Another Day In Paradise

CAMINO FRANCÉS – Day 16: Thursday 24 April 2025 – FRÓMISTA to CARRIÓN de los CONDES (19 [+6] kilometres)

Resting overnight in a smart hotel, possibly the most spacious and comfortable of my journey so far, I took the decision to make a later start to today’s shorter walk, and to avail myself of the fine buffet breakfast on offer. This proved to be a smart move, as my tardy departure, plus my decision to opt for the longer but more scenic riverside route, as opposed to the main Camino path, meant that I got the former almost to myself for three hours of my walk this morning. A change indeed from the sociability of yesterday on the trail.

There are some less than glamorous sections of the Camino Francés that are referred to as ‘soulless sendas’ or ‘pilgrim autopistas’ in my guidebook; wide gravel paths that run alongside main roads. Most of today’s section of the way falls into this category, but there are other options. So after reaching the small town of Población de Campos via one such senda, and about an hour or so into my walking day, I turned off the main Camino route and onto a diversion route alongside the Rio Ucieza – and what a great call this proved to be. The remainder of my morning, and into the lunchtime period, was spent alone in the quiet of the valley, with just the babbling of the Ucieza, the call of songbirds, and the buzzing of a million insects (thankfully non-biting) for company. I studied the sky – clear blue today, with not a trace of a vapour trail to be seen; no traffic noise, no wind in the trees to rustle the leaves: not even fences, telegraph poles nor power lines, and so no tangible signs of modern-day living, save a few irrigation dykes. I decided to mute my phone, leaving it untouched (except for taking the occasional photo of course), and choosing not to check the time, my distance, nor any other function. So as the device slept, no doubt continuing to keep time, count my steps, and do all the other smart and scary things for which it is programmed, I took myself off into another bygone world. Three hours of bliss that saw uncounted kilometres slip by with little effort.

Today’s was a modest walk in terms of distance, at least by the standards of this Camino pilgrimage, but it was another unique section of the journey, into an oasis of calm. Suffice to say that normality was soon to be restored, via a convivial lunch and with post-walk drinks at our destination – and my phone is now back on full volume.

In choosing my Blog heading today, ‘Another Day In Paradise’ I have not only copied the lines of Phil Collins’ 1989 single, but I have also massively misinterpreted the focus of his lyrics. Collins wrote the number as a protest song, lamenting the plight of the homeless and society’s avoidance of their strife, with the reference to ‘paradise’ intended as an ironic counterpoint. The song appeared as the lead single from Collins’ fourth studio album ‘But Seriously’, written during a hiatus in the artist’s work with his band Genesis, and it became the final No 1 hit of the 1980s (and the first of the 1990s) on the US Singles Chart, whilst reaching No 2 in the UK.