Via Lemovicensis: Tramping Gravel on the Via Aquitana

06 June 2026 Thom Pilgrim Reports, Via Lemovicensis

Herve and I were out the door by 6:25, looking for breakfast. In less than five minutes, we had found it in the form of bar perhaps fifty meters from the albergue.

Carrión is a town full of beautiful and historic churches. Unfortunately, we arrived so late yesterday that the only one I got to visit (very briefly) was Santa María, where I attended Mass. And this time of the morning, of course, nothing was open.

By about 6:50 we were walking through town.

The morning was cold and clear. At 7:05, we crossed the long stone bridge over the Río Carrión. We walked past the Real Monasterio de San Zoilo, with its stone monuments to each of the Spanish regions through which the Camino passes. The monastery is now a fancy hotel.

From here, it was 17 km to the next village. This is the longest gap between towns on the whole of the Camino Francés, although in a couple of days I’ll be tackling one nearly as long.

As we left town, the Camino followed a sidewalk along a two-lane highway.

By 7:25, the sidewalk had become a gravel path very similar to yesterday’s, though there were some long stretches of awkward stones. There were quite a few more trees than yesterday, and we passed over a few small streams.

As the morning warmed up, we both took off our fleeces just before 8 AM.

Just after this, I discovered that my tracker had somehow turned itself off. I turned it back on, but so far it had only recorded 2.7 km on the day. Herve’s tracker said 5.8. I’ll have to make a manual adjustment in my notes.

At just about 8:10, the Camino finally left the roadside to follow the Via Aquitana, the ancient Roman road from Burgos to Astorga. The current road surface is, of course, the same powdery dirt and gravel so familiar on the Meseta.

At 8:20, we came to the famous Camino food truck. Second breakfast! by 8:45, we were on the Roman road again.

At about 9:05, we passed the original site of the coffee bar food truck. It does not appear to be abandoned, just closed. Most curious.

Shortly after this, the tree cover became intermittent and then ended. We could now see the full extent of the tableland around us, flat to the horizon. In the distance on our right we could see the looming mountains.

Starting about 9:20, we passed a series of large hay barns.

About fifteen minutes later or so we started getting trees on the side of the road again. There was a steady breeze, and even though there was hardly a cloud in the sky the air still felt cool.

At about 10:05, I came up upon a rest area, complete an observation tower. Herve had fallen behind a bit, so I waited for him here. The Camino marker said 400 km to Santiago. It’s a lie.

We climbed up a short sort of hill at 10:20. After this, the road was more undulating than flat, and the land on either side of us was no longer flat as a tabletop but was closer to the waves of grain we saw yesterday.

We passed by a quasi-derelict tower just about 11 AM. It was now clustered with some hay barns, but it had the look of a watchtower or a monastery bell tower.

The village of Calzadilla de la Cueza proved to be just beyond. It was completely hidden in a little valley until we were practically upon it.

By 11:10, I was seated at the bar with an early lunch on the horizon. This little village seems to be entirely albergues, bars, and barns, at least when you first arrive. The primary brand of vehicle on the streets is John Deere.

Further back, though, away from the Camino, are houses and the little church of San Martín. This is the second church I’ve seen recently that was secured with a padlock.

We were back underway at about 12:10. The Camino goes right through the middle of the village. I’m pretty sure in my earliest Caminos it skirted around the outside.

After the village, there was a tiny bit of roadwalking before the Camino returned to the dirt, stone, and gravel. Although the path was next to the highway, there was often a sort of green tunnel of bushes and trees surrounding us.

A year ago today, more or less, Francine stopped eating. The woman whose primary love language was food would now turn her head to the wall if you tried to offer any to her.

It was something we had been expecting; the doctors and our hospice nurse both warned us that the day would come. And when it did, it was yet another step we had to accept, another trembling step towards the end.

At some point, the umbrella went up. I fell in with German Tom from New York and we had a great conversation. Tom is the guy who accidentally took my bed back in Roncesvalles, and we had breakfast together in Burgos one morning.

At 1:20, I had to take the umbrella down because of the wind. Shortly after that we arrived in the village of Ledigos. Ten minutes later, Herve and I were in La Morena. I stayed at the albergue here with Francine in 2016, and again in 2023. Today we were just here for some cold drinks at the bar, though.

Kas Límon consumed, we were back on the road at 1:50. Perhaps ten minutes later, the Camino was again a dirt road full of stones and gravel by the side of the highway.

Depending on which guidebook or sign you believed, we were 2, 3, or 4 km away from our destination for the day.

At about 2:15 PM, I saw the steeple of a church ahead. Just about ten minutes later, we arrived in the village of Terradillos de los Templarios.

For the record, my tracker counted 3.3 km since Ledigos.

We soon checked into the albergue in the village. I had a late lunch with a couple of Australian women. We had a great conversation about the Camino.

Finally after this, I was able to tackle a shower and a little exploration of the village. I was sad that the Iglesia de San Pedro was locked, as it looks like a fascinating place. It’s one of the few churches I’ve seen in Spain that are primarily made of brick rather than stone.

Today was a day of no open churches.

Date: 06 June 2026