It was cold last night. Freezing. I couldn’t get warm even when I zipped my sleeping bag tight around my head. As a result I didn’t sleep well, although the room was very quiet. When we all got up, Peter told us that it was just +1 C outside, so it is not surprising that we were all cold during the night. Back on day three, when I had not slept in my sleeping bag for the first two nights because it was so warm, I seriously considered jettisoning my sleeping bag and just using the silk liner. This would have been an enormous mistake and I am so glad that I didn’t do this as I have been cold on a couple of nights since.

Ella wanted to eat breakfast before leaving and the guys wanted to get started and eat after an hour or so. So Ella and I we went to find a cafe and then decided that she could eat her omelette bocadillo as she walked. I bought one to eat later and we set off from the church square at about 7:15am.

The sun was low in the sky behind us and threw up very long shadows.

The countryside was similar to yesterday, and before we walked the 8 km to the first village of Sansol we caught up with Søren and Peter. They bought a few supplies for breakfast in the village shop, and I ate some of my bocadillo sitting in the sunshine outside. We saw lots of pilgrims this morning, although yesterday we saw very few.

We do not pass through many villages today although after we leave Sansol it is only two km’s to Torres del Rio where we pass some farm buildings with chickens scratching about and a very barky young dog who was chasing a few pilgrim cyclists as they passed. We stopped to talk to the dog’s owner for a few minutes whilst we adjusted our gear to take account of the warming weather. Again, it was very sunny with a chilly wind.

The landscape now changes and there are more vines growing free from support as they do in our area of Spain, but here they are on flat land that must be so much easier to work. The scenery is more scrubby and the fields of grain are at an earlier stage – just knee high instead of thigh high as we have seen until now.

We come to an area where pilgrims have built stones into mini cairns on a bank beside the track.

We round a bend in the track and see in the far distance a range of snow covered mountains and wonder if we will have to cross these in the coming days.

We stopped to rest our feet for a moment and Ella took this pic to keep David happy, although when he sees what I look like every day, he will be glad that there aren’t too many pics of me.

We have to walk on the road for quite a while before reaching the charming town of Viana, 19.5 km’s from our start point, where we find a restaurant for some lovely lunch and enjoy the surroundings in the ancient church square.

We set off again for the last leg of our day’s walk and finally enter the province of Rioja and continue to the city if Logroño, the section we have walked through is not the most charming area, but I expect there is an ancient quarter tucked away somewhere that we may or may not see tomorrow.

Lyn asked for photos of albergue accommodation. Today’s albergue is very modern with accommodation for 36 in bunk beds, there are unisex facilities – three showers and two loos, and washing machine and tumble dryer. There is only one other pilgrim here when we arrive, Rosie from LA in California, and no more turn up. It was a difficult-to-find establishment which entailed a hike around the city, so I guess not many pilgrims bothered to find it, although it is well reviewed in guide books. It is also warm in the dormitory so hopefully a better night’s sleep is awaiting.

We have walked a total of 29.5 km today, on various surfaces. We are all very tired at bedtime. This is the first post I have made on the on the day it relates to – it is good to finally catch up, although my posts are entirely reliant on wifi being available in the albergue.