In March/April 2012 Maurice Hickman led a small group of ramblers/pilgrims on this year's leg of the trek to Compostella which began back in 1998.  Using the numbering system I have used so far on the website this would be the sixth leg of the pilgrimage. however I discovered when it was too late to unravel the numbering that one of the previous five legs was not actually a Compostelly Camino walk but an "off piste" walk to use up some Eurostar tickets which the pilgrims had earned on a previous trip.  So we will call this year's leg "Compostella Leg 2012 Leg 5(1)"

 

The route followed this year went from Burgos to Ponferradaand it will be noted in the captions below that the overnight stops on this leg were at ""Aubergues" or "Albergues" which I take it means that the pilgrims have now left France behind and are into the Spanish phase of the walk.

 

Iam following the practice I established in the previous six pages and putting the captions under the photographs and not above as I understand is the norm.

 

 

A familiar scene before a walk begins - our pilgrims enjoy a coffee in a cafe in Burgos

 

 

 

The two photographs were taken with a lady they had befriended already on the trip.  Obviously the first was taken by Carol and the second by Catherine.

 

 

A striking pilgrim statue on the outskirts of Burgos

 

 

 

Photos of Meseta (meaning "high central plateau"  as distinct from mountains which make Spain the second most mountainous countries in Europe) between Rabe de las Calzadadas and Hornillos del Camino

 

 

Church of San Roman in Hornillos del Camino

 

 

Arco de San Anton near Castrojeriz

 

 

Castle and Church of Our Lady of the Apple, Castrojeriz

 

 

 

The above two photographs were taken inside the bar at the lunch stop at Castrojeriz

 

 

A local display of art at Itero de la Vega

 

 

Garden of albergue En Camino at Boadilla del Camino

 

 

Picture of Church from garden of albergue En Camino at Boadilla del Camino

 

 

Picture of artist Begona in garden of albergue En Camino at Boadilla del Camino

 

 

Canal de Castilla between Boadilla and Fromista

 

 

Lock Gates at Fromista Canal

 

 

Church of San Martin in Fromista

 

 

Inside Church of San Martin in Fromista

 

 

Building en route to Villalcazar de Sirga

 

 

Procession of palms at Church in Villalcazar de Sirga

 

 

Maurice sitting by pilgrim at Carrion de los Condes

 

 

Hotel San Zoilo - formerly a monastery

 

 

Church at Caldilla de la Crueza

 

 

Carol and statue of pilgrim at albergue Cluny in Sahagun

 

 

Arco San Benito in Sahagun

 

 

Marie's favourite picture in dining room at Madres Benedictinas, Sahagun

 

 

Museum in Sahagun

 

 

Procession in Sahagun

 

 

Procession in Sahagun With Crucifix

 

 

Wider view of procession in Sahagun With Crucifix

 

 

 

The two shots above are taken inside the Church of San Tirso

 

 

River scene in Sahagun

 

 

Roman remains at Calzadilla de las Hermanillos

 

 

Our pilgrims walk through Mansilla de las Mullas

 

 

 

The two photographs above are different views of the Parador in Leon (I understand that the Spanish Panadores are hotels for luxury accommodation in Castles, Palaces, Fortresses, Convents, Monasteries and other historic buildings)

 

 

Inside the Parador in Leon

 

 

Cloister of Parador in Leon

 

 

Looking up at the Parador in Leon

 

 

View of front of the Parador in Leon

 

 

Easter Sunday procession in Leon (dress eerily reminiscent

of Ku Klux Klan demonstrations in the 1960s (more views below)

 

 

 

Leon Cathedral

 

 

Easter Sunday Procession outside Leon Cathedral

 

 

Inside Leon Cathedral

 

 

Another view inside Leon Cathedral

 

 

The square outside the aubergue in Leon

 

 

The Gaudi building in Leon

 

 

A clearer view of the Gaudi building in Leon

 

 

Statue of our great patron St Francis of Assisi in Leon

 

 

Three of our pilgrims and two friends wait for a bus to La Virgen del Camino in Leon

 

 

Pilgrim statue outside Church in Vilar de Mazerife

 

 

Procession entering Church in Vilar de Mazerife

 

 

The above two photographs are of Maurice climbing up ladder into boat in garden of aubergue

 

 

Anything Maurice can do Catherine can do too!!

 

 

Maurice then had a ride on a dragon!!

 

 

 

Puente de Orbigo in Hospital de Orbigo

 

 

Inside the Church at Hospital de Orbigo

 

 

This is actually a picture on the wall in garden of aubergue in Hospital de Orbigo

 

 

View of garden of aubergue in Hospital de Orbigo

 

 

 

 

Above are two shots of a Pilgrim statue en route to Astorga

 

 

Our pilgrims take a rest outside a makeshift cafe in Astorga

 

 

Cross on hill above Astorga

 

 

View fro aubergue in Astorga

 

 

Cathedral and Gaudi building in Astorga

 

 

 

 

The above four photographs depict Our Lady of Guadalupe in Astorga Cathedral, the first and third regrettably blurred beyond the capacity of Photoshop enhance tool to clarify.

 

 

Composite picture below Guadalupe picture of Our Lady

 

 

Statue of Virgin in Astorga Cathedral

 

 

Gaudi building next to Astorga Cathedral

 

 

Inside "Cowboy Bar" in El Ganso

 

 

Pilgrim blessing in monastery Church in Rabanal

 

 

Cruz de Ferro en route from Rabanal to Acebo.  Cruz de Ferro is a huge iron cross atop a large cairn or rockpile. Pilgrims traditionally brought a stone or pebble from their hometown with them to add to the pile but I don't think our pilgrims did so.

 

 

Chapel near Cruze Ferro

 

 

Caol sitting inside shack in Manjarin (more incurable blurring I'm afraid).

 

 

 

The above two photographs show snow-capped mountains near Acebo

 

 

 

Above are two views of Molinaseca (only 7 km to Ponferrada now!!)

 

 

And at last thw castle at Ponferrada comes into view

 

 

Catherine enjoys the view from the castle

 

 

The castle and Basilica together

 

 

Another view of the castle, from the river

 

 

 

The above are two views of the mountains from Ponferrada

 

 

Ponferrada clock tower

 

 

Inside the albergue chapel, Ponferrada

 

 

Pilgrim chores must be done too while at the albergue!!

 

 

Chapel at Ponferrada albergue

 

 

And finally Ponferrada albergue itself

 

Ponferrada is 100 miles (160 km) from Conpostella so I suspect the 2013 walk will complete the journey that began back in 2008 and we look forward to seeing the photographs on the website.