The Albergue Briz, with its very friendly Jose and Veronica, deserves a special mention in the free ad section of the blog ... if you fancy a good value walking holiday, this is the place to go ... boat to Santander, then walk or bus to Potes. .. hire car helpful ... or bring your own ...
Jose serves a big breakfast, with enough for the pack ...Portilla being the next feeding station, 7 hours over the mountains ... then off into drizzly pre-dawn, soon giving way to dry high cloud ... following yellow arrows all the way, the main 3D support today, since the valley road gives up at Fuente De and map reading skills being poor, plus absence of map critical, let's see where pilgrims past have been ... in Islam they say, first tether your camel, then trust the Lord ... already priorities and naming ... and camels ... heading up the mountain with a heart full of confidence, maybe Just Trust, All is Well, is better ... and don't be stupid ...
The first few kilometres heads straight for a very big wall ... impressive ... in Switzerland they would call in the engineers and start boring ... possibly the reason for the national stereotype, though experience here suggests otherwise: Carl Jung, one of the most interesting people I never met; Corrine, elf and lover from Lausanne, via Findhorn; Bernard met at Brockwood and with an invitation to his new K inspired place in the Alps www.riversong.ch ; the fascinating Anne ... pronounced Anna by her German speaking father ... as for the engineer stereotype, dear friend Penny defies that, first by being female, then by pitching in with the integrated transport project, and afterwards as a founding member of a renewable energy company ...
At Fuente De, the engineers boldly sent a cable car up the wall ... which doesn't help this morning because it's not open and in any case lands on the wrong side for Leon ...
The arrows are clear enough and lead to a track suitable in gradient and surface for four wheel drive cars and off-road bikes, though none are seen today ... perfect for a pilgrim with a high and long walk ahead ... which makes for one of those days ... solitude, altitude, some sun, awe inspiring views ... and spontaneous laughter bursting out ... not least at the summit, when, after an early and brief refreshment break, the track continues on, descending gently round the contours, revealing new views at every turn ... out of Cantabria now ... still following arrows, though fewer, until we meet the local road, 10 km from Portilla ... a steady 2 hours with hardly any traffic ... and a slightly posher albergue, as previously proposed ... a bed without another above it ... sheets, towels. .. simple luxuries ... a menu del dia and info that the ski season is expected soon ... good timing ... though reports of snow imagined from San Vicente some days ago were premature ... quite Spring- like up here, with what look like Spring flowers come 6 months too soon ... i.d and corrections welcome!
Human companions between Jose at Espinama and Alejandro here in Portilla absent ... canine ones in the shape of large sheepdogs appear ... the first time in the early dawn, warning me off, though not aggressively. .. the second in the afternoon sun quite friendly, albeit focused on their task ... the last, Sua, at the albergue ... very friendly ... on the track after Fuente De, a cow with the first signs of her calf ... a leg sticking out ... she didn't seem distressed ... and on the top, a herd of very shy grazing deer take off into the distance ... wonderful ...
Tomorrow a short 20km to Riano ... the n is like nya. ..
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