Alcantara

The pilgrim hostal by the reservoir is a strange creation. A gargantuan square pile of concrete, it does indeed look like it was dropped here from Mars, as one of the my fellow pilgrims remarked.

Of course it's not helped by the fact the landscape of the reservoir itself has an alien feel to it. Submerged valleys that were never lakes appear odd to the human eye, as the natural form of the landscape is inverted. And it's worse when the reservoir is half full, leaving a dead section of ground exposed above the water line.

However, despite all that the hostal is extremely comfortable, and the breakfast is marvellous (the only question mark is over the pre-made coffee that needs to be heated up in the microwave...)

Today I'm off to the bright lights of the big town of Caceres, 30 km from here. Once again it's overcast, and fresh. I'm being ridiculously lucky with the weather for walking. Long may it continue, although at this rate I'll arrive in Tarifa with a tan like I've spent the summer in Scotland.

PS That's No-Name, the resident dog, in the photo. He turned up here one day, blind in one eye and limping, probably as a result of a beating from his owner. He's been adopted by the pilgrims, and now lives here. He's very friendly, although still very nervous, unsurprisingly after what's happened to him. Last night, when the pilgrims had all gone to bed I was sitting outside looking up at the stars and he came and lay next to me in a very peaceful, companionable way. His trick worked of course, as this morning a fair few bits of breakfast ended up finding their way to him.