Day 7 – Los Arcos to Viana – 18.6km

7.15am A bad night. The involuntary sleep study I carried out on the rather portly South African chap in the next bunk revealed a severe case of Sleep Apnoea. During the course of this prolonged study I observed that at the end of every 10th apnoeic episode he would emit a little groan and there followed a startlingly loud expulsion of intestinal gas. I have never come across this in the text books. I must have a chat with my Respiratory colleagues at Chorley Hospital when I get home as I think there’s a research paper in this.

The bunk above him was occupied by an Irishman named Eugene , who appeared to be suffering with night terrors. I had a long chat with him yesterday as he’s quitting the Camino after 8 days with severe foot pain. I diagnosed Plantar Fasciitis and offered to supply him with something from my mobile pharmacy but he politely declined.

I had breakfast with Eugene and the verbiose South African. He revealed to us that he is doing The Camino because he has a serious gambling addition . Judging by his choice of breakfast ( two double brandies ) the poor chap would seem to have more than one addiction.

4.00pm Decided to stop at Viana as I liked the feel of the town. I walked most of the way with Ian from Tallaght , Dublin who was great company. He had me in stitches repeating some sketches done by an Irish comedian who I´d never heard of before named David McSavage . Once again we walked through some rolling hills and an arable landscape.

I´ve booked in to a very basic Refugio next to the Viana Iglesia de Santa Maria. It´s small ( 15 places ) and we all sleep on mats in the same room . The couple from Germany I walked with the other day are here as well as a lady from Mexico who has walked from Le Puy in France. There is also a funny little fellow from Barcelona who is walking with his daughter and is never without a cigarette in his mouth. There are many nationalities here on The Camino. I´d say around 50% are Spanish with a good proportion from France , Germany and Italy. I’ve only met two from the UK so far but fortunately the lingua franca of the pilgrims appears to be English.

I guess that we are walking through the heart of what would be called ” real ” Spain . Very few of the locals seem to speak English and the towns and villages tend to have a very old centre with narrow medieval streets and squares. We passed through a village named Torres del Rio today which had a beautiful 12th C Church , Iglesia de Santo Sepulcro , which is linked with the Knights Templar and based on the Octagonal church of The Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.