Trepidatious traveller – camino blog

My mojo was still in evidence this morning as I set off from Finisterre at just after 07:00. I hadn’t remembered the walk as being that great – it was the finale of my first camino (Frances) in 2013 when I walked with my daughter Ella, but we had walked to Muxía first and the final stage was to Finisterre. So this morning I was walking in the opposite direction.

My original plan for this year had been to walk along the coast from Finisterre to Muxía over two days. There is a route called the Csmiño dos Faros, and stretches from Malpica to Finisterre. But recently I had heard that the stages between Muxía and Finisterre were really quite difficult and there had been several instances where people had to be air-lifted to safety. So common sense kicked in and I decided to take the inland route instead.

It was beautiful and I enjoyed every step to the half-way point at Lires. There had been a little rain early on, but nothing significant and I was soon enough stripping off the rain gear. The route was mainly through woodland with enough elevation to remind me that I wasn’t super-human. I came across a good selection of animals, very large (and very up-close) and small.

I met friendly cats, indifferent sleepy cats, a greedy donkey, a grumpy dog, a herd of cows on their way to/from milking that almost ran me off the road, a pony who just wanted to stand in the shade and smell the flowers, and a pretty blue butterfly that stayed put long enough for me to capture an image.

There is a lot of two way traffic on this stage of the camino and many ‘buen caminos’ were wished back and forth. I saw two extremes of unusual camino clothing today, that might be termed ‘the sublime and the ridiculous’ – I shall leave it up to you to decide which style deserves which accolade. My first thought was that the hareem pants would be extremely uncomfortable if one received a thorough soaking (and might feel like walking in a heavily soiled nappy), whereas the very short shorts might cause significant other discomforts. Both were worn by young women, most likely on their first camino.

There were a couple of pilgrim watering holes along the way, where refreshments were available either for a donation or from a vending machine.

I stopped in the small village of Lires at 13.7 km and enjoyed an orange juice and a bacon sandwich. Up to this point I had absolutely enjoyed every step of the way. The paths were good, there was not much road walking, there were pretty (and some very colourful) villages to pass through, wild honeysuckle and roses to enjoy and generally observe small village life.

After Lires there was more road walking and more elevation, and I grew a little tired, but it remained a very enjoyable walk.

The cloud cleared in the late morning and the sun emerged into a blue sky and all was well with the world. There were a couple of water sources where I could wet my buff to cool my neck, but although it was lovely and warm, the temperature didn’t rise too much.

There was a brief glimpse of the coast at Lires and then nothing until the approach to Muxía where there is a magnificent white beach. The town itself has a variety of restaurants, a pretty marina and port area and a mixture of traditional stone and modern properties.

I walked directly to the albergue BelaMuxía where I had stayed on my only other visit four years ago. It is very comfortable with bunks in cubicles with power points, well thought out showers, large laundry and good kitchen/dining area, 12 euros.

My first job on arrival was to take off my boots for the last time (they will not be coming home with me – the soles are paper thin and I already have four worn-out pairs of boots at home). The second job was to go towards the marina and find a restaurant for a celebratory glass or two of wine and something to eat. And then in the evening I met with French Valerie and Dave for one final goodbye supper.

Distance 28.5 km
Accumulated uphill elevation 412 m
Accumulated downhill elevation 423 m
Total distance 982.6 km
Average per day 27.3 km

This might not be a very long post as I am rather weary after my log hike in the hot sun.

Today I planned to take another variant to the main camino. I had rough instructions that someone had kindly posted on one of the camino forums, and the plan was to keep me off the Camino Frances for another day.

I walked the first section (that I didn’t walk yesterday) to the town of Boimorte (where the albergue is 10.5 km from Sobrado). There are plenty of bars and shops here and I took the opportunity to stop off for a Fanta and a breakfast bacon buttie, and to soak my buffs and put them in a plastic bag for later refreshment. In this town begins the diversion. As far as I had been informed it was an unmarked route, and I was glad to have some direction.

So I was very surprised when I discovered there were mojones (granite camino markers) and tiles at very regular intervals, although the stated distance remaining to Santiago was rather less than I was expecting. However these markers reflected the directions I had noted and so eventually I stopped reading the directions and just followed the markers.

