Holm oaks are scattered across the yellow grass, with cows grazing between the trunks. That is how the day begins: spacious, open and quiet. You walk along wide tracks. The difference in height is small, and overall you mostly lose altitude.
You will be on the road for a good six hours, and it is mainly the distance that counts. Shade is scarce, so the sun sets your pace. Then Salamanca appears ahead. You cross the Tormes by the Roman bridge, with the cathedrals in warm sandstone rising above you. A city worth pausing in. Behind you lie the oaks and the wide fields, golden in the late light.