It’s hot 🥵. It’s currently 37 degrees and scheduled to go to 39 degrees by 5 o’clock. That’s 102.2 degrees in old money. Knowing that temperatures were heading into silly territory we were on our way at 5:30 am. The moon was full, a couple of planets were poodling around and the birds were waking as we headed out of the village into the dark countryside.

Yesterday afternoon was quite different especially in the pool.

Back to today. The 10.4 km from Torres del Río to Viana wound their way through wheat fields and then vineyards as we drew closer to Logroño the capital of Rioja.

Lots of butterflies, insects generally and birds – mostly swifts, house martins and the occasional swallow.

Shortly after we arrived we stuffed ourselves full of raciones, tapas, bread and wine and are now taking turns to shower in our nice, clean cool (airconditioned !!!) apartment. We’ll pop out later to grab a final drink and nibbles before saying farewell to Alistair and Rachel. They’ll leave to catch the 7:30 bus back to Bilbao and thence home while Dorothy and I will rejoin the Camino and continue to plod inexorably towards Santiago de Compostela. The temperatures are going to hit 41 or more in the next couple of days and then hopefully decline into the low 30s. We’re hoping that by the time we reach Burgos, they’ll be lower again, otherwise the meseta, which is flat and shade free for 180 km will be tricky to negotiate.

Buen camino

P.S. An American chap, 46, died from a heart attack yesterday on today’s route just outside Torres del Río. 😞.