Day 23: Tuesday 1 October.
Villaviciosa to Deva: 21km.
I made coffee just after 6 am and we lay in bed drinking it and reading. An hour later I had Radio 4 on the iPad again and got up to date with the news on the Today programme while we packed. The breakfast in the dining room was good, fruit juice, fresh coffee, toast and jam, and croissants. We could have had raw figs but they looked a bit risky. There was a French chap there who had started walking from La Rochelle and the Aussie came down as we were getting ready to go. The guy doing the breakfast gave me a card for an hotel in Gijon where we are heading, he said it was about E5 more expensive than the Carlos, that will be all right for us. It should be easy to find, it's opposite the main railway station.
It was still not light when we left at 8 am but the arrows out of town were easy to spot and it was more or less a straight road. The weather wasn't looking very good and soon it began to rain, so it was on with the jackets, they were on and off all day with very changeable conditions; sometimes heavy rain, other times sunny blue skies and everything in between. Initially the path, a wide gravel one, ran alongside the Rio Valdedios then on to tar to reach the village of Casquita where the route split. The left hand one was the Camino Primativo to Oviedo while we went right on the Camino de la Costa to Gijon.
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| Clumps of tall grasses |
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| Clouds and peaks |
At Peon we stopped and sat on a wall for lunch, it had been another two hours hard walking and also time for a rest. The next hill, Alto del Infanzon, wasn't as high as the previous one but just as steep and relentless; we just got it over a bit quicker, 45 minutes. We were hampered again on the climb by another shower of rain and sweating under our waterproof jackets. Over the top there was supposed to be our first view of Gijon but initially it was shrouded in mist. As we descended it began to clear and we could make out the tall buildings of a fairly substantial city. It was still some distance to go but it was almost all downhill, some on tar but a lot on nice graded gravel paths.
We were still fully intending to go all the way to Gijon and to the recommended hotel when we came to a campsite at the village of Deva. It had a sign offering accommodation for peregrinos; we decided to have a look. We could have a chalet with 6 bunk beds to share for E5 each or one all to ourselves for E20. We decided to stay and took the exclusive variety. There was a third option of the deluxe with en suite and kitchen for E30 which we thought about but as we didn't have anything to cook, and the shop at the campsite had little to offer food wise, we plumped for the cheaper option and to eat in the camp restaurant. The problem with the restaurant was the price; the ‘menu del dia’ was E15, a bit expensive. Otherwise the chalet was perfect, it was the same as the E5 version with 6 bunk beds but we had it all to ourselves. We had to wash in the shower block but we had an en suite toilet and wash hand basin. After showering I made a cup of tea on the Gaz cooker and we relaxed on an attached deck in the now warm and sunny afternoon.
At 6 pm we went for a short walk to see if there was anything about the area. There were a few houses and we found some restaurants but there was only one open. It looked too classy for us and their 'menu' was E16:50, so it was the campsite meal. When we got back there were a couple of familiar faces, the Aussie lad and our young Spanish friend who translated for us the other day when we got lost on the way to Pinares. They had tied in with a Romanian woman peregrina with red hair and tattoos. They had stopped for a cool drink and were continuing to Gijon. We checked at the restaurant about the time for eating, 7pm, good! and more good news was that the E15 'menu' was for Sundays and Festivals, today it was only E8:50.
At 7 pm we sat down for our dinner. There wasn't any choice but it was quite good. The starter was a bean soup with cockles followed by lamb with roast potatoes. The dessert was cold rice pudding, I ate mine but Moira refused to touch hers. As usual, it included a bottle of red wine. The trouble with these meals is that the portions are so big and we aren't used to three courses so end up feeling full and bloated. I don't think we are losing any weight even with all the walking. We got to bed when we returned to the chalet, Moira read while I listened to some music on the iPad. We both slept well, there was a couple of cyclist in the next chalet who woke me when they returned from dinner but after that it was quiet.
Day 24: Wednesday 2 October.
Deva to Aviles: 31 km.
I had a good night's sleep and when I wakened at 6 am I got up and made us both a cup of tea. I worked on my diary and Moira read for an hour then we got up and packed. It was just another cup of tea for breakfast we were still bloated from the big dinner last night. We left at 7:45 am, it was still dark but the sky was clear this morning not overcast as yesterday; we were able to follow the markers easily.
It was more or less downhill all the way to Gijon through the back streets of the
suburbs. There was a magnificent church steeple that dominated these outskirts,
I thought the Camino would detour to visit the church but we passed at some distance. The waymarks were very good and when we got to the tricky bit which is normal in a city centre we were divert to a dual walking cycling track that ran beside the Rio Piles to the beach front. Once there, a broad esplanade went all the way round the bay to the church at the edge of a large round peninsula that projected out at the end of the Playa de San Lorenzo. From this point we weren't sure which way to go, the route was marked with small metal shells in the pavement and difficult to spot at times. While we were deliberating a local tapped me on the shoulder and point the way and that we should follow him. The route he showed us led to a harbour sheltering a marina of cruisers then on to another esplanade above the sands of the Playa de Poniente. We found a ‘paraderia’ and bought a baguette then next door was a supermarket for milk. We were now stocked up for our morning coffee and lunch.
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| Church steeple in the early morning |
I thought the Camino would detour to visit the church but we passed at some distance. The waymarks were very good and when we got to the tricky bit which is normal in a city centre we were divert to a dual walking cycling track that ran beside the Rio Piles to the beach front. Once there, a broad esplanade went all the way round the bay to the church at the edge of a large round peninsula that projected out at the end of the Playa de San Lorenzo. From this point we weren't sure which way to go, the route was marked with small metal shells in the pavement and difficult to spot at times. While we were deliberating a local tapped me on the shoulder and point the way and that we should follow him. The route he showed us led to a harbour sheltering a marina of cruisers then on to another esplanade above the sands of the Playa de Poniente. We found a ‘paraderia’ and bought a baguette then next door was a supermarket for milk. We were now stocked up for our morning coffee and lunch.
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| Playa de Poniente |
The Camino now ran through the suburbs and when we reached a green tree lined park with a cycling path and jogging route we thought we were clear of the city. There we found a bench for a cup of milk coffee to accompany our bread and jam. When we got going again the parkland didn't last long and we were in an industrial area crossing railway lines and busy highways. There were factories belching out steam and smoke and were supplied with some material by a huge long enclosed conveyor coming down from the top of a hill we were about to climb. The hill wasn’t as long as yesterday's but it was steep in places and seemed to turn and find new climbs when you thought you had reached the top. The view of the valley below was dominated by the large factories in the foreground; in the distance we could see the tall buildings of the city. At the summit of the hill we left the tar roads and went on to a wide gravel track, it went for quite a few kilometres on a plateau or just dropping slightly through nice woodland and lush green farmland. Eventually the track began dropping steeply and we were down on a main road again.
It had started to rain slightly after a pleasant morning and there was a bus shelter where we met the road, unfortunately there was somebody there either sheltering from the rain or waiting for a bus so we couldn't use it for lunch. We went to the church across the road and found shelter in a door way to make coffee and have cheese and pâté sandwiches. The rain had gone off when lunch was over and the next 4 km were another pleasant stretch on farm lanes through nice green countryside. After that the route deteriorated badly and the final 9 km were on the AS326 all the way into Aviles. It was fairly busy and there was a warning for the first kilometre being a high accident area. After that there was a broad hard shoulder and for the final 4 km a pavement. We were getting tired as it had been a long hard day, my feet were starting to get sore, and so at Trasona a village about halfway along the road we stopped at a bar for a rest and a beer. That gave us the energy to stride out for the last few kilometres and soon we were in the city centre. The route passed the albergue and we chanced that there wouldn't be any snorers and booked in. It was a bit disconcerting when we selected a bunk where the guy above said we should move further away as he snores. We got as far away as possible; it was a large dorm and hopefully wouldn't hear him. After showering we relaxed on our bunks for half an hour before heading into town for a scout around.
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| How we are beginning to feel! |
As we left across the street there was a pharmacy where we
enquired about ear plugs; they had them and I hope that if there is any noise
or snoring they would drown it out. The street straight over from the albergue
was a pedestrian precinct and started off with a few bars and restaurants. They
seemed to be offering special offers on breakfasts for peregrinos but no
adverts for dinner. We decided to walk on and have a look around. This was the
way out tomorrow and there were shell signs on the walls. This was much better
than in the area coming in where it was all industrial and slums. This was a
mixture of old historic building and modern apartment blocks. As we got near
the centre there was a lack of restaurants and only a Burgher King that was
open for business. We decided to settle for that after a look at the outside of
the outstanding Cathedral. We had second thoughts about Burgher King when we
saw the price of a hamburger, almost E8, we can get a three course 'menu del dia' for that. We
also spotted a pizza joint that was charging an arm and a leg for a pizza. The
decision was to go back to the restaurants at the 'start'. The one we selected
was keen to serve us right away and it was very good, we had salad to start and
the main course was sardines, with the obligatory bottle of wine.
When we got back to the hostel a few more had arrived, the Australian guy whose name is Owen, he was busy making something to eat. I told him that he had been selected to get up and give anyone who snores a shake. Another familiar face was the young Spanish lad who helped us at Pinares with finding our way and who we last saw at the campsite at Deva having a cool drink. His name is Flavia and he seems to have had a disagreement with his father and went off to think things over on the Camino. He has been on the phone to his father and everything is OK again; he has decided to go home to Madrid tomorrow. Someday he will return to finish his pilgrimage.
We got to bed and Moira read while I lay and dozed. I didn't want to try to go to sleep too early but couldn't keep my eyes open. I put in the ear plugs we bought and the next thing I knew it was nearly 2 am when I had to get up to the loo. I hadn't heard anyone getting to bed and if there was any snoring I missed it!
Day 25: Thursday 3 October.
Aviles to San Esteban de
Pravia: 22 km.
