Well, today was the big 25km! (Big for us anyway, haha!). And boy, did we find it tough! Casa Rural Mercedes Etxea was amazing and Mercedes - the owner - is lovely! I could probably have spent another night there, but we need to get a wriggle on! We decided to leave a bit earlier, to try and stay one step ahead, so to speak, and to pace ourselves. The day before we originally arrived into Bilbao it was 40°, due to the heatwave Spain has been suffering from. Since we've been walking though, up until yesterday, it's been a lot better, hovering between 17 and 23°. However, the news has been reporting that the heatwave is returning this week, with yesterday and today being at least in the upper 20s, if not touching 30° at times. And it's due to be hotter tomorrow, then progressively more so after that! So we're glad that we're coming to the end of the walking before that happens, and feel very fortunate that our Camino fell within this temporary dip in the temperature! It's been really tough on the feet today, partly due to the distance, partly due to the fact we've walked 9 days solid without a real rest, partly the heat, partly the terrain (either gravel paths or asphalt), and partly due to us carrying a little extra weight (some food and lots of water. Plus I'm carrying a bottle of wine that Mercedes gave us in Kripan, from her family's vineyard!) I now hate the evil gravel paths so much I've started referring to them as 'Jimmy Gravill'!! XD Our first stop was at a conveniently placed picnic area on the side of the road. Although we'd only done 3.5kms we decided to take advantage of it. Our next stop, La Guardia, was so stunning we stayed for a couple of hours and had lunch in a medieval restaurant - which was nice! When we stumbled across some bronze sculptures of shoes and handbags we realised that we've actually visited this town before. Then came a long, 10km trek across to La Puebla de Labarca, so we were on the lookout for a stopping place around halfway. As if by magic, there happened to be a derelict, small building of some kind next to the vinyards, with vines all over it. We stopped here and discovered a bunch of the most amazing tasting white grapes hanging right next to us. It was destiny! Following a further 6km in the hottest part of the day, we finally reached La Puebla de Labarca and found a bar to rest at. Approximately 45 minutes later it was time to take on the final 4km stretch to Fuenmayor. It really hurt to put the boots back on. This was so tough, especially the last 100 metres or so, to the Pensión Ubéda, our stay for tonight. Both of our feet were in agony as we limped our way to the hotel. It's a faceless affair, with a door code for entry, provided earlier by the owners. The rooms are very basic, but we don't mind as it's just one night. The biggest issue is the lack of soundproofing, as we can hear our neighbour's TV and Incessant coughing over the top of our TV! Once inside our room we both immediately threw off our boots and collapsed on the bed!! An hour later we hobbled to a supermarket around the corner to get some food, then ate in our room. Tomorrow, Logroño!

Hiking/Backpacking

Arabako Errioxa/Rioja Alavesa, Autonomous Community of the Basque , Spain

time : Sep 16, 2025 9:30 AM

duration : 9h 39m 14s

distance : 25.2 km

total_ascent : 428 m

highest_point : 761 m

avg_speed : 3.7 km/h

user_id : fineartjones

user_firstname : Neil

user_lastname : Jones

Well, today was the big 25km! (Big for us anyway, haha!). And boy, did we find it tough! Casa Rural Mercedes Etxea was amazing and Mercedes - the owner - is lovely! I could probably have spent another night there, but we need to get a wriggle on! We decided to leave a bit earlier, to try and stay one step ahead, so to speak, and to pace ourselves. The day before we originally arrived into Bilbao it was 40°, due to the heatwave Spain has been suffering from. Since we've been walking though, up until yesterday, it's been a lot better, hovering between 17 and 23°. However, the news has been reporting that the heatwave is returning this week, with yesterday and today being at least in the upper 20s, if not touching 30° at times. And it's due to be hotter tomorrow, then progressively more so after that! So we're glad that we're coming to the end of the walking before that happens, and feel very fortunate that our Camino fell within this temporary dip in the temperature! It's been really tough on the feet today, partly due to the distance, partly due to the fact we've walked 9 days solid without a real rest, partly the heat, partly the terrain (either gravel paths or asphalt), and partly due to us carrying a little extra weight (some food and lots of water. Plus I'm carrying a bottle of wine that Mercedes gave us in Kripan, from her family's vineyard!) I now hate the evil gravel paths so much I've started referring to them as 'Jimmy Gravill'!! XD Our first stop was at a conveniently placed picnic area on the side of the road. Although we'd only done 3.5kms we decided to take advantage of it. Our next stop, La Guardia, was so stunning we stayed for a couple of hours and had lunch in a medieval restaurant - which was nice! When we stumbled across some bronze sculptures of shoes and handbags we realised that we've actually visited this town before. Then came a long, 10km trek across to La Puebla de Labarca, so we were on the lookout for a stopping place around halfway. As if by magic, there happened to be a derelict, small building of some kind next to the vinyards, with vines all over it. We stopped here and discovered a bunch of the most amazing tasting white grapes hanging right next to us. It was destiny! Following a further 6km in the hottest part of the day, we finally reached La Puebla de Labarca and found a bar to rest at. Approximately 45 minutes later it was time to take on the final 4km stretch to Fuenmayor. It really hurt to put the boots back on. This was so tough, especially the last 100 metres or so, to the Pensión Ubéda, our stay for tonight. Both of our feet were in agony as we limped our way to the hotel. It's a faceless affair, with a door code for entry, provided earlier by the owners. The rooms are very basic, but we don't mind as it's just one night. The biggest issue is the lack of soundproofing, as we can hear our neighbour's TV and Incessant coughing over the top of our TV! Once inside our room we both immediately threw off our boots and collapsed on the bed!! An hour later we hobbled to a supermarket around the corner to get some food, then ate in our room. Tomorrow, Logroño!