Zamora to Tábara - (electric wheelchair style)

My albergue in Zamora was fantastic. Siting on a hill and built right into the rock face this historic building is not suited to wheelchairs. Resigned to the idea of needing a hotel the volunteer staff managed to open a side entrance that was accessible for me and gave me an otherwise empty room with my own bathroom. What luxury. Lovely volunteer staff selflessly donate time to facilitate the Camino. It makes me think I would like to do this service if my Spanish was ever up to it. 

Big day for me today. Avoiding otherwise impassable sections I have cut the corner onto the Camino Sanabrés. The usual path leaves Zamora heading north, stopping in both Montamarta and Granja de Moreruela where you chose to either continue north to Astorga picking up the Camino Francés, or take the Camino Sanabrés, a more direct route heading northwest. I managed to string what would normally be three, one day sections together and am in Tàbara on the Camino Sanabrés. 

The terrain has changed since Zamora. I think the altitude is less and the huge monotone Meseta like fields are smaller. The villages I pass are reminiscent of those tiny French villages that are fast becoming deserted.

I stopped for coffee in Montamarta and found a bikers cafe called “Ruta 66” playing terrible 70’s music. The boss gave me a “route 66” sticker for my wheels.

My new batteries are behaving well. My journey today was meant to be 46km but with detours a stops it was probably more. I finished with 3 bars out of 8 remaking on my battery indicator. At a push, with ideal conditions and without the extra weight of a bag, I could maybe get 70 km?

Tàbara is a small unremarkable town whose economy I imagine is mainly agricultural. Huge tractors rumble past on the roads doing what must be 80kmh. It has a small church, a plaza, a leafy park and 2 albergues. Either Im in the wrong one or I’m the only one on Camino today. My lodgings adjoin a hotel which has a popular local restaurant. I shared lunch with municipal workers in brightly coloured safety jackets. 

I plan to link sections together tomorrow. This part of the Vía de la Plata jumps across various hills and valleys approaching Galicia. To save on the hilly bits which eat batteries I am loosely following the route of the high speed railway line that was only finished in 2021. Trains traveling at over 300 km/h fly by as I trundle along at 12 Km/h