I made an early start in Embalse. However, when I entered the bar, in search of breakfast, all was in darkness.  I was happy to leave and eat en route but, just as I was about to open the door, a dark shape moved towards me from behind the bar and said, “¡Qué frio!”( How cold!), in shrill Spanish with a heavy French accent.  It was Madame, the lady of the house.  She was dressed in her usual sober colours, but in addition she was huddled in a black shawl, covering head, face and shoulders, to protect her from the morning chill.

She produced an excellent breakfast, coffee, toast, ham, cheese etc.  Normally, they give you too much and you can carry off enough for elevenses, it is expected. But, I got the impression that madame was keeping a weather eye on her comestibles from the depth of her shawl and I left with just what I could eat.

The Camino starts again, directly opposite the gate of the hostal and after a short scramble, I was back on the Roman road, with Cañaveral in sight and beautiful views of the reservoir behind.

I reached Cañaveral in record time and found a small bar which served coffee and churros, a Sunday morning delight in Spain.

A churro is a fried-dough pastry ( delicious!).

The Camino follows the main road through town but then turns left onto a mountain track.  Just be careful here, there are several local signs, only follow the camino yellow arrows.

This is a beautiful forested section and it is well signposted to Grimaldo.  Grimaldo is a small village, it has a bar and a Casa Rural ( equivalent to a bed and breakfast) called La Posada de Grimaldo which looks very well kept.  Grimaldo is not on the Camino, so to continue, you must retrace your steps to where you turned off at the motorway bridge. The Camino then continues through open farmland and runs parallel, but not close to, the motorway.

In 2012 the route of the Camino was changed to pass through the village of Ríolobos and avoid a right-of-way dispute. The new route is very well signposted and excellent accommodation is available in Ríolobos at the Camping Las Catalinas, dinner, bed and breakfast for €24.

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