Day 26 Walking The Camino De Santiago – Hospital De Orbigo to Astorga

After one of my most mentally challenging days on the Camino De Santiago yesterday, we had a beautiful stay in Albergue Verde, in Hospital De Orbigo.

It was what I would call a conscious albergue. The hospitalero’s played guitar and sang. We were served the best vegan meal we have had on the Camino De Santiago. The floor was wooden, there was a fire burning and cushions on the floor to sit on, which made it all very comfortable and cosy. Indigo was also given his first lesson in guitar by the hospitalero.

It would have been nice to stay longer, but the next day the weather had picked up and so we headed off in the direction of Astorga.

We had a choice to either go the route of the main road which was flatter and shorter in distance, or we could take the camino into the countryside which was the scenic route and over a big long hill.

I wasn’t sure if I could stay sane with another day of articulated lorries whizzing past me every two seconds. We were also informed by the hospitalero’s that there was a sort of wild eco man that lived along the scenic route and was friendly to passing pilgrims.

The decision was made and we headed off into the hills. The weather picked up and it turned into a beautiful day. As we passed through wooded areas and then past expansie fields, we felt a sense of peace and joy and the realisation that we were in paradise.

We had walked over 10km without seeing another pilgrim or anyone for that matter, not even a house. Then in the distance as we walked to the crest of a hill we saw a strange site!

It seemed to be a stall that you would see in a fair. Maybe a mirage…I was feeling a little dehydrated. As we neared the stall, we could see that it was real. in the middle of nowhere, beside an old dilapidating barn was this stall painted rainbow like and filled with all sorts of organic goodies, such as tahini, orange juice, homemade bread, jams, fresh fruits a selection of herbal teas and more.

There was a sign to say that everything was free and that this was our home. there was also some shelter made from plastic, wood and blankets up against the side of the barn. there was a stove and fire in there, a bed and sofa to sit on.

We took something to eat and drink, left a donation and sat down and made ourselves at home. At that moment David the eco wild man we had heard of appeared carrying two large containers of water he had been to collect.

He was not as we had expected. I had an image of Grizzly Adams in my head when I first heard about him, but David was clean shaven with short well kept hair and he wore regular clothes.

He greeted us with a hug and made us feel right at home. He was dripping in sweat after walking afew kilometres to collect water.

David had lived here On the Camino for over 3 years, with no running water or electricity or toilet. he was completeely off grid. He survived on the donation people left as payment for his hospitality and once a week he would walk into town which was 6 kilometres away to pick up more supplies.

After walking the Camino De Santiago a number of years ago David decided to stay and completely detach from society. He seemed to be in his late thirties to me. He said that he had spent time in India in meditation. He spoke about himself in the third person, and he was really living the life of an Indian style guru.

David said that he had no plans to leave and that was his home for as long as god wished him to be there for. I can imagine in years to come, David becoming more and more well known and attracting followers or a community and people seeing him as a spiritual guru who has denounced the material plain.

We were very glad to meet David on the Camino. He certainly enriched our lives and made the rest of our days walk to Astorga that much more enjoyable.

P.S.We are able to take a month out to walk the camino as we earn a passive residual income online. Want to do the same? Just click below to find out more.