25. Don Benito to Torrefresneda

‘Tramo peligroso’ (dangerous section) is how the Gronze app describes the first part of today’s stage. Following a 3km walk out of Don Benito, it was 7kms along a perfectly straight, busy main road, without verges. I inched along as close as I could to the guard rail, ready at any moment to dive over if a car or truck came too close. So much for morning serenity!!

After an hour or so of ‘high alert’ walking, a faded yellow arrow directed me onto a dirt road (phew!) and into Medellín, a town with a castle that dates back to Roman times. Despite its fascinating history, my desires for Medellín were more base. I very much hoped to find an open bar, where I could pause and get some breakfast. Thankfully, one appeared at the very edge of town. It was buzzing and the coffee was good.

Walking out of Medellín, I crossed the beautiful stone bridge which spans the Gaudiana, a major river and source of water in Extremadura.

Looking down from the centre of the bridge, I could see large fish swimming lazily in the water below.

From here, the way led along the vast flood plain between the Rio Guadiana and the Rio Búrdalo, which is clearly farmed intensively for fruit and vegetables.

There are miles of irrigation channels along which thousands of litres of precious water were flowing.

On the approach to Santa Amalia, I passed this cooperative tomato processing or puréeing factory with very shiny pipes.

And then these massive silos.

The storks now seem to be nesting on every available high tower or chimney in Extremadura!

I had hoped for ‘second breakfast’ in Santa Amalia but

couldn’t find an open bar. I had to settle for a few blocks of chocolate, eaten while sitting on the footpath in the shade of the last house in town.

More walking ensued, through acres of irrigated vegetables (mostly tomatoes) and other crops.

For the second half of the day, I was closer to the Rio Búrdalo, a smaller river but still with seemingly plenty of water flowing. 

The stage ended as it began, with another gruelling stretch of road walking - tramo peligroso! Thankfully, I managed to dodge everything that came past. In actual fact, most drivers we’re really good and tried to give me a wide birth wherever possible.

And now, here I am in Torrefresneda. It’s a bit of a ‘one horse town’ but it has a bar and an albergue and for that I am grateful. There a three other pilgrims staying here tonight, a French couple and a guy from Japan, all of whom walked from Medellín this morning.

The cast iron Camino sign outside the albergue says there are 791kms to walk to Santiago, and my app says 25kms to Mérida, where the Camino Mozárabe merges with the Camino via de la Plata. Slowly but surely, I am making my way. 👣👣👣

To close this post, I offer a translation of some words from the Gronze app, speaking about today’s stage:

‘On this day the face and the cross of the Mozarabic Way coexist: on the one hand we will discover the historic town of Medellín, with its Roman theatre and its bridge of twenty arches over the Rio Guadiana; on the other hand we will have to face the two most dangerous sections of this route, two true black spots where pilgrims risk their lives, and in which an urgent solution by the authorities is clamouring to heaven.’

And finally, a photo of my beloved, taken while she was celebrating the Eucharist at the end of the retreat she has been leading at Bonnevaux. The retreat had 26 participants, including from the US, Trinidad, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, the Netherlands and the Isle of Man, and Sarah has the sense that it went really well. Tomorrow evening she begins her own silent thirty-day retreat. 

And so, for us both, the adventure continues…

🙏

Buen Camino 

Neil 💚👣