Trepidatious traveller – camino blog

Today’s distance 23 km
Elevation gain 426 m
Elevation loss 440 m
Total distance from Almería 1,250 km

Grey and drizzly was how our day started. It remained grey but the drizzle didn’t amount to much and for the most part it was dry. We were on hard surfaces for a long while, but on quiet back streets through communities. Asphalt and cobbles was all we had for 5.5 km and then we reached our first track. Oh great, I thought. But the excitement was short-lived as the track only lasted for 100 m or so before it reverted to the hard stuff.

At 6.7 km we hit a gravel road through a eucalyptus plantation, but after a short while the very frequent arrows completely disappeared at a fork in the track and we had to make a best guess as to which route to take. We opt for the right, but in reality we don’t think it would have made any difference because the tracks join back up a few hundred metres further on, and we see arrows once again. There has been a fire and perhaps arrows painted on trees have been burned off.

We are now walking alongside a fast flowing river – we can hear rushing water although can’t see it through the hedges to the side of the path. Not long after we emerge into a lovely park where there is a weir – to one side the water is as clear as glass and to the other, it is a gushing torrent.

We walk through the park on a comfortable sand track and pass Sunday morning exercisers walking, running, cycling and leaping over stepping stone. I accost one guy to take our pilgrim family morning shot before we cross the river via a granite walkway.

We are back on the road at 8 km through a small town. We have been receiving many more greetings of ‘bom caminho’ today. We stop for a hot drink at 10 km and are treated very kindly by the bar lady – free hot water for me again – although I try to pay, but my attempts are brushed aside.

Our next track is at around 13 km and soon we are climbing a steep hill on surface very like a Roman road – uncomfortable stones and boulders. It’s a relief when we reach a nice level sand track through the eucalyptus forest. Unfortunately the flat track didn’t last for long – we took a switch back and were faced with an even longer, even steeper, and even rougher climb through the woods. We finally reached the summit at 15.5 km – that was some climb!

Just a few more metres uphill to a church and then we are walking in a zig-zag fashion above the busy road into Braga. By 18 km we had reached the outskirts of the city and we were lead through winding back streets – to keep us away from busy roads. Finally we arrived in the city centre, passed by the cathedral and found our accommodation at ‘inBraga’ hostel. We three gals have a room in the eaves with three single beds, whilst Paul and Aurelio have a separate room. We have use of the kitchen, there are good bathroom facilities, a small garden and friendly helpful staff. 13€ plus 2€ if you want breakfast.

I have eaten in on rice and veg. A Portuguese plus point is that supermarkets are open on Sundays. I have discovered the store Pico Doce where I shopped yesterday and today – nice produce.

After supper Nina, Paul and I took a stroll around town – we found puppies! And posed on the BRAGA sign. And drank port wine.

Only one more day on the Torres – it finishes in Ponte da Lima where it meets with the Camino Portuguese central route, which I have already walked. So we have alternative plans for the remaining days. Watch this space!

Today’s distance 20 km
Elevation gain 255 m
Elevation loss 384 m
Total distance from Almería 1,227 km

Firstly, thank you for the plant information – much appreciated.

The day started as it had finished yesterday, with light drizzle

We exit the city directly onto quiet country roads and soon find yellow arrows that coincide with the maps.me track.

My only gripe about Portugal is the way people drive. Gone is the courtesy of the spanish drivers who gave us plenty of clearance, and instead we are being buzzed by drivers who seem to be totally unaware of our presence, even though we make ourselves as obvious as possible.

My second issue of the day is that my delicious muesli breakfast in Amarante split a dental crown, and after a day of feeling the crack widen, it finally broke off this morning. But it is my own fault as the crown was meant to be temporary two years ago. Luckily I have no pain, I just need to remember not to eat on that side.

We pass two monasteries on this stage one beautifully maintained but probably not used for its original purpose. The second one was in considerable disrepair and likely soon to be in a ruinous state.

I enjoy today more than yesterday the surroundings are prettier and there are more interesting things is to look at.

There are ridiculously tall grapevines hereabouts – up to 5 m, and I see lots more Kiwi orchards.

