter what we do, he still keeps turning up !