Hornillos del Camino

The entire village is essentially one street, the Calle Real, and the Camino runs right through it. This is a classic Meseta village: stone houses, a church at one end, fields stretching to the horizon in every direction. Walk the street slowly and notice the carved doorways, the old stone crosses, and the way the light falls in the late afternoon. There is nothing to do here, and that is exactly the point.

A simple Gothic church at the end of the village with a striking stone facade. The interior is modest but the carved doorway and the quiet churchyard are worth a few minutes. If the door is open, step inside for a moment of cool silence after the exposed Meseta walking.

Hornillos sits on an open plateau and the sunsets here are spectacular. The sky stretches in every direction with nothing to interrupt the view. Walk to the edge of the village after dinner, face west, and watch the colours change. These Meseta sunsets are one of the unexpected gifts of the Camino.

There are a couple of simple bars and restaurants in Hornillos that serve hearty pilgrim menus. The food is no-nonsense Castilian cooking: bean stew, grilled meat, bread, and wine. After 20 km of flat, exposed walking, a three-course meal for 10 to 12 euros feels like a small miracle.