Day 8: Logroño to Azofra

Last night, as we were heading out, there was an LGBT parade of female drummers — very loud but great fun.As it was Stephen’s last night, we all went to St Patrick’s, the Irish bar, and had a pint of Guinness.

We were up and away at 7:00 o’clock. We said our goodbyes to Stephen and Ron, and then Francis, Mark, and I headed off on the Camino to Nájera. We found a café and had breakfast. Shortly after leaving, I walked ahead of the group, as was the norm, since my pace is slightly faster. There were a few junctions where it got a little confusing, but eventually we found ourselves on long, wide paths leading out of town. We passed what looked like a reservoir and climbed up and away from the town.

At 12.5 km, we reached Navarrete, where I stopped for coffee and cake before heading back onto the trail. The weather was cloudy and fairly cold, threatening showers, but it never actually rained, and eventually it warmed up.

I planned to stop at Ventosa for food and a break of at least an hour. There, I met a lovely lady from Canada who had walked the Camino three times before. This, she thought, would be her fourth and final time, though she had also walked several individual sections. She told me she had written a book about Camino stories (see photo below). She will celebrate her 55th wedding anniversary tomorrow— although not together, as her husband was still in Canada.

Franzie also showed up and decided to stay in Ventosa for the night. As I was about to leave, three Irish girls arrived — they were great fun with lots of good banter. One of them had previously done the Camino from Saint-Jean to Logroño and had now returned with two friends to continue the next section. The were on the beers at 11am and still 10km to go!

I headed back onto the Camino and passed through more vineyards. This was supposed to be a final 10 km stretch, and I was hoping to get accommodation in Nájera.

Mark and Ron had not stopped in Ventosa; they pushed on and reached Nájera before me, managing to find a hotel. I went looking for an albergue but, after striking out at three different places, realised that a festival in town was going to make finding accommodation very difficult. So I rang ahead to an albergue in the next town, Azofra, which was another 5 km away, and made a reservation.

I contacted Ron to see if they wanted to have a farewell drink, as I might not see them again. We met by the river for a drink. A friend of Mark’s, who now lives nearby, came to meet us, and shortly after that, I headed out of town.

On the road, I met a nice French man named Pascual, who said he likes to walk until about 4 o’clock. We were both staying at the same albergue and are now sharing a room.

I had egg and chips for dinner in a local restaurant. A long day — 36 km in total — but I’m feeling okay.

I’ve been doing some planning and will probably finish this walk in León. I think I can do it in nine days by combining stages.

Tomorrow I plan to walk 37 km to Belorado, which means I’ll have combined Gronze stages 8, 9, and 10 into just two days. Tomorrow will be 22c and sunny.