There is snow nearby
Camino January 2026
Saturday January 17, 2026
Fromista to Carrion de los Condes – 12.2 miles
Watching the forecast can be frustrating. Last night the forecast was rain through the night but stopping in the early morning. When I got up this morning it said rain stopping by 8AM and actually switched to 9AM while I was checking it. With a short day, I thought about leaving a bit later. I went to the bakery at 7:30 and got my typical Danish and fresh squeezed OJ. Also grabbed a croissant for the road, as there are no open places on the way today. The Korean Mom and Daughter were just headed out as I arrived. I was back in my room by 8, and the forecast was now for the rain to stop at 10. Oh well, may as well just start walking. It ended up raining the entire way to Carrion de los Condes. There were snowflakes mixed in as well at times. The temperature stayed at about 36 all day. Not many pictures today.
About 2 miles in I arrived at the most awesome vending stop. It has probably 8 vending machines inside, with free wifi and a toilet. There was a fresh squeezed orange juice (2 euro), fresh popped popcorn and a variety of sandwiches – see pictures. There were also the typical ice cream, snacks and another that had anything you may have forgotten, chargers, cables, band aids, etc. It was great to get out of the rain for a few minutes. The only other place I was able to get dry was on the steps up to the front door of a church. There were plenty of benches along the way today, but all with no cover.
There was a bus group in the area today. Four of the people did walk the last few miles into Carrion just in front of me. When I looked back, there were lots more people headed my way.
Since not too much to say about today, back to random thoughts. Last night the room was nice and warm. She had turned the heat on in the morning. In the middle of the night, it cooled down considerably, but this morning the heat came back on. I just added a blanket in the night.
In Castrojeriz I mentioned the dog Pepe. The owners had family staying there, a mother, sister and niece. Sitting in the bar (seats 12 people) with me, the teen was doing homework, the mother was knitting and the sister was helping out in the kitchen. With a winter Camino you get a much more local flavor of life here. Today at lunch there were only locals in the restaurant, besides me. There was a table of 8, an older gentleman (80+) and 7 women. After they ate, he started singing softly for the women. He was quite good.
The gentleman in Hontanas that came out and found me sitting on a bench and brought me back to his bar so I could have a hot chocolate. Just to clarify, he did it out of kindness, not for business. The bar was closed, he and his wife spent over 20 minutes with me. They charged me less than $2 for the drink. They closed and locked the door as they walked out with me.
Sunday January 18, 2026
Carrion de los Condes to Ledigos – 14.8 miles
Walking out of Carrion de los Condes I was wondering who I would see today. I figured I would see Korea mom and daughter (I did, twice and they are staying at the same place tonight) and I knew the young German was planning on doing a big day (24 miles) to Sahagun. Korea confirmed that he and two others left early this morning, so they are now ahead.
As the three of us were leaving a rest area that was 8 miles in, the bus group started arriving. I felt like it was a busy summer day. There are over 30 walking together. I did chat with one guy for a bit as we were walking. He did not speak any English, but what I understood is they all live in Logrono, Spain and for the 4 weekends in January they are walking a section. To qualify for a certificate now you just need to walk 100 kilometers total. They are walking 25 – 30 each weekend (16 – 18 miles). This afternoon they will drive the 2:15 minutes home. Friday afternoon they will head back out.
The rain held off for a bit this morning but by 10:15 it was raining again. I basically put my phone away, so very few pictures again today. You will see in the photos that the mountains in the area have been getting a lot of snow. We had flakes falling today, but it was mostly a steady rain. The temperature stayed about 36 all day. My raingear is working very well. The real problem is I get hot and start to sweat, so I remove my hood to dissipate the heat. I also unzip my jacket, so my front gets a bit wet, I have waterproof gloves this year. They are great, but not breathable, so my hands sweat. I have used waterproof socks the past two days as well. They have actually worked well. I have a waterproof case on my phone, so I don’t have to keep it in a plastic bag. Wearing gloves and raingear make it difficult to take pictures.
I just finished a nice dinner. Korea and mom were there. The daughter speaks some English, but I don’t think mom does. The locals (10 – 12) had an energetic card game going (Mus). It was fun with all the people. For dinner I had beef stew. It was 3 pieces of beef in a sauce. Not sure how to describe, but it was very good. Dessert was they same way. The waitress said it was bacon, so I asked to see a picture. It was like a flan, but different. Not sure how they came up with bacon.
As I was leaving, I ran in to London. He tired of the group and did a couple big mile days to get ahead and be on his own. The group of nine is now almost not a group. The Holland woman went to Portugal. Big Pack took a day off. Germany and China split off. Anyway, it was fun to catch up with London. He is doing well, but will get new shoes/boots in Leon. We will meet for breakfast in the morning. As I was leaving another gentleman walked in. He spoke good English but sounds like he is European. He was checking in. I have not been taking pictures of people on this trip. It just feels off to me to post online.
I am not sure what is being grown in all the fields I have been walking by. I am sure it is a variety of crops. This is basically the half way point. Most walkers are feeling pretty good at this point. The body and the feet have become acclimated to walking every day. Early on, everyone was complaining of blisters. Now it is not a topic of conversation.
Elizabeth asked me about pictures of flowers – there have not been any flowers to take pictures of, and doors. Doors are her thing. Between the rain and the cold, and my personality, I take a fraction of the photos in the winter vs a summer hike. This year seems very gray compared to last year.
You will see in the photos that I had to get creative last night to dry out my shoes and socks. I used two coat hangers from the closet and took one of my shoelaces out to make a loop. I used my carabiner to attach the two coat hangers, and voila, a perfect drying rack.
Travel is the perfect catalyst for tolerance and acceptance. – Author unknown
Gary and Elizabeth's Adventures 