I set off in drizzle, which got quite heavy. Coffee at 10am in Las Herrerias. Fine for a bit, but rain still dropping off the trees. Cows grazing in lush meadows alongside the river, their cowbells jingling. Huge flyovers high above us, crisscrossing the valley. Fat black slugs on the path. From here you can hire a horse to the top for €20.
I plodded on, the sun struggling to get out and at lunchtime finally succeeding. At a rest stop I paused for a photo opportunity. I had lunch at La Faba and sat outside even. Some volunteers from the Civil Protection came by, asking about a missing pilgrim. (A Chinese American missing for 20 days).
I finally made it to the top at around 3.30, claimed my room and sat down to eat a dish of octopus in front of the fire. My room suffers from the Quinns problem: my ceiling is someone else's floor. There are 2 Spanish ladies above who laugh all the time. I have been to buy earplugs, which I forgot to pack. In the small supermercado was a group of men drinking some herbal liqueur and trying to set it alight!
My room is small but has a fantastic view down the valley. And best of all a hot radiator. This is a cold place! It is 11 degrees now and dropping. I have got out my hat and gloves.
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