Camino Francés 2023 – Day 4 – Boadilla del Camino to Carrion de los Condés

September 18th 2023

• Boadilla del Camino to Carrion de los Condés
• Distance: 24.5km
• Albergue: Hostal Santiago

An early start

It was an early morning. I was woken by a cacophany of alarms on phones. There was no point going back to sleep. I decided to get up and get ready. I was staying in a 20 bed dorm in Boadilla del Camino. I stayed in the same room in 2013 – 10 years prior. Not much had changed. A few of the Australians were playing the out of tune piano the evening before and were laughing at how sonically challenged it was. This was before dinner. I had two nights in a row without a good sleep so I needed to make a decision. The new earbuds I had bought prior to leaving Dublin weren’t helping with getting a good night sleep so I decided I would stay in a private room in Carrion de los Condes. Unfortunately, snoring is part of the pilgrim experience but there are ways around it. Hopefully, I would be fully refreshed after that.

When I was packed and ready, there was some breakfast in the reception area. There were a few pilgrims waiting around for the kitchen area to open – it was just before 7 am. Eduardo was doing three jobs at once. I honestly don’t know how he does it. He brought me breakfast – I was instantly grateful and the coffee did the trick. I met Peter from Germany and Bridget from Canada and we agreed to walk out of Boadilla. I had met them briefly the day previously but today I didn’t want to walk alone. Looking out the door, it was pitch black so we turned on some lights and started walking.

Camino Companions along the Canal de Castilla

This was Peter’s first Camino and he explained he lived nearer to Austria. He had started in St Jean Pied de Port on the 2nd of September and there were record crowds leaving that town. The start of September is always busy on the Camino Francés so I was glad to walk from Burgos a few weeks later than usual. Bridget is from Canada and has walked a number of Caminos before. The walk from Boadilla along the Canal de Castilla is something special. As I like to stay in Boadilla, I get to witness the sun rising above the Canal before Frómista. It was quiet this morning and the shades of the sunrise reflected off the canal. I’ve walked along this river numerous times and if you were to put pressure on me and ask me what stage is my favourite – it is the stage from Boadilla to Carrion de los Condes. The sunrise is truly fantastic and stopping and watching it was worth losing my walking companions. I caught up with them at the crossing of the Canal on the way to Frómista. While the Canal de Castilla wanders its way southbound to Valladollid and beyond, these feet will be walking westward.

The Senda del Peregrino

I don’t stop at Fromista and walk onward. There are quite a few pilgrims leaving here which suggest that most stopped here for the night. After Fromista, there isn’t much to say about the walk from now on as the Camino leads you to the main motorway. I walk on the “senda del peregrino” for the remainder of the day. I am with Peter and we have a good conversation until Carrion. At this point, we are about 15km away. He asks me for my motivations for walking for Camino. His reasons blow me away and I promised to keep them to myself. He is a very friendly chap – and could easily walk ahead of me, if he wanted to. We stop for a coffee and a snack at Revenga del Campos – a small town about 10 kilometres from Carrion de los Condes. The owner of the cafe here is so pleasant and I won’t forget stopping here. She went out of her way to make a snack for Peter and we had a long conversation (in broken English) once we were leaving. Next stop is Villalcazar de Sirga and I have many memories from here.

A more social affair in Villalcázar de Sirga

We arrive in Villalcázar within 2 hours. I noticed my walking had become more strained due to the blister on my large toe. I needed to visit a pharmacy in Carrion after I arrived. I asked Peter to walk on if he wanted – which he did. I met him again in Villalcázar where I met pretty much everyone outside Hostal Las Cantigas with the Iglesia de Santa Maria in the background. I had even stayed in this town in 2015 and I was thinking of dropping my pack in the albergue at the end of the road if I had not made a reservation in Carrion. I met Jasper and the Danes, the Australians, the folks from the UK and the Canadians. I ordered some food and stopped for a while. Quite a few were staying here and it is a popular town but so is Carrion, with it’s three large albergues and its Church of Santa Maria.

Arrival in Carrion de los Condes

The walk to Carrion is 6 kilometres and it was getting warm. It was a tough old slog along the main road and I was glad to arrive into the town with the Iglesia de Santa Maria before us. I stopped off at the nearest farmacia and then checked in at Hostal Santiago where Pablo runs things. I had stayed there in 2021 so I had known about it. The town was quiet, siesta had set in but I made my way to the store to buy a few things for the next day before having a drink at Bar Espana – a popular gatherine point. I had no arrangements for dinner but I decided I would venture out at 7pm and see what was available. I went back to the hostel and took it easy fixing my toe. At 7pm, I met Rob, Alexander and Jasper in Restaurante La Corte – just at the entrance of the town. It was good to meet Rob and Alexander. Rob was from the UK and Alexander was from one of the Scandanavian countries – I am not entirely sure. The meal was fantastic and I was looking forward to another day the following day.

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