A rebel without a clue.

Pondering tomorrows ordeal: bought energy wayfarer fayre: higo secco ( la alpujarra granel ) 500 grams and turrón de Jijona de Alicante  300 grams. Plenty of energy and more weight to carry up those mountain paths in the blessful rain? At the Hostal I discovered a bath to ease the tiredness I felt from the day behind me. It wasn't so far, but I walked as fast as I was capable in the rain. My coat resisted the majority of the rain, but, as it always does with Páramo, it finds routes through the coat (usually on the shoulders and cuffs). Lunch was copious and I don't know if I can eat another solid meal, but can't set off tomorrow morning with an 'English' breakfast... in Spain? But this is a tourist town so somewhere may offer it? The final place ahead before I leave all hope behind is Casa Cirilo  and it's a bed and breakfast so it may offer me a copious breakfast - I should call them to inquire? 1% says eat pasta 99% says go to bed and eat breakfast in the morn...

At 1500 I am in room 19 @ Hostal La Maya after a very, very wet day. Luckily I stopped for a lovely sopa in Navacerrada served with the warm afternoon glow by the proprietor, cook and chica from Venezuela. She made me smile, they made me smile and the bean soup made me walk into the pulsating rain as the path took me up behind the town - I wasn't expecting that! Meson Jarvis, he was my English teacher back before university and the chica made walking in a sulking weightbound morning, with only suggestions of mountains, and me gathering rain enough to sink a ship, worthwhile. I'd looked into a posh establishment  once prior to it and felt cold stares - colder than the rain I'd gathered in several hours. Actually I sat down but the frowning cold shoulder of the people who  welcomed' me into Nava Real made me decide to trudge on in the downpour - they really couldn't care that I was soaking - they were more concerned I was dripping wet on the carpet. They almost failed...

Monday morning cradling a café largo after tostados con tomate from the sullen faced proprietor of Hostel La Pedriza, who speaks no English. It's a day tripper town and I guess on a Monday morning he's worn out from being polite to his clients over the weekend? But it's OK. It's raining outside: not heavy, so I put on my waterproofs prior to the grand depart for Cercedilla on day three - already day three. By day four Madrid will be over the Sierras and beyond me. I've either another 7 or 10 days from today as those are the windows of opportunity through the rail strikes next week across England.

When I depart I drink coffee and when I arrive I drink wine, but in between I sweat gloriously! Turned in after a second Chorizo in Cider and bread. Found the bed a little too short for my length and the curtains even shorter - they don't exactly keep out the street lights, but it was silent until a couple of cars disappeared along the road, towards Madrid no doubt, just now. Breakfast isn't available in the Hostel until 8:30am, but I am awake around 7am... If I can drift back into sleep then I will? A helpful host in the Hostel said that today would be more interesting than yesterday's last leg - it was interesting after Colmenar Video before going under a road viaduct... There was a serrated edge of some peaks which would've been more interesting to cross, but the route went around them after crossing a medieval bridge - the Camino walked along the base of these bare mountains, because perhaps there was no accessible path, slowly increasing in altitude. This area remi...

Heading up above 1000 metres and need to gain sustenance... They always put these towns perched on top of the hill looking south, back to Madrid. An old folks kitchen, but they let me eat a couple of tapes of eggs and potatoes! Centro de Mayores... Which was wonder fuel! *** Here I am. Started joyful, because eggs and chips are skill, but then bored on the saddle before a switchback - looking forward to the turn in the monotony - and into Manzanares el Real. Into the Hostel Pedriza, sopa(not a patch on yesterday's white bean and pork wonder), but I am enjoying the Godello vino until I heave towards the dormitory: all of Madrid's day trippers are hanging on to the edges of the Massif rising dominating above the town. Tomorrow I turn my attention west before I have to go over this thing? Final vino. Looked at the castle here which is definitely a folly or remade and just a made-up thing on top of an original thing. It's a pile of organised stones which looks like a castle: b...

Day two dawns and I am awake around 7, but slept soundly and unbroken throughout the evening, after people around me in Hostal Tres Cantos*** had stopped running water... the sound of which carried along the corridor and between the wall and my space. Yesterday I had a great shower after two nights in Madrid when I didn't bother. This morning is fresh clothing too. It was trying to rain last night as I walked along the boulevard to see what the 'features' were of this planned satellite of Madrid (a Spanish Milton Keynes) but nothing really was reaching the pavement - it was a rain illusion and a warning against complacency. The main feature was the width of the central square/rectangular tree lined avenue and it's distance away from the train station and town hall where the Camino de Madrid carried on without coming into the town. Yesterday I thought to keep going as 25 kilometres isn't so long, but the sleep deprivation was getting to me so much better a quiet nigh...

The 1st of December arrives and I've checked in for the shortish flight to Madrid this afternoon (1715) from Manchester so will begin the journey there around noon from Leeds Station. Not getting to T3 the suggested 3 hours prior to departure Ryanair are suggesting - 2 hours has to be sufficient? As usual I will take the longer route: Northern Rail via Hebden Bridge to Manchester Victoria then on the Tram from the interchange in Victoria to the airport (around £12). Leaving the flat for a short trip to collect a free hot chocolate from Caffé Nero on Albion Street and onto the 10:12 to Manchester Victoria to begin the long day hauling to Chueca, Madrid for the first of two nights in that other area I stumbled upon over Christmas in 2019, before the phantom of COVID became a reality in February 2020. An afternoon in Manchester before the 13:55 from Oxford Road to get to the airport. It's a good city. I walked around it before eating in a Wagamamas on St Peter's Square and fou...