We got off to a rather late start, I think about 10 o’clock by the time we got going.

The weather is really starting to warm up.

For us it was a full day, 21 kilometers.

We passed through some really interesting villages along the way, particularly Grañón. I remembered that if you asked for a French tortilla, that you actually get a normal style omelette rather than a Spanish tortilla. So we had a delicious cheese and ham omelette for our second breakfast.

As the sun climbed and it got hotter, the day got a little bit harder.

The last 8 kilometers into Belorado was particularly warm and sticky, with the feet starting to hurt.

But I’m very proud of the way that Pat is coping with the distances. And 20 to 22 kilometers seems like possibility in most days for us for now on.

The trekking umbrellas are proving to be a godsend. The last few hours into Belorado without them would have been much more tiring. Not only did we find that they are great sun protection, and that they really allow you to feel a lot cooler under the umbrella, but they certainly cut down on the water consumption as well.

See Full Gallery: Santo Domingo to Belorado