Leon Province

I had thought that the mad separatists of Spain were confined to Catalonia and the Basque country; I was not entirely surprised to find that Galicia also has separatist tendencies, but was amazed to find that even Leon wants out of Castilla...and that the Bierzo, a miniscule area straddling the border of Galicia and Leon also wants to make its own way in the world. Of course nobody would conclude that the separatist sentiment is proportional to the level of graffiti, but I do wonder just how many of the locals are in the least bit interested. I had not realised just how quickly the Meseta, the relatively flat, sparsely populated plateau of Castilla, ends in the mountains on the edge of Galicia, much to my discomfort as I was walking at the time! As with the rest of Castilla, more than enough culture with amazing architecture from Romanesque to Gaudi with plenty of Gothic masterpieces thrown in, the usual excellent food and wine and hotels including the spectacular Parador in Leon.

Leon	Astorga	Ponferrada	Cacabelos

Camino 25	Villafranca	Camino 26