After 29 km of walking from Burgos in a downpour on this otherwise beautiful rolling countryside, accommodation was unavailable for me in Hontanas and a further 9 km in the rain brought me into Castrojeriz, tired and soggy. The hotel I stayed at in 2005 was closed for holidays and I wandered the streets of this historic village looking for a place to stay when I saw the hotel sign on an old house on the main street.

After ringing on the bell, a face appeared at an upper window-- the hotel's owner. After some conversation, he switched into fluent English and, after telling me that they were booked solid, took pity on me and said that he would arrange something for me. I entered and he took me up to a clean and comfortable room off the upstairs patio, with a small but adequate bathroom with high-quality amenities. This small hotel was geared to an affluent Spanish clientele, and the 45 euro price (including breakfast) was fair.

Dinner involved another 16 euro for an... more