Day 13: Burgos to Hontanas.

Today is the start of my second Camino leg. It’s also the start of the Meseta: the 180km flat, featureless stretch from Burgos until just after Leon.

I wake up at 615, and I’ve had a good rest. I pack my bag and realise my sun hat is missing. Of all the things to go, this is probably close to the top of the oh-no-shit-really? list, just below the essentials like money, passport etc. It’s too early to buy a replacement, I’m going to have to bear the heat of the Meseta without protection. I walk downstairs into the dark of the morning, I pass reception and oh-yes-shit-really!, my trusty sombrero has been waiting for me patiently since the night before on the reception desk. I’m incredibly grateful to be reunited with my old faithful travel buddy.

Leaving Burgos, in the dark, cool air of the morning, hat in bag, a spring in my step, I’m feeling it: the excitement. The journey has begun. The familiar cycle: leaving a city in the dark, urban sprawl, edging into the country, soft morning light, sun creeping up, misty fields, sunflowers, birdsong. It’s magical.

Feeling confident after my long hike on the South Downs Way, I set myself a faster pace this year. I’m aiming for 16 days from Burgos to Santiago, 20 being a standard pace. After 31km though, I’m not feeling as bold that I can sustain that pace for over two weeks. As I arrive at my destination, 6 hours after setting off I certainly respect the distance a lot more.

I’m walking on my own a bit more this time round. I see small groups that have known each other since they started 12 days before. I feel a little melancholic, considering the camaraderie from the previous year. That said, I talk to plenty of interesting folks. Friendly Roman cyclists, a Franconian researcher, an American photographer, a gentleman from Sao Paolo, a group of young French guys who walked 53 days in the Pyrenees before starting their Camino.

It’ll be a different journey from the last time, and it’s just beginning today. It’s likely a healthy process to leave my expectations behind at the start, and just let it happen.