I must have slept well last night, partly due to being tired after the long walk and also to the earplugs; if anyone was snoring I didn't hear them, as it was 6:40 am when I wakened. We got up and quietly took all our stuff to the kitchen where we packed and had breakfast. We left as it was getting light at 8am, most of the other peregrinos were still sound asleep. Moira said that some of them were still up at 3 am, maybe having a farewell for Flavia.
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| Aviles Cathedral |
We followed the route we took through the city centre to the Cathedral but we couldn't find any arrows or markers. I asked a woman for the Camino de Santiago but she didn't know; while we were scratching our heads she had gone into a shop and asked the owner for the directions then came back and helped us. We both wondered if a foreigner in Scotland, finding themselves lost, would get the same assistance. Once on track the arrows began appearing thick and fast, we were striding out well, as best as we could, it was a steady uphill. At the top we had a good view back over the city before heading down again on and off a road or mountain track to another industrial town, Salinas. The busy N632 ran through the town and we could have kept on it all the way today but the Camino took us on to back streets and lanes which was preferable.
The profile in the guide book didn't look bad but it depends on the scale being used; what seemed like nice easy inclines turned out to be very steep hills, fortunately not too long. The Spanish when constructing a route over a hill don't go in for zigzags to ease the gradient, they just go straight up. It was undulating most of the day though there were nice stretches of flat off road trails on wide gravel paths that allowed us to speed up and still admire the surrounding countryside. It was again lush green valleys with a perimeter of wooded hills.
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| Reflections in the river |
These hills weren't so big but the mountains of the previous few days were still visible on the horizon. It was surprising when we dropped down at lunch time to the village of Soto del Barco to find how much we had actually climb; the downhill just kept dropping making us glad we weren't coming up that way.
When we did get to the bottom there was a large park with picnic tables, it was a welcome sight, again we were half an hour over schedule for lunch; it is always difficult to find a good spot to stop when you want one. We could see our destination for the night from our lunch stop; it was over the estuary of the Rio Nalon but still an hour away. First the route took us up to a tower that was marked in the guide book but we failed to see it, instead at the top of the climb there was a great view of the estuary and the sea with a long bridge that we would later cross. When we reached the busy N632 again a guy was handing out leaflets for a hotel in El Pitu, dinner bed and breakfast for E25 each, it was tempting but it was another 6 km and we were still tired after yesterday's long trek. We kept on the N632 to the long bridge that we saw from the view point and once across the estuary to the other bank took a detour from the route to the seaside town of San Esteban de Pravia. It was an extra 1.5 km to our Camino but we were in a nice private albergue, Bocamar. We got a room with a double bunk and a single bed for E13 each hoping nobody else would be put in with us. The showers were piping hot and we were feeling fresh and ready to go again now clean and changed.
We wanted first of all to go and find out about a coastal path to El Pitu rather than have to go all the way back to the main road to get on the official route. I was hoping the tourist info would be open; they either close for siesta and reopen at 5 pm or stay open all day and close at 5 pm. We wandered up at 4:30 to catch it both ways but they caught us out again, this one was only open during the holiday season and had shut up shop at the end of September. We met the German woman I spoke to a few nights ago who was arriving and directed her to the albergue. She said there was a description of the coastal route in her guide and we could have a look later. We decided to have a walk along the river side to the beaches that were signposted, it was about a 2 km walk and it was a lovely setting with San Esteban on this side ofthe estuary and the slightly larger town of San Juan de la Arena opposite; it was a bit like the Clyde on a smaller scale with Greenock and Helensburgh opposite each other. There were nice rounded hills behind the towns as well, the ones we had crossed and those still to be tackled.
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| Estuary panorama |
On the way to the restaurant we met Owen and the woman with red hair and tattoos. They were just arriving; they said they had got lost. There was no 'menu del dia' at the restaurant and the prices were crazy, a bottle of the red wine that is usually given away was costing E8, we didn't stay; the other restaurant was the same. We hurried to the supermarket before it closed and bought pasta, tomato purée, and tuna with a couple of oranges for dessert; there a bottle of vino tinto cost under E2. It didn't take long to boil the macaroni on the camping cooker and prepare the pasta dish. It was all right and just the right quantity to keep us going. It was lucky we had the room to ourselves and were able to cook there.
Day 26: Friday 4 October.
San Esteban de Pravia to Soto de Luina: 22 km.
I got up at 6 am and made a cup of tea which we drank in bed. The weather was looking good so we decided to take the coastal route. We had breakfast in our room, bananas and yoghurt, bread with jam and coffee. The packing was done and we set off just after 8 am when it was getting light. It only took about 15 minutes to reach the start of the coastal path at the river's end, so it was roughly a kilometre not two as I had estimated when we walked yesterday. I think we were very tired then and it seemed a lot longer.
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| Early morning coastal view |
From the start there was a long winding stairway to the top of the cliffs but at each turning we were rewarded by stunning views of the coast. These views of rocky promontories, headlands, and small islets and beautiful secluded sandy coves were a feature all along this wonderful route. It was only 4.5 km long but one of the best stretches of the Camino so far. It had been a paved wide path all the way with a few ups and downs meeting the road again at the Playa de Aguilar. This was a magnificent beach and the German lady together with a Swiss mother and daughter who were in the albergue last night had stopped at the tables and chairs of a closed cafe for a break, they had left 10 minutes before us from San Esteban. We were going to walk on but decided that that was a nice convenient spot for our coffee stop as well. The Swiss woman had been in for a swim and not to be outdone I stripped off and went for a dip as sell after getting the cooker going for the coffee. There was nobody about so I had a skinny dip rather than ending up with wet shorts. The water was cold but refreshing; I didn't stay in for long. Once I got back the water hadn't boiled, the Gaz had run out; luckily I had the spare cylinder.
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| Typical sandy cove |
When we got going again the road climbed as usual to the cliff tops and on to the village of El Pitu. It was a fair sized place with a big church and lots of chateau type houses. But there were no shops; we were so busy looking for a ‘panderia’ that we missed our turning. We just about out of the village and the road descending steeply when we realised we had gone wrong, after backtracking for about 500 metres the arrows were again found. The road now climbed up towards the N632 and the A8 motorway. Once we reached the N632 there were two sets of arrows, one was according to our book and went under the motorway and climb over the hill, the other set went parallel with the N632. At this point we met the German and Swiss women, they said that the route by the N632 was easier and shorter, we went that way. After a short distance there was a garage with a shop and they sold bread, which was lunch solved. At a roundabout the nice path running parallel to the road disappeared and we were on the hard shoulder, then the road was closed and a new road, N632A, ran from it directing us to Concho de Ariedo where the other alternative route met up again.
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| A new type of Camino sign |
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| The viaducts |
The river that we had come all the way down to cross was very small and the bridge a dwarf compared with the viaducts high above. The climb started right away but wasn't bad, a steady slog, and at the top we got a view of the valley and the viaducts. The track ran close to the motorway for a while and we saw the sign before the viaduct telling us it was 1200 metres long. The Camino was now undulating on tar and wooded paths with a green valley below. The markings weren't very good here and at times had to take what looked like the most likely route, luckily we picked the right ones. As we negotiated a steep climb to a T-junction we assumed that we turned left to a village on the hill, taking it to be our destination. The arrows pointed the other way. When walking one is afflicted with wishful thinking; at lunch we had 6 km to go and started at 1:30 pm, so at 15 minutes per kilometre we would reach our finish at 3 pm not half an hour earlier. So we still had 30 minutes to go and after a further short climb from the junction it took a path through woodland descending steeply all the way to Soto de Luina.
We were going to go to the albergue but as we entered the town there was a pension that was mentioned in the guide book doing specials for peregrinos, Hostal Paulino. We checked it out and it was E25 for a double room, we decided that would do for us, another night without snoring. After a nice shower we lay on the bed and had a cup of coffee. At 5 pm Moira a went to the supermarket for yoghurt etc. for breakfast, she found a pub that did a menu for peregrinos but it didn't open until 7 pm so wouldn't start cooking for at least an hour after that.
We were going to go there anyway but then the weather changed with a thunder storm and Moira decided she would go to the supermarket and get something to cook, in one pot, on the stove rather than go out later in the wind and rain. She got some chicken breasts and lots of vegetables; we had a lovely chicken stew.
The storm didn't let up much and I didn't venture from the room at all. The village was just a small place with not much happening. After dinner we lay on the beds and listened to music on the iPad
Day 27: Saturday 5 October.
Soto de Luina to Cadavedo: 22 km.
The weather had cleared and the sky was cloudless when we left at 8 am. We had wakened at 6 am as usual and had a cup of coffee in bed before getting up for breakfast and packing.
The route today followed the N632A all the way to Cadavedo. A
lot of the time it was on the road and only went off-road to cut corners. The
parts off road seemed to be seldom used and were over grown in places and the
lack of waymarks made it difficult to follow. We decided to keep on the road
the whole way, it was a good road and very quiet we hardly met any cars but a
lot of cyclists were using it for their weekend outings I think many of the
cars now use the motorway which was always close by or running above as it
crossed the many river valleys with more big viaducts. Shortly after starting
we caught up with the German and Swiss women, they had stayed at the albergue
last night; only one other person was there, an Italian man who was a serious
snored. We walked with them for a few kilometres and enjoyed their company and
the chat, they all spoke English well. While we were with them a car stopped
and handed us a leaflet for apartments in Cadavedo, they were E30 and had a
kitchen so we decided to head there for the night; the man also spoke English
well and said to phone him when getting there if we couldn't find the place.
The women stopped at a bar for coffee but we walked on for another half hour before our stop. There was a convenient bus shelter at the village of Casteneras where a welcomed bench gave us a rest with our drink with bread and jam. When we restarted we tried one of the short cuts off-road to avoid the big loop along the road. We missed the turning at first but were rewarded in our detour by a breath-taking view of the coast with two coves with unusual rock formations, this was the Playa del Silencio. The road was now going in the wrong direction so we had to backtrack. When we found the arrows they didn't last long and when we came to a split in the track with no indication which way to go we decided to return and stick to the road.
