Day 16 La Calzada de Béjar to Fuenterroble de Salvatierra - 20km

Last night at the Albergue, I had a lovely chat with Amanda, an Irish woman. She has been walking from Mérida on this trip, having previously walked from Seville. Amanda pushed herself too hard during the first few days and on one occasion, she walked 45 kilometers to Cañaveral and didn’t arrive until 8 p.m.! As a result, she’s had to take some days off and then catch the bus to stay on track. Her father, Tom, who will turn 80 in a couple of months, has walked many Caminos over the last 20 years and is currently on the Camino, just ahead of us. Amanda plans to meet up with him today.

The forecast predicted light rain showers this morning, but when I looked outside, it was still dry. I hung my cagoule over my rucksack so it would be handy to grab if needed. This was the first time I’d used it in 10 days. After leaving the Albergue, I realized it was quite cold, so I put my beanie on and decided to wear my cagoule to keep warm.

I followed a wide, well-marked track as I left town. There were puddles covering most of the trail, but they were just passable, and I encountered a couple of rivers with large stepping stones to cross without getting wet. One crossing was particularly tricky, and since I had my walking poles strapped to my rucksack, I had to carefully make a big step onto one of the large stones and balance before moving to the next one. A wrong step would’ve meant getting very wet! Thankfully, I made it across safely and continued on my way.

I reached the first village, Valverde de Valdelacasa, just before the rain started. Fortunately, it was only a light shower that lasted about 30 minutes, which was the only rain I saw all day, and much better than forecast! After passing the next village, Valdelacasa, I spotted another pilgrim ahead of me, likely someone who had stayed in one of the previous villages. I caught up to him, said hello, and quickly realized he was Irish. When I asked if his name was Tom, he confirmed it was. I then explained that I’d spoken to his daughter Amanda the night before. We said goodbye for now, knowing we’d see each other later at the same Albergue.

The Albergue Parroquial Santa María, where I stayed, is run by local volunteers who dedicate their time to cleaning and looking after pilgrims. 

Diego volunteers until 6pm when the next shift takes over for dinner at 8pm

When I arrived, I was greeted by Diego, who informed me that the Albergue was closed and wouldn’t open until noon. In the end, he kindly let me in to sit in the chilly dining room, and later showed me an even colder bedroom with all the windows open. Thankfully, Diego eventually lit wood-burning stoves in both rooms to keep us warm, though I’m not sure how long the bedroom will stay warm through the night.

Diego also informed us that the village was experiencing a water outage. Hopefully, the water will come back on later. Despite the very basic amenities here, one of the main reasons I wanted to stay was the communal dinner scheduled for 8 p.m. Sharing a meal with strangers often turns out to be a special experience, and I hope to sit next to some English speakers tonight!

Breakfast is offered in the morning, but it’s not served until 7:30, which is a bit late for me. All the volunteers work for free, and the dinner, breakfast, and overnight stay rely on ‘Donativo’ contributions to support their work.

Jean Michelle and Susette from France (incase you didn't guess)

Later, Damien arrived after he had stayed in another Albergue last night. Hopefully we will be able to catch up over dinner.

I was surprised and pleased to see Damien again