Yesterday had been the feast day of Corpus Christi and along the way were many shows of petals strewn on the ground and displays of flowers on lamp posts and on walls. Very charming.

We had walked 9 km before we came to our first soft track through a eucalyptus plantation, steeply uphill, but sadly only for a couple of hundred metres. Then the rest of the walk was along an old railway line, asphalted and marked as a cycleway, which leads all the way to Guimarães. So virtually the whole stage was on hard surface.

The sun came out as I arrived in this beautiful world heritage city. The architecture is stunning, the squares and narrow streets delightful. I walked directly to my accommodation, dumped my pack and headed out to explore. First stop Largo do Oliveira plaza for a welcome to Guimaraes drink. Just as I paid the (tourist price) bill, I spotted Aurelio and Eli walking past. We arranged to meet at 19:00 for supper, by which time I will have joined forces with two new/old Camino buddies. Paul from the UK with whom I walked in 2015 and 2017 and Danish Nina who was one of the famous five who started this camino in Almeria.

I check my ‘happy cow’ vegan restaurant app and find there’s one place listed, which is situated opposite the castle. The ‘Cor de Tangerina’ has a vegetarian/vegan menu and my food was delicious – seitan (wheat gluten meat substitute), crushed roast potatoes and spinach, finished off with a vegan ice cream. Oh so yummy.

When I finished lunch  it was time to meet with Paul. While we were catching up a huge thunder storm erupted, causing an absolute downpour…which was s bit of an issue because I was wearing shorts and t-shirt and my crocs which are like an ice rink when wet. Luckily Paul had some hefty elastic bands about his person so as soon as the rain died down a bit I strapped my shoes to my feet and scooted back to my accommodation at ‘Hi Hostal Guimaraes Pousada de Juventude’ youth hostel. I’m in a six-bed female dorm alone until Nina arrives. The hostel is situated in a huge granite building in the old leather manufacturing area. Bed linen is supplied and I was given a towel without charge when I asked, there are great washroom facilities opposite our door, a kitchen we can use and lots of outdoor space. 14 euros including a rather scrappy breakfast, but they did buy some soya milk especially for me, which was very kind.

It’s great to see Nina again, and after catching up, we set off to meet with the others. Aurelio’s wife Rita had travelled from Lisbon for a couple of nights and it was lovely to meet up with her again. We had a good supper (I had caldo verde – potato and cabbage soup, and mijas – fried garlicky breadcrumbs with turnip tops)

All in all, a very nice day, an enchanting town and fab companions.

This is one of my favourite photos of this camino…

Today’s distance 21.5 km
Elevation gain 467 m
Elevation loss 285 m
Total distance from Almería 1,207 km

The fun of the fair (for those attending, not for those trying to sleep through the noise) continued until the no-so-early hours of the morning.

But after the pain, there was great pleasure. In the morning I wandered down to the beautiful kitchen to heat a cup of water. There was a guy busy doing something or other, so I said bom dia and continued about my business. Then it uoccurrd to me that I could ask said guy if it was possible for us to have breakfast earlier than the set time of 08:00. So back down the corridor I toddled and asked the question. No problem, he replied, how about 07:15. Great said I, thank you very much. Breakfast is not a very exciting prospect for me, bread and jam and hot water is normally all that fall within my dietary requirements, but the others like to tuck in to the ham and cheese and cakes and all types of other goodies on offer.

When we arrived back in the kitchen at the appointed hour, my eyes fell upon an absolute feast laid out before us in an artistic and appetising manner. My attention was drawn to two types of milk…there was soya milk so I could have some delicious muesli and add to it from the selection of sultanas, oats, flax and chia seeds – pure joy 1. Then I returned for a helping of fresh fruit salad of pineapple, kiwi and orange – oh bliss 2. And then I went up for the third time to select a seeded roll and my very favourite apricot jam – seventh heaven 3. I can’t praise our accommodation highly enough – Hostel Des Arts has gone the extra mile and has designed their modern facility within an old building with their intended clients’ requirements to the fore. Thank you.

I forgot to start recording Wikiloc until I had already walked somewhere between 0.5 and 1 km, so distances stated in this post are very approximate.

I saw a few of these shrubs today. If anyone knows what they are, please share – I would love to get one for my garden.