The walking was almost entirely along quiet roads. But don’t be fooled that quiet roads infer slow and careful drivers. They most certainly weren’t slow, but mostly very respectful and because there were rarely two vehicles passing at the same time they were able to give me plenty of room. Nevertheless, the backdraught from some of the big lorries was rather fierce!

8.5 km from Boimorto I stopped for a short rest and sat on a shady stone bench at the pretty Capella de Mota. Some way further, during a spell of around 2.5 km on a gravel track a deer leapt from the field on one side to the woods on the other. I quickly readied my camera in the hope that others might follow, but alas it was alone and I had missed a great photo opportunity.

Today was probably the hottest day I have experienced on this camino and unfortunately there was precious little shade, particularly in the early afternoon when the sun was directly overhead. I wrapped my long buff over my neck and shoulders, and took the opportunity to soak it again when I passed some running water.

What is the purpose of this weapon of torture that this poor creature has in its nose? None of he other cows in the field had anything similar, although they all had their horns sawn off.

After I had walked 29 km I rested in a shady bus shelter and ate the second half of my bacon bocadillo.

I found a bar at 32 km (21 km from Boimorte) and downed two ice-cold Fantas, resoaked my long buff, and asked for a water bottle refill which was supplied complete with plenty of ice. On speaking to the proprietor I discovered that the route had only been marked for the last three months.

It was so hot that I put my (wet) neck buff over my head to protect my scalp from the sun. Worn like this over my visor it looks rather like a baseball cap and felt lovely and cool for a while.

I was walking to the side of a major road, the N-634, and began to realise that the distances shown on the mojones probably related to the distance alongside this road directly into Santiago. Having already walked 32 km I really didn’t want to continue for a further 20+ km and arrive in the city a day early. So I consulted the app ‘maps.me’ and chose an appropriate side road to take me to my intended destination of O Pedrouzo.

I am sure I walked a route that differed at the end to what I intended, but I was expecting 38-40 km and that I exactly what I got. If I had followed my intended route I would have joined the Camino Frances about 5 km sooner, whereas I was off the camino until I reached my destination. This route wouldn’t suit everyone – a great deal of road walking, some of it along major roads, although not too much. In the end it was ok, but not great.

I would be interested to know more about the route I was following for most of the day and where it joins the CF, if in fact it does. There definitely needs to be somewhere to stay between Boimorto and Santiago. I shall have to do some research and discover what this alternative route is called.

I have been in touch with Marilyn who is also staying in O Pedrouzo, but on the other side of town and neither of us has the energy to meet up. So we shall see each other on the way tomorrow and walk into Santiago together, just as we should.

I am staying in the private albergue ‘Otero’, very spacious, two dormitories each with 18 places, washing machine and dryer, good showers and bathroom facilities (separate), a small garden opposite to dry washing and sit and relax, not much of a kitchen, but microwave , fridge and vending machine. 10 euros. Good value. And all my clothes have been machine washed so that I can enter Santiago in pristine condition.

I have to report that I have just eaten the best meal on this (or probably any other) camino. Two sizeable pieces of steak served very rare and presented with a hot stone so that they can be cooked to individual taste. My taste was just exactly as it arrived – very rare – so I sent the hot stone away (it really was hot enough in the bar without a furnace sitting on the table). It was served with a plate of salty chips and a delicious salad with a dish of garlic and seed mustard dressing. A few chips were left but nothing else. I was also given the option of drinking a complete bottle of wine, which of course I declined! Bar O Pedrouzo. Highly recommended.

Not such a short post after all!

Today’s distance 39.4 km
Accumulated uphill elevation 180 m
Accumulated downhill elevation 406 m
Total distance 847 km
Average per day 27.3 km

Last evening we met up with a couple of women (Dutch and German) and ate with them at a rather nice restaurant near the church (can’t remember the name), 13 euros for a menu. Rather expensive but also rather nice.

