The Valley of Hontanas

After leaving Burgos and having walked 29km across the flat Meseta, I was keen to get to Hontanas and relax. But where was Hontanas? Even though I must have been getting close, there was not a sign - just the flat Meseta as far as the eye could see.

Then, suddenly, the tip of a church appeared and there was Hontanas, tucked away in a sheltered valley that meandered across the Meseta.

I stayed in the El Nuevo municipal hostel. The hostel was fine – in fact it had won an architectural award for preserving its medieval foundations – but I loved the little village, down in its valley, out of the winter winds that must howl across the Meseta, with its church and tranquil atmosphere.

At dinner I met a pilgrim who felt guilty about his weight and was walking for a week to shed some kilograms and to do penance for his overindulgence during the year. I got the impression that this was his annual practice.