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| The coast again! |
The walk on the road was good and we were close to the coast most of the time and got views out to the sea. Other times it was through wooded areas especially when it took us on the many loops inland to find a crossing over the deep courses cut by the rivers. We were able to make good time on the road and kept up a fairly brisk pace. With many villages to pass through and being on the road we were able to find out from their names on the entrance to each one; this enabled us to know exactly where we were on the map and how far we had to go.
We had another stop, for lunch, at 1pm and when we got going had 6 km more to Cadavedo but when we reached the entrance to the town it stretched on and on. We came to a bar and Moira went in to ask directions, instead they phoned the man and said he would pick us up in 10 minutes. We had a beer while we waited. It was only about 500 metres from the bar when he eventually came for us. It was worth the wait, it was luxury apartment in a block of 8, Apartmentos Casa Carin. It had a double bedroom and a twin bedded room, a kitchen diner cum lounge and bathroom. We had a shower and sat outside with a coffee. The man drove Moira back to the town when the shops open to pick up some food at the supermarket. I stayed in and listened BBC Radio 4 on the Internet, there was Wi-Fi as well.
We had a lovely chicken curry for dinner; this is much better than eating out with more or less the same choice in every restaurant. In the afternoon Moira put all our washing into the machine but it just kept going and going. It took ages to figure out how to stop it, even the landlord didn't know. When eventually it finished its spin cycle the sun was going down and the washing wasn’t dry by the time we went to bed. We left it in the lounge hoping it would be dry by the morning. We listened to the radio on the Internet and caught up on the News and sport; Morton lost today again, they are bottom of the league. Moira checked on the web about flights back from Santiago to Bergiac but it would involve having to go via London; we will just have to take the train. It was got 9 pm when we got to bed.
Day 28: Sunday 6 October.
Cadavedo to Otur: 22 km.
We listened to the 'Now' show on the BBC podcasts while we lay in bed with our cup of coffee. It was 7 am when we got up, had breakfast and packed; it was just getting light as we hit the trail again. We stuck religiously to the route today following the arrows which were much better, giving us plenty of warming of turnings or route chances. Again we could have stuck to the N632 which half way along today's stretch changed its name to the N634 and the Camino ran fairly parallel to it. The Camino itself was on the streets through villages, country lanes, minor roads and some forest tracks and wood land paths. The profile was flat for most of the way the only big drop and climb was for the Rio Negro and to the beautiful town of Luarca.
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| Beautiful Luarca |
We made excellent time at the start on a woodland path for 3 km to where there was a mini spaghetti junction with the A8 motorway, N632 and the new N634. We went in a roundabout route to avoid these roads before descending to cross the Rio Esva. There was an hotel at the crossing, the Hotel Canero, and who should be sitting outside having a coffee and a smoke but Owen from Australia. He stayed at the albergue in Cadavedo last night but everyone was up early and going so he followed suit. The German woman and the Swiss had gone before him but he overtook them, they must have walked the road as we hadn't seen them. The woman from Romania with the red hair he had been walking with had to stop somewhere until Monday when the banks opened, she had run out of money and had to arrange a transfer of funds.
We continued for about 15 minutes before stopping for our break.
The weather had turned this morning with a cold wind blowing; the sky was still
cloudless and the sun warm but in the shade it was fleece weather. As we
climbed from the Rio Esva we were in the shade of trees so we continued out of
the tree line and into the sun on a track beside the A8 before stopping for
coffee. It had a pleasant view, sitting with our backs to the motorway, of
distant hills misty in the haze of the rising sun. Owen was on his way again
and passed us while we sat enjoying our break, we didn't see him or any other
peregrinos all day.
After crossing the motorway the next section was a long drag
through suburbs of Villar and Barcellina in the district of Barcia. There were
lots of fancy big modern houses as the Camino zigzagged through the minor
streets and lanes generally looking for churches to take us past. Eventually we
began to descend sharply and were astonished by the beauty of the picturesque
town of Luarca.
It was nestled between the cliffs at the mouth of the winding Rio
Negro and its harbour was full of fishing boats all painted in
striking bright primary colours. I don't know if these fishing vessels were
still operational or just for display as they were in such clean and well
preserved condition. We thought about staying here for the night, it had an
albergue and we got a leaflet on the way for rooms, though a bit expensive at
E40, but it was only 15 km we had walked, not enough, so we decided to move on.
Not before having a walk along the river to the harbour and a closer look at
the colourful boats. Luarca was another tourist trap and was busy with people
strolling about and prices were also a bit steep.
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| Colourful fishing boats, Luarca harbour |
Luarca
Pop 4314: This old mediaeval village
was originally a small whaling port that remained active until the 17th
century. The village gradually grew around that port, in terms of both population
and importance. Luarca is the capital of the Valdés parish council and can be
divided into different zones: embracing the port, the mediaeval fishermen’s
districts, such as La Pescadería, La Carril and El Cambaral; more inland, the
bourgeois Luarca, with its 19th century palaces. The hospital used to be
located near the old Church
of Santa Eulalia, where
beautiful Baroque altarpieces have been preserved. But the star monument here
is the Palace and Chapel of the Marquis of Ferrera, dating back to the 16th and
17th centuries. It is more commonly known as the Palace of La Moral
and comprises three buildings connected via passages. Old indiano houses and
stately houses bearing their coats of arms are dotted all over this beautiful
village, a well-known tourist destination in the western coast of Asturias.
Luarca has two very natural and very charming urban beaches. From there we can
see the marina and fishing port of the village. The latter was an important
fish trading centre in the past.
Extract from 'The Northern Ways to Santiago'
Eventually we left and negotiated the tough climb to the cliff
top on the other side of the Negro. Once on top we had more brilliant views of
the house tops below clustered along the river banks and the harbour just
before the opening to the sea. It was now flat on a country lane but buses must
have covered the route as a convenient stop and shelter gave us the opportunity
for our lunch break. It was still a long way to the next town of Pinera with an albergue,
13 km, and we were beginning to get tired. The whole section in the guide book
was 30 km and we are beginning to get too old for these distances. There were a
couple of hotels marked in the book at the village of Otur
that we decide to investigate. After lunch it was still on a flat country lane
until we reached the N634 once again. The route crossed over immediately and it
was on a narrow tarred track at first then gravel. The route ran parallel with
the main road but some distance away though we could still see and hear the
traffic.
Otur could be seen clustered around the N634 as the track took us through the farms on the outskirts. We could see the steeple of the church and assumed we would be led in that direction; this time the Camino wasn't interested in the church. Then the sign on a building on the main road could be seen to read Hotel El something! There was a lane that went down to the village we decided to go down and have a look; the lane didn't go any further than a farm house. We gave up and resigned ourselves to another 7 km to Pinera and the albergue. It was then that the signs showed a diversion to the Camino, due, we thought, to work still being done on the motorway system. The re-route took us down to the main road and there was the Hotel Rio Mayor. It was expensive at E45 for a room but we were tired and it was only E1 dearer than the Youth Hostel at Irun away back at the start that we still bitterly remembered. We booked in and the room was very nice, en suite with a large double bed. The restaurant was still serving lunch so we decided to eat now rather than having to wait until late at night. It was all right but the helpings you get are huge and again made us feel bloated, we would be happy with half the quantity.
Back in our rooms we had to lie down after such a heavy meal.
There was Wi-Fi and I got on to BBC radio again and we listened to the music on
Radio 2, Johnny Walker and the 'Sounds of the 70's'. Later we listened to a few
podcasts of the statistics programme 'More or Less' which investigates some of
the outlandish numbers that politician tend to quote. We didn't bother eating
any more today but made do with a cup of coffee that I brewed on the Gaz
cooker. There was a dog barking outside our room when we tried to get to sleep,
I thought we were going to be disturbed all night but it soon quietened and we
ended up with a good night's sleep.
Day 29: Monday 7 October.
Otur to La Caridad: 23km.
I was awake at my usual time of 6 am and made us a cup of coffee. There was no hurry to get up as the indication we got last night was that breakfast wasn't until 8 am. I fail to understand places that charge as much as E45 and can't supply a decent service, it shouldn't be we serve breakfast at such and such a time but when do you want it. It this day and age of blogs and tweets word soon gets about regarding value for money at places to stay and my report on this one to peregrinos is to avoid it. I put on the radio via the net to listen to the News and the Today programme on BBC while we were packing. At about 7:45 am Moira went to see if there was any sign of breakfast and found the waitress had just arrived before that everything had been locked up. The waitress said she would make it now, for all it was, just a cup of coffee and a croissant, and I had to ask for butter and jam to put on it. We managed to get away at our normal time of 8 am.
The deviation due to the motorway took us up a hill which wasn't
shown on our map, a lot of heavy lorries headed up the same hill but then
turned to the construction site. At the top we could see the line of new road
and yet another viaduct. Also from the top we could see a town on the other
side of a river gully. It didn't seem very far away and if this was Pinera it
would have been easily reached last night. As it turned out it would have been
a very frustrating finish if we had carried on. On the other side of the Rio
Monte there was a dangerous stretch on the N634, it was very busy with heavy
traffic and vehicles probably due to there being no motorway here yet.
Luckily the Camino took us off-road and we climbed through a grassy path which was wet with dew and our feet were soon soaking. At the top there were a few houses but no shops, we crossed the N634 again and thought we were now on to the next section of the guide, if that was the case we were making excellent time. After another hour's walking was the discovery that the assumption was wrong, we reached a shop and after buying essentials, milk and bread, the woman told us that Villaoril was the next place and was still a kilometre away. She was correct and we only came to the albergue in Pinera a little later. We stopped in the porch of the church nearby and had our early morning break. The distance was correct that I estimated last night if we had carried on, 2 hours to go, and that was what it took. As we started off again there was the exit sign for the town of Pinera on the road.
