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Day 31 | 27 September 2025 | Walking the Camino Francés
From Justo de la Vega – Astorga to Rabanal del Camino | 25.2 km 15.7 miles
We left our accommodation early, at 06:00, and walked the 4 km to Astorga using our head torches in the darkness. We continued through the town before dawn and were rewarded with a magnificent sight of the Ayuntamiento (Town Hall) of Astorga beautifully illuminated against the early-morning darkness. The Spanish really do excel at floodlighting their historic buildings. We had hoped to stay in Astorga the previous night, but unfortunately there was no accommodation available. From what we saw, it looked like a lovely place.
Along the way we encountered several interesting sculptures, particularly on the outskirts of Santa Catalina de Somoza – the rusty metal Arco del Camino (Arch of the Camino) erected in 2024 and created by León-born artist Amancio González.
The suffix Somoza in the village name comes from Latin and means “under the mountain,” a fitting hint that today’s walk would be entirely uphill, climbing to an elevation of 1,155 metres at Rabanal del Camino.
One noticeable change on the Camino since we last walked the final 117 km from Sarria in 2016 was the emergence of artistic entrepreneurs offering sellos (Stamps) for the pilgrims compostelas (Certificates). Stamps are required to prove that you have completed the Camino, and these artists were producing colourful, creative designs, often made from heated wax or foil. They looked fantastic and were very popular. What many pilgrims may not have realised, however, is that these stamps are not official. Without also collecting accommodation stamps, they risked not receiving their certificate.
My photo journal is not intended as an accommodation guide, but we did stay in three places along the Camino that we found exceptional in their own ways and that we wish to recommend. The last of these three was The Pilgrim Stone, a vegan bed and breakfast in Rabanal, where we stayed for the night and had dinner. We received a very warm welcome from our hosts Maribel and Carles, and our large room was tastefully decorated and comfortable. At home we eat a lot of vegetarian food but we had never eaten a fully vegan dinner before. It turned out to be the best dinner we had during the entire Camino! – Simply sublime.
And the winning Pilgrim’s Menu:
Starter: Pumpkin Cream with extra virgin olive oil.
Main: *Heura Chicken Curry served with Buckwheat.
Desert: Chocolate Mousse.
*Heura A Spanish brand that is 100% plant-based meat made from legumes.
I have since found out that Heura can be purchased in the UK.
