Cycling Béjar to Zamora, Spain: From the Mountains to the Plains
9-10 March 2019
Stone Walls in the Mountains (9 March 2019, 77.7 km, 48.3 mi)
If you read our previous post, you may have noticed something in the photos - as we approached Béjar the trees have lost all their leaves. It is definitely still winter here in the Cordillera Central mountains. We left signs of spring behind in Plasencia.
The Parque de la Corredera, which was about a block from our hostal in Béjar, Spain. None of the trees have leaves yet, up here in the mountains. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Our accommodation in Béjar was a small, quaint, hostal that seemed to be owned and run entirely by one, warm and friendly woman - who also ran a restaurant next door. We were attracted to the hostal because of its reputation for being quiet. Our room in the back was definitely peaceful, for a good night’s rest.
But for the first time on this trip, the room didn’t come with 24-hr heating, which can make a big difference on a cold winter night. The proprietress turned on the heat at 7pm, and it lasted until some time during the night - at which point it slowly got colder and colder. At 8am, the heat finally came back on, taking the edge off of the morning chill. When we first traveled in Spain and Portugal 25+ years ago, having heat for only part of the night was pretty common. But this is the first time we’ve encountered it on this trip.
On this frosty morning, you might say we were fortunate that the departure from Béjar involved a steep descent to the valley of the Río Cuervo de Hombre, followed by a nearly-as-steep climb out of the valley that helped warm us up. Near the top of the ridge on the far side, the view back towards Béjar was gorgeous, with the snow-capped Sierra de Gredos mountain range (in the Cordillera Central) as its backdrop. It’s extraordinary how these towns are perched on top of precipitous hills.
The view back towards Béjar, Spain. We’ve just eased our way out of town, down into the valley below, and then crawled our way back up to this height. The view was worth it. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
The route north out of Béjar follows smaller, more rural roads than we’ve been on for the past few days. As we passed through towns like Navamoral de Béjar and Peromingo, the roads were narrow and bumpy, with frequent steep gradients. There were towns that could have been straight from the Middle Ages. Villages with most of the buildings made from stone (see picture below) surrounded by fields with stone fences and grazing animals. We were enchanted by the lovely landscape, biking a bit more slowly to enjoy the scenery.
Negotiating the narrow, hilly streets of Navalmoral de Béjar, Spain. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Grazing in fields bordered by stone walls, we saw more black pigs. However, they were much bigger and fatter than the athletic-looking, black Iberian pigs we saw in Extremadura. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
For a moment, when we saw this “granite art park” near Los Santos, we thought were approaching Stonehenge. Someone obviously had some fun with these big slabs of rock. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Graceful and beautiful Red Kites have been common along the route for about a week. We often see them hunting over open fields. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
About halfway through the ride we crested a pass in the mountains, before descending onto the Castilla y León high plateau. In fact, at 1,086 m (3,560 ft) in altitude, this pass through the Sierra Dueña ridge will be the highest point on our trip across Europe. If that doesn’t sound too impressive, keep in mind that much of our trip will follow coastlines and river valleys. We’ll get close to that height again, when we leave Castilla y León and cross the Pyrenees Mountains. But those passes will be lower by about 60 m.
The highest point on our trip came when we crossed the Sierra Dueña, at 1,086 m. It doesn’t have the “wow” factor of bigger mountains, but we were still excited about the milestone. We celebrated our achievement with a smile. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
After cresting the pass in the Sierra Dueña, the route descended quickly onto the high plateau of Castilla y León. We were suddenly out of the stony mountains, zipping across rolling hills and large fields of pasture, hay and wheat. Spring returned as we dropped more than 300 m (1,000 ft), in altitude. Once again we are seeing cherry trees in bloom.
We covered the final 25 km in record time, breezed into Salamanca in the late afternoon, and checked into the Albergue for Pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago. There were two other folks in the hostel, a woman from the Ukraine, and Thomas from Poland. The hostel itself was hosted by a volunteer from Germany. It was quite an international group. Thomas was just starting his walk in Salamanca. His first day of walking would be tomorrow.
