The Big Walk

Festival Night – Day 50

October 2nd, 2008 Posted in Hold the Heights, Spain

Sallent has the most incredibly beautiful setting of forest, river and mountains and also many fine old buildings, but it’s becoming an increasingly important tourist centre and there are many cranes and construction sites; it feels like its charms could be gone in a few more years. We have the indignity of having to leave the hotel and move onto the packed-out campsite – it seems there’s going to be a big music festival starting here tomorrow which is why we couldn’t get a room. It’s slightly worrying that crowds of youths are walking up to the site, laden down with huge crates of lager. Still, we need the relaxation time.

The post office doesn’t sell any packing materials so we have to raid a dustbin for old sheets of cardboard, making a box to post camera films and San Fermin outfits back home. By the time we’re back on the campsite, there’s barely room to move for all the canvas and guylines. We crawl into our tent and try to sleep, surrounded by thousands of happy, hippy teenagers sitting around drinking red wine and coke mixed together (a favourite of Spanish youngsters) and playing guitars. All night long. It’s like turning up, by chance, at Glastonbury and hoping for a quiet night.

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