Off on my bike : Burgos to Zamora

On the trail to Santiago de Compostela.

I head straight from camp on the outskirts of Burgos to Decathlon, only to find it won't open until 10am, well I'm not waiting, have eighty miles to do and the bike seems OK.  Off through the centre of town, nice place, many bridges.  From here I move onto what is clearly a very popular part of the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route.  I must pass a hundred hikers at least, all making their way west, with over four hundred and fifty kilometres to go I'm not sure they'll all make it.  There's quite the cottage industry catering for them all, I pass a number of 'Bars del Camino', as well as little shops selling snacks, souvenirs etc.

The Castilla Canal.

It makes for flat riding at any rate, for the first time in days I switch my hub gear to the 'flat' setting.  And the squeaking noise stops.  Ah.  Not the crank bearing then, good thing I didn't waste time and money replacing that.  Good and bad news this, the hub gear is an expensive specialist part, I'm not going to replace it en route.  But, all I have to do is keep it on 'flat', which locks the gears in place, and it's fine... means bottom gear is a bit higher but I can cope.

Onwards, I join the Castilla Canal which as you'd expect is flat, and takes me to my campsite at Las Cubillas.  Not a lot here, but my GPS does show a bar just down the road... hmm, I recognise the red and green 'club' sign from an establishment I passed earlier, and there is a scantily clad lady stood by the door.  Not a bar then.  Oh well, the campsite has one, they know what I mean by 'una jarra', sorted.

Preaching to the choir?

I keep along the canal for twenty miles or so next morning, not too exciting, barring the moment I swerve to avoid a fallen branch, which then slithers away - that'll be a two foot long snake then.  Then roads, mostly flat too, across a plateau with poppy-speckled fields stretching to the horizon, then down a gentle valley to Zamora.  Easy enough, but I am feeling a bit broken, good that I have a real bed tonight - not for the first time on my adventures, in a student hall.

First, a present for the bike, I ride to Zamora's Decathlon, only a mile away though a lot of hill is involved, and buy a new rear tyre.  Fit the thing, back to the university, and time for food, oh hang on, I have left my tools at Decathlon.  Aargh!  Well, they are at least still there when I get back... and I do then get much meat at a hamburguezaria.

Jesus of Palencia.

Photos to go with this post can be found here.