OUR WAY

 17th May 2025

Day 19 - Hospital de Órbigo to Santa Catalina de Somoza

Morning shadows

I got up early enough to have a bowl of cereal with the chocolate milk I’ve been carrying for the past two days. Probably the first to leave, just before 6am.

Another clear morning with an orange sunrise. The trail started out straight, then gave way to rolling hills, alternating between fields and patches of woodland. Someone built a concrete tower on the side of the camino, so I climbed it.

"Build your tower by sunrise—by sunset, the pilgrims will climb."

After a couple of hours we began a gradual descent, and the view opened up - Astorga sitting quietly at the bottom of the valley. It took about another hour to reach the town centre, where we stopped for our first coffee. We walked past the Episcopal Palace and the Cathedral of Astorga on the way to the supermarket.

Episcopal Palace and the Cathedral of Astorga

After leaving town, there were 8 more kilometres with a gentle climb in the rising heat of midday to the village of Santa Catalina de Somoza, where we were staying the night. We arrived at 12:15.

After showers and laundry, we sat under a parasol at a table outside. Gaby, with a beer in hand and a phone in the other, came to the conclusion that there was “absolutely nothing to do in the village.” Looks like the afternoon will be spent searching for the customary €1 wine.

256 km to go!

Where we stayed
Abergue El Caminante
€15 single bed in 10 bed dorm room
Hand washing, line drying. Bar. Only 1 shower for two dorm rooms
Our rating 7.5/10