I walked alone all day, having left the albergue at 06:45. The first stage is through a park alongside the river – very lovely. I should have discovered this area yesterday and sat at one of the many picnic benches to write my blog rather than sit in my room. I continued on lots of lovely woodland tracks and paths between farm pastures. Although the sky was fairly clear when I started, there was a ground mist hanging over the land.

The green arrows are doing a fairly good job, but there are places where decisions have to be made and I could not see any indication as to which path to take. I would say it is essential to have a track downloaded to guide you when necessary. I am using ‘Maps.me’, which is excellent.

When walking through farmland there are often consequences. Farmers need to use tractors. Tractors create deep ruts in the paths. When it rains, water collects in the ruts causing extremely boggy conditions. Cows need to be moved from the milking parlour to the fields along these already muddy tracks. The mud becomes mixed with a good portion of manure making the going even more smelly and boggy and the cows give it all a good kneading and stirring until it is one deep mass of mush. Then along comes a jolly pilgrim with nice clean boots who has to negotiate these extended bogs that stretch right across the tracks.

What seems like a fair challenge the first few times soon turns to misery. There is no way round. Occasionally there is a very narrow ledge to one side or the other that might be a bit dryer, but there are spiky brambles and pointy branches to pull at your bare legs and trip you up…always with the possibility that you might land face down in the mire.

There were an abundance of such conditions today. I soon grew tired of the challenge, my legs were scratched and my boots, already wet from walking through dewy grass, were now squelchy with swamp. But there was no going back and one stretch of bog lasted for a good 500 metres – very slow going.

This is not meant to be a moan, but a heads up to those who may choose this path. I have not encountered rain for many days, although I don’t know what has been happening right here, right now. But this is an area of regular misty conditions that create a damp atmosphere – so be prepared to squelch!

I have no regrets about taking this route. It has been beautiful and isolated, just how I like it. But I did take a good look at the route on ‘maps.me’ and at one point decided ‘enough was enough’ and could see an alternative route on the road that I opted for rather than encounter more bog.

At various points in the early morning the mist rose into the sky and vision was very limited. But the sun finally broke through the cloud at just after 09:00 by which time I had walked 10 km.

I entered the most delightful woodland at around 13.5 km and it seemed the perfect place to stop, particularly as there was a nice flat granite boulder that seemed to have my name written on it. I made myself a breakfast sandwich with a rather stale bread roll I had bought two days ago in Lugo and a piece of steak I had saved from last night’s dinner. And then I set about changing my boggy socks for a clean dry pair and changing my insoles so that the dry socks wouldn’t immediately become damp.

I passed through a few farmsteads and tiny hamlets and almost without exception, the big (and small) barky dogs were not constrained by either fence or chain and came bounding out of their territory to defend their honour. Almost without exception they either bowed to my friendly overtures and came up for a fuss, or slunk away as soon as I made eye contact. There was only one who showed signs of real aggression, but I am aware of what noises and gestures to make to keep an aggressive dog at bay, and no problem occurred, although I imagine that if one was to show fear the story may be different.

The second half of this stage involves a fair bit of road walking, but on quiet, pretty roads. And then, as I approached a road junction, quite unexpectedly I saw a camino mojon and realised I had reached the Camino del Norte at the town of O Mesón, and immediately I saw a number of pilgrims up ahead.

My initial plan was to walk on this stage to Sobrado dos Monxes where there is an albergue in the monastery. But as I walked I thought I might walk on a further 12 km which would give me a shorter day tomorrow (but a very long one today). I was fairly sure about plan ‘B’ until I arrived at Sobrado and saw the monastery. One does not get many opportunities to stay in such an ancient and spectacular building so I stopped at 27 km, leaving a stage of not much less than 40 km tomorrow. It had to happen either today or tomorrow and the lure of the monastery won out.

I arrived at around 13:45 and was registered by a most personable English monk. I was advised that the property was locked between 14:00 and 16:30 and I had the choice of being locked in or locked out. I chose the latter and wandered the town before eating a mediocre salad and drinking a rather nice glass of wine.

My penance for such a delightful albergue was that the showers weren’t working by the time I got in, just a intermittent drip of water. But I have just listened to the monks singing vespers and taken a look around this huge monastery, mostly unused but open for us to take a look around. It’s absolutely massive with the most incredible stone carvings throughout. There are two cloisters. There are only fourteen monks here now, in a building that was designed for 250. I hope the place can be maintained – it would be a crime to let it deteriorate.

