La Via de la Plata – From Granja to Santa Marta

Yesterday's horror day is still having an effect, as my Polar heart rate monitor also gives up this morning. So no more information about heart rate, calories, distances, maps. Fuck!

But I must move on.

From Granja de Moreruela to Tàbara

Although I hope for a better day, the bar is still closed at seven. I would have been surprised if it had been any different. More guests are waiting with me for the innkeeper, who arrives sleepily and with a rather grumpy face.

At least there is something to eat.

Frances or Sanabres

In Granja de Moreruela, the paths split, one via Astorga to the Camino Frances, the other as Camino Sanabres to the West. I now follow this one and finally leave the beloved Via de la Plata.

Under no circumstances do I have the slightest interest in the Camino Frances. When people talk about the Way of St. James, they usually mean the Camino Frances, the route leading from the Pyrenees to Santiago.

Each year, around half a million hikers and pilgrims walk this route. The infrastructure has developed, naturally in line with the expectations of the mostly young people, i.e. parties, trendy restaurants and bars, entertainment of all kinds, and in return rip-offs and dirty hostels. I don't need that.

So from now on, my route leads me westwards, for the first time no longer northwards as in previous weeks.

As already mentioned, my heart rate monitor does no longer work anymore, so from now on I use the map sections from the Gronze Platform, not as nice as my own, but better than nothing.

The Ricobayo Reservoir

The paths remain the same at the beginning. But then the area becomes hilly and I have to follow a ridge to the Ricobayo Reservoir. The way there is steep and partly covered with deep furrows.

There are architectural legacies of the ancient Romans that are in no way inferior to today's buildings, on the contrary. This has been confirmed countless times over the last few weeks. And so when you see the bridge over the Rio Esla you automatically think of Roman origins.

But the ie Quintos-Bridge is for once not a classic example of Roman architecture. The road bridge over the Esla River at the Ricobayo reservoir was inaugurated in 1920. And just like a Roman bridge it fits organically into the otherwise untouched landscape.

Like on the Alpine Panorama Trail

After crossing the bridge over the Río Esla, arrows point to the left and warn cyclists to take the road. This is to be taken literally, because after just a few meters it feels like walking on the Alpine Panorama Trail: narrow, steep paths lead along above the lake, trees and dense bushes prevent passage. But from above you have a great overview of the reservoir and the Tierra del Vino.

Flies in the forest

It seems as if the area has changed. Instead of the endless flat paths, you suddenly find yourself on a mountain tour up a panoramic hill. Once at the top, the path continues through the forest for a while, casting pleasant shadows on the trail.

Ruins of old farmhouses and stables bear witness to better times. All that remains are the sad remnants of the walls, the ravages of time will turn them to dust and nothingness in the not too distant future.

The cursed little flies have caught up with me and I'm once again flapping around wildly until I give up and make myself comfortable under a tree, despite the buzzing company, and enjoy my hard-earned lunch in peace and quiet.

The familiar paths

As secretly dreaded, the supposedly changed landscape is merely a pretense of false facts, because after crossing the forest, the same old paths catch up with me - long, dusty, straight. Not even the horizon, endlessly distant, promises an imminent end to the ordeal in the burning heat.

At least the next signpost provides a little consolation: for the first time, the kilometer marker on it indicates the remaining distance to Santiago. Well, the 348 kilometers should actually be possible. Of course, it also means that I already have a good 650 kilometers behind me. Once again, I pat myself again on the back.

Halfway to Tábara, a village appears out of nowhere, Faramontanos de Tábara. You might think it's a mirage, but there's definitely a café and a few other things to please the hiker.

After all, the remaining distance to Tabara is reduced to around 2 hours. However, the view shows a familiar picture. In view of the expected change in weather in Galicia, I'm almost happy about the long stretch beneath the familiar fire in the sky.

Tabara

Then finally Tabara, the Hotel El Roble, everything is fine. There are villages where you feel at home from the very first moment. Tabara is definitely one of them. I don't know the reason either, it's a vague feeling of being welcome.

And so I make myself comfortable on the village square, a cold beer in front of me, and read about the village, everything you need to know. Apparently the village was some kind of spiritual center a long time ago, in the 9th century, I learn.

Of course, one might ask why such a center was founded here of all places, far away from any civilization. Not much has remained. There are supposed to be manuscripts, the famous Beato de Tábara, which are kept in the monastery.

A young fellow, recognizable at first glance as a hiker, sits at the next table. We nod to each other, fellow sufferers so to speak.

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From Tábara to Santa Marta de Tera

Dawn appears later and later each day. Even if I don't set off before eight, as I do today, the night doesn't seem to be giving up the fight so quickly. In any case, I am greeted by a majestic sunrise, a wonderful combination of nature and civilization for once.

My aversion to hostels of any kind is well known by now. The fact that I have to spend three nights in hostels as of today is firstly a bad joke and secondly an insult to any kind of comfortable overnight stay. Just thinking about the snorers, those annoying chainsaws that manage to raze entire tropical forests to the ground in a single night.

So I set off in a rather bad mood on the trail that will take me to Santa Marta de Tera today. But the Camino seems to be quite varied, with shade, forests along the way, a few hills to climb, all sorts of new things, it seems. In anticipation of all these surprises, my mood improves from one step to the next.

Up and down the hills

Taking a look at the map, you can immediately see that the Castilian plateau with its endless expanses has been left behind. The landscape has indeed changed. Of course, there are still long paths on scorched plains, but they are repeatedly interrupted by wooded hills.

After a few kilometers, the first ascent begins. The path is still dead straight, but the gradients are breathtaking in the most literal sense. Even after so many kilometers in my legs, I actually start to pant and have to sit down to catch my breath, which gives a group of pretty young Spanish ladies the opportunity to overtake me with a mocking grin.

Burnt forests

The true impact of Forest fires only becomes clear when you see them up close. For kilometers and kilometers on either side there is scorched forest. In the summer of 2022, severe forest fires broke out in numerous regions of Spain, destroying thousands of hectares.

Santa Marta de Tera

The small village of Santa Marta de Tera is best known for the monument in the Plaza Mayor and a Romanesque church from the late eleventh century. You reach the village along a small pond, where the frogs hold their afternoon concert, before reaching the main square with the church.

A gentleman in his prime is standing at the front door of the hostel, he welcomes me officially and instructs me in the secrets of opening the door. You have to enter a code that you shouldn't forget, otherwise Sesame won't open. The hostel seems very modern.

The interior is also ultra-modern, the rooms are quite small and cramped, but the kitchen and bathroom are fairly spacious. The attraction of this hostel seems to be great, because you are constantly meeting other people in the corridors, some of whom, as it turns out later, are real pains in the ass.

Church stories

The church has a plan in the form of a Latin cross and a straight chevet, which is unusual for the Romanesque style of the region, so it is believed that this church follows the plan of an older one.

It was part of a Mozarabic monastery, but the church was built at the beginning of the 12th century and its facade features interesting iconography with two high-relief figures, one of which represents the Apostle James. Among the ornaments, the beauty of the capitals stands out, which decorate the interior of Santa Marta and the Adoration of the The Three Kings are to be highlighted.

A restless night

As already mentioned, the rooms are small and since they are full for once, everything becomes a bit cramped. The young Spanish women, four of them, conquer the very room in which I plan to rest, with loud laughter and a lot of southern hustle and bustle. So I can assume that the next night won't bring about any significant improvement in my aversion to hostels.

Matching song: Lara & Reyes – Exotico

And here the Camino continues… to Puebla de Sanabria