We were not happy bunnies on the morning we had to leave lovely Burgos. Not at all. We managed to get a table by the window on the square overlooking the cathedral and had breakfast while discussing when to come back (soon) and how long to stay for (as long as possible). In the end we had to get going though because it was looking like another brilliant, blisteringly hot day. We had lots of water and a brolly, so we were ready!
I love that brolly. I called her Bella the Umbrella and figured out how to attach her to the pack so I could carry it hands-free and therefore use my poles when needed. It was another hot, dusty, sweaty, multi-stop walk across fields and along roads, with very littly shade apart from Bella.
It was particularly hard to leave Rabé de la Calzadas. By the time we got there the sun was at its hottest, we were tired and drained and had a prime seat under a wide umbrella, and almost everyone who arrived there came to stay the night. A few poor pilgrims couldn’t find a bed and had to leave, and so did we. I tried to call our hospitalero in Hornillos to confirm that we would be arriving, so we didn’t lose the room, but there was no answer so in the end we had no other choice but to get on with the last 5 km to find out. We filled our water bottles, splashed water over ourselves from the fuente on the square in Rabé, and off we went into the wall of heat.
Not a spot of shade. We both dried out quickly, and tried to walk fast to get there as soon as possible. After a while we came to a copse of shady trees with a water pump! We must have spent a good half an hour in there just getting our body temperatures down and dousing ourselves with cold water inside and out.
The last few kms seemed to go on forever, and the descent into the valley was rocky and tricky, but finally we arrived at Hornillos. At our accommodation it turned out our hospitalero had gone off somewhere and left the key out for our room, which was a huge relief. Two quick showers and some laundry later we were up by the church, where I could show the Scouse Spouse the municipal albergue where I had stayed in 2012, in the top double bed as seen in the film The Way. We had a quick drink on the square just because it was the square, forgot to take a photo of the cockerel and egg on the fuente (so I nicked one off the net):
Then we quickly found an indoor restaurant for a light meal. The heat was sapping our energy as well as our appetite, so finding something we wanted to eat wasn’t always easy. The lady serving kindly asked what we wanted rather than point to the menu, so we got a simple and tasty meal of grilled chicken breast and a light salad.
While we were eating, a group of Irish pilgrims came in – they had started from Burgos at three in the afternoon, fresh from the flight, in the hottest part of the day! They were understandably tired but also zinging with excitement at being on the camino, and I discussed their itinerary with them for a bit – they were planning on doing very long stages to get to Leon before their flight back, so we didn’t expect to see them again, and we didn’t, but I hope they had a good time.
Somewhere Slowly 
Starting at 3 from Burgos – Arriving in Hontanas veery late. That is very badly planned for the Irish party
I think they were on a 3 stage camino thing, carrying on from Burgos where they left off last time. The thought of that downhill just before Hornillos in the dark though … a miracle they made it with all ankles intact. They were planning on doing some very long stages to get to wherever on time. Wouldn’t suit me, but they seemed very happy and excited to be on the camino!
I couldn’t do it either. Once I arrive in Burgos, Im there until the next morning 🙂
Next time I arrive in Burgos, I hope I am there for a couple of days! I’d love to go back to that parrillada bar in the forest outside of town, it seemed a wonderful place to spend a sunny day.