I think I counted 24 places in bunks in one dormitory, separate bathroom facilities, a reasonable working kitchen and dining area and endless outdoor space to sit around in the sunshine. 6 euros.

Today’s distance 27 km
Accumulated uphill elevation 277 m
Accumulated downhill elevation 244 m
Total distance 807.6 km
Average per day 26.9 km

Today was shakeup day. Diverging from my plan. Separating from my spreadsheet.

I am not looking forward to joining with the Camino Frances and its hordes of pilgrims, many of whom will only be walking the last hundred km and will be full of vim and vigor and will be clean in shiny new shoes. Not that there is anything wrong with the CF or its hordes, it’s just that I don’t want to be part of it after such a long time of walking very quietly. There are some fabulous people walking the Primitivo, really nice guys, but they are all self-contained and don’t invade your space either whilst walking or at the albergue.

So one way of delaying entry into the CF is to make a cross-over from the Primitivo to the Norte. This can be done from Lugo to Sobrado dos Monxes, with a stop over in Friol. I estimate that I will walk only an additional 12 km by doing this, but reality may prove different.

Dave, who we met on day 2 and came across once or twice over the next few weeks, coincided with us in Oviedo at the beginning of the Camino Primitivo. He was also keen to try this alternative route, known as the Camino Verde (because is it marked with green arrows). Marilyn is sticking with plan ‘A’ and we will meet up in Santiago in a few days – it really is only a few days now – we will reach Santiago on 24 May, and I am planning to walk on to the coast if the weather promises to be ok.

So Dave and I set off at 06:15 amongst the Saturday night revellers still out and about and even still entering clubs. Many of them bade us a ‘buen camino’.

We in turn bade our camigos a ‘buen camino’ as they walked the traditional way and we searched for the first green arrows. It turns out there are plenty of arrows showing us which way to take, and if there was any confusion we have a track downloaded on our phones that we can refer to. Dave likes his own company, as do I, so we walked our own walks for most of the morning, although we did walk together for some time.

After a few kilometres we were directed onto a narrow track alongside a river. It was beautiful and very peaceful. We saw no one else for hours. The only sounds were the water running and the dawn chorus. The river alternated between millpond still and silent and raging waterfalls. The paths varied from narrow tracks where I had to be careful not to trip over raised tree roots, tiny tracks just a foot-width across very close to the water’s edge and now and then there were raised board walks, going up and down and around bends like a rollercoaster.

I made plenty of photo stops along the way before we eventually exited the woods and were on the road for a while, through a tiny hamlet where we set the dogs barking in their ones, twos and threes in all the houses along the way. I imagine their owners might not have been too pleased to have their Sunday morning lie-in disturbed.

We stopped just short of 20 km at 10:45 for a snack and sit down before tackling the final leg, through still more beautiful countryside, through pine and eucalyptus woods, along very muddy farm tracks, through a few villages with the most beautiful stone buildings, and along some asphalt roads but even these were pretty with almost no traffic.

I have seen a different kind of stone wall construction today that I have not seen before, with large upright triangular pieces of granite surrounded by flat stones. Quite beautiful but I imagine very difficult to construct.

Our day ended in the town of Friol where we are staying at a pension called Casa Benigno. The room is a good size, but rather tired and old fashioned. But with a private bathroom with a curtain, so I made up for yesterday’s indignity with a long, hot shower. Cost 15 euros which seems very reasonable. Hopefully we can find somewhere open for supper and we will probably need supplies for tomorrow as I don’t think we will pass any shops or bars and all I have is a stale bread roll and half a packet of Oreos.

Today’s distance 27.8 km
Accumulated uphill elevation 393 m
Accumulated downhill elevation 385 m
Total distance 780.6 km
Average per day 26.9 km

On how quickly things change! When I looked out of the window this morning I could see a perfect crescent of moon and a lone twinkling star in the dark sky. In the clear sky. It was the first time for more than a week that there was no cloud or mist. It was still very crisp when I set out, but completely dry.

