Day 7 - 21.1km - Torres del Rio to Legrono

We set out from Torres del Rio along now familiar paths and tracks, however Niks ankle and lower leg were still causing pain and discomfort.

Throughout the morning we walked toward the town of Viana. A spot where a lot of pilgrims stop over to break up long days of walking. This however was not our destination of the day and we continued through the vineyards of Riojas wine producers until we reached the city of Legrono - a town of about 150k population that sits on the river Ebro.

We kept going until we arrived at our accomodation not long before its opening time of 1pm.

We checked into what appeared the most basic of our accomodations to date. Around 24 beds in one room with a small bathroom of the side housing two loo's and two showers.

After long conversations throughout the walk we had agreed on arrival to go to A and E to get Niks ankle checked out. Waiting for the taxi and heading to the hospital was emotional and trying. This could be the end of the journey for Nik and I don't know how I would feel faced with the decision to continue solo or head home with him.

The Hospital was Great. 10 minutes to "check in" going through paperwork and the E111 checks to ensure he had cover and we were straight into a triage. Blood pressure, heart rate monitor and a good session of Google translate to explain the issue and we went to a waiting room with a ticket. Here we go. 4 hours of waiting like back home.....

Nope. 10 minutes. Bing, ticket 66b to consultation room 4.

The doctors English was far better than our Spanish. Socks and shoes off and a couple minutes of prodding later and we get the confirmation that the problem is with Niks Achilles. However as we have 25+ days of walking the doctor isn't sure of a recommendation. Back to the waiting room.

10 minutes. Bing, ticket 66b to consultation room 4.

Apprehension was clear for us both as we walked the corridor waiting to see what would happen.

The doctor gave Nik a prescription. She said we could continue, BUT, if after the 6 days of prescription the injury is not better. STOP. If the injury worsens. STOP. And either way. Shorter and slower days.

Taxi back to our latest gaff via the pharmacy. And straight to the bar next door. We had a beer, and some calamari. We can continue. It was all we needed to hear and were relieved.

We planned our trip for tomorrow. A much shorter 12km which will probably be our distance for the next few days to allow a recovery.

We went for that greatest of moments. The hot shower. They were cold. It's just one of those days.....

In other news, stupid news at that I started my 100 push ups a day in may for cancer research. Link to support below. So throughout the days we will now have plenty more shorter breaks whilst I stop and make some other muscles ache.

After cleaning up we headed into Legrono where we found a nice table to people watch with a lady playing accordian nearby and enjoyed a cold beer before getting some Italian food and heading back home.

An emotional day. But we are still walking. The mental anxiety relaxed somewhat, but still some difficult days ahead. We will go slow and we will rest. Together we will get to the end.

Buen Camino Pilgrims.