We woke up at 7:30, or was it 8:30, or even 6:30…?? No one was sure. We had heard it was the day of the hour change but no-one seemed to know whether we should be going forward or back… We were all confused…. Were we up early or late? There did not appear to be any pilgrims about yet so maybe it was only 6:30? We look a relaxed breakfast of apple and blueberry porridge and copious cups of coffee. Still there were no pilgrims about…. maybe we were up late, maybe they were gone….! Had it been it 8.30….? I’m still not sure what direction the clock had gone in – all I know is it 12:30 now… We bumped in to James and Arri from Australia who we’d briefly met on our first night. We suspect Arri was the grumpy coffee man but can’t be sure. Anyway, neither seem grumpy any more, in fact, they’re both rather fun characters, noisy and excitable. We found them standing at the side of the road, waiting for a taxi. They were headed back to the next town, having arrived there yesterday to find they were staying in the worst hostel in the world, ran by a dirty, rude and grumpy man – sitting ducks for his despicable menu of roadkill stew, or worse… James suspected the owner may be the Sweeney Todd of Camino…..They had escaped in the night, taxi-ing back to Monesterio. They warned us not to stay in the dreaded, filthy Los Rodriguez Hostel in Calzadilla de los Barros (27km form here…. ) so we decided to head to Fuente de Cantos instead.

We strolled out of town passing the town’s football stadium. Tom was impressed – the fans of Monesterio were very fortunate! Fantastic green grounds with palm trees and lush plants. From the grandstand the views of the countryside all around would be great regardless of the match….

The hike today was stunning. It started off with a Derbyshire feel – dry stone walls, chilled out cows and rolling hills. The one difference was that the sky was brightest blue and the sun was shining strong. As we walked on the scenery around us started to change from greens to yellows, lush to arid, oak trees to brush…. The sound of birds and crickets filled the air and we stopped for a picnic of cous cous and goats cheese salad.

The afternoon brought ominous rain clouds and the rumbling of distant thunder. We upped our pace and checked our rain gear was to hand. Just 4 km from Fuente the heavens opened and we squelched our way along the now muddy farm tracks, slipping and sliding in the heavy downpour.

The hostel in Fuente was lovely, more of a hotel, offering hostel prices just for pilgrims – 15 euros a head with breakfast. Tom and Barbara were given a most luxurious matrimonial suite, with out even being asked to produce their marriage certificate! Antique furniture and a beautiful balcony gave their room a decadent feel. My twin room was a little more humble but sweet and pretty and a world a way from a municipal dorm. Of course, we found all our Camino friends there too – Inga and Martina, Gerard and Christophe and a new friend, Lassa from Denmark (though currently residing in Leeds.) Everybody was getting lost as the place was a confusing warren of corridors – all of the doors, whether to bedrooms, kitchens or bathrooms, looked identical and there was no way of knowing what was behind each without peeking inside.

There was a rather eccentric Italian guy wandering round near our rooms, dressed in just his undies and a towel. He had obviously gotten himself completely lost after showering and was trying to find his room… We found our way to the kitchen to make some coffee and the lost man of Fuerte appeared again, through a door that led only to the roof terrace! 🙂 We didn’t see him again – we hope he found his room…

Bathrooms located, showered and changed, we headed to the bar opposite for a vino before returning to cook a simple sardine pasta dish (it was Sunday and the shops were closed) We slept soundly, appreciative of having our own private rooms – a small taste of luxury on Camino!