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| Fuente de Santiago |
Luckily the Camino took us off-road and we climbed through a grassy path which was wet with dew and our feet were soon soaking. At the top there were a few houses but no shops, we crossed the N634 again and thought we were now on to the next section of the guide, if that was the case we were making excellent time. After another hour's walking was the discovery that the assumption was wrong, we reached a shop and after buying essentials, milk and bread, the woman told us that Villaoril was the next place and was still a kilometre away. She was correct and we only came to the albergue in Pinera a little later. We stopped in the porch of the church nearby and had our early morning break. The distance was correct that I estimated last night if we had carried on, 2 hours to go, and that was what it took. As we started off again there was the exit sign for the town of Pinera on the road.
After crossing the N634 it was on to country lanes and woodland tracks. A sign said 4km to Navia, the next town on our itinerary, then another one a little later that indicated 2 km. The latter proved to be correct and then began a steady descent to the Rio Navia. The town of Navia was a bit like Luarca yesterday the houses clustered on the bank of the river and an inlet to the sea, here though there was no pretty harbour with coloured fishing boats. It was a nice busy town with lots of shops, the people were very friendly and when somebody saw us stopped and looking doubtful about which direction to take they quickly put us right. We crossed the river via a bridge and on the other side was a different town, El Espinoza, not as big and as busy as Navia, though we didn't see much of it; once over the river the route turned to the left and onto a narrow lane that took us to the cliff top again and away from the town. The river views were stunning and large sections of the banks were wetlands with large numbers of sea birds, further upriver the motorway, complete and running here, crossed on a bridge with two semi-circular spans.
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| Bridge with double span |
There was nobody there but the door was open and we had the choice of all the beds. Moira made lunch while I had my shower. We had a packet of soup with bread to dip in, pâté on bread, an apple and coffee; it was worth waiting for. After lunch we lay on our beds and read for the rest of the afternoon. Moira went to the shops at 5 pm and got some chicken and veg for dinner which she cooked on the camping cooker. It was another chicken veggie macaroni curry and went down a treat. More people had started arriving, a couple of cyclists and then a group of walkers. There was a Danish guy who said he remembered us from some way back but we didn't recall his face. One of the cyclists was having trouble with his bike, it looked like something to do with the disc brakes, I didn't recognise the part; he spent about two hours working on it. The man in charge arrived at 8 pm, filled in the forms himself, stamped the cards and took the money; no problem, why can't all albergues be like this one.
Nearly all the others went out for dinner at 'ocho' and we got to bed and spent over an hour reading. I then got my ear plugs in and fell asleep. I wakened about 11 pm when they returned but was soon sleeping again. Later in the small hours I had pains in my legs and had to get Moira to give me a pain killer. It was a while before I dropped off again. There were a few gently snorers but my plugs cancelled it out, the annoying thing was a food dispensing machine that was temperature regulated, the air conditioning or some mechanism kept coming on and off all night.
Day 30: Tuesday 8 October.
La Caridad to Ribadeo: 22 km.
We were both awake at 6 am while everyone else was still sound asleep. We waited for half an hour then quietly got up. We had packed our rucksacks last night so it was just a matter of moving them out to the forecourt. The weather was dry but a bit cold so we had our fleeces on while I made coffee at the picnic table; there was a good street light just above so we could see clearly. We had yoghurt and bananas for breakfast then completed our packing. It was only 7:15 am when we were ready to go and still dark. The route ran parallel to the N634 again so we decided to keep to the highway until the sun was up and we could see the waymarks to follow. Going through the town there were shell tiles on the pavement so with our torches we could find the route. Once we were clear of the town and the street lights disappeared we got a bit disorientated and seemed to be going in the wrong direction with the rising sun in front of us, not behind. Luckily we met somebody to ask directions and he said to keep going straight and sure enough we soon reached the N634.
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| Red sky in the morning |
There was, luckily, a wide hard shoulder on the road but we had our torches on and shining in front of us to warn any on-coming traffic. Dawn was soon breaking and there was a beautiful red sky, at Valdepares we picked up the markers and now followed the official route away from the road. It was nice lanes and woodland paths before we again reached the N634 at the Rio Porcia. There was a lovely old bridge across the river then we headed through the village. Our intention was to take the cycle route that went along the coast rather than the one in the guide book which went inland and through villages. It veered off towards the coast before reaching the highway again but we took a wrong turn along a lovely path beside the Rio Porcia. When there was a lack of arrows we backtracked and found the correct route which was marked for cyclists, we would have much preferred the riverside way. Our way was on a minor road quite near the highway for a while and then through maize fields, as they say in Oklaholma 'as high as an elephants eye'. It was a pleasant walk and we were rewarded with a magnificent view of rocky cliffs, sandy coves and off shore rocky headlands and islets. We stopped at one such spot, the Cabo Cebes, for our mid-morning break. It was next to the albergue there and in the little resort of Tapia de Casariego.
We seemed to be making very good time this morning, perhaps with
the early start, and seemed to have covered half the distance towards Ribadeo.
This wasn't the case and I should go by time not what appears on the map, I
think near the end of each day's section the map has been contracted, each day
the last part is always longer. It wasn't any exception today and the
destination kept eluding us. Because we were on a route other than detailed on
our map I was never sure where we were. At Playa de Penarrondo which was on the
map I was happy again to be on track and we stopped for a break and an apple.
While we were relaxing the Swiss mother and daughter, who are called Simona and
Yaisa, appeared with the German woman and another German girl they had
befriended. We chatted for a while, they had stayed last night at the albergue
where we had our coffee break and today was a short one for them. They were
heading down to the beach for a swim when we left.
The route from the beach was a bit confusing now. Occasionally we got markers but at other junction we had to guess. There were never any signs indicating the town of Ribadeo, all the other villages in the area but never that town. Later we found when we eventually over the river that Ribadeo was in the province of Galicia and different provinces don't seem to advertise any places in the opposition provinces. I thought the route would take us to the river and we would make our way upstream to the crossing. We came to near the A8 but couldn't figure out how we could cross on the motorway? The route took us away from the motorway and we had to ask for directions when we reached the town of Figueras, this was the town opposite Ribadeo on the river Rio de Ribadeo. When at last we reached the motorway and could see the river the solution to crossing the river was solved.
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| Harbour and marina at Ribadeo |
The route over the river ran on the motorway bridge, a track
fenced off from the traffic on either edge of the tarred section. It was 600
metres long and gave outstanding views of the city and below on the river’s
edge a large marina with a variety of sailing craft. When we came off at the
end of the motorway path we turned towards the city but with no assistance of
arrows. We didn't go too far before asking direction from a very helpful lady.
We were going the wrong way and the albergue was on the other side of the
motorway. When we reached the 'off ramp' from the path on the opposite carriageway
there were yellow arrows and one set pointed to the albergue. It was a small
neat little building above the river and we were the first to arrive. We
selected our beds, bottom bunks, showered and then had lunch: coffee and left
over chicken curry from last night.
Once we had eaten it was off for another walk. The path outside the hostel led all the way to the point at the end of the river estuary and a lighthouse. It was the same on the other bank of the river and we could see a path that ran all the way to the point and lighthouse on the other side to the motorway. We must have gone wrong somewhere and should have taken that route earlier which would have been more interesting with some delightful scenery. It was a very beautiful stroll and the scenery along the estuary outstanding. There was a wind coming in from the sea that was on the cool side and we were glad to have put on our fleeces but when sheltered from this breeze it was quite warm. At the lighthouse we turned and made our way back and there were lots of people out walking and a few joggers. Near the hostel there was a platform out into the river and when the end was reached a micro-lite plane came flying down the estuary and dropped down under the motorway bridge. I was busy photographing the cliffs on the other side at the time and quickly turned to get a snap as he went between the roadway and the water.
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| River panorama, Ribadea |
Back at the hostel Simona and Yaisa had arrived and there were a
lot of cyclists. They must have relaxed the rule about cyclists having to wait
until late to make sure walkers got their beds first; this lot were already
well established in their bunks. The German woman and her new friend had
carried on to the next village and albergue to reduce tomorrow's distance. We
didn't stay long but headed on into town to have a look around and get food at
the supermarket. Moira was going to cook tonight but close to the hostel there
was a bar advertising a peregrino menu for E8, I called in and asked if we
could have it at 7 pm, the woman indicated that I could have 'ahora' (now) if I
wanted. The decision was changed and we would eat out. The town was lovely,
built high above the river with the harbour and marina at the bank below. There
were the usual narrow Spanish streets that led us up to a town centre which was
a treed park with benches and flower beds.
The centre was dominated by a twin
domed building at one side and the church on the other. The tourist info office
was there and surprisingly open for once. They had info for the location of the
supermarket and a detailed leaflet for the Camino in Galicia.
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| Domed building, Ribadeo centre. |
Back at the albergue we relaxed for an hour with a beer before dinner. The place was full now and at 6:30 pm the group who arrived late last night again made a late appearance. They were unlucky and had to go find a pension. They must have left mid-morning or had a long lunch break to take so long for 22 km, and you should check, as I do, how many beds are available and time your day accordingly. We had dinner at the bar, she let us sample a homemade potato soup which we settled for after a taste, and next it was sardines. It was nice enough but I wish we had kept to the original plan, Moira's cooking is much better.
Tonight in the dorm everyone was seemingly getting ready for an early night. We got to bed and read for an hour then I plugged my ears and got to sleep. When I woke at midnight to visit the loo all was quiet. Later somebody did start snoring but it didn't disturb me and I slept all right; though Moira had a problem with it.
Day 31: Wednesday 9 October.
Ribadeo to Vilanova de Lourenza: 27 km.
"I to the hills will lift mine eyes etc...." Quote from the Psalm 121
"Sooner than part from the mountains,
I think I would rather be dead" Quote from the 'Manchester Rambler'.
