The next Bristol Spanish Intercambio trip will be to Nunney Castle.
When: Sunday 5th of June 12:45pm to 8:30pm
Meeting Point: Bristol Temple Meads
Cost: £11 possibly cheaper if the group fares work out.
This trip will involve a modest walk from the town of Frome to the Village of Nunney. We will of course stop at a hostelry but bring a packed lunch if you don’t intend on buying a pub lunch. We will have a layover time between trains in Westbury to stock up in the shop.
The name La Rioja is know throughout the world a wine producing region. But besides the wine Logrono is a great place for the tapa connoisseur. Architect buffs can visit the region’s bodegas designed by world renowned architects. An emblematic arms race between local wine produces a form of keeping up the Joneses.
Guesthouse at the Bodegas Marques del Riscal, by Frank Gehry
If you choose to stay in Logrono and avoid mixing drinking with driving there used to be a Vinobus that would take you to a village to be entertained by the Mayor and then taken to a bodega (winery) to sample the local produce. It appears that the vinobus has been replaced by the Celtibus and Dinobus whether this includes a stop at bodega or not remains unclear.
You can combine the camino with some tapasWine tasting in progress on the vinobus tour
Two hours on the bus took me to Burgos to start my 3 day mini walk on the Camino de Santiago. The famous pilgrimage to the Galician city of Santiago de Compostela, known as the Way of Saint James in english, Jacobsweg in german. Equipped with my credencial bought at the Cathedral in Santander for about €5 and a menu del dia (legally enforced value set menu lunches available at most Spanish resturants/cafes) I embarked on a section of the French route (there are multiple ways to walk to Santiago) as this passes through Burgos and is the most popular.
Across the Mesata
The Mesata is regarded as perhaps the less interesting part of the French Camino. But to miss this section out is to miss the point of the Camino de Santiago. It is the routine of starting early each day to walking resting and passing though new towns and of course meeting other pilgrims from around the world.
Looking for a early morning Breakfast
The serendipity of where you may breakfast. Many of the villages on the route will cater for the pilgrims. Hostels costs vary from €5 to €7 or rely only donations. There has been an increase of private hostels over the years providing a higher level of comfort that was traditionally provided
You can check in but never leave.
but with not quite the same feeling of collective endeavour that the municipal or donation have.
Some of the private hostels reflect the character of the people who run them, just like a some english B&Bs do. Some of these establishments have people who have become part of the furniture after setting out to walk to Santiago years earlier.
In early April of this year I had the good fortune to attend a wedding in El Escorial a few kilometres outside of Madrid. Spending a day to recover from the festivities I travelled by Talgo to the Cantabrian town of Santander.
The quality of travel by Talgo is such that it is hard one does not really notice you are travelling by rail. The high speed line north of Madrid zips through the mountains and taking you past Segovia. Changing gauge from standard to Spanish broad gauge allowing the train to navigate the domestic line through Cantabrian mountains into the port town of Santander.
El Escorial with a hangover
The plan was to see tick another Spanish city off my list, see some friends prepare a little for the Camino de Santiago before travelling south to Burgo to begin walking for a few days across the meseta.
Santander
Arriving in the rain I quickly manage to find a hostel on the promenade overlooking the Bay of Santander in one of the buildings that survived one of Santander’s devastating fires.
My first night was spent enjoying the tapas (they are much more superior in the north of the country) and exploring the town.
By the next day the weather had turned for the better and I headed to the bus station for the next leg to Burgos.