Another very pretty walk mostly along woodland and farmland tracks with a few stretches along the road. I walked through many pretty hamlets built entirely of local stone, such an art, and probably standing for hundreds of years. There were some ruins but many that were well maintained. My favourite aspect of this area is the slate fencing, made of huge sections of very fine slate – it is just beautiful. Much of the stone is covered in moss which adds to the charm. We have passed many round buildings during the last few days, mostly store rooms I imagine.

My logic for a long day yesterday and a short day today was to bring me to the city of Lugo early in the day so that I could discover some of its charms. Unfortunately the municipal albergue doesn’t open until 13:00 and I arrived at 11:30, along with Oswaldo who flip-flopped alongside me for most of the walk. My backpack formed the first in an orderly queue of packs as others arrived in ones and twos.

I left my pack in the care of others whilst I wandered off into town to track down a mobile phone shop so that I could purchase a new data sim for my iPad. I won’t need this in future as I received a text from my UK mobile provider (EE) that as from next month I can use my data allowance anywhere in Europe. Great news, particularly as I have 10 GB of data per month and for a sim I have just had to pay 10 euros for 1 GB (although the lovely Ana at Competa Web sold me the sim that has just run out for 15 euros with 3 GB).

So I was first to gain entry to the Galician Xunta albergue and wasn’t surprised to find the very public shower facilities that I have moaned about for the last few years. Just a line of shower heads along a wall with no curtains or divisions. Separate male/female facilities, but nevertheless an absolute insult to a woman of my age (or any age) who values her privacy. How difficult would it be to rig a few shower curtains whilst making a significant investment in an otherwise excellent facility? But I am sure this will be the first of many, and I will just have to get my head around it once more. It really is the only thing about being in Galicia that I don’t love.

Marilyn and I have been walking separately the last few days. Our paces vary greatly. I am naturally faster (being considerably taller) and I get off to a speedy start in the morning and perhaps flag as the day progresses, whereas Marilyn starts slowly and gathers speed throughout the day. We usually end the stage within half an hour of each other but we could have developed a significant difference in our whereabouts during the day. It’s important to walk your own natural pace and ithas been much too cold to wait around recently.

Lugo is a magnificent city, with a beautiful, simple cathedral, a never ending city wall and a quarter stuffed full of ancient and charming buildings. Being a Saturday all those that like to be seen are parading in their finery with most of the ladies in heels that would put the fear of God into a mere peregrina. There is an abundance of normal city centre shops plus a fair few more individual premises. I am glad that I can’t consider making any purchases – what is bought must be carried (except of course food, and that must be eaten!).

I have enjoyed this down-time in a nice environment – sitting in a bar with a glass of wine whilst I write my blog and intermittently raise my eyes to admire the passing beauties. And it’s warm which just adds to my pleasure. But just wait – I shall probably be complaining that it’s too hot tomorrow.

Today’s distance 21.9 km
Accumulated uphill elevation 180 m
Accumulated downhill elevation 317 m
Total distance 752.8 km
Average per day 26.8 km

Well, that was short and sweet! I worked out my stages for this camino a couple of months ago now and I am sure I applied good sense and logic, but I can’t remember what any of it was now. However it has all worked out entirely to schedule thus far. I am tempted to shake things up in a couple of days though, but not yet sure if this diversion will have me ending up where I need to be at the right time. I will be in Lugo the day after tomorrow, and here it is possible to cross over to the Camino del Norte, which will keep me off the Camino Frances and it’s inevitable crowds for one stage longer. Some research needs to be done.

Back to today, once again the weather forecast was for rain all day and storms this afternoon. It was dry when we left at 07:00, but a bit cooler than we have experienced recently, and we were walking through low cloud as has been the case for the last days. I was wearing my normal shorts, sleeveless t-shirt with arm warmers and buff wrapped around my shoulders. I knew there was a lot of elevation at the beginning of the stage (nothing new there!) and I know that I generate a lot of heat when climbing, so was pretty sure I would soon be comfortable in the cooler conditions. But as I climbed it cooled further. Luckily the air was still so I just donned my gloves and all was well.

