Torrijos to Escalona - Caminata fronteriza!

Just when you think ‘I’ve got this sorted’ the Camino disrupts. Today was to be a quiet steady pleasant walk in the sunshine, and it was - almost.
I saw a clear blue sky from my room this morning. Wonderful! Mid-high 20s - and a shorter day - maybe 7 hours walking all up. Vamos Miguel!
I am so grateful to have been walking through Spanish towns over the period of Corpus Christi.  You can feel the community spirit.
Town halls are a part of that.. These buildings are focal points for the community - and for the pilgrims like me. ‘Help - I am a peregrino - is there a place I can stay tonight?’

But sometimes local planning goes wrong. The next village has an almost complete housing development.

The town square is impressive - with a town hall

The local bar was vibrant and welcoming. I am coming to enjoy walking in and seeing locals  think ‘Who is that? Must be a Pilgrim’ and then ordering in sort of Spanish, and having people answer and smile back. Many strike up a conversation.  I love it!.

Then it was off to the next town. I crossed the freeway bridge.

Then the path seemed to disintegrate. Signs and arrows disappeared, or be in conflict with what my app was saying. No matter -  I had an idea of the direction so I went with the flow and took pictures of flowers (that would become weeds) . . . 
and frogs - that have appeared out of nowhere since the recent rain.
Bet you’ve never seen a Camino frog before! Problem was the recent rain left residual mud which clung to my boots and needed to be removed.
It’s lunchtime - must be time for a castle.

Maqueda was my halfway point. I stopped, had some water, nuts, dried fruit and a bit of chocolate for lunch. Still feeling chilled and relaxed.  Walking out of town, the landscape looked somewhat Martian.

Then the path turned to custard.
The Friends of the Camino guide and the Buen Camino app said it was there - but it wasn’t - Or maybe it used to be. Surely a local farmer could mow it once every couple of years or so - or am I being too precious? Frontier walking - Caminata fronteriza!  

The only option was to walk in the ploughed field next to the official path - and sink every step.

Eventually, back on the path, another roadblock
Too shallow to swim - too deep to splash across. Sideways was the only option - but through this?

Sancho and I made it, but we got hacked. Undergrowth rife with prickles.

Hang on - this was supposed to be a serene afternoon walk.  The Camino surprises in very strange ways. Coming into town, I met two young boys on scooters. 
Are you doing the Camino de Santiago? they asked . I replied - ‘Yes, I am and I’m from Australia’. ‘Australia?’ They spoke a little English and I spoke a little Spanish. They gave me a thumbs up and a knuckle handshake (?) . They could not have been more than 9 or 10. They lifted my spirits immensely. They will do the Camino for sure.
Their inspiration came just  in time -  I needed to climb toward the castle to reach my destination.

 Not this bar - a very comfortable Casa Rural not far away - and well - yes - it’s a great  bar too.

I have done a lot of Camino walking, but never had to hack my way through like I did today. It was real ‘frontier Camino-walking’. 

You never know what the Camino is going to throw at you.