Today we walked 17 kilometres from Sahagun to Burgo Ranera, a small farming town. Tomorrow we walk the same distance to Mansilla de las Mulas, a somewhat larger farming town. All very much in a straight line. Today there was only one town between breakfast and supper; tomorrow there will be another, somewhere between lunch and tea time.

The path unfolds in a white gravel straight line mile after mile all the way to the distant horizon. Immediately on our left is a neverending row of plane trees; on the other side of the plane trees, vast ploughed fields of red earth alternating with light green fields of young oats. Underneath our path is an extensive irrigation system that can be tapped into for the benefit of the crops.

On our right, on the other side of the grass, is an asphalt road, so narrow and so little used it has not even been deemed worthy of having kilometre markers installed. A half mile farther over is the new auto-route; two miles the other side of that is the alternate route, the Roman Trajan route that runs in parallel to our path for 25 kilometres or so from Sahagun until they rejoin at Reliegos.

The weather was a mixture of blue sky and sun, and scudding white clouds. We were walking into a strong westerly wind, and the temperature was chilly. Hour after hour of the same.

It is on this stretch through Castille, from Burgos to Leon, with its enormous lack of variety that makes one wonder why one has decided to walk the whole way? But on Saturday, the day after tomorrow we will be in Leon. And on Sunday we will have the opportunity of enjoying the exquisite stained glass windows of the city´s gothic cathedral, and the frescoes of its romanesque Basilica of San Isidoro. One can revive and relive the sense of anticipation that the medieval pilgrims, traveling under much more difficult conditions, must have had as their journey took them to the west.