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Day 30 | 26 September 2025 | Walking the Camino Francés
From Villadangos del Páramo to Justo de la Vega – Astorga | 24.8 km 15.4 miles
The first half of today’s walk was level with the second half consisting of gentle hills. We had a good pace on the first 5 km which flew by – in part due to keeping warm in the cold 7°C morning. The albergue La Huelka in the village San Matín del Camino was a welcome sight – it was warm inside and they served a fantastic scrambled eggs and bacon breakfast, with great coffee. It was difficult to get going again.
The next stop was Hospital de Órbigo which has the magnificent Puente de Órbigo the longest and best preserved medieval bridge in Spain – it was built on top of a Roman bridge.
Arriving at the bridge we were stopped for half an hour as Netflix were filming a scene for their fourth coming film called … ‘Buen Camino’ to be released in 2026.
In the small village of Villares de Órbigo, we stopped for a cold drink and a slice of cake made by the owner, Pérez, who ran a Descanso (A place intended for rest). You couldn’t walk past without going in. Hundreds clearly had as the walls were covered with selfie photos of Pérez alongside pilgrims from around the world, each had posted him a printed copy. Another wall displayed a remarkable collection of banknotes gifted by pilgrims from dozens of different countries.
With afternoon temperatures forecast to reach 25°C, we now found ourselves climbing into the hills in the heat. We were eagerly anticipating a rest stop listed in my guidebook as La Casa de los Dioses (The House of the Gods). It has since changed ownership and is now called El Jardín del Alma (The Garden of the Soul). Despite the new name, it remained a welcoming oasis in the middle of nowhere. Food and drinks of all kinds were available on a donativo (Donation) basis.
At the Cruceiro Santo Toribio, a solitary stone cross, we could see Justo de la Vega spread out below us on the outskirts of Astorga. After a long and full day, this was where we would spend the night.
