The albergue was well heated so our laundry made good progress on drying and it was cozy for sleep. I don’t always sleep perfectly but I had a pretty good night and now that I’m a convert to audio books, I can happily listen if I’m awake early.
There was a microwave but only one cup so we had to take turns with our morning brew, so first my black tea and then Nedjo’s chamomile. A banana and granola bar each and we were set. We dropped our keys back at the police station and off we went.
It was a gorgeous morning and wonderful to be away early and with an excellent path so we could make good time on this 32 kilometre day—our longest yet. A first impassible stream was a bit of a drag as we knew we had to set a good pace, but we took off our boots – not before Nedjo got very muddy investigating other options – and easily waded across. the water wasn’t too deep but very cold. Then we used the non-hiking socks stuffed in my shoes near the top of my pack for drying off, but with nowhere to sit it was kind of tricky. But on we pushed. We wanted the first eight kilometres done by 10:00 and then we’d take a break.
But just before our planned break we came to an even bigger water course—one with a cement bottom for vehicles. And so much mud. So here we went again. Except I didn’t quite get how slippery the ramp would be and totally lost my footing landing in the mud and scraping my knees. But at least I wasn’t yet in the water. Getting me up and then finding how we could get safely across was a challenge. Nedjo did two trips so I didn’t have to carry my pack. Yikes, I was mud everywhere—legs (because I’d rolled up my pants to wade), bum, pack, poles and oozing between toes. There was nowhere to clean off except grass for our feet and some of our water supply for my wounds—which were more grazed than anything. But that took a while and I was pretty chilled. We talked about turning back but I felt like I wanted to keep going. It was good when we could feel our feet again and I was happy to stop for an orange and biscuits once we were warm.
There were large birds migrating in V formations – maybe cranes in this area – rather than the geese we’re used to back home. The day was really lovely with a mix of oaks and planted crops which were very green with new growth. In pastoral areas there were lots of sheep and some cows as well.
Given our earlier experiences we knew to take the road detour which is needed to cross the Rio Zihur in times of rain. When we saw it from the road bridge we knew we’d made the right decision. But it meant in total more than 12 kilometres of the day on a road with a very narrow shoulder. At least there wasn’t too much traffic. This stage also marks the transition from Andalucia into Extramadura. The road surface, route number and speed limit all changed!
We were just arriving in Monterrubio de la Serena and feeling pretty pleased with ourselves for making it when Nedjo got heart palpitations—part of a congenital heart issue he has. But luckily we were right by a bench, as usually rest and calm is all he needs for them to pass. Eventually a kind woman came to check and insisted on calling the hostal owner (who had actually just been there and on seeing us headed back to open up) to come back and pick us up. By then the heart palpitations had stopped but the ride was welcome as Nedjo was a bit weak. I have never seen quite so much mud come off of me as in that shower and a bit of rest was in order for both of us.
Unfortunately after our very demanding day, dinner was hard to come by. The hostal (Hostal Vaticano €50) restaurant was closed for a private function and there was only one bar open so it was very crowded and no food in evidence. Eventually we found a candy store/cafe with frozen pizza and drinks and that was better than nothing.
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