I got my comeuppance for talking to dogs this morning. I spied a handsome young fellow standing in the middle of the road. I made overtures to him but he was a bit shy and didn’t come to me for a pat, but hunkered down and met my eye in a very charming manner. I didn’t pursue the conversation and walked on for quite a while before I noticed that he was following me. I shushed him away, to absolutely no effect, on he came. I clacked my sticks at him, to no effect, on he came. I started to worry because I could see we would soon be leaving the suburbs, so I called to Aurelio for help. Dogs are often more intimidated by men, and Aurelio put on a good show to shushing and clacking and pretending to pick up a stone, and eventually the charming chap got the message and kept back. It breaks my heart to see how very many dogs are treated here – as they are in Spain. They are either penned in a small cage, or kept on a short chain, or kept on a short chain in a small cage. They suffer terribly, even if they are well fed. They are aggressive and charge about until the chain flips them backwards. They have no life and I don’t understand why they are treated like this. They can’t guard a property if they are chained up. What is the point?. There are huge great mastins, and tiny little terriers and every size in between. All sad and angry and so very unhappy. I have determined not to connect with loose dogs, just in case another sad pooch tries to follow me.

We walk on all types of surface today, dirt, gravel, cobbles, asphalt, Roman roads – through fields, and grassy tracks, alongside allotments, past houses and ruins, through woodland and along roads. But they all have one thing in common – an upward elevation.

Today we are following the Camino Torres shiny new signs which are rather counter-intuitive because the track in maps.me sets off in entirely another direction. But Aurelio is confident and Eli and I tag along for the ride.

The problem with the signs is that if you miss one you have no reference point (as in maps.me) as to where the track should be leading and so you wouldn’t know you are going the wrong way. The moral of this story is that I must pay attention at all times!

Today is completely overcast but nevertheless quite warm and muggy – it doesn’t take much to work up a glow and I have to wear my visor early on to help mop up.

I see many plots with raised vines around the perimeter. The field is either planted with young cereal crops or waiting to be sewn. But the soil here looks so rich and so fine – as though it has been passed through a kitchen sieve.

We walk past the town of Telões at 8 km where there is a bar, but we are so replete from breakfast that we don’t bother to stop.

There are so many beautiful but delapidated properties left to ruin. Grand quintas and tiny farm buildings, such history falling to the ground. What a terrible waste. But I guess younger people who have inherited these millstones have no interest in living in a cold, damp building in the middle of nowhere.

We reach the large industrial town of Lixe at around 12 km and join up with the maps.me route. The shiny new Camino Torres signs ended some way back when we left the municipality of Amarante and we now have the old yellow arrows.

I have seen a few kiwi fruit vines over recent days, but today I saw a whole kiwi orchard. Aurelio tells me that we are now in the Minho region where there is not much wind and kiwis grow well.

Something went wrong with my navigation skills towards the end of this stage (or possibly a case of attention deficiency) and there were no more arrows for me. I reverted to the maps.me track and found a fairly straightforward route into our destination city of Felgueiras. Not a particularly interesting or charming town. We have rooms in the Horus Apartments. A twin room and living room with sofa bed, cloakroom and full bathroom with balcony. There is a kitchen but it is locked. Aurelio has a discussion with the receptionist who says that use of the kitchen incurs an extra cost, but she is persuaded to open it for no charge. 67€.
I visit the local Lidl and buy a selection of salad and fruit for my supper along with a bottle of Vinho Verde. I offer some to Aurelio but he turns up his nose – it isn’t tinto and isn’t worth bothering with! Ha, all the more for me (actually a bit too much, but my pot of Lidl lentil salad should counter the alcohol).

Today’s distance 32 km
Elevation gain 789 m
Elevation loss 1,044 m
Total distance from Almería 1,185.5 km

I didn’t take the time to ‘discover’ Mesāo Frio yesterday evening, but on walking out this morning it appeared to be a quite charming town that even boasted an open bar at 07:00, where we stopped for hot drink.

2 km out of town we swapped asphalt for cobbled track which headed in only one direction – up – and then up a bit more! The one saving grace was that the track conveniently passes under some low hanging cherry trees. These were very ripe and a good proportion had ended on the ground (which is why I don’t feel guilty about scrumping – I hate waste). The cherries I ate were still wet from last night’s rain.

