Camino de Santiago 11 - Castrojeriz to Carrión de los Condes (Electric wheelchair style)

With beautiful morning light the path ascends back to the high Meseta plateaux

With caution to save on battery I got off and pushed my wheels on the steeper parts of this climb. I don't think this was strictly necessary as I'm sure I would have managed without, but the possibility of  running out of charge is always present when you travel by battery. With an electric bike you can always pedal on or even push it with relative ease. With a 2 wheeled, self-balancing wheelchair, without battery power you are dead in the water. 

There is also an issue with the time it takes to recharge my ultra high capacity batteries. With standard 5.6 Ah lithium batteries the charge time of the Segway that powers my Genny wheelchair is about 8 hours. The ultra high capacity batteries I have fitted are reported to to take 16 hours for a full recharge from empty. As I was planning covering 2 stages to Carrión de los Condes (44km) I thought it wise to preserve capacity where I could

The view back to Castrojeriz was stunning and life felt good to be on the Meseta stages.

Up on the Meseta the landscape was the same with high cereal agriculture, mountains to the north and lovely wildflowers along the path.   

The Way took me to the villages of Itero de la Vega, Boardilla del Camino, Frómista and several smaller villages. The water in the river valleys looked inviting and was always spanned by bridges that are probably Roman in origin

Crossing the rio Pisuerga 

Part of the canal system at Frómista

Storks nest on convenient high perches, in this case the top of a grain silo system  

The latter part of this section runs adjacent to a small road. Lots of pilgrims dislike these sections preferring a more remote path. I'm ok with them, soaking up the warmth and just enjoying the afternoon

 

In Carrión de los Condes I stayed at the Hostel of the Filipense Sisters. The accommodation was €22 with lovely beds, proper sheets and hot showers. Unfortunately it was deserted with no pilgrim merriment. I amused myself eating avocado, cheese, ham and crisps with my feet in the river 

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