@Rebekah - I know that 17 km stretch between Carrion de los Condes and Calzadilla de la Cueza .. the Roman road, with the two non-working water pumps on it. I have set up before at that crossroads, the one with the barn in a compound set back a bit - about five years ago now, but the bar owner in Calzadilla didn't like me being there and his father in law came and turfed me off .. Different days of course but I have never been back - a good stretch though, and you can really see that you are walking on Roman!
Thank you for the invite to your Peaceable Queendom - I did turn up unannounced errmm .. three years ago I think, April or May but there was absolutely no one around - not even the obligatory dog sleeping in the road - will pm you before I am passing this time! Anything you may want brought from England? Marmite? (for we English it tends to be marmite!)
@mspath - indeed, I love that section. One of main places I still stop is at that pump spring with the couple of benches and young trees about 1.5 miles after Rabe, just off on the right. Then in the evening I would go back into Rabe and visit the refugios, or sometimes on past the Horns of a Dilemma and onto San Bol though I haven't been there since the day that brilliant woman who was running it left and it became commercial. Stayed for her final meal - she was sad.
I have a photo of the van at that spring - campervan gone now and I have a car and tiny caravan - not the same. I didn't know that the bar at Hornillos was seasonal - thanks for that.
@Rebekah and Tyyrek - I have never been along the section that goes through Luquin - will have a look over there. From Villamayor it is rather pretty but those vines are low and there is no shade, apart from a sweet green rest area off on the left - and, yes, hot and dusty indeed. All made up by walking round the cool narrow streets of Los Arcos of course and the wonderful welcome from the Parish priest. He does a fine and warm pilgrim mass and blessing afterwards, that good man. Had to take a Norwegian (or a Finn) woman to the doctor's surgery there as she had the most fearful reaction to a bedbug feast. She had no insurance but they treated her for free, which was really kind of them (horse syringe full of anti-histamines in the backside!).
Thanks for the input all - nice to get other points of view - one gets into the habit of looking at things the same way. other input and views is great - thank you all.