From the outset we are walking through low cloud and as we swiftly climb (the climb is swift – not necessarily the pace) visibility diminishes until it is no more than 30 m.

At around 3 km we are walking on a quiet road, but there are many tight bends. Walking in this type of road in very limited visibility is very intimidating. I am glad my jacket is cream coloured, my poles are bound with fluorescent tape and by pack cover is orange. If anyone knocked me down it would be intentional! My fellow pilgrims are wearing very dark colours and as I am bringing up the rear, I feel they are putting themselves at risk in these conditions.

The climb continues and we are glad to reach the village of Estrada at 6 km where we stop for a second hot drink. I buy a couple of small bread rolls and a tomato for my lunch (I have half an avocado left from yesterday).

After exiting Estrada we are walking on a cobbled road and I find myself wishing for the tarmac. Not only are cobbles themselves uneven and uncomfortable, but the road gets worn and undulates, making for a much less than pleasant underfoot experience.

At 9.3 km the road runs into sand track and the climb continues on rough moorland – higher and higher. There is a distant eerie whine of an unseen wind turbine. Unseen because the thick mist is obscuring any distant view.

I am far behind the others because I have been stopping to play with my camera and talk to passing locals – although I have not much idea what they are saying, but several lovely elderlies have been keen to communicate and seem genuinely interested I what I am doing.

I find myself walking entirely alone along this cloud covered mountain (hill?) and I am loving it. Sometimes it is just fabulous to be alone with the elements. It was happy, happy walking. I plugged into my camino sound track for the first time in weeks, picked up my speed and sang aloud, happy in the knowledge that I was only disturbing the occasional slug. I climbed to the summit, almost dancing along the track. At 11.5 km the descent began and it was as constant as the ascent had been and I had to slow my pace or I would have met a very ungainly end!

2 km later I rejoined the road and noticed new signage in the form of metal plates on poles. I caught up with the others and Aurelio told me that from now on the signage was very reliable.

Once over this mountain the landscape changed. No more vineyards or orchards, but back to small parcels of land and much more woodland. Aurelio told me that this was Vinho Verde territory, where vines are grown high above the ground on trunks of maybe two metres, around the outside of a plot, with other produce being grown in the middle of the plot.

I was on a roll and paced on, not bothering to stop when the others had a coffee. I was really enjoying striding out and eating up the kms. As I stopped to chat to a delightful old man a taxi passed and I had to move out of the way a bit sharpish. A few hundred metres down the road the taxi drew up alongside me on his return journey and the driver told me he was the president of the local association of the amigos of the Camino Torres in this region. He said that he was working on a project to open an albergue in an old school building in the area of Loivos about 15 km from Mesāo Frio, not expected to be ready for a year or so.

I continue to eat up the kms until I find an inviting rock under a tree at 23 km where I make up a couple of avocado and tomato rolls – really delicious. And then continue on cobbles or Tarmac until I make the decision to ignore the new sign directing me to the right, in favour of the track shown on maps.me. I’m not entirely sure this was the right decision, but having made it, I was destined to stick with it. I missed a turn somewhere along the way and pretty much made up the route for a few kms through pretty woodland and interesting country roads before working my way back on track. I probably increased my distance by a couple of kms but I had the bit between my teeth and was happy to go with the flow. The entrance into Amarante was sudden and before I knew it I was crossing the bridge over the Rio Tamega and was faced with the charming church of Sāo Gonçalo, and found my way to our accommodation just a few minutes away.

