Today was a bit of a mixed bag in terms of the route. There were a few negatives: it was a late start because I had to wait until 10am before the shop opened for me to buy my new phone cable; parts of the route took me through the industrial outskirts of Zamora; and there were long stretches alongside a new motorway the building of which has changed the Camino route and not for the better. I also decided to add an extra eight miles to an already late day in order to try and get ahead of the large number of walkers that seemed to have gathered in Zamora. On the plus side though, parts of the route were further from roads than I had initially expected with a resulting sense of isolation and the albergue, which I reached in the early evening, is comfortable and quiet - other than the Spanish hosts there are only three other people here - and it provided a well needed dinner; my plans for lunch at the village of Montamarta where others finished the day were foiled by the Spanish siesta.
Overall I was glad to put the day behind me; much of it was stony track which was hard on the feet and on balance the road views outweighed those of the countryside, a countryside that for the most part was endless, flat and open and with a sense of detachment and space. It also seemed to me that departing later led to a more tiring day than would have been usual for the distance I eventually covered. Unfortunately it will probably be another long day tomorrow as I am again faced with a choice of accommodation at either six or twenty one miles; I found out at dinner that the albergue I had planned to use that lay in between has closed. On the plus side though I will not be setting out at 11am as I did today and we have been told that much of the route is remote and beautiful.
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