The Camino Francés

The Ermita of San Nicolás, like the ruins of San Anton before Castrojeriz, has a long history of taking care of pilgrims. Both stand on their own far from towns and as a result, they don’t necessarily get the amount of traffic they deserve. Perhaps that is for the best as pilgrims often claim them to be the most memorable albergues along the way.

Crossing the Puente Fitero brings you into the province of Palencia. The bridge here has survived the years but others to the south have long since disappeared, taking with them the pilgrims whose commerce helped to build several uncharacteristically large churches along the way.

If you are up for a detour those of Santoyo (Iglesia de San Juan, with beautiful organ) and Támara de Campos (Iglesia de San Hipolito) are among the best. To get there, follow the P-432 west from Boadilla, and turn left onto the P-431 (which comes south from Frómista). The trip there is about 12km (visiting both locations), and 7km straight back to Frómista.

Palencia also marks the start of a region known as Tierra de Campos, and the wide expanses of the meseta seem to magnify here.

The Iglesia parroquial de San Pedro Apóstol (at the entrance to town) has an image of Santiago Peregrino.

We can learn a bit about the name of the town, the name of the river, and the word for the stones that mark the camino. They all derive from hito (Fitero, Itero, and hito), which describes a stone that has been driven into the ground, and which is used to indicate a frontier or boundary.

The fields surrounding Boadilla are dotted with adobe palomares (dovecotes). Find your way towards one and explore the interior, which holds thousand of niches.

Adjacent to the town square is the Romanesque Iglesia de la Asunción and a well preserved Rollo de Justicia, a 15th century stone column to which criminals were chained while their punishments were meted out.

The best albergue in town (also in the square) is worth a visit even if you don’t plan to stay there. Behind the unpretentious walls is a garden oasis complete with a pool and art.

Frómista is the southernmost city along the Camino Francés and the epicenter of wheat growing in Spain. Its rises and falls over the centuries were finally steadied with the arrival of the canals in the late 18th century; they brought proper irrigation and an abundant source of power for mills.

In the center of town sits the Iglesia de San Martín, which underwent a rather unfortunate renovation in the 19th century. In the process, many of the more artistic elements were removed for reasons of decency. Quite a few decorated capitals make for an interesting, if not amusing, visit. Two other churches, San Pedro and Santa María del Castillo, are generally open to the public.

‌ALTERNATE ROUTE to Villalcázar, via Villovieco

The camino follows the road out of Población, over the bridge and along the same type of path that brought you into town. This alternative route bypasses the next two towns (Revenga and Villarmentero) and follows a quieter trail alongside the river.

To follow this detour stay on to the right through Población de Villavieco (NICE BAR) keeping on the north side of the river and passing through Villovieco. In Villovieco you cross the bridge and turn to the right and follow the river (or carry on straight and rejoin the camino in Vilarmenteros, which has been paralleling this one along the road). If you turn right, the waymarking is hard to see but you can hardly get lost as the trail stays adjacent to the river until you get to a crossroad (P-981) and a weathered ermita. Turn left on the road and into Villacázar de Sirga.

The Iglesia de Santa María la Blanca dominates the hillside of Villálcazar. Its appearance, that of a church/fortress, can be attributed to having belonged to the Knights Templar. King Alfonso X claimed that the White Virgin here had cured pilgrims, she is still there if you are in need of a miracle.

The Café Bar España serves as the local bus stop, should you find yourself in need of motorized transport inquire at the bar for schedules.

Calzadilla’s Iglesia de San Martín, possibly the least visited church along the camino, has a generous display of crosses of Santiago.

The best, and most creative, menu in town is at Los Canarios.

Moratinos has seen its share of pilgrims over the years and is currently undergoing what can be described as a slow renaissance. The hillside is chock full of hobbit holes, specially built to store large barrels of wine.