Dark pigs snuffle through the dry grass between the holm oaks. That’s how you leave Monesterio, and the landscape doesn’t change much today: wide, open and peaceful.
It’s an easy stage. You descend more than you climb, so the walking comes naturally. There’s not much shade, so the sun is your biggest opponent. Around six hours is very doable if you take it steadily.
Fuente de Cantos is the birthplace of the painter Zurbarán. You walk into town without any fuss and have a long afternoon left. Do make the most of it. Step by step, it all falls into place.