Stage 3: Burgos -> Parades de Nava: 101 km
Day started with a bit of a lay-in until David unkindly woke me; an excellent breakfast improving outlook upon life somewhat. We (that is, I) had reckoned this to be a rest day, but as David managed to dispatch his bike bag onward to Seville via the Post, we decided to ride on, eventually departing at 11:30.
Route west out of Burgos proceeding along the River for first bit, following the Camino de Santiago. Unfortunately, the smooth bikeways/pathways all too soon turned into the soul-crunching hard rubble gravel that I recall from walking this way in 2010. Passed many Peregrinos occasionally giving the slightly grating ‘Buen Camino’ greeting.
Some distance out from Burgos, encountered a gentleman limping along with bandaged leg; I asked if he had shin splints. He replied Yes. Are you using Voltarin, I asked; Yes was the reply. I told him he’d developed his shin splints about where I had, some 9 years earlier, 12-14 days into the Camino from St. Jean Pied de Port. Mutual commiseration. I suggested he stop off at the Albergue San Bol and the mythical spring waters just a bit further up the track; might help, unlikely to hurt. We bid each other a pleasant Buen Camino.
Path degraded yet further into just rubble in places. Descend down nasty slippery hill; pausing at bottom to take photo. Alas, no iPhone! Must have come off... somewhere. Push bikes back up hill. David intelligently uses the shared location on respective phones to report that phone is only 1500 m back; I hate retracing steps, especially on a hot afternoon. Soon enough we encounter Mr & Mrs Ed Clark from Ontario; they’d picked up my phone, reporting they could see the tyre tracks of I guess my back wheel passing over and shattering the glass. Oh well, just happy to have it back and still working,
Aside: I hadn’t noticed at the time (falling down hill in the first place), but David’s phone likewise flew off his quad-lock at top of the hill; fortunately his maybe landed face-up so that his screen is un-damaged.
Turn back to appropriate westerly direction and continue on. More gravel. Reach Frómista where we depart from nasty Camino gravel track into a truly grim tow path along the Canal de Castillla; gravel is now fist-sized, tooth-jarring cobbles. Do that for +15 km before discovering reason my seat was feeling not ‘right’ is that the tension bolt had worked itself lose, fallen off somewhere. Fancy leather Brooks leather saddle now not doing its job at all. Break away from canal as soon as opportunity permits into standard all-season less than pleasant gravel roads. Zig-Zag our way into Paredes de Nava in last light, just shy of 8:30.
Done for the day; 101 km ... slow going!