In the Hostel & Suites Des Arts we are staying in dormitory accommodation with beds that fold down from the walls – each with a power point, light and lockable shelf. There is a huge kitchen which we can use, a very nice bar that sells food (I ate toast with hummus) lots of outside space right alongside the river, and probably private rooms as well. On chatting with the receptionist I learned that the property was originally the first hotel in the town in the searly 1900’s – the only hotel for 40 years. It has remained in the ownership of the same family since it was established and the current family members spent three years renovating the building, reusing all of the original materials to great effect. 15 euros for dorm bed including breakfast, great showers and facilities. We are lucky that we are the only residents in our dorm. I bought food for a cook-up. This is what feeds three people including leftovers – one onion, one tomato, red pepper, courgette, 2 cloves garlic, heart of cabbage and some tasty leafy greens plus a jar of chick peas – cost about 5€, cooked up with veg stock cube, some wine, some quinoa and rice that was left in the kitchen, some spices and magic ingredient nutritional yeast. Absolutely delicious. Eli and I ate it as it was, and Aurelio added a tin of tuna – and we all thoroughly enjoyed it – washed down with a very tasty fresh red wine.

Amarante is a very beautiful town with a fiesta going on. There are fairy lights, street markets and a lot of noise. I think I will take a quick whizz around and see what’s going on.

Been there, done that! Just a noisy fair at the moment, but market-type stalls are being set up along the streets and whatever they are celebrating will get into gear over the next day or two.

Today’s distance 30.5 km
Elevation gain 696 m
Elevation loss 855 m
Total distance from Almería 1,153.5 km

I was glad not to have a hangover when I woke this morning. And we had a rather late start after partaking of the included breakfast at 07:30.

There are many cobbles to be trod leaving Lamego, and already we are climbing on a day that promises to be full of climbs.

There is a short distance on fast busy road but we are soon directed onto lanes between small neighbourhoods. We set all the dogs barking as we walk through, they take it in turns to try to intimidate us with their snarling and barking but we just whistle at them and say hello nicely. It doesn’t stop them barking though.

We are soon walking next to vineyards again. Today there are only vineyards, no other fruit. Aurelio points out that the soil has changed – from granite based to slate based. Granite soil is where grapes for the espumante are grown, whereas slate soil is where grapes for port wine are grown. We are now in slate country, the stone walls are now made of slate and even the posts supporting the vine wires are pieces of slate.

We are walking on a variety of tracks including the narrowest path between stone walls – barely wide enough to pass through. There are a series huge climbs and descents throughout the day.

In Lamego the Camino Torres meets with the Camino Portuguese Interior route (which starts in Viseu), but not for long. At the first village we reach the route splits – to the left for the CPI, and to the right for the Camino Torres.

We cross a deep and dramatic gorge via an ancient bridge, descending steeply down one side and climbing steeply back up the other.

As we walk back up the gorge there are some eucalyptus trees and although I hate what they do to the landscape they smell so fresh and delicious after the rain

The tracks runs between terraces of vines falling steeply to the left and rising steeply to the right.

At 12 km we reach the city of Regua. We cross the Rio Douro via a wide metal footbridge and look across to the pretty arched road bridge, and beyond to the high rise motorway bridge. Aurelio and I stop at a cafe at the end of the metal bridge and wait for Eli to catch up. The waitress tells us that the building opposite is to be renovated and used as albergue. It won’t be anytime soon – but watch that space!

The building where the albergue will be

We leave the city via a riverside path and eventually move away from the river and start to climb. Aurelio points out flood markers from 1962. Even though we are a considerable height above the river these markers are at head height or more. Incredible to think what damage must have been done.

Then comes the most serious climb of the day. Ridiculously steep and ridiculously long. I was puffing and panting from the very beginning, but our bodies are amazing machines and I made it to the top, took a deep breath and was fit and ready to carry on. But after a short while we were at it again, up and up we went on a very rough narrow track. Once again I made it to the top, took a breath and carried on.

The renovation of a Portuguese wall. If you look closely you can see they used the stone with a yellow arrow in the middle of the wall – I hope someone has some yellow paint handy to make a new arrow when it’s finished

I was fascinated by this cooper’s workshop

We walk a sort of horseshoe route today – around a gorge above a steep and deep valley. Towards the end of the stage we are walking towards very dark skies but the sun is still shining above us and it is very warm. We come to a country twin and I take the opportunity to wet my scarf and lay it across my neck. But the next minute a very cold and gusty wind has picked up and it becomes really quite cold as we walk through low cloud, so I stop to remove the scarf and put on my jumper.

