OUR WAY

 4th May 2025

Day 6 - Villamayor de Monjardín to Viana

Streets of Viana

Concerned about finding somewhere to stay tonight, we were up, packed, and out the door by 5:10 am. Early starts have three advantages: we get the trail to ourselves, we walk longer before the heat of the midday sun, and best of all, we catch the sunrise. It was almost two hours before we saw anyone else on the trail - just before the village of Los Arcos - then it started getting busier, with people ahead and behind us.

On the camino

The route took us along long, straight tracks through farmland, then over gentle, rolling hills. Eventually, we saw our final destination in the distance: Viana, a historic hilltop town known for its medieval streets, crumbling churches, and the tomb of Cesare Borgia (don't know who he is either!).

We headed through the busy streets, following signs for the albergue municipal. Only three other pilgrims were waiting for it to open, so I made myself a bowl of cereal with chocolate milk, something I’d been lugging around for the last two days. Gaby went to the bakery to find something more appetising. She returned empty-handed—turns out I’d given her my bank card by mistake, and the cash I gave her was a Scottish banknote. The woman behind the counter said she'd never seen one like it before.

Her second attempt was more successful, and I followed up my cereal with the Spanish equivalent of a chocolate éclair. We checked in, paid our €9.50 each for a bunk bed, showered, shared a laundry load with another guest, then headed to the supermarket to buy ingredients for a proper meal.

Where we stayed
Algergue Municipal Andres Muñoz
€9.50 bunk bed (thin mattress)
Excellent hot showers, washing machine & dryer, fully equipped (refurbished) kitchen.
Our rating 9.5/10