Artieda to Undués de Lerda, 22.5 km

Elevation gain 482 m

Elevation loss 497 m

Total distance walked 376.5 km

We leave Artieda via a steeply downhill road until we get to a track at just after 1.5 km. The camino markings are not so obvious since being on the Aragonés – there are discrete posts with an engraving of a shell to indicate the way, and very few arrows to be seen. This system is a lot less intrusive but also a lot easier to miss. (In fact further along the camino the arrows reappear which was very welcome).

It’s a warm day and the sun is shining.

Quite a lot of the immediate landscape here is most peculiar. It looks as though piles of cement have been dumped all over the place – huge mounds of material which I assume is natural (like fine shale) but doesn’t look like it.

After 6 km we are finally directed onto a narrow steeply rising track which is running through a wildflower meadow – the colours are just amazing, truly beautiful

The surrounding hillsides are totally covered in pine trees and the hillsides are completely surrounding us. Soon after the climb we’re on a track running alongside a new ploughed field, and I can understand that if you’re passing field after field of freshly turned soil it could become a tad boring.

And then there’s a woodland track and suddenly I’m unexpectedly very close to the reservoir. The only bad thing about walking through woodland here is that you get totally buzzed by small flies trying to get to your face – clouds of them sometimes – it’s necessary to constantly bat them away.

And whilst (flies apart) it’s always lovely to walk through woodland, it can sometimes feel as if you are blinkered because there is no view beyond the immediate trees to your left and right.

I’m out of woods onto a rough road at around 10 km. There were a couple of encounters with a very large, very barky Spanish mastin and I wasn’t convinced that I could sweet-talk him, so went through the rigmarole of bending down and pretending to pick up a stone and clacking my walking poles to keep him at bay.

Soon after I arrive at Castillo de Ruesta, an absolutely stunning ruin. There is an albergue (ancient but not a ruin) here and I can’t imagine a more fabulous and atmospheric place to stay. I have stopped for breakfast at the bar. It’s a huge complex of buildings, some ruins some renovated, all are absolutely charming. The camino winds its way through the buildings and down onto a narrow track above the Rio Regal. Info about Ruesta here.

Then there’s a 6 km climb on a wide gravel track through the pine trees. Although it wasn’t too strenuous I was glad to finally be at the top. The best thing about that climb was good cloud cover and a fresh brisk breeze.

Having climbed to the top of the mountain there’s a plateau where I can see for miles around – the hillsides covered in gorse and broom, long grasses waving in the wind and bright pops of blue from flowers.

Today I thought we had the unique experience on this camino of seeing our end-stage in the distance at the bottom of a hill.

Oh, but how wrong I was! It was a mirage. There was a very steep stony path going down, down and down a bit further, which I couldn’t see from afar. And I expect you’ve guessed – once we were at the bottom there was a very steep climb up to the village – so no change there then!

The albergue here in Undués de Lerda is superb. Fabulous kitchen/lounge, excellent bathrooms, spacious dorms and use of washer/dryer. It is operated via the bar which has a lovely outside terrace and serves meals for pilgrims. No shop though.

C. Mayor, 40, 613 412 657, 948 888 105, €12, 26 places, can reserve, call at bar to book in, dinner recommended €12, washer/dryer, excellent reviews