Larrasoana to Trinidad de Arre

Today was not a long walk, but there was simply too much mud!  It was the very squelchy kind, reminiscent of First World War trenches that my Grandad had to suffer. His feet never dried out, so he ended up with “trench foot”.

Last night it seemed to be raining non stop. Casa Tao was right next to the river and I kept thinking about all those people around the world who woke up to find their house under rapidly rising floodwater. When I set off on the Camino it was apparent that the raging torrent was going safely on its way and there would only be a problem if there was a blockage downstream.

The first thing of note was the village of Akereta. There is a lovely hotel there,  used for filming a scene in the Martin Sheen film The Way. I stayed there once, but it was fully booked last night. The track followed the river, getting ever more soggy, until the first refreshment stop of the day at Zurain. Because of my early start I was there before the crowds and could order a coffee and a banana without having to queue.

Akereta Hotel.

River rushing down.





There is a 12th century church at Zabaldika with an albergue next door which was supposed to be open in mid April, but isn’t. I toiled up the steep hill to see it anyway:

Looking towards Pamplona from Zabaldika.

Orchid.

On arriving at Trinidad de Arre, I found that the albergue did not open till 3.00 pm, so I went into town to look for some lunch. This albergue is one of the oldest on the Camino and used to be the domain of the Marist Brothers. They have now all died off. Instead it is being run privately by a family. They employ a man who literally never ever stops talking. The other news is that the monastery roof has caved in with all the rain, so they can only accommodate six pilgrims in a separate building. This is my good fortune, since it is easier to heat and the radiators and the hot water are all really hot. It’s about 10 degrees at the moment (4.40 pm) and fine. I am in a dorm with 4 women, next to a small kitchen and other facilities. In busy periods it is the Hospitaleros quarters.

Medieval Bridge and Albergue.