Day 30: Granja de Moreruela to Tábara

I must comment, first of all, on the house I stayed in last night. Casas rurales can take various forms but the best of them are country houses that were extended family homes in villages which have become surplus to necessity. A bit of doing up and they become wonderful 'one off' rustic places to stay. You can either rent a room or the whole house depending on your need. The house I stayed in last night is the house of an uncle who died with no children of his own, and the nieces, retaining all the original features, have made it into a very special place to stay. The wonderful patio which one enters through a great oak door would be perfect for a summer gathering. Inside, the rustic charm is complemented by modern central heating and plumbing. I took a room for 30 euros for which, there being no other guests that night, I had the whole house to myself. Tiredness and the need for an early night meant I didn't take full advantage.

On with the Camino! So today we begin the Camino Sanabrés. The signpost at the edge of the village gives you the last chance to change your mind which Camino you are going to do, and I was firmly set on the Ourense route. Bypassing the beautiful former Cistercian monastery of Granja (opens at 11am, so add that to a list of places to visit on a future trip), I started off on the first section of today's walk: 6.5km to the bridge over the river. This was a beautiful walk, firstly on wide agricultural pathways and then entering Mediterranean style woodland with holm oaks. At one point I stopped as I realised there was absolute silence and beauty: the very heart of the Camino. 

Emerging from the woodland onto the quiet provincial road, I spotted that I was not alone. A goatherd was sitting by the road smoking a long pipe, while two donkeys stood by, about twenty goats grazed, and a faithful dog stood watch. We observed each other as I approached, exchanged pleasantries, and that was that. Shortly I arrived at the bridge, the Puente Quintos. It was built about 100 years ago to become the main way to cross the River Esla which, as I mentioned yesterday, had been dammed to form a reservoir. The reservoir is currently drained so the river makes its silent journey through the verdant valley. 

On the other side of the bridge, another choice of Camino to make. I had seen the up and down profile of the next section and when I saw the sign warning about the unevenness, I took the alternative, walking by the side of the road for the next 11km through to the village of Faramontanos de Tábara which I had identified as a good spot for lunch. The road was quiet and not exciting, but it got to where it was going. 

Arriving in Faramontanos, I met a local character. Javier has no legs and gets around the village in his electric mobility scooter. When I saw him he was picking some fennel from the side of the road. Giving me a piece to smell he asked me all about my journey. When I revealed that I was asking sustinence, he accompanied me right to the door of the bar-restaurant. The price for his consideration: a coffee which I was happy to order for him. Lunch was typical rustic food - stewed lentils and pork - with a glass of local wine (no label to allow me to be more specific). Again, another bargain at €10 for the meal!

Getting my legs into the idea that the day hasn't finished and that they have more walking to do is never easy after an hour of rest. Those final 7km sections look short, but when you're tired, they drag. The first half of this section was on wide farm tracks but with beautiful green hills on one side making the scenery reminiscent of home. The second and final section was more woodland, interrupted only by the bridge over the new high speed railway. Right on cue, an AVE train passed as I stood on the bridge. True to form it was fast; too fast for me to get the video option up on my phone...

As I entered Tábara, it felt like more of a place that is lived in than so many other villages I have passed through. The central square with a couple of bars already had some gents who seemed to have settled in for the day. And so to my room. So, four days of the eight of this section done, andand only 345km to Santiago!