We finally reach our destination and are staying in the house of a very old lady. I haven’t learned her name but she lives in a large house opposite the Restaurant Convivio. Ask in the restaurant or ring 254 892 481. Aurelio has a room to himself for 25€ and Eli and I are sharing a twin room for 35€. The house is full of all the things you would expect a very elderly lady to have, personal photos everywhere, bits and bobs, dried flowers in every corner, paintings of sad looking children. But the beds are comfortable and we share a bathroom.

We pop across the road to the restaurant for supper. I eat rice and cabbage, which isn’t nearly as bad as it sounds, and finish up with a bowl of freshly picked cherries, all washed down with sparkling wine and a glass of port.

Today was Aurelio’s birthday – feliz aniversário amigo!

Today’s distance 22 km
Elevation gain 650 m
Elevation loss 841 m
Total distance from Almería 1,123 km

There was a tearful farewell this morning as I departed from my best camino buddy. But there is no doubt that we will walk together again. Farewell my friend for the time being and safe journey home to South Africa.

We were walking on a track almost immediately on leaving the city. It was a cold start, but we were walking on a lovely track past copses of poplars with a fast running stream alongside and granite blocks forming bridges across the water.

We pass through the first village at 3.5 km – I like the stages that have lots of communities to pass through as there are interesting things to see and people to communicate with. I made slow going through the woods as I was collecting flowers to make a bouquet to send (via whatsapp) to Marilyn to wish her a safe journey home.

After passing through the village we are on the road for about 2 km, then back onto a beautiful track. Village two came at 5 km, then on quiet road for another couple of km, then back on track. Next village at 7.5 km…this format of village/quiet country road/track formed the pattern for the day and was repeated over and over. Perfect camino walking, but with a considerable amount of elevation.

There was a battle between the sun and cloud today. There is heavy cloud cover and when the sun manages to put in an appearance it is very warm, but otherwise it is quite cool with a fresh but gentle wind. Sleeves are raised and lowered very regularly.

I managed to lose the track amongst the many apple orchards , but when I joined up with Eli, I discovered that she has done the same. So perhaps the route has been slightly diverted from the tracks we downloaded. Generally the signage was very good today.

The fruit trees are planted just 2 feet apart although there is space between the rows for a picking machine. It seems very close, and when the trees grow they will form a solid wall.

I have seen a lot of elder trees growing – until now just occasional trees growing at the edges of fields and tracks. But today I see them cultivated in orchards. I haven’t seen this before and am told that the produce is exported to Germany as jelly. There are also lots of beech trees. And cherries, and quince, and vines.

We dip steeply down to Ucanha an ancient and charming village with an impressive stone bridge spanning the Rio Varosa. As we reach the bridge a young man invites us to climb the tower at its approach.

We climb four flights to stairs to the top of the tower and survey the quaint houses and ruins of the village and the rich green valley beyond. I love the opportunity to explore such places and have great fun peeping through arrow slits and down the gaps made for pouring boiling oil on those who refused to pay the toll to cross the. bridge.

Practically every inch of these fertile valleys is packed with fruit trees and vines, and there are many new orchards being established. I admit to scrumping some delicious cherries from the roadside and stashing a small supply for later.

Our last steep descent and climb take us to our destination, Lamego, where we look around the cathedral and then take the weight off our feet in a bar opposite whilst we await the arrival of Aurelio, who had returned from visiting his mother. We are staying in Resedencial Solar de Sé, twin room for Eli and me 39€, breakfast included, very clean, nice bathroom. We open the curtains to find that there are doors to a tiny balcony which is facing the cathedral.

Aurelio tells us that we are meeting with his friend who lives in the city. We shower and change and walk out to meet them, expecting to have a drink in a bar, but no, we are ushered into his car and driven to see a monastery – quite a substantial drive that takes us back in the direction from which we walked today. We arrived at Mosteira de São João de Tarouca and were given a guided tour of the ancient church next door to the ruined monastery.

After that we returned to Lamego under dark stormy skies accompanied by thunder and lightning and a little rain – my thoughts were centred around finding a supermarket in this large town so that I could buy some healthy food, but we were whisked across town and wound our way up to the top of a very high hill to a viewing point where we could (only just due to the dark sky) look over the Douro Valley to the river far below.

