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Day 21 | 15 August 2025 | Walking the Camino Francés
From Hornillos del Camino to Castrojeriz del Camino | 20.1 km 12.5 miles
We set out at 05:30, and judging by the photo of us, we looked cheerful for being two hours into the walk – no doubt helped by having just watched another amazing sunrise. We had left early because the temperature was forecast to reach 37°C and this stretch of the Meseta offers almost no shade. We were carrying plenty of water.
I’m very much a morning-coffee person, and it would take a 10.5 km walk before I could finally get my fix in the village of Hontanas – but where was it? Strangely, even though both the map and app insisted we were close, we still could not see the village – just the Meseta stretching endlessly ahead. Then suddenly, there it was, tucked out of sight in a valley.
Three coffees and two croissants later (that was just me), we were back on the trail to Castrojeriz. Our next stop: the monastery ruins at San Antón.
When we reached Castrojeriz, we stopped for a cooling drink at the La Taberna bar – just in time for the rain to start again! The second time in two days. I checked my weather app, and the satellite image showed it was raining by 2 blue dots in only two places in all of Spain: one small patch in the south, and after zooming in – one tiny blue dot right over Castrojeriz! In the middle of a heatwave, that little dot of rain found us. Hello, rain! It was nice even though it lasted just 5 minutes.
We returned to La Taberna for dinner and enjoyed the company of two American pilgrims and one Italian. The beef stew was amazing.
Not for the first time, it struck me how privileged we are to be able to walk the Camino, and to have the time to experience the full route. The people you meet and the places you see make it an unforgettable journey. We had already started talking about walking the Portuguese Camino next year.