The first 2.5 km were along woodland tracks which were delightful. It had rained during the evening and night so it was rather muddy in places, but not too boggy. There were more raindrop opportunities thanks to the wet weather and I made frequent stops to play with my camera. The first 8.5 km rose steadily to the summit of today’s stage at 1117 metres. I could hear a noise of a motor but couldn’t work out what it was. There were no roads nereby, no overhead electricity pylons and it wasn’t until I was very close that I could see faintly through the mist that there were wind turbines towering above me in the gloom and they were moving at some pace – which wasn’t good news as I didn’t want a stiff breeze to bring the temperature down further. However, the wind didn’t materialise.

At the summit of the walk is the border of Asturias and Galicia with almost literally a line (of stones) drawn in the sand. Before the start of the descent I decided to stop and put on my rain coat to give a little warmth now that my body wasn’t working so hard and creating my own heating system.

There is a cafe at around 9 km but it was closed as I passed, although those passing a little later found it open. There was also another bar/restaurant a further 6 or so km, but it was a few metres off the trail and I didn’t want to go back on myself so I just kept plodding on, enjoying Galicia and my first sight of the sun and a few patches of blue sky. 21 km continual walk – no stops.

All in all it was a lovely walk along very quiet tracks with not much on the road. I saw hardly a soul the entire way which suits me very well. I like being back in Galicia with its rugged landscape.

We are staying tonight in the very nice Albergue Cantábrico in A Fonsagrada, with 34 places, huge common area/kitchen, four separate bathrooms, bedding (two cotton sheets, pillowcase and – wait for it – duvet!), all for 10 euros. Spotlessly clean, good sturdy beds each with its own shelf and electrical socket, and roomy lockers. Superb value.

Today’s distance 21.1 km
Accumulated uphill elevation 601 m
Accumulated downhill elevation 317 m
Total distance 695.9 km
Average per day 26.8 km

Yesterday afternoon some locals seemed to take delight in telling us that there would be storms today, and their prophecy of doom was supported by the weather forecast. It was indeed raining when we left this morning, but not heavily, and there was no more than light rain throughout the walk, with many periods of no rain. But there was very limited visibility as I walked through thick cloud for the first couple of hours – down to 20 or 30 metres. It created a very special atmosphere.

Right side up / upside down images – showing the camino trail through the raindrop

The first 6km were along a quiet road. After reaching the hamlet of La Mesa there is a ridiculously steep hill that stretches for 2+ km – a real killer. I huffed and puffed but kept my pace going to the top. Shortly after the summit we forked onto moorland. Over the last few days there have been extensive patches of burned land and I had wondered if this was some sort of controlled land management.

This moorland was also burned off, the smell of the fire was still very strong. After some distance I entered a planted pine forest – trees all in regimented rows and all completely blackened by fire. Now I realised this was no plan but a devastating accident. There must have been millions of destroyed trees. In my limited experience of pine forest fire (Competa 2014) pines do not recover. I was walking for probably a couple of hours through the carnage, which was strangely beautiful, particularly with the low lying mist giving the impression of smoke still rising from the ashes.

The views changed constantly, with the variation of light and the position of the cloud, encouraging more and more photo opportunities

There was a point at which we could see the wide body of water of the Rio Navia deep down at the bottom of the gorge with the wispy cloud adding to the magic of the view. I have been blessed on this walk, even when the weather isn’t fine, it is actually beautiful.

I asked a passing Spanish guy if he knew anything about the fire, and he said that it had happened only two weeks ago. The land affected rises from the gorge of the Grandas de Salime dam at 220 metres to the summit at over 1,000 metres. What a change to the scenery in just a couple of weeks. I’m guessing that all these trees will have to be felled and removed as they have been in the mountains surrounding Competa. An absolutely mammoth task.

The walk down this gorge was a great strain on the knees and mine were definitely ‘talking to me’ as Marilyn would say. If fact they were shouting obscenities at me. But I pretty much ignored them and made it to the bottom in one piece. Only to realise the inevitable – what went down must go back up and there was a steady climb for the next 6 km when we reached the new town of Grandas de Salime (the original town had been drowned by the dam when it was constructed in 1954). I was glad to find an ATM as I was running short of money.

