Camino Francés 2025: Day 10: Belorado to Atapuerca

Today departed at 7.00 am and it was only 30 km—but no joke, it was much easier than yesterday.

I met Nelson, originally from Brazil, about 1 km outside Belorado (today’s starting point), and we walked and chatted for most of the day. We hit it off really well. He’s lived and worked in the US for many years and now lives in Philadelphia.

Ron and Mark left before me this morning and still made it to the hostel ahead of me—they’ve really picked up the pace.

The weather was overcast for most of the morning, but the sun came out around 1 p.m., and it started to get hot. Cloudy and cool is so much better for walking!

The terrain started off with farmland, and after about 10 km, we began to climb into forested areas for the next 15 km. Then we descended again, and the final 5 km were back through agricultural fields.

Nelson and I stopped for lunch and met up with Pascal and Astrid—we took some photos together.

After arriving at the albergue, I showered and went out for a beer. I spent most of the evening with Ron and Mark, but also had a good chat with Astrid. She’s finishing the Camino and heading to Crete for three weeks. I asked if she was retired—she said no. She worked for three years in Germany at half pay, and now she’s still technically employed, still getting half pay, but doesn’t have to work.