This is the first day we've actually felt weary by the time we've arrived at the other end, and couldn't wait to take our boots off. It took an hour just to leave Logroño as it's so large, but once we were finally back in the countryside, we got to look back and see the sun rising over the city. This is the longest walking day on this trip, but we unfortunately can't split it as we don't have any days to spare, so it just has to be done. It's actually pretty easy going terrain wise, we just had to stop three times for a short break and to take our shoes off for a bit, which helps a lot. The first stop was in Navarrete, which is almost halfway, and we found the same cafe that we went to in 2017. It's called Bocateria Move (not the most inspiring name) and apart from the usual Spanish offerings, it also apparently does a decent full English breakfast, the first I've seen in Spain that's not inhaled by leathery expats! Navarrete is still relatively small, but now has several cafes/bars, and a supermarket (Carrefour). The town has grown a lot since we visited in 2017, being now quite unrecognisable, apart from the original central area we visited back then, and there's also a lot of new highway construction going on around the town so the approach was very different too. It was all farmland just 7 years ago, but that's mostly gone now! The one thing I was very pleased to see still there was the huge black bull advertisement for Osbourne sherry! These are the iconic signs seen all over Spain and the Camino here goes particularly close to this one! There's a very small part of the walk where it's a bit uneven and rocky, so poles might be needed, and a couple of times where a short walk on the road is necessary, but other than that it's flat-ish dirt/gravel tracks through vineyard after vineyard, and who could possibly grumble at that! I admit we probably stole more than our fair share of red and white grapes along the way, and they were incredible, but when you're marching, hot and sweaty, and in the hot sun, with no shade, these endless avenues of sweet, juicy orbs are just too tempting! Or is it supposed to be part of the hardship of the Camino, to not give in, like when people enter the Vatican on their knees?! Who cares, Neil like grapes! Nájera is very small. Not quite a one-horse town, but small enough. The oldest part, and the only part worth exploring, is right next to the river and very nice, with its medieval monastery and almost-as-old neighbouring buildings. There are lots of bars here, and three or four supermarkets, but we've somehow managed to be here exactly when a huge local festival is taking place and all but one of the supermarkets is closed for the next two days. The one that's open is a Coviran (a Spanish chain store), however this was unlike any Coviran we've been to before! it's hard to explain. I've never known a shop to be depressing before, but this shop was depressing, and we just felt really sad walking around it. It's probably the strangest shop I've ever been to! And as soon as we'd left, we both felt fine again, like an old crone's curse had been lifted! Truly a local shop for local people! Our stop for the night is the Albergue Puerta de Nájera, right next to the river and the monastery, and it's rather lovely. We've opted for a private room for 5€ each extra, but all the dorms look great too. Also great showers and decent washing facilities, in a lovely old building! They originally said we had to arrive by 3pm, but we didn't think we'd make that given the distance, so Jess emailed them to say we'd probably be there nearer to 4pm. We arrived at 2:30!! Back of the net!! There's apparently a big live show on tonight in the main town square, as part of the festival, which is to do with a local church holding its once-a-year opening. I'm not sure why it only opens once a year, maybe so they can have these massive parties, but we might go and see what all the fuss is about.

Walking

Logroño, Rioja, Spain

time : Sep 16, 2024 6:59 AM

duration : 7h 16m 32s

distance : 28.7 km

total_ascent : 696 m

highest_point : 726 m

avg_speed : 4.9 km/h

user_id : fineartjones

user_firstname : Neil

user_lastname : Jones

This is the first day we've actually felt weary by the time we've arrived at the other end, and couldn't wait to take our boots off. It took an hour just to leave Logroño as it's so large, but once we were finally back in the countryside, we got to look back and see the sun rising over the city. This is the longest walking day on this trip, but we unfortunately can't split it as we don't have any days to spare, so it just has to be done. It's actually pretty easy going terrain wise, we just had to stop three times for a short break and to take our shoes off for a bit, which helps a lot. The first stop was in Navarrete, which is almost halfway, and we found the same cafe that we went to in 2017. It's called Bocateria Move (not the most inspiring name) and apart from the usual Spanish offerings, it also apparently does a decent full English breakfast, the first I've seen in Spain that's not inhaled by leathery expats! Navarrete is still relatively small, but now has several cafes/bars, and a supermarket (Carrefour). The town has grown a lot since we visited in 2017, being now quite unrecognisable, apart from the original central area we visited back then, and there's also a lot of new highway construction going on around the town so the approach was very different too. It was all farmland just 7 years ago, but that's mostly gone now! The one thing I was very pleased to see still there was the huge black bull advertisement for Osbourne sherry! These are the iconic signs seen all over Spain and the Camino here goes particularly close to this one! There's a very small part of the walk where it's a bit uneven and rocky, so poles might be needed, and a couple of times where a short walk on the road is necessary, but other than that it's flat-ish dirt/gravel tracks through vineyard after vineyard, and who could possibly grumble at that! I admit we probably stole more than our fair share of red and white grapes along the way, and they were incredible, but when you're marching, hot and sweaty, and in the hot sun, with no shade, these endless avenues of sweet, juicy orbs are just too tempting! Or is it supposed to be part of the hardship of the Camino, to not give in, like when people enter the Vatican on their knees?! Who cares, Neil like grapes! Nájera is very small. Not quite a one-horse town, but small enough. The oldest part, and the only part worth exploring, is right next to the river and very nice, with its medieval monastery and almost-as-old neighbouring buildings. There are lots of bars here, and three or four supermarkets, but we've somehow managed to be here exactly when a huge local festival is taking place and all but one of the supermarkets is closed for the next two days. The one that's open is a Coviran (a Spanish chain store), however this was unlike any Coviran we've been to before! it's hard to explain. I've never known a shop to be depressing before, but this shop was depressing, and we just felt really sad walking around it. It's probably the strangest shop I've ever been to! And as soon as we'd left, we both felt fine again, like an old crone's curse had been lifted! Truly a local shop for local people! Our stop for the night is the Albergue Puerta de Nájera, right next to the river and the monastery, and it's rather lovely. We've opted for a private room for 5€ each extra, but all the dorms look great too. Also great showers and decent washing facilities, in a lovely old building! They originally said we had to arrive by 3pm, but we didn't think we'd make that given the distance, so Jess emailed them to say we'd probably be there nearer to 4pm. We arrived at 2:30!! Back of the net!! There's apparently a big live show on tonight in the main town square, as part of the festival, which is to do with a local church holding its once-a-year opening. I'm not sure why it only opens once a year, maybe so they can have these massive parties, but we might go and see what all the fuss is about.