Riano to Cistierna ...

Eduardo arrives at 8 to serve breakfast ... two shots of strong coffee, toast and jam ... good wishes and a photo for you ... another person taking care of pilgrims as well as other tourists ... many bicycling Brits he says ... over from Santander .. . another free ad for a great value bed and lunch ... breakfast, as in most of Spain, perhaps in need of attention for the active Brit market ...

Mist rising off the reservoir lingers all the way to the dam, 2 hours on ... hard shoulder plodding, headtorch, a gift from Mikhail, at the ready to alert oncoming drivers ... space between white line and crash barrier is mine ... quite adequate, though being two dimensional the line is sometimes transgressed ... the barrier, though 3 dimensional, also shows signs of wandering drivers  ... floral tributes too ... Eduardo said be careful ... more than once ... ears as useful as eyes to receive incoming data ... focus full attention on oncoming driver ... all fine and good progress to the dam, with only brief relief at Horcados ... then a wonderful stretch. ... picking up the Calzada Romana, the ancient Way, on the other side of the river from the road and centuries apart ... the energy of the stones palpable. .. the track marked as Camino Vadiniense, Camino Real and GR1 the ancient Way to Finisterre for a while, until it heads west at Las Salas ... seeing almost nobody ... the track not bothering to divert to bars ... on we go, the traffic on its side, the Esla, released from its lakely lethargy, resuming riverly flowing down, round stubborn outcrops, wearing the rocks remorselessly, the ancient track with steady gradients, following the contours through autumn woods dappled with sunlight ... at 4 hours, a rest, strip off to shorts and t shirt, a doughnut from the pack, and on ... a suicidal meeting of dimensions, road and track swapping sides on a blind bend ... back to sanity ... good progress, fuelled by cheese and chocolate, thoughts of late lunch menu del dia incentivising ... into Cistierna at 4 ... and just in time ... filling late lunch sufficient for the day ... some fruit later ... the Theravadan tradition offers breakfast and lunch only ... medicinal food is allowed later ... and since Theravadans living in cooler climates might need more calories, the abbot at Harnham in Northumberland prescribes cheese and chocolate as medicine ... why not?

There is a pilgrim albergue here, but suspecting no pilgrims or easily opened albergue, enjoying some simple luxuries before the mainstream route at Mansilla the day after tomorrow, and wanting good WiFi to connect with Emily for her birthday tomorrow ... and frankly being tired after a long walk, it's the very comfortable €30 Hostal Cruce ... breakfast reports to come, but plans afoot to soak some oats in juice  ready for the morning ... an easier day proposed ... 23 km leaving another 23 to the French Way next day ... of course 46 is doable ... hmmm