Then we were told we were going to eat cherries (well, I had been doing that most of the afternoon!). Back down the hill we went, through town again and then back up a hill on the other side until we reached the gates of our new friend’s house where we went into his back garden and raided his cherry tree. It finally dawned on me that we were actually going to eat with this kind man and his wife who was busy in the kitchen preparing mounds of food.

Eli and I were ushered into the living room where we were served Portuguese Espumante (the equivalent of champagne) made from grapes harvested from vineyards we could see from his window. When we were called into the kitchen to eat, my eyes almost popped out of my head when I saw the extravagant spread of food, mostly made with me in mind. A huge plate of delicious vegetables topped with fried onion and mushrooms, a colourful mixed salad, a plate of lettuce just plucked from the garden and tomatoes, a cauldron of sticky rice and a plate of meat for the others. I felt so honoured to be catered for like this and the food was so very wonderful to eat. For the finale of this culinary extravaganza a bottle of Port was brought to the table. Not any old Port mind you, this nectar was sixty years old and tasted so smooth and sweet and delicious.

We were then driven back to our accommodation where the cathedral was lit up and shining through our window. It was a fabulous day’s walking and an amazing surprise after we arrived. Such wonderful hospitality was offered to complete strangers. It will be a day that I will always remember. The only thing that was missing was my dear friend Marilyn who found herself with transport difficulties and had to wait all day for a train to Salamanca before her onward trip to Madrid.

Today’s distance 23 km
Elevation gain 262 m
Elevation loss 483 m
Total distance from Almería 1,073 km

After a good night’s sleep, an early morning jaunt around the walled town of Trancoso and a hearty breakfast back at the hotel, there was very little road walking this morning and we were soon walking through pine woodland. At 4 km there commenced a steep climb that seemed to continue forever. The going was soft underfoot with sand track covered in pine needles. We finally reached the top and stopped for a brief rest.

There seems to be a theme running through Spain and Portugal where people will drive miles into the middle of nowhere at some random beauty spot in the countryside to dump their rubbish. I have seen whole households of rubbish dumped. White goods, TVs, kitchen units, three piece suites, carpets, masonry, mattresses – you name it , I have seen it dumped at the side of a woodland track. Is it so difficult for people to dispose of their rubbish responsibly? It is appalling to deface the wilderness like this.

There is evidence of more extensive fires in the pinewoods on the hillsides today. It goes on for miles and the smoky smell is very strong. It must be devastating for local people to look out at the blackened slopes.

I have seen a new plant over the last couple of days. I am sure it is a relation of Echium Candicans (Pride of Madeira). There have been swathes of it growing on the hilltops hereabouts.

The plant at the top looks a lot like Pride of Madeira

There is a feeling of being on top of the world as we weave between the granite boulders on tracks that are covered in the waste from the fires. It is warm and sunny with a fresh light breeze. The sky ahead is blue with white fluffy clouds but in every other direction the cloud is menacingly black. If ever there were arrows to direct us on these tracks, they disappeared with the fire and I defy anyone to find the route through this section without help from a GPS system.

We pass the edge of a village at 9 km – the fire reached the gardens of some houses. Shortly afterwards we cross a bridge over a small river and Eli suggests it would be a good place to sit and rest a while. We play poo sticks in the fast running water. When we move on webleave the destruction of the fire behind us.

I love walking through Portugal. There are the most beautiful stone ruins, the villages seem to be very well maintained, even the humblest buildings are a work of stone mason artistry. The people I greet are very friendly and helpful, the gardens are an absolute delight overflowing with roses and colourful flowers and the allotments are militarily precise in their plantings.

The signage today has been excellent, apart from the burnt woodland.

Details of the second part of the walk are rather sparse as I received phone calls from both my daughters and didn’t take any notes

Pine resin collection

So, without further ado I shall make this a short post and try to get another good night’s sleep in a room to myself at the Residencial Santo Estevão, an extremely friendly establishment with large restaurant and very good sized rooms. I was delighted to be served my first glass of Vinho Verde which I absolutely love and supper of Caldo Verde (cabbage soup) followed by rice and veg. We have been given a packed breakfast as the restaurant doesn’t open until 08:00. 20€ including breakfast.