The last 5 km from Grandas to Castro were a delight. Mostly on tracks through woodland and between pastures with some roadwalking added to the mix. I think I almost prefer this gentle scenery to the huge expanses of mountain passes. Trotting across pastures, between tiny hamlets past a variety of farm animals gives me great joy and a lifts my spirits.

The albergue at Castro is an absolute delight. It is advertised as a youth hostel/albergue, but I can’t imagine many youths would be likely to stay here. Perhaps it is a way around the Spanish ‘autonomo’ (self-employed) system. There are 16 beds in rooms of four, two bathrooms, a huge communal sitting/dining room with kitchen facilities (microwave), a bar with an amazing choice of healthy food, and a delightful garden. There are no other facilities in this tiny hamlet, but none are needed! I absolutely recommend this place at 11 euros, with washer/dryer.

Today’s distance 27.1 km
Accumulated uphill elevation 713 m
Accumulated downhill elevation 946 m
Total distance 674.8 km
Average per day 27 km

The walk out of Oviedo wasn’t too long or at all industrial and along the way we bumped into Dave who we hadn’t seen since around day 4. If you want breakfast, don’t leave it too late when exiting the city. Once you are in the countryside there are extremely few options for refreshment (unless you have provided your own).

There was early morning low cloud and mist obscuring the view, but the mountain tops protruded through the gloom. The weather was still and dry, perfect for walking, but a heavy downpour was forecast for late morning. I took joy in playing with my camera and the raindrop opportunities that were provided by the rain during the night.

I made the most of several animal interactions, including a charming grey mare who trotted alongside the fence whenever I started to walk away – an attention-seeker if ever I met one! I met an albino cow who could barely see, various dogs and cats, and even a couple of sunbathing turtles.

As I was passing by a couple tending their plot, the woman rushed over to me indicating the basket she was carrying. She insisted I help myself to a handful of freshly picked strawberries – how kind-hearted – and how delicious they tasted.

There was a fair amount of road walking, but plenty of lovely tracks through woodland and farm pastures. Quite a lovely day. And the weather just produced a few spits and spots of rain. Perfect!

I lost Marilyn along the way and we have ended up staying in different places tonight. But we have been in touch and will land at the same place tomorrow.

Tonight I am staying at a delightful albergue in San Juan de Villapañada, 20 places, no reservations, lovely kitchen/dining area, and garden with views over the countryside to die for. Domingo, the hospitalero does a communal wash and as the weather is a bit (lot) iffy tonight all the laundry has been strung across the kitchen – such a variety of pants and socks floating above the dining table!

We are a very mixed bunch here, pilgrims from Peru, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Netherlands, UK (Dave and me), Belgium, and there could be more. The albergue is situated in a miniscule hamlet with no shops for miles. It is necessary to buy supplies for supper as you pass through the reasonably sized town of Grado (where Marilyn is staying), which I duly did, but was not so desperate for an evening slurp that I was prepared to slog 5km uphill with a bottle of wine. So imagine my delight when I arrived and a very kind Dutch man offered me a glass from his bottle of red that he had slogged uphill with. And then imagine my further delight when I discovered that Domingo keeps a supply of wine, beer and cider for very reasonable purchase, and there is also a vending machine. It is a lovely situation and even though it is almost a kilometre off the camino, it is well worth the extra distance. Domingo keeps the place spotless and it is an absolute credit to him. There is no wifi, and poor phone signal from my mobile provider. Breakfast items are provided for a donation and the cost to stay the night is 5 euros.

I was able to help out a couple of pilgrims who were suffering. To the Dutchman I gave my knee strap that I have carried for four years without using it for its intended purpose (although I have used it for plenty of others), and to the Spanish man with a huge blister on his heel I gave iodine, gauze and tape, and some hikers’ wool for the morning.

All in all a most pleasant start to my third camino of this trip – the Camino Primitivo.

Today’s distance 31.7 km
Accumulated uphill elevation 440 m
Accumulated downhill elevation 463 m
Total distance 566.7 km
Average per day 27 km