These two lines were brought to mind as the route today turned south and inland to meet the hills. Maybe the first quote is showing that the pilgrimage is influencing me spiritually. The coastal part had been good and the scenery outstanding when we did get on the actual coast but these occasions were too rare; now we were in the hills and mountains and it was glorious.
Moira hadn't slept very well because of the person snoring and
when we got up at 6:30 am Simona and her daughter were also up having had a
restless night as well. We had breakfast and finished packing, we kept as quiet
as possible but the other pair was very noisy not caring about the others,
anyway they had kept them awake. We didn't chance setting off as early as
yesterday not being sure of the route after leaving the city. I worked on this
blog until the sun was showing then we set off. There was a street map of
Ribadeo supplied by the hostel showing the way out of the city and it was very
helpful. The weather was perfect blue sky but still with a cool wind blowing at
our backs.
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| Among the hills and clouds |
There was climbing today and the highest point was reached at
Vilamartin Grande, 336 metres. It seemed much higher than that as we were
surrounded all day by 'Munro' type peaks and we didn't look much lower than
them. The climbing, very steady and gentle, began as soon as we left Ribadeo on
a minor road with some occasional detours on to forest tracks. It took us about
90 minutes to reach the first village of Vilela where there was an albergue,
the German woman and her friend who were with Simona and Yaisa yesterday had
pushed on to this one. We carried on for a further half hour then had our stop
at the little village
of Vilar for coffee.
Simona and her daughter passed us while we relaxed; we had left them shortly
after leaving Ribadeo.
On the go again the views were breath-taking; we seemed to be walking along a ridge above one side of a big valley. It was all open and we could see for miles, not like the earlier stages on this Camino where the mountain stages were through trees and the only view we got was on top before descending through more trees. At Ponte de Arante an old bridge took us over the Rio Lexoso then some serious climbing began. It was on a small tarred road and was the first really steep section. It didn't last long and when we left the tar it was on to a wide forest track through eucalyptus trees, I don't know where all these gum trees have come from, they are not indigenous. When we did the Camino Francais there was a small section of eucalyptus woodland near Santiago but that was all, now if there had been a few koala bears and kangaroos it could be Australia. At the start of the climb we passed Simona and Yaisa taking a rest and near the top we caught up with the German woman and her new friend, another German; it was time to find out their names, Ulrika and Stephanie. We walked with them for a bit then they carried on when we stopped at a shelter for lunch.
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| A misty valley |
The effects of the beer soon wore off as we had a steep 1.5 km climb out of San Xusto. Once over the top it was a pleasant downhill track through the trees to the town of Vilanova de Lourenza where there was a very nice albergue. We weren't first today and a small dorm of four beds down stairs next to the toilets was full, we had to go upstairs where there was plenty of room. Unfortunately the only loo was downstairs, a bit of a mission for my numerous nightly visits. We had a shower then Moira made some soup from a packet, which we had with bread. A little later Ulrika and Stephanie arrived and an hour after that Simona and Yaisa appeared, the women decided to go into the other dorm together, Ulrika is very concerned about being attacked by men and wants the company of women, she bent my ear the time we walked with her about the dangers to single woman on the Camino. Much later others arrived; I don't know how long it takes some people to walk the route.
Moira went out at 5pm when the shops opened after siesta to get food for dinner; she got the ingredients for a tuna mixed salad and some wine. We enjoyed a good meal and not stoked up like if we had eaten out. The other women, the Germans and the Swiss were also dining in. Simona was a vegetarian and had funny ideas about additives in food and chemicals in water. I got into an argument with her about the addition of chlorine to water. She said she only drank micro filtered water in Switzerland and the water here was making her smell in body and in urine. I said it was more likely the smell was due most likely to walking 20+ km each day and sweating profusely, I also asked what scientific basis she was using to determine that the chlorine was causing the changes in her body. She came out with the typical response from a female ' Oh I'm just a woman I don't understand your technical reasoning but I have the female intuition'. I gave up at that point and went to bed.
Day 32: Thursday 10 October.
Vilanova de Lourenza to Gontan: 24 km.
Yesterday what could have been confusing and have sent us the wrong was that they had reversed the shell direction signs. Previously Moira had described it as being like a shuttlecock with the base pointing the route; now in Galicia the fingers of the conch indicated the way. Ulrika said that the first method symbolised the lines as all the routes leading to Santiago, now in Galicia it in the shape of hand welcoming the peregrinos to Santiago.
This morning I wasn't going to get up until 7am as I didn't want to be searching for the route out of town in the dark but the Germans and the Swiss were up about 6:30 am and the noise they were making meant we couldn't even relax for a few minutes in peace. They said that they had the snorers last night but that's no reason to make so much noise now just to spite, there were some trying to sleep now who weren't snorers. It was 7.45am when we had finished breakfast, packed up and were ready to go.
Moira had sussed out the way out of town last night on her search for the supermarket. There was the official marked route but it went immediately off road through trees and we didn't fancy that in the dark, instead we took the N634a towards the next big town, Mondonedo. It was a quiet road; the actual N634 was the busy one and ran nearby. It was uphill right off and we kept on it for about 3 km, by that time the sun was up and we spotted the sign post for the Camino. It took us through trees on a wide gravel track before reaching the junction with the N634 where both roads became one; the new A8 motorway was also close but not completed for operations yet. On the road there I saw my first badger, unfortunately it was the victim of road kill, I was surprised how big it was, about the size of a big dog. There were more gravel and forest tracks as we climb sharply to get a glimpse of Mondonedo in the valley below. It was another one of these roundabout routes that never seems to get to the town you saw clearly a few minutes previously. I was glad it wasn't the end of the day and we wanted to get there and a bed. Eventually the track descended sharply and we reached the branch road from the N634 into the town.
Ahead of us we could see Simona and Yaisa on the road but as soon as we entered the town there was a convenient bench for our coffee stop and we didn't see them again until much later. When we got going again there was a long straight road heading uphill, we thought this was taking us out of town but we hadn't reached the centre yet. Suddenly we were in the active market place, with lots of stalls selling their wares, set up outside a beautiful Cathedral. The doors were open and we had a tour round inside. The trouble with these churches is that they are so dark and it is difficult to see any detail. The altar was in the usual Spanish style of sparkling gold and there were a few nice small stained glass windows but the main feature in my opinion was the large rose window.
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| Cathedral rose window |
At 12:30 pm as we were getting ready for a lunch a small church appeared out of nowhere beside a tiny cemetery. The church had a porch where we were sheltered, from the now cold wind, for our coffee, boiled egg, and sandwiches. While we ate a few peregrinos passed we thought it was the German and Swiss but when we got going we soon had the two in sight. We didn't recognise them at first but when we got closer saw it was Owen and he had picked up a new companion, a Spanish girl. We walked with them for a bit and passed Simona and Yaisa who had stopped for a break. When the gradient increased again we pulled away from them and quickly caught up with Ulrika and Stephanie, there were also another couple of pilgrims on the road in front and the girl was on a skate board, there was a small stretch of downhill and she took advantage to whistle down on her board. As the road began to rise very steeply, up towards the new motorway, we pulled away from everyone and soon there was nobody in sight behind us. At the top the Camino was diverted a few times because of the motorway operations but soon we were on a long straight tarred minor road that eventually took us to our destination for the day, Gontan.
The albergue was on the main street of the small town and was very nice and modern. It had a kitchen downstairs with the dorm on top. We got our beds settled hopefully away from any snorers. After showering we went to the pub across the square for a beer. Again we managed to get 'pints' though they 'charged' for them. When back at the albergue people were now arriving, the German women, the Swiss mother and daughter, Owen with his girl companion and the skate boarding female. Later an old scruffy looking character showed up, he had a bundle of credentials filled with stamps from all over the place, he said he didn't stick to any fixed route.
Moira went out and found the supermarket in the next little town
of Abadin. She
got a couple of pork chops and we had them with a salad. Simona was very
friendly and didn't seem to take offence over our heated argument last night
and shared her chocolate with me while we discussed the routes we were taking
over the next few days. I have estimated that we can be finished in six days
but it involves one long day of 34 km. but it’s not set in stone.
Owen was in the kitchen with his now two girlfriends and they were playing music on his iPhone. I asked if didn't have any Aussie music and asked if he wanted to hear some. He was delighted that I had Slim Dusty on the iPad and we listened to ' A Pub with no Beer' and 'Duncan'
We went to bed at 8 pm and read for an hour before getting ready
to sleep. It was then that another three people arrived. They found bunks well
away from us and we were left on our own at the end of the dorm. There was a
little snoring during the night but not too disturbing.
Day 33: Friday 11 October.
Gontan to Vilalba: 21km.
When went down at 6:45 am there was the guy who was showing off all the stamps he has on his various credential cards. He was listening to a little radio and when he saw me he swept something from the table and went outside. He had his cigarette rolling tobacco on the table and I could smell that he had been smoking. When he came in again I had words with him about smoking but it was 'lost in translation'. By the looks of him I concluded that he was a tramp, or hobo and was touring around using the albergues for cheap accommodation.
We had breakfast; I managed to get some corn flakes that were left in the kitchen as a change. By the time we were packed and ready to go everyone else was up and eating, but we were first on the road. It was as usual still dark, the route which Moira reconnoitred last night when going to the supermarket went up a steep hill to another little town, Abadin. We couldn't see any route markings so we kept to the N634 which the Camino followed in a parallel line all day. We expected some sign or indication on how to re-join the route when it got light but we were on the road for about half an hour. We met a farmer and asked him if this was the Camino, he said yes but he pointed up a lane and indicated that it was better to go that way. At the top of the lane there was the shell sign and the official route.
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| Moira on woodland path |
From now on we were on lovely country lanes and forest tracks; the ground was strewn with brown leaves, chestnuts and acorns. There was a definite chill in the air, autumn had arrived. It had rained during the night but other than the cold wind it was a beautiful day with a cloudless blue sky, ideal for walking. Although we were at a height ranging between 490 and 520 metres it was very flat, we must have been on a plateau and it was very fast going. The route took us through underpasses of the motorway a few times and was close to the N634 but we were only on it for a few metres as the route crossed to another leafy lane.
