Tag: shenanigans

They’re everywhere … at least most of the time they are! Reassuring pilgrims by the hundreds every day, as they have done for years. A bit of Google research will inform you of the generous Galician pastor who first started painting them. The ubiquitous yellow arrow daubed on anything it’s artist can find, ideally an immovable object, always indicating the direction onwards towards Santiago. Some are more official than others. Some are more like waymarkers rather than actual arrows. Some towns and cities even embed them in their footpaths – this is very helpful and made the journey across Pamplona very easy.

The effiency of this network of route markers has made the map I brought redundant. The flecha amarillo and it’s various other guises has also meant that my use of google-maps and the such like has also been non-existent – almost. As peregrinos we become so dependent and trusting of being guided on our “Way” that, as was the case today for me in the last couple of kilometres, if we walk for much more than 250 metres without seeing one of our friendly little yellow helpers, we begin to doubt the Camino. However there is a saying “The Camino Provides” and sure enough after about a kilometre (all uphill and steep which exaggerated my feeling of doubt) another arrow appeared to reassure me I was still on the Camino de Santiago.

As for today’s walk … I’m really getting into it now, a great night’s sleep in the comfort of a modern city centre hotel helped recharge the batteries. From Pamplona it was uphill to Alto de Perdon through a windy, misty squally shower which meant the briefest of photo stops at the monument at the summit. After another black-run descent (no fossilized reptile this time just loose golf ball to tennis ball sized rocks) the weather picked up and my happy inner pilgrim seemed to make a decision for me. To take the 5km detour to the remarkable octagonal chapel at Eunate. I had read about it but not planned on visiting, indeed until the sign informing me of it’s location I didn’t even know it was on today’s route. Glad I went.

From there I passed through Puerte de la Reina – and at this point I must refer you back to one of my earlier posts! Full on shenanigans looked like they were about to begin. The hospitalera here in Mañeru told me it is like a “little running of the bulls but with baby cows”. I expect it will get messy! I’m do glad I had decided to do the extra 5km uphill to Albergue El Cantero even if the pequeña flecha amarillo almost let me down.

Today 30.8 km

So far 99.8 km

Santiago 692.2 km