Day 0: Epsom to Leon

Time for a quick flashback to Day 17 in May — the day I stepped off the Camino Francés, saying goodbye to my two Camino amigos, Mark and Ron.

Day 17: Mansilla de las Mulas to León

We were up at 3:50 a.m. Again, Penny made the sacrifice of taking me to the airport for a 6:00 a.m. flight. By 5:20 a.m., I was boarded, so it took less than 90 minutes from getting up to being seated on the plane. The plane did not leave until 6:00 a.m.

The flight was uneventful—the way I prefer them. Navigating public transport in Madrid was a challenge, as the trains and metro aren’t interconnected and require separate tickets. There are multiple options for getting around, and Google Maps sometimes combines them in confusing ways. With the help of ChatGPT, I figured out the right train ticket and how to get to Chamartín Train Station. The station is currently being completely rebuilt and was very chaotic, but I managed to catch my train with five minutes to spare.

 

 

I arrived in León, had lunch, and checked into my accommodation where I just chilled. I’m staying in a small apartment for £35 a night. When I went to check how far I was from the Camino, I was pleasantly surprised

 

Weather forecast for the next 7 days looks good but long range shows rains around the 19th.

Tomorrow I leave León and head to Villar de Mazarife. There are two routes: the traditional one, which is very urban and industrial, and the more scenic one, which is about 4 km longer. The two routes converge the following day in Astorga.

It’s just 21.1km to Villar de Mazarife.

Link to Gronze