Checking in to the albergue in Salamanca, Spain. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Our hostel room for the night. We shared our bunk space with other pilgrims from the Ukraine and Poland. To conserve space in the tight quarters, everyone must leave their gear in lockers downstairs, and use a bucket to carry just what they need up to the sleeping area. Salamanca, Spain. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Salamanca is an impressive historic city, bursting with fantastically scenic architecture - much of it from the Renaissance. It’s famous for its ornate sandstone architecture, with dozens of massive churches and palaces adorned with lacy, baroque designs. The city is also very popular with tourists, and the streets were crowded with people. We asked the host at our albergue if there was a holiday or festival in town. She said, no, it’s like this every weekend.
The Albergue for Pilgrims was right next to Salamanca’s main cathedral. It’s a huge structure, much bigger than any other church we’ve seen on our route through Spain. The baroque exterior is astonishing in its detail. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
On our way to find dinner, we encountered a church procession on its way to the Cathedral. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
One of the architectural highlights in Salamanca is the Plaza Mayor. Late into the evening the plaza was humming with crowds of people. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
We were intrigued to see the side of this library building decorated with cockle shell images - a symbol of The Camino de Santiago. It was built around 1500 AD by a knight of the Order of Santiago de Compostela. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
At the end of the evening we had to hurry back to the albergue. Many of the official Camino hostels have strict rules, including lights-out at 10pm. So we had to be back early enough to get ready and settled into bed by then.
Zipping Across the Plateau (10 March 2019, 65km, 40.2 mi)
The day started out brisk, with temperatures in the upper 30s (4C). Then, just as the sun started to warm things up, we rode into a cloud bank. For the next couple of hours, we rode through thick fog. We couldn’t see very far off the road, so we didn’t get to view much scenery. What we did see by the side of the road continued to be fields of hay and grains like wheat.
A heavy mist blanketed the route for most of our ride today, creating spooky images like this gnarly grove of trees. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
The fog finally lifted around noon, but thick clouds remained for a while longer. It was chilly, so we decided to stop at a bar for a break in the very small town of Corrales del Vino. Usually we just snack where we can find a park or bench by the side of the road, so this was a fun change of pace. It seemed like a very traditional place. All of the other patrons ate at the bar - we were the only ones seated at a table. There was a small selection of tapas laid out on the bar, which were a great addition to our break.
Our early departure from the albergue in Salamanca, combined with the relatively flat profile for the bike ride, made for an early arrival at our destination in Zamora, Spain. Since we weren’t in a hurry, we were able to linger along the stone pedestrian bridge that crosses the Río Duero into Zamora, and enjoy views of the city perched on the river bluffs.
Zamora, Spain, sits atop high bluffs along the Río Duero. It makes for an impressive sight as you cross the river, approaching the city. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Once again, the albergue for pilgrims was in the old town. Even though we arrived before the official opening hour (3pm), the wonderful host, Manuel, let us in and helped us get settled. He truly wanted us to feel at home, repeating, “Aquí, estás en tu casa.”
The Pilgrims Hostel (Albergue) in Zamora, Spain, sits very close to the medieval city wall, in the old part of town. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
We shared our bunk room with Andy from Switzerland. He tried to walk the Camino de Santiago last year from Seville, but had to quit because of heavy rains. He’s giving it another try again this year, starting in Salamanca. He hopes to reach Santiago before mid-April, when he has to go to Pamplona. There he will serve as a volunteer host for two weeks at another albergue. There were other pilgrims staying at the hostel in another room, including Hans from Germany, who is also finishing his walk after completing just a portion of the Camino last year. It seems pretty common for folks to walk The Camino de Santiago in sections over a couple of years. A third guy from Spain was doing The Camino on an electric-assisted mountain bike. It was quite a mix of people.
Just around the corner from the hostel was a medieval street fair with vendor booths selling arts and crafts, artisanal breads, toasted nuts and mountains of spices - with the sellers dressed in period costumes. When we first went walking in the afternoon, the fair booths were mostly closed. But they came to life in the early evening.
The Plaza de Claudio Moyano in Zamora, Spain, is covered by a canopy of sycamore trees that have had their branches bent and intertwined with each other. It must be impressive when the trees have their leaves. In the background, the booths for the medieval fair are closed for the afternoon siesta. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Once again, albergue rules obliged us to be in bed by 10pm, so we made it an early night.
