We exit Burgos crossing the university campus and we get into the Meseta, the big castilian plain.The following stages will have few trees and few places in the shade, so we must take that into account and prepare accordingly (hat, sunscreen…).

We cross the villages of Tardajos and Rabé de las Calzadas, where we’ll find a beautiful hermitage, and we start a climb that will take us to today’s destination, Hornillos del Camino, a medieval village built around the Camino.

We continue our travel through the castilian Meseta, between wheat fields, and we pass through the villages of Arroyo San Bol and Hontanas. Just before reaching Castrojeriz we’ll find one of the most magical places of the Camino: the ruins of the monastery of San Antón.

Castrojeriz is a town with several albergues and three churches that are worth a visit, specially the one of Nuestra Señora del Manzano, which hosts a collection of religious art.

Right after exiting Castrojeriz we’ll have to climb the Alto de Mostelares, the highest point of the Meseta. Once we’ve crossed it, we enter the region called Tierra de Campos, known as the breadbasket of Spain. We cross the Pisuerga river through the medieval bridge in Puente Fitero (or Puente de Itero), located next to an old pilgrim’s hostel, and we cross Itero de la Vega and Boadilla del Camino. This last village is known for its justice column, one of the best conserved in Castilla.

After Boadilla, the road follows the Canal de Castilla, one of the most important engineering works built in Spain in the XVIII century. It was built to facilitate the transportation of grain from Spain’s interior provinces to northern ports. We follow the canal until reaching our destination, Frómista, which is remarkable for the church of San Martín, of romanesque origin but extensively restored during the XIX century.

Out stage today follows the roadway, and is practically flat. Right before reaching our destination we’ll find the town of Villalcázar de Sirga, founded by the Knights Templar, and we’ll be able to visit the church built by this order.

Carrión de los Condes, our destination, is another of the towns that grew around the Camino during its heyday, as we can see by its half dozen churches and numerous hostels. We can also visit the nearby monastery of San Zoilo, turned today into a documentation centre for the Camino.

Today’s stage has the longest stretch between two villages (17 km.), so we should be well prepared with food and drinks and with protection from the sun. The road follows the old “via Aquitania”, a roman road that joined Bourdeaux (France) with Astorga.

Today’s stage has some ups and downs that will break the monotony of the Camino. We’ll pass through Terradillos de los Templarios, which name proves the presence of the famous military order in this land, and afterwards we’ll go through Moratinos and San Nicolás del Real Camino, last village before entering the province of León.

Sahagún, our destination, is a town that grew around the monastery of San Benito, which became one of the most important in Spain, to the point of being called “the spanish Cluny”. Nowadays, however, only the ruins of the monastery remain.

We continue our road between wheat fields. The Camino in this zone follows the roadway, but it’s well maintained and has plenty of signals. There is even a paved road next to it for cyclists. After crossing Bercianos del Real Camino, we reach El Burgo Ranero.

We continue through the same road than the previous day, next to the roadway. The landscape is still flat, but people have planted trees next to the Camino to provide some shade to the pilgrims. We pass through Reliegos and end our stage in Mansilla de las Mulas, where we can visit the medieval walls.

We arrive today at León, a monumental city with hundreds of years of history. Right before reaching it, in the alto del Portillo, we must cross the roadway through a pedestrian bridge installed a few years ago.

In León we’ll of course visit the gothic cathedral, one of the most famous ones in Europe, but we can also have a look at the Casa Botines, one of the works of the catalan architect Antonio Gaudí, and also try the tapas at the Barrio Humedo.