June 13 Cervera Pisuerga-Brañosera

Today was different from all previous days in that the muscles in my legs, whichever ones they are, or they could be tendons for all I know, but in any case, they did not ache at every step.  And a good thing because although this was not the longest day so far —19.5 miles that felt like 29—it took the longest: just about nine hours.  Oh, and that was with the "shortcut,"

First mistake was mine: left hotel and walked down the wrong street.  This was because of my directional stupidity, but I won't go into that.  Walked a lovely trail that was not "my trail" and then had about 3 1/2 miles of road walking, which may have been a good thing distance wise, but I missed a stretch of lovely scenery.  

By and by came upon a tiny town that really looked like a farm.  The birds there never miss a Mass:

I had a lot of worries about this stage, because the instructions warn of a number of barbed wire fences "that need a bit of patience particularly if you are walking alone."  Turns out they were not so bad.  Then there was this tiny village "where the signs disappear completely and beware as the obvious direct route is wet and boggy, and is avoided only if you approach the village from the southwest."  What is he talking?  There was a lot of unpleasant wandering there and climbing over walls and stuff.

There are gates you have to go through that are like TSA check points.  You have to take off your backpack to get through, though, of course, the reasons are different:

I must talk about the "short cut."  The actual path is 11 hours.  The short cut is 9 hours and 30 minutes.  (The times are actually very generous.)  Oh, yes, nothing like continuing along the ridge and having a jolly 11 hour walk!  Well, after I started the short cut, I was not so sure I had made a good choice.  Very hard to find the path.  No instructions, no markers.  Thank God, my GPS had that route on it.  But even with that help. it was very difficult because towards the end—that means the last mile or mile and a half—any sort of path disappeared and there was an uncrossable chasm that the GPS did not recognise.  The thing about some GPS tracks is that they are as the crow flies as opposed to how the foot walks.

There was a pretty bridge:

And some cattle just enjoying  being cattle:

And fields of flowers:

Finally get to hostel at 3:30 p.m., having started out at 6:30 a.m.  Hostel is reputed to have excellent food, but guess what?  I was too late to have lunch and that was that.  I did buy a magnum (double chocolate are the best) and two bottles of Vichy Catalan (sparkling water).

Oh, old, backup GPS performed admirably, but will have to bide its time, again, in the suitcase, after new one arrives.