At the village
of Martinan it was our
coffee time and we were looking for a convenient shelter or even wall to sit
against but couldn't find anything. This turned out to be fortunate as we only
walked on for about 500 metres when we came to the old bridge over the Rio
Batan, Ponte Vella de Martinan, and beside it was a handy picnic spot with
tables and braais.
We had half an hour there and nobody else came past, we were well ahead of the rest. When we got going again the route was very fast along flat comfortable earthen paths. Now the kilometres to go to Santiago are being marked on the posts with the shell signs. I timed our pace over the next hour, we covered 6 km. I thought now that there was something wrong in their measurements or my map reading but all was confirmed to be correct when we reached the albergue at Vivalba just after mid-day. It was 22 km today and we had done it in about 4 hours, 5.5 km/hour.
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| Ponte Vella de Martinan |
We had half an hour there and nobody else came past, we were well ahead of the rest. When we got going again the route was very fast along flat comfortable earthen paths. Now the kilometres to go to Santiago are being marked on the posts with the shell signs. I timed our pace over the next hour, we covered 6 km. I thought now that there was something wrong in their measurements or my map reading but all was confirmed to be correct when we reached the albergue at Vivalba just after mid-day. It was 22 km today and we had done it in about 4 hours, 5.5 km/hour.
We were first to arrive at the albergue and I got the water on for coffee after selecting a bed. The dorms were separated into male and female for some reason. The hospitelier hadn't arrived and we just had to put our names on a sheet. A Spanish guy we had been at the same hostel for the last few nights came along shortly then another man who didn't fancy it and went on. There was Wi-Fi and Moira was able to check the email, I put BBC Radio2 on and listened to Jeremy Vine! Once the coffee was finished we went out for lunch rather than cooking this evening. About 100 metres from the albergue there was a restaurant with trucks and lorries parked outside, inside it was busy with all the drivers. It looked popular so we settled on that and weren't disappointed, we had a nice lunch.
On the radio earlier the phone-in programme was taking about people in financial difficulties having to choose between eating and heating their homes as a cold snap had hit the UK and winter was with them. The same cold front must have reached down to the north of Spain as it was bitter now and the cold draught that came in when anybody opened the front door. I was forced to but of an extra t- shirt, leggings and socks as well as my fleece to keep warm.
It was later in the afternoon when the German and Swiss women arrived. Ulrika asked if we had showered, we told her we had showered and eaten lunch at the restaurant and were now relaxing. I asked about Owen and his girls but they weren't coming, they had taken a bus to Leon, apparently there was a music festival on there. Another three guys we hadn't sen before arrived much later on.
We were able to contact first Suzy and then Margaret on an Apple IPad function called face time. It allowed us to speak and see them at the same time. We saw both Hollie and Ewan and they are looking fine and everything is going well back on Scotland and Wales. That was all after I listened to the 'Now Show' on Radio 4, then we got to bed. I slept all right at first but after getting up to the loo about 11 pm I had difficulty getting to sleep because of one guy snoring. Eventually I got some sleep, hopefully enough for the long walk of 34 km tomorrow.
Day 34: Saturday 12 October.
Vivalba to Miraz: 34 km.
I was awake to visit the loo at 5 am and couldn't get back to sleep because of the snoring. It was so loud my ear plugs had no effect in diminishing it. I waited for another hour then got up and put water on the stove for coffee. Moira came down a little later and we had breakfast, packed and set off at 6:45 am. The snorer and his two mates were also up early and left a few minutes before us.
It was cold but not too bad as there wasn't any wind blowing. We got onto the N634 which took us through town and out the other side. It was about a kilometre to the town, we had been on the outskirts, and Moira had walked this and back to the supermarket in the cold last night. Once clear of Vivalba it was very dark and the stars were bright in a clear sky, from the woods we could hear the to-wit-to-woo of the owls. Although the road from the town was named the N634 it joined with the 'main' N634 which was a by-pass of the town a couple of kilometres from Vivalba. It was fairly flat and not many cars about; we made excellent time and reached S. Xoan de Alba, at about 6 km, as it was getting light. There we picked up the Camino proper and we were on to back lanes and leafy tracks again. We covered nearly 10 km by the time we were due for coffee after 2 hours walking. We were at Ponte de Saa another old bridge this time over the Rio Labrada. It was getting colder with the wind picking up and our hands were freezing, instead of looking for a place to brew the coffee we settled for a bar and it was 'dos cafe con leche'
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| Another lovely bridge |
When we came out of the bar a route marker said '8km to
Baamonde'. This was a lot less than we expected, either we were moving at a
faster pace or there was a discrepancy with the route measurement. We carried
on along flat tracks through mainly farmland with of particular interest to
bother getting the camera out. The sun was now getting up and the chill was
disappearing from the air. We were striding out very well even though Moira was
complaining about a pulled muscle in her buttock. She picked it up yesterday
and was dozing with painkillers and anti- inflammatory suppositories. She had
been doubtful if she could make the full 34 km to Miraz today and thought we
may have to stop at the albergue in Baamonde. We reached Baamonde at 11:30 am
which we felt was too early to stop and the medication was now taking effect on
Moira's injury. Also we couldn't find the albergue in Baamonde; we had planned
to stop there at least to make our coffee in the kitchen, before we knew we
were clear of the town and heading along the N-VI. There was a 3 km stretch on
this road which ran beside a railway line, not very inspiring. We found a
concrete slab on the other side of the railway where I got the cooker out for
coffee and Moira made the sandwiches for lunch. While we were stopped the three
peregrinos, who left the hostel this morning just before us, passed on the
road, they must have stopped somewhere in Baamonde for lunch.
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| 100 kilometres to go |
When we got going again our fleeces were off at last, the sun
was a lot warmer and the wind had dropped again. Annoyingly a short distance up
the road there was a lovely picnic area where we could have had lunch rather
than the side of the railway. When we left the road the shell marker stated '
100 km to go', this was the minimum distance requirement for obtaining our
Compostela. There was a short sharp incline the only one of the day then it was
flat through wooded countryside on mostly leafy gravel tracks. Another sign
told us that there was a place in 6 km for coffee, Internet and information; we
reached it by 2:30 pm. As we arrived two women we hadn't seen before were
leaving and the three men from this morning were having sandwiches and coke,
they couldn't have had lunch in Baamonde. We had a beer each and got away
before the trio, I wanted to make sure we got a bed at least at the albergue
and preferably bottom bunks.
It was 6 km more to go through more woods and on flat tracks but now a lot of tarred lanes. There was very little habitation, a couple of very small villages and isolated farms. It wasn't long before we overtook the two girls that left the cafe when we arrived and we pushed hard to Miraz. We arrived at 3:45pm half an hour ahead of what I estimated, we had been walking very fast, even with Moira's injury. The albergue was run by the English Fraternity of St James with two hospiteliers one Australian, Alan Pearce and the other, John Smith, from Liverpool, but he was married to a Scot and now living in Aberdeen. Moira was saying that he was the first sort of Scot we had met on all our Caminos when the two girls we passed arrived, they were both form Edinburgh. They were two sisters, Fiona and Kirsty, who had been doing the Northern Route over a few years, a week at a time during their holidays; this was their final section to earn their Compostela.
The albergue had 20 beds, the guide book had said 12, that was why I was a bit worried and pushed hard. After selecting our bunks it was into the shower and changed. When we came into the dining room the hospitelier asked if we wanted tea and we all sat round a table with a pot of tea and biscuits chatting. This is my type of albergue, if there isn't any snoring it will be perfect. In the evening Moira made a pasta dish with tomato purée and sardines that we had carried with us today but managed to get a bottle of wine from the pub.
It didn't look to promising regarding the snoring situation, the three Spanish guys with the fat snorer had arrived, it was going to be a noisy night. We had selected bunks in a sort of alcove at one end, so hopefully be shielded from some of it. After dinner I gave Moira game of ludo, I won. Then we settled down with Alan, John, Kirsty and Fiona for a chat. This was interrupted by the arrival of Simona and Yaisa, at 8pm, they had been in the road for about 12 hours. They had intended to stop at an albergue 10 km back that we noticed, but it was closed and they had to soldier on. After Alan booked them in we continued with our chat and discovered we all had a liking for folk music, Alan the Aussie was particularly keen on Eric Bogle. It ended up with a sing song of some of the old favourite traditional folk songs.
It was 10 pm when we went to bed, the three Spanish guys were already in theirs and the fat guy was 'snoring for Spain'. I put in the ear plugs and got to sleep but was awakened by the noise a few times during the night. At 5 am I couldn't get back to sleep again so read Friday's Metro, we had downloaded yesterday, on the iPad
Day 34: Sunday 12 October.
Miraz to Sobrado dos Monxes: 25 km.
When I got through to the dining room Alan had a nice pot of coffee brewing, it was just what I needed. He apologised for snoring but it wasn't their fault, they were in fact doing everything possible to make our stay pleasant and enjoyable. One way they were doing this was now, they made everyone toast and kept our coffee mugs topped up. They wouldn't let anyone do a thing; we just sat and were served. This is certainly the best albergue we have been to. These volunteers do a fortnight's duty; they both said that was enough and it was hard work, it certainly is when you put in the effort they do.
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| John and Alan |
The route after leaving Miraz was through some desolate countryside, the trees were stunted and the land barren and rocky as we climbed gradually up to the highest point on the walk so far at 700 metres. Once through this rocky section it was back on to farm lanes and tracks. There were more eucalyptus trees and Alan said last night that they had all been planted on the orders of Franco; it must have been in the late 30's, to be used in the paper industry.
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| Large mushroom |
There was a bar at one little village, A Cabana, we didn't go in but there was a lot of noise and we thought the Swiss couple may have stopped there for a drink. They hadn't they were lying out on the grass resting another kilometre down the road. There was a dog resting and waiting for them to start again, Simona said it had followed them and they couldn't get rid of it. When we passed it started to follow us, Moira shouted at it and waved her stick, it dashed down the road with its tail between its legs and we didn't see it again.
The final 10 km today were on a road, AC934, it looked like a major route on my map but last night Alan said it wasn't a concern. He was right, it was deserted. The first kilometre was being resurfaced but after that it was rough and potholed. At the time we were looking for a good place to have a coffee. There were a couple of villages where we hoped to find a bar but they were small and off the road, we sat in the grass at a crossroads where I made coffee. We just had a drink and planned to have an early meal when we got nearer Sobrado. It was a slog to the town but fortunately it was all downhill and we made good time. At the village of O Meson there were the first signs of life for some time. There were two bars but there was still 5 km to go and too far to walk after a meal, we decided to wait until closer to Sobrado. As we were passing the second bar on the way out of the village a woman came running out shouting that we were going the wrong way. She seemed drunk and wanted us to come into the bar claiming she was also a peregrino but we had never seen her before. I ignored her while i checked the map, there was a detour that went off road but if we had carried on the AC934 we would have got there. After backtracking we found the turn off and took the official route. It turned out to be much nicer than the potholed road and through some nice woodland on leaf strewn tracks.
We joined again with the AC934 with a couple of kilometres to go and the road passed a beautiful big lake that Sobrado nestles beside, it was the first water we had seen since the coast. We were just in the outskirts of the town when we came to a bar doing a 'menu del dia' for only E8, good even for a Sunday. We immediately went in and the food was excellent, I had a pasta salad for starters and Moira a normal salad which came with her main course, steak and chips. For my main dish I had fish and chips. Iced cream each finished it off and there was of course the bottle of red wine.
There was just over a kilometre to go when we came out the bar and we immediately bumped into a group of peregrinos that we didn't recognise, they said they were on the Primitivo and it had joined us at the village of O Meson where the women claiming to be a pilgrim tried to get us into the bar. She must have been on the Primitivo as well; the guy said there had been seven of them having lunch in that bar. We accompanied them into the town, they were staying at the albergue attached to the Monastery, and we left them there and went to look at the hotel opposite. It had been recommended by the Scots girls, they were staying there tonight. It was closed but a sign said that if you had a booking or were looking for a bed to phone an attached number. We decided to check out the private albergue, Lecer, instead. As we were going Fiona and Kirsty were coming down the street, we thought about waiting while they phoned but when they said they were booked already and it cost E50 for a room we opted for the Lecer.
As we were going up the road to the albergue, there were the
Spanish trio with the snorer, we thought they were going to the Lecer and we
were ready to turn towards the Monastery when they told us that was where they
were headed. With relief we made it to the private albergue and it was very
nice, there was only the couple who were in the corner with us last night
there. They were now at one end of the dorm and we went to other.
Once we unpacked and got our beds settled I had a shower. It was only warm which didn't bother me too much but Moira wasn't happy and just stuck an arm and a leg in before giving up in disgust. It is annoying because the showers were brand new and spacious; perhaps they were trying to save money. There was a microwave so we were able to have tea and coffee but we didn't bother with anything else to eat, the lunch we had was more than enough. They was also Wi-Fi and after checking the email Moira again researched ways to fly to Bordeaux or somewhere nearby from Santiago. They were nothing direct and the best was via Barcelona which took 24 hours. We settled on taking the train. Later I listened to podcasts from the BBC.
We got to sleep at 10 pm but another guy had arrived earlier and he turned out to be a snorer. I woke at 2am for the loo and he was busy 'sawing wood'. I thought I was going to be kept awake but I dropped off again and surprisingly had a good night's sleep.
Day 35: Monday 14 October.
Sobrado dos Monxes to Arzua: 22 km.
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| Camino protwst poster |
At Baamonde a few days ago there was a banner across the road saying ' Modificacion do Camino. NON!!!' There have been stickers on lampposts, trees and windows with the same message. Even at the small coffee place before Miraz they had a petition for people to sign in protest. I asked Alan and John at the Miraz albergue about it, they said that it was proposed to change the Camino route to by-pass Baamonde all together for some reason. Nobody knows what the reason is and most people, especially those in Baamonde are against the changes.
Moira turned on the lights in the dorm at 7am, I was still sleeping and could have had a few more minutes. The other couple had got up earlier and were nearly ready to go; the snorer was still sound asleep and still snoring away. We packed, had breakfast and I had the Today programme on the radio via Internet playing disregard-less of any noise we were making. The guy slept through it all, still snoring and didn't get up until we were leaving at 8:20 am.
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| Misty start to the day. |
The route leaving Sabrado was on the other side of the lake. It
was below us as the road climbed out the town and shrouded in an early morning
mist, quite ghostly. Once we left the tar, the AC232 road, it was a stiff climb
on a very muddy track through an eucalyptus forest. They were cutting trees and
the tractors, that must have been moving the timber, had churned up the ground
and the recent rain made it muddy. Once at the top we were out of the forest
and on to beautiful lush green farm lands. We spotted Simona and Yaisa stopped
at a bush picking something, it was wild grapes, they were not bad but a bit
sour. At the same time we were passed by a group we didn't recognise, probably
from the Primitivo. The Swiss had stayed at the Monastery and said it was in a
series of small rooms with about half a dozen beds in each, they were lucky no
snoring.
Soon we were back on tar and a steep climb on the AC232 to a cross roads with the AC540 and the village of As Corredporas. There was a handy bar and we stopped for a coffee, we had left the milk at the albergue and couldn't make our own. We sat outside and were able to have some of our bread and jam as well. Just as we were leaving Simona and her daughter caught up, they stopped at the bar for a drink and a break.
When we left it was still on the same road, now called the AC234. We could have continued on this road all the way to Arzua, 12 km, but the Camino cut off onto a quieter road after 2 km. it went through the village of A Gandara which more or less ran into the next village of Sendelle. That was where we somehow went wrong. There was a sign post indicating the direction to Arzua, now 10 km; we headed that way without bothering with waymarks or consulting the map. The kilometre markers were counting down from the 10 km at the start which gave us confidence. We were now away from villages and civilisation but striding out and making good time, soon we were looking at the 4 km marker. We then came to a crossroads with a sign pointing to the left, Arzua, but there wasn't a shell or yellow arrow. It was then that we realised that we hadn't seen a waymark for ages. I now checked the map and found that we should have taken an off road track after crossing the AC234 again. But we hadn't reached the AC234 and must have gone wrong somewhere before that.
We turned left and hoped that the town indicator was right and
we hadn't gone too far adrift. The road seemed to go on and on with no sign of
life. It was all through forests of eucalyptus and we couldn't see anything in
the distance for the trees. It was beginning to get worrying and I tried to
wave down a few cars and trucks to ask for directions but they just speeded
past. One truck went past but his brake lights came on and he stopped further
down the road. We hurried and asked if we were going to Arzua this way, 'Is',
how far '3 kilometres'. What a relief and we were able to stride out more
confidently. His 3 km wasn't far out and as we crested a hill there was the
town below. It was still 20 minutes away and as we came to the outskirts the
priority was to find a place to eat. It didn't take long and we were soon
seated in a dining room with a basket of bread and a bottle of vino tinto. We
both had the same pasta salad to start and pork chop with chips next, finishing
with iced cream. Now refreshed and relieved that we weren't lost we strode out
the final kilometre or so to the town centre.
At the Main Street our Camino joined the Camino Francais and there were lots of peregrinos coming into the city by that route. Our destination, a pension, Rua, and an attached albergue, Don Quijote, were back along their route. We fancied a double room in the pension but they wanted E40 so we settled for the albergue at E10 each. It was a nice hostel very modern with the dorm separated into small sections of half a dozen bunks, hopefully to keep down the snoring. The only problem was that the water, in the again beautiful showers, wasn't very warm. I managed all right but no way was Moira suffering cold water for another night. After some arguments with the people in charge they turned up the heat and she was able to get comfortably showered.
When the supermarket opened at 5 pm we went to get coffee, bread, fruit and yoghurt. Back at the albergue we had cup of coffee and I tuned into the radio on the Internet to listen to the news and the comedy on Radio 4. Later I listened to some music on You Tube while Moira went to bed to read. Tonight with very few people in a large dorm we didn't hear any snoring and we both had a good night's sleep.
Day 36: Tuesday 15 October.
Arzua to Pedrouzo: 19 km.
We got up at 7 am, everyone else was still sleeping. We went through to the kitchen and I made coffee then we had breakfast. We sat there until 8 am listening to the Today programme on Radio 4 via the Internet. By the time we went through again all were up and some packed and leaving their kit for collection by a carrier. It had rained during the night and we had forgotten to take in our towels from the washing line. I went to collect them, they were soaking and the rain was still lashing down. It was definitely wet weather gear today and we got covered up in our rain jackets and trousers. We had been very fortunate with the weather, the last time it rained heavily on the Camino was back in the beginning on the section from Irun. Otherwise we had been enjoying some lovely days and it had only started to get cooler in the last week.
It was very miserable weather all morning and not enjoyable
walking conditions. The track was almost all off road and ran on a wide track
never very far from the N547 highway. Some of the route was like walking
through a small river especially on hills and there was ruts filled with water
and mud. It wasn't long before our feet were completely soaked and it wasn't
worthwhile to try to avoid puddles. There wasn't a great deal to see firstly
due to the rain and secondly as it was mainly through woodland, still more
eucalyptus.
The main change today was the number of people now we had joined the Camino Francais. At first as we left Arzua we didn't see anyone but as the morning went on more and more people appeared. By the end of the morning it was like we remembered when we did this route before, a string of peregrinos in front and behind. It was too wet to make our own coffee so we stopped at the first bar we came to, at Calle. It was full of peregrinos stripping off their wet jackets and settling down with a hot drink. We met a group of Australian women from Melbourne and had a chat with them. More people were coming in as we left and the bar was doing a roaring trade. There were people to chat to all along the way, there was an Italian who now lives in Canada whose mixture of accents made him sound Welsh. Another Canadian we spoke to was a woman from Winnipeg, she was coming to Scotland next year to trace ancestors of her grandmother who had settled in Nova Scotia from Scotland. Later when we were nearly at the finish in Pedrouzo we came across Fiona and Kirsty from Edinburgh again. We were looking for a pension to stay in, to get our things dry and also use their towels as ours were still soaking. They were staying in one, the Meribel, on the route going out of the town. We decided to have a look at it.
Recalling when we did this route before I didn't remember a town named Pedrouzo but then on the signposts it was linked with the name Acra, which did ring a bell. There were signs at the entry to the town for the Meribel and another, the Pension Acra, we followed those. The route went off road again through more gum trees and when it reached the tar again I recollected this area and the albergue we stayed at was to the left. So were the pensions, both next door to one another. We tried the Acra first but there was just a guy hanging about who wasn't interested in us, also there was lots of luggage in the reception for those having their gear carried. We tried next door at the Meribel and the woman was at our service, E40 for a double room, a bit pricey but OK, and we were in.
We got out of our wet clothes and into dry ones then out to a restaurant that the woman had directed us to. It was only a couple of minutes away and we didn't get too wet as the rain had eased slightly. The meal was good and as usual the helpings were far too much and we gorged ourselves. We wouldn't need anything else this evening. Fiona and Kirsty were in a room next to us when we got back. The dry spell was short lived, no sooner were we back but the heavens opened again. It poured for the rest of the day and through the night. We didn't move from the room and I kept flicking through the TV channels trying to find something interesting. There were a few in English but these were rubbish. The pension advertised Wi-Fi but here was something wrong with the router and we couldn't get a signal. We spent the day reading and listening to music on the iPad. At least the shower was piping hot and we were both feeling much better after it.
Day 37: Wednesday 16 October.
Pedrouzo to Santiago: 20 km.
We are sitting in bed in our room in Santiago after a near nonstop hectic day. We did have a break for lunch and later sat in a bar while Moira sourced some sites on the Internet to obtain accommodation in Irun tomorrow.
It was late when we started out, 9 am, and although there had been about a spell of an hour after we woke that the rain went off it came back with a vengeance as we finished packing. We had hopefully put away our wet gear but out they came again. I had all our wet clothes in a plastic bag on top of my rucksack; nothing had dried at all during the night.
The rain was absolutely lashing down, the paths and tracks were like running rivers. Our feet were instantly soaking again, so much for putting on dry socks; we didn't try avoiding puddles we just waded through. There weren't any other peregrinos to be seen at first and we thought they were all taking a day off because of the weather but soon they began to appear and it was 'Buen Camino', in greeting, as we passed or were passed. Nobody seemed downhearted and were in good spirits on this the final day of the long pilgrimage and trek to Santiago.
The route ran again initially through eucalyptus forests and it twisted and turned among the trees. I was never sure where we were and it was too wet to consult the map. After an hour and a half we came to a bar, at San Paio, a bit early for a stop but the conditions warranted it. It was doing a roaring trade being the only place we had come across since leaving and there wasn't another for a while after we started out again. Because the bar had this captive trade it charged accordingly, 2 ‘cafe con leche’ and 2 Magdalena cookies cost E4. There was a sign outside and I just notice the price E6:75 and I thought that was cheap for lunch then I realised it was for breakfast; only consisting of a fruit juice, a slice of toast and a cup of coffee.
We were now close to Santiago airport and we could see the runway lights. As the trees began to clear the sky to the west was now visible and the clouds were getting lighter. Soon the rain eased then went off; it was now much more pleasant walking though we were still wading through muddy water at times. Next we passed the buildings and communication masts, towers and satellite dishes of the Spanish and Galician television networks. We caught up with and chatted with a couple from Ontario, Canada. They were enjoying their first Camino and then were travelling down to Lisbon for a week In Portugal before returning home. They were going by bus to Lisbon and I advised them to have a stopover in Oporto which is a lovely city and home of port wine.
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| Monte de Gozo monument. |
The monument at Monte De Gozo, commemorating the visit by the
Pope, was the next stopping point for photographs. Moira assisted a crowd of
Japanese pilgrims by taking several group photographs with their cameras in
front of the massive sculpture. I also got a pilgrim's stamp in the guide book.
There is a huge albergue here that has 400 beds; we have never stayed there
finding it too close to the final destination to stop. It is only 5 km to go
and we now had our first glimpse of the holy city at the bottom of the hill. It
was now tar and pavements all the way and not only had the rain stayed off but
patches of blue sky were showing on the horizon.
As we reached the outskirts of Santiago
there were plenty of restaurants and bars offering 'menu del dia' at reasonable prices and as it was
1 pm we selected one for lunch. We both had the mixed salad then salmon and
chips. Very nice and we were now thoroughly refreshed and able to get out of
our waterproofs. The sun was now shining from a increasingly blue sky as the
Camino signs now took us into the city. The albergue that we stayed at when we
did the Francais route before was tempting but we wanted to get to the railway
station first and book seats on tomorrow's train to Irun, there was also
accommodation somewhere opposite the station and I had a photograph of a flyer
that was posted along the last stage of the Camino
.
From the junction up to the cathedral we continued straight and it took half an hour to get to the station. The attendant at the ticket office who spoke English was at lunch, 'back in ten minutes'; while Moira waited I went to see if I could find the pension. All I had on the flyer was a telephone number and I had no luck finding anything in the near area offering cheap lodging. When I got back Moira had completed the ticket purchase, only E50 for the two of us to Irun, a 10 hour journey; very reasonable indeed.
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| Santiago railway station. |
From the junction up to the cathedral we continued straight and it took half an hour to get to the station. The attendant at the ticket office who spoke English was at lunch, 'back in ten minutes'; while Moira waited I went to see if I could find the pension. All I had on the flyer was a telephone number and I had no luck finding anything in the near area offering cheap lodging. When I got back Moira had completed the ticket purchase, only E50 for the two of us to Irun, a 10 hour journey; very reasonable indeed.
We decided to head back and book into the albergue we used before but when we reached the junction to the cathedral had another change of plan. I had another flyer for a flat near the cathedral so we went to have a look at it. The flyer had a map on the back and we tried to follow the directions from the cathedral. It's all very well having a map with street names but of little use if the streets themselves don't have name plates. We went to the tourist info office and she gave us a city map and drew a line on it for the route to take. We seemed to be making progress and carefully studying the map when a woman asked if we were looking for a room. I asked the price, E30, and it was a deal; a double room, en suite, and the use of the kitchen. She also allowed us to use the washing machine so we got the washing all done and hung on in the sun. After showering and a cup of coffee it was out again to get our Compostellas
We had looked earlier when we passed the office and there was a queue, now the line was longer. It took about 45 minutes to get in and receive our 'certificate'. While we were waiting Yaisa spotted us and said hello. They had arrived at mid-day and had just caught the end of the pilgrim's mass. She said they were swinging the huge incense urn as they arrived. After leaving the office we went for a walk round the inside of the cathedral. It is a wonderful architectural structure with towering spires, arched roofs and carved columns but lacking in stain glass and statutory. We went to the crypt to see the silver casket that supposedly contains the remains of St James and his disciples and admired the masses of gold on the central altar. While we were strolling round we met Simona, she told us much the same story of their arrival as her daughter and were planning to come back tomorrow for the full mass before heading by bus to Finestrere.
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| Santiago Cathedral. |
After leaving the cathedral we went looking for a supermarket.
On the way I picked up a couple more hat badges from a souvenir shop and Moira
bought a tile with the shell and yellow arrow to put on the outside wall of our
house. At the supermarket we stocked up with food for the 10 hour train ride
tomorrow then headed back to the flat. Moira still had to book some place for
us to stay in Irun
when we get there tomorrow, so after dumping our shopping it was out again to
find a source of Wi-Fi. The Internet was free in the bar we found but they made
up for it by charging E7 for a couple of beers. At least Moira got everything
done, a hotel near the station in Irun, the
times of the train to Bordeaux
and Marmande the following day, and an email to the storage people to come and
pick us up. While Moira was doing all this the barman had put down a bowl of
nuts and one of olives, I ate them all to make up for the price of the beer.
It was nearly 9 pm when we were back at the room, another couple with one of the other rooms were in the kitchen but Moira was able to get in and boil up a packet of soup. I took in the washing; it was still slightly damp so I spread it around the room to dry overnight. We had the soup with bread to dunk in, an orange and some wine before getting to bed. It had been a very long day and we were both dead beat.
Day 38: Thursday 17 October.
Santiago to Irun: By train.
We both had a good night's sleep and had breakfast. We left in plenty of time to catch the train after finishing our packing. The washing was all mostly dry just our socks were still damp. On the city map we had worked out a route direct from the cathedral to the train station and it only took about 20 minutes. What took most time was trying to find a panderia to get fresh bread. We had about half an hour to wait for our train and the platform was full of peregrinos returning home. We had seats reserved with the purchase of the tickets.
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| Eucalyptus ready for the paper mills? |
It was dark when we got off the train and although we had some basic instruction on how to get to the Hotel Bowling it wasn't a good idea to be wandering around lost at this time of night. We jumped in a taxi. It was only a couple of minutes by car and close to where the municipal albergue was, but it was down a side street and we would never have found it. The taxi ride cost E5 so it wasn't too bad. The room was all right and for once we were thankful for the Spanish custom of dining late, the restaurant was still open. After leaving our bags in the room we went down and had the 'menu del dia'. It was all right, we both had the same, chicken salad followed by roast rabbit and chips. The rabbit was a bit tough but something different for a change.
There was Wi-Fi in the hotel and when we got to bed we listened to a folk music programme on Radio Scotland, via the Internet before getting to sleep.
