Day 8 - Logrono to Azofra (35.8 km)

Hola mis amigos.

The less written and remembered the better regarding last night's sleeping arrangements, with 35 dormitory companions. What a difference a day and 35+ km makes. But I'll get to that.

The upside is that I was wide awake in the early hours and up and dressed, pack re-packed and on the path by 7am, a good 45 minutes before sunrise. There were quite a few of us on the road at that time, all glad to have the Albergue Municipal Logrono behind us. But not Logrono - a delightful town where it was all happening on Saturday night. The locals were out in force, the al fresco cafes were buzzing, a wedding in the cathedral was cause for great celebration including fireworks, topped off by the evening promenade that seems to happen in every village and town. I'd recommend Logrono as a delightful town to visit - just be sure to book your hotel ahead of time!

Having left Basque country somewhere beyond Pamplona, the landscape and architecture have been changing subtly but today more dramatically. Much of today in the Navarra region was through vineyards. As the day wore on, the heat was intense at times with little shade. Had the vines been a little taller and not in red dirt, I may have sheltered underneath them.

I covered quite a distance today. While Logrono to Najera (30 km) is a typical long stage, from what I'd read I wasn't keen to stay in Najera, quite a big town and a more modern addition to the suggested rest towns on The Camino. I saw that Azofra was just 5.8 km on, so decided that I would have a stretch , shoes off and mini siesta in Najera and, if I felt fine, would continue on to Azofra, a town of just 300 people and much more to my liking. And so it turned out to be. Lovely little village and the Albergue is fantastic. It sleeps 50 but all in rooms of 2. Clean and modern, plenty of storage space for packs, enough showers, laundry, kitchen, Internet access and a lovely garden with a small pool for soothing tired feet. After last night I feel as though I'm in a 5 ***** hotel!

At this point, a big thank you to Jill who played a part in getting me here today. While I was sitting under that tree this afternoon, resting and contemplating walking on to Azofra, I saw your comment on yesterday's post. God love you for adding up how far I'd walked as at yesterday. 170 km! Lordy! Your encouragement spurred me on, knowing that getting to Azofra would mean I'd walked over 200 km. I'd been avoiding adding up the distance so far, and working out how far yet to walk, but now that I know I'm delighted with progress. If I stay fit and well (especially my feet) and don't encounter too much rain, my estimate of between 30-32 days is still a possibility, though I'm glad to have a few extra days up my sleeve if needed. Only time will tell but if I make it to Santiago in one piece in time to make my flight back to London, I'll be delighted. After 8 days of walking, and seeing and hearing others' experience, I'm mindful that anything can happen and most of it I can't control - no different to normal life really. I'm literally taking things one step at a time.

Another reason I'm happy to have managed a few longish days is that there are some steep climbs and descents at various stages down the way. So while the terrain is relatively flat and the weather fine (though hot) and I'm feeling good, I make the most of it. This pace will be hard to maintain when the serious up and down begins again. Mind, there are always hills. Every town has a church, and the church is always at the highest point and, naturally, The Camino must pass by the church.

Before I sign off, a message for Sara as I know you are following my progress. Be sure to tell your colleagues that J&J has absolutely captured the blister prevention / management market along The Camino. Every farmacia has a substantial range, even in small towns. And in villages where there is no farmacia, the little shops will often carry them. Your brand team will be pleased to know that everyone talks Compeeds. It's like Kleenex and tissues, the brand is synonymous with the product category. I wonder if J&J has special Camino sales teams to cover all The Camino routes leading to Santiago. And why not? It's a captive market. I, for one, left home with a stack of them in all sizes. But such is the horror of the threat of blisters on The Camino, I'm relieved to know I'll have no trouble stocking up if I run out.

Thanks to everyone for latest emails, texts and comments.

Off to bed now, looking forward to what The Camino has in store for me tomorrow. J x