Camino Natural Via de la Plata

3 November 2023

Alba de Tormes to Salamanca - 25 kms

Today was an extension of our Caminos Teresianos. While we could have taken a bus to Salamanca for a few Euros we decided that we would walk on the Camino Natural Via de la Plata, thereby extending our Caminos Teresianos for another day.

The path we walked on was a disused rail trail, much like the Otago Rail Trail, which took us from Alba de Tormes to the outskirts of Salamanca, through countryside which St Teresa would have travelled through. 

It was a hard walk. The trail itself is easy with gentle gradients, but what made it hard was the weather - constant strong, side-on, wind carrying very cold needles of rain. 

We walked through farmland and massive areas of holm oaks which were large pig rearing stations. It is first time we've seen pigs - large dark skinned Iberian pigs - grazing beneath the trees, eating the acorns - apparently this results in great hams.

One point of interest, especially to Jeff, was that we walked through, or past, Los Arapiles - two hills on which the Battle of Arapiles was carried out 22 July 1812. 

The British and their allies - the Spanish, Portuguese and Germans - led by the Duke of Wellington, had their artillery on Lesser Arapiles with their troops amassed where we stood on the trail, and Napoleon's French troops had their artillery on Greater Arapiles with their troops behind. Wellington's troops won. More than 100,000 soldiers on both sides took part in the battle. 

It was very easy for us to imagine the fierce fighting, and the noise of the battle, as we were experiencing our own battle - only ours was against extreme winds, stronger than before, and heavy sharp cold rain. The roar of the battle was replaced by the roar of the wind. Visibility was poor, otherwise we would have climbed the hill to see the battle monument.  

In short time after leaving the battle site though, the rain stopped - but not the wind. We struggled the whole way to Salamanca. Our walk was invigorating but, at same time, very wearying. We were happy with our decision to walk though. 

The Camino Natural Via de la Plata trail stopped at the outskirts of Salamanca and we still had several kilometres to walk into the centre.

Jeff walking through Santa Teresa Plaza, leaving Alba de Tormes. 

It was cold.

A statue of St Teresa outside the Basilica de Santa Teresa. The build started in the 1898 but has never progressed far. It was stopped during WWI and later due to the lack of finance and it looks as though it hasn't been touched for many years. 

Walking across the rio Tormes. 

Looking back to Alba de Tormes 

And off we went on the Camino Natural Via de la Plata.

 

The wind made for hard work the whole way. 

At one stage the sun almost broke through bit not for long. 

Me looking my best - wearing my buff for the first time. Both of us wore our wind and rainproof gloves over our possum merino gloves for the first time too. They were needed!

Iberian pigs among the holm oaks. 

One of the pig stations. 

Graffiti exists everywhere. 

Another huge pig station.

Jeff reading one of the many information boards along the way. 

Los Arapiles where the Battle of Arapiles was carried out. 

A plaque in Alba de Tormes about the battle.

Standing where the British and their allies were amassed. Jeff said to smile but this was all I could muster. It was bitterly cold and wet and the wind was howling. Note my overgloves - they were brilliant. 

This was taken not far from Los Arapiles. The rain had stopped - for a while - but not the wind. The very outer suburbs of Salamanca came into view but we still had 10 to 11 kilometres to walk.

Finally we could see the cathedral spires - we had almost an hour and a half of walking from here with the wind making very slow going. 

And on we went. 

At long last we were almost in the city centre. 

And a few random photos taken an hour or so later while on our way to a supermarket: