Day 31

Via de la Plata

Friday 27 April 2012

Day 31

 

Requejo de Sanabria to Lubian. 21km.

 

Today's section though short was the latest contender as the best of the Camino. It was a route not to be rushed but savoured for its exquisite mountain scenery and outstanding walking. It was nearly 8:00am when we left and the conditions were almost perfect, there wasn't a breath of wind and even the wind turbines on the mountain ridge above were stationary. We wore our ponchos for warmth but with the effort of the initial climb we were soon beginning to sweat.

 

Cicerone said that if there had been lots of rain not to take the path marked 'canada' which was a shady route on an old track leading up the valley but rather instead take the road. With rain the track would be very wet and boggy underfoot, also there would be streams to wade across. The wet or muddy track didn't discourage us but wading over streams put us off, so it was along the road to start. There were two roads, the motorway and the old road,the N525, which has replaced the N630 as the one the Camino follows. The N525 was outside the albergue and we were on the route straight away. As we headed up towards the pass, I was a little annoyed as the other track was plainly visible on the hillside, it was a wide track and looked well drained and dry. Fortunately we were only on the N525 for about 3km, then the yellow arrows directed us on to an older road. This was a lot pleasanter as it made its way up the valley and twisted beneath the pillars supporting the motorway. The other two roads made use of a tunnel through the hill while our track now crumbling from snow and ice erosion kept going up and up to the Portillo de Padornelo at 1329m. The views were magnificent, torrents of water from the recent rain cascading down the hillside and the tops white with large patches of snow. When we reached the top of the pass we found a rock and settled down for a coffee from the flask and an apple. What a difference there was in the weather from the

last two days, even at this altitude, higher than Ben Nevis, it felt relatively mild, and we were able to sit calmly to absorb the unbelievable panorama.

 

Coming down from the pass it was only a short distance on the road until we came to the village of Pandornelo. It wasn't much of a place with lots of decrepit and falling down old houses but it seemed to think a lot of itself by writing in large letters the village name on the hillside. After the village we left the road and it was a delightful route down on a narrow rocky track, a real mountain trail, wet and running water to negotiate but a route to take slowly not only for safety but to appreciate the surroundings and 'to smell the roses'. The next village, Aciberos, was a complete contrast to Pandornelo. Here almost all the houses had been given a makeover and refurbished, many looking very desirable. Cicerone said that it had only twelve inhabitants in winter but in the summer months it is much more populated with people coming for the cooler mountain air. The final 4km to Lubian were more enjoyable mountain trekking and it was really a pity when it had to finish when we arrived at the albergue.

 

We were first at the hostel and luckily the cleaning lady had just finished her chores and was about to leave as we arrived, so there was no hunting for the key. She was able to stamp our credentials and take the fee of only E3 each. As we were first in we got a choice of all the bunks and selected two bottom ones next to the door to the loo. After dumping our bags we had a walk in search of a shop and surprisingly discovered a small supermarket where we got something for dinner. When we got back more people had arrived, some that we had left behind days ago, they had all done a long one today, all the way from Puebla. For so odd reason there were two double bunks in the kitchen and strangely these were in demand and taken up quickly. Hopefully the reason is that these people want to get away sharply in the morning, if not I'm not worried about disturbing them when I come down to make our coffee and breakfast.

 

After we had lunch the place was getting busy and noisy so we went for a walk. Before going I had words with a character who ever time he came into the kitchen left the door open and there was a cold draught, I asked him if he was 'born in a field', a Scottish expression; he probably didn't understand being French, but he got the message. There was a bar on the main road and we went in for a drink, it was warm and quiet. Suzanna and Almont were already there, they had arrived a long time after us today and had also taken it casually to appreciate the surroundings. We spent an hour there in the peaceful atmosphere and passed the time with a game of cards, I won for change.

 

All the other peregrinos went out to the bar for dinner in the evening, while Moira made a lovely pasta in the kitchen. It was wonderfully peaceful on our own and we decided to turn in early. I put in ear plugs and didn't hear a thing as I dropped off to sleep. When I got up to the loo, a few hours later, all the others were back and tucked up in bed, even the snoring was only a gentle hum with the plugs in my ears.