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04.8.08 Monday.
Berdun to Ruesta.
What a day, we are told that Spain is in the grip of a heat wave (Scorchio!), what a relief we thought this was normal. It is supposed to break on Wednesday. We have been walking down the valley of the Aragon river travelling west towards Pamplona and we are half way down the south side of the Embalse de Yesa which is a large reservoir built during Franco’s time, the village of Ruesta does not exist as villagers were forcibly relocated and the houses partly demolished, with the resurgence of the Camino and the absence of accommodation along the Embalse it has become a pilgrimage stopping place with a full Hostel providing overnight accommodation and meals of good quality and quantity. 30€ each for the night and two main meals, with the heat we shall leave well before breakfast tomorrow. After lunch 1400- 1500 it is siesta for about 4 hours, it would be stupid to be out walking in this at present.
We left the Albergue Peligrino in Bergun at 0615 this morning and had about 3 hours of great comfortable walking as dawn broke over the now distant Pyrenees, some of this was through “Badlands” rain eroded shale with fine gravel and dust, partly on cart tracks and partly on a small minor road with very little traffic, we paused briefly in Arteida another hill town (that we had to ascend to) at 0900 in vain hope of coffee and then were soon on our way with the advice of two locals we found the Camino again. After a kilometre or so it left the road and dived into a green lane (they don’t have them in Spain), this is probably the only one on the Camino but was very welcome as the shade speeded our progress and improved comfort. The ruins are sad and quietly impressive as many like them are. Some are wired and cordoned off and a few are repaired into the Alberge, we are told there are plans to repair them all but it will probably not happen and they will remain a great stopover on the Aragonese Way.
Over lunch, discussion was made about 2 Polish pilgrims who had been seen on and off over the previous few days. It is suspected that they are walking small sections of the Camino and then using taxis to go the rest of the way. They left Ruesta at about 1pm and there isn’t supposed to be a proper road out of the village so their plans may come to nought. Maybe we will find out tomorrow their fate.