In Leon obviously. 37.4km / 23 Miles

I slept well last night after giving myself a shin and foot massage which seems to have worked wonders. The pilgrim menu was weird, I had rice with tomato sauce and a fried egg placed on top. So I said goodbye to Nadia, maybe not as well as I would like though. I told her last night that I planned to go further today but I didn't really explain that I probably wouldn't see her again. I wanted to thank her for her company for the last few weeks but I never did, not very good at talking about all this mushy stuff. So I simply said goobye and left at 6:30. She did send me a friend request on facebook though which I will accept when I get home.

It was dark when I left and as far as I could tell I was the first to leave the albergue, or so I thought. It was another silent morning and very very dark, it was quite creepy. The moon looked set to burst and it glowed red which was pretty eerie. The path was poorly waymarked so I stopped to look at my map, trying to use the building I was stood next to as a point of reference. Once I had worked out that it was a cemetary I couldn't get away quick enough, now was not the hour to be lurking around such places. I also had 15 minute spell where I thought I was following a ghost or something, very long story and I am too tired to tell it now but it was basically a combination of bad night eyes, strange sounds and a strange Spanish man who seemed to keep appearing and disappearing.

The walk was 18.8km of Senda which is basically a gravel path at the side of a road, made for pilgrims to keep them out of harms way. It was perfectly straight which made it hard going. I stopped to talk to a man who passed me earlier as I was resting, he had been at my albergue and I thought that I had picked up a Brummy twang to his voice. I was right. He lived in Sutton but had previously lived in Polesworth (about 10 minutes from where I live) and his cousin lives in Stonydelph which is also in Tamworth. Small world. I stopped after 18.8km for a coke and I ate my twix and crisps, having only eaten 4 little rolls with chocolate in them for breakfast.

I left Mansilla de las Mulas which is where I would have been staying and carried on along the senda. I only just realised that I walked the remaining 18.6km without a break, not very good! I was struggling to find anywhere to stop for another break on the way to Leon and once I hit the city I decided to check into the albergue first. The walk was pretty flat all day, mostly along a senda and with a dodgy part over a narrow bridge where you virtually had to dodge the traffic. There was a slight climb after 10.2km from Mansilla but nothing that I hadn't faced before and the descent was equally as tame. The path descended into Leon, having to use bridges over the busy motorways. I then got lost and ended up walking probably a further 2km when as fate would have it someone saw me walk over to a street map (the only one in the whole of Leon I think). This guy was German, obviously he would be from nowhere else after I left my German friend behind and obviously he didn't speak a word of English. I actually found this quite funny, typical I thought. He really wanted to help me and he happened to be headed in the same direction as I was. We followed his map and finally found the albergue, he was staying there too but I am not sure if he is a pilgrim as he doesn't seem to have any equipment.

So I have done my routine though it is a bit cold now for my clothes to dry. Speaking of which, Spain is very cold in the mornings now and I am actually considering buying some gloves. I then went to a Burger King which we had passed and feasted like a king, lunch and dinner in one I think. I finally felt human again. I had no real pains today, the odd twinge in my shin when I twisted my leg a certain way towards the end, but my legs don't half ache now. To be expected I guess, I really will sleep like a log tonight. Tomorrow is only 13.8miles and I plan to take it easy. I am glad that I made it this far, the furthest I have ever walked and I was pretty fast too. No pains and my aches are subsiding now that I am sat down. My poor body, it really served me well today. All I had in my mind this morning when considering going all the way to Leon was, how can you know your limits if you don't try to reach them. Although I kept telling myself that I would stop if I had to at Aracahueja after 29km I knew really that the only place I was going to stop was Leon, mission accomplished. I enjoyed the challenge and even the aches were good, they were the aches of a winner I kept telling myself.

So tomorrow I have two choices as the path splits again at the outskirts of Leon. I think I will go the way which takes me on natural paths as I am not sure if I can face much more sendas.

I am feeling good, tired but good. The albergue is nice, decent facilities and it seems clean enough despite sleeping 142. I think I will give myself another lower limb massage and then head to bed for about 8pm. Only 12 days till I reach Santiago, crazy.

Proud of myself after todays long walk. Very happy too.