Day 6: Estella to Los Arcos 21km.

Things are heating up, a heatwave is blasting through northern Spain right now. But we only have four hours walking to do today. We set off at 715 and take the forest route when presented. Before the path splits, there’s a wine fountain for pilgrims. It’s free, and easy to see that the bodega may not have devoted their best vintage to the pilgrims. The route takes us through pine and oak forest, it’s tougher than the flat route in the rising warmth, but the shade takes the edge off the heat.

After two hours, we stop for a monstrous slice of potato, ham and cheese tortilla for breakfast. We don’t have too much time, as the sun is getting hotter by the minute. We must finish the last half of the journey. We set off, half an hour into the scorched brown landscape, a lady driving a car tells us she has left a cache of water for pilgrims in a shady spot under a patch of trees up ahead, there aren’t too many opportunities to break in the shade along this section. Before leaving us, she points out circling griffon vultures above us, there must be twenty of them, splayed feather wings floating on the thermals while they wait for the next pilgrim to fall in the heat. Fortunately, not us, not today.

We arrive at Los Arcos at 1230. It’s 33C, it’ll be 39C at around 1700. We can only escape the heat in our hostel or air conditioned bars in the town. We manage to organise a communal meal together. It’s simple fare: salad, bread, lentils and chorizo, ice cream and wine. We’re nourished but subdued in the heat. Tomorrow, we start at 600, and have 27 km to walk, about 5.5 hrs walking time. A couple of glasses of ridiculously cheap local wine on the square later and we’re settling down for tomorrow’s early start.