Casa Rural El Brocal

Rafael and Rosa can explain the area in detail, and Rafael cooks enormous portions that were just the thing before another day on the Camino. I stayed at casa rural El Brocal on May 14 and 15 and thoroughly enjoyed it. A great highlight of my Camino so far, and a wonderful alternative to albergues and hotels!

There were five of us, and we all really enjoyed staying at El Brocal Fresno de Rodilla, just outside Atapuerca. Having our own living area gave us room to relax and enjoy time to ourselves, while the place still felt like a private home.

I liked it enough to return twice after I’d finished walking the Camino de Santiago. Rosa and Rafa made me feel welcome, and their excellent English meant my mediocre Spanish could take a few nights off. My room was quiet, comfortable and very private, up two flights of stairs. The bed was big, and there was plenty of hot water in the shower. Highly recommended.

The night was so peaceful in this little village that we all slept easily. After breakfast at 7:30, Rafa drove us back to Atapuerca to pick up the Camino again. The location is a few kms off the trail, but Atapuerca has very few places with separate rooms and en suite baths. On 30 April I stayed here with three other Camino hikers. We’d all booked through Camino Ways, though we weren’t traveling as a group. I reached Atapuerca around 4 PM, and two other walkers arrived almost then too. Rosa picked us up within minutes of our call. Her village is right at the end of the road on a ridge overlooking the land we’d just walked. The views were beautiful, with 360 degree panoramas from different spots around the village. My ground floor room was clean and roomy, with a very comfortable firm mattress that felt great after 35 km on foot. My bathroom was across the entryway and wasn’t shared. It was quiet, so I got to nap before dinner. Rafa brought a delicious vegetable soup with leeks, carrots and potatoes, then ham and potatoes with red wine, and flan to finish. We all thought the food was really good. Rosa also helped us book a lunch reservation at Casa Ojeda in Burgos, known for its roasted lamb. Both Rosa and Rafa were attentive and did their best to make everything comfortable and smooth.