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Day 16 | 10 August 2025 | Walking the Camino Francés
From Redecilla del Camino to Villambista | 16.4 km 10.2 miles
For the past four days, the temperature has hovered between 34-38°C, and the heatwave showed no sign of easing. I read that in the south of Spain, where they were experiencing their own heatwave, temperatures had climbed to an unbelievable 45°C.
Thankfully, Marianne had the foresight to pack a head torch, which allowed us to set out in the darkness during the first hour of walking. Even then, we found we needed more light, so I planned to buy another torch when we reached Burgos in three days time.
We have now settled into a comfortable morning routine: walk in the cool early morning, take a rest to watch the inevitably stunning sunrise, continue for another couple of hours, and then stop for a breakfast of freshly pressed orange juice, coffee, and tortilla – the classic Spanish omelette made with potatoes.
For the past couple of days we have been greeted by cheerful, smiling sunflowers that never failed to make us smile back. Their faces are created by gently rubbing away some of the tiny florets to reveal the dark seeds beneath. Today I learned that young sunflowers follow the sun across the sky, turning from east in the morning to west by evening, then resetting to the east overnight. Mature sunflowers, however, stay fixed facing the rising sun. No wonder most pilgrims, ourselves included, were more tanned on the left side of the face – we were always heading west.
We passed through the historic town of Belorado, its streets adorned with large-scale murals and vibrant street art. It made us wish we had planned a rest day there to explore more.
That evening, we settled into our lodgings in the sleepy medieval village of Villambistia. We drank a couple of ice-cold beers and ate tapas in the plaza, watching with amusement as local children tried -and failed – to teach their dog how to swim in the fountain.
