Day 6 (Sat): Miranda de Ebro - Quintana Martin Galindez (36kms, by road)
I followed the road out of town suggested by the tourist office. I walked towards Fontecha on a road with no safety margins, so I looked constantly for an alternative path I could take. I got to walk approx 3km on GR99 at Fontecha, but then had to make sure I turned right at main junction in the next village to work myself back to the national road. If walking this route, turn left on the A-2122, signposted Sobrón (5) and Trespaderne (32). At the 18km half-way point, close to Sobrón, there is an activity centre that provided the first establishment I’d encountered thus far where I could buy something to eat and drink. Moreover, I was able to purchase a postales of the infamous Sobrón footbridge (pre-collapse). If you’d like it Caminka, it’s yours! Soon after, I got to photograph the bridge myself.
The second half of the day firstly involved walking alongside the Sobrón dam in the shadow of towering cliffs and a handful of short road tunnels, where care had to be taken to be visible to the occasional speeding car. The final approach to my destination was through open countryside.
There is a large albergue on the road into Quintana Martin Galindez, but it was closed. I rang the number on the door (+34 656711857) but got no reply. Thankfully, there was a room in the 16-room Hostal Valle de Tobaline on the main Calle, for which I was charged 30€, including breakfast. The place, which is also a bar-restaurant, was very welcoming + my room even had a full-length bath. As I was leaving before breakfast time, I was given a fruit drink and a couple of packaged cakes to take with me.
Day 7 (Sun): Quintana Martin Galindez - Poza de la Sal (approx 32kms)
This was a day when I diverted from Caminka’s general GR route to visit three tourist jewels of the area, known as the Raices de Castillo (Roots of Castilla). The first, Frias, is as Caminka has reported, a most spectacular place to see. It is reported to be the smallest city in Spain and it sits high on the edge of the valley of Tobalina. I had the extreme good fortune to see it emerge from the early morning mist to reveal its castle ruins, narrow streets, church and panoramic viewing points. It is a really small place, but it certainly packs a big punch!
I crossed a hill and a mountain - using local walkers’ waymarks - to get to the second jewel, Oña. This place is most famous for its monastery and magnificent church, dedicated to San Salvador. There is also the monastery garden to be explored.
I tried to book a bed in the town’s municipal albergue because time had marched on, but sadly it was completo due to a group booking that night. I took the list of accommodation given me by the tourist office, but I still had 8-10kms to walk to jewel #3, Paza de la Sal, and it was now 4.30pm.
I admit now that Paza de la Sal has charm and some interesting castle ruins, but that was not my priority at the end of a long slog to reach it. I needed a bed for the night and I had presumed there’d be a few options in what was clearly a tourist destination. I was wrong! There was just one tourist albergue and one hotel in town, but both were closed. I slept outside that night for only the second time in my 6-year’s walking the caminos. Ironically, it was under a canopy alongside a wall of the hotel where I wished I could have stayed
Day 8 (Mon): Poza de la Sal - Quintana de Valdivieiso (approx 30kms)
A good thing about sleeping outside is your budget looks a little healthier than it would have done otherwise. Another benefit is you get an early start to the next day. After a quick tour of the pueblo I was on my way, which meant trying to return to the route Caminka has documented so well.
I thought I’d aim for Pesquera de Ebro, so plotted a N-W course that would take me towards Dobro, at which point I’d review my options. I travelled through a valley and steep mountain pass, via Hozabejas and Escobados, before reaching the CL-629 highway that connects Burgos and Villercayo.
It was now mid-afternoon, so I stopped for something to drink at a roadside bar at Pesadas de Burgos. As it happens, it was the very first place I could have bought supplies over the past 24hours. While there, I realised that it would be unrealistic to continue on to Pesquera de Ebro, so I decided on the more sensible option of heading slightly north-east to Quintana. My decision was validated further when the bar owner told me about a signposted short-cut 4-5kms along the highway that would reduce my journey-time by an hour or two.
The Caldaza de El Aminé is a remarkably well-preserved Roman road that leads down steeply - and painfully in my case - to the hamlet of El Aminé, and then on to Quintana. The tourist albergue at Quintana is excellent, both in terms of its location in yet another valley, but also the quality of service and decor in a substantially-sized former palace. The fact I was the only guest that night may have had something to do with the attentiveness of the staff, but I think I deserved a bit of pampering after the previous night’s fiasco. I paid €35.50 for a dorm bed, a delicious three course dinner with wine, and a tasty breakfast. Guests can pay for the bed alone, or they can add the meal +/or breakfast options, as they prefer. There is a bar-restaurant in the next village 1km away, too.