Day 41: Xunqueira de Ambía to Ourense

It is always tempting to think of the last day as something other than a full day of the Camino. Possibly it is because the main Camino website gives it only a one star for difficulty (compared to four for some of the other stages this week), or because it is mostly downhill, or because the last part is through the rather prosaic outskirts and suburbs of a modern provincial city, that the stage can be played down in one's mind. But it has been a day of 22km walking, and has passed through a large number of villages, with a few good views over the valley in which the city is situated. 

We started out early from Xunqueira - well earlier than usual - and decided to postpone breakfast until the first village out of Xunqueira. It was a good move. The first three kilometres included a drop down into the river valley and then a bit of a climb up to the village of O Pousa, where we were greeted in the Bar O Torre by a lovely lady with a hugely welcoming smile. The view over the countryside and back towards the mountains made this a beautiful place to stop and just take it all in, over a coffee. Today's stage is punctuated by villages and bars throughout. So after a further five kilometres we took another break for a drink at a roadside bar. Although cloudier today it was still hot, with a maximum of 30 degrees, so it was still necessary to keep up the liquid intake. Realising we were a third of the way along we decided to make a good effort to do the next third before stopping for lunch. 

Most of today's route was roadside walking with a bit of parallel green lane. This is always less interesting and harder on the feet. The villages in Galicia are much closer together than in Castile, more like in England, so lots of today's walk was through places where people live. As we got to our designated lunch stop, Reboledo, we passed through a particularly ugly industrial estate. In the town, though, we found a bar which did enormous bacon and cheese bocadillos. Great Camino food!

The last seven kilometres seemed to drag. The only place of interest was Seixalbo, which has a quaint medieval centre, but not much evident life. Descending into the city - having started today at 500 metres and the city being at 100 metres - we passed through seemingly unending blocks of flats before getting to the street near the old town, where we have a flat to stay in overnight. 

So it is great to have finished this section and to have only about 110km to go to get to Santiago finally, once I return, Deo Volente, in October. This has been the most challenging of the sections of the Camino, but a great thing to be able to do, to conquer the challenges. And so tonight there will be a nice dinner in Ourense and tomorrow see a little of the city before heading back to Madrid airport by high speed train, passing the places we have walked and going through tunnels in mountains that we have climbed. 

To be continued...

Day 40: Vilar de Barrio to Xunqueira de Ambía

Today has been a short day compared to those which went before, but that is not the end of the contrasts. For one thing, the temperature gauge was notched up another couple of degrees. We have left the mountains behind, so, while there are still ups and downs, they are less severe. 

We did not rush, this morning, to get moving. In the end we had about 14km to walk and so had a more relaxed approach to getting off the starting blocks. The walk divided in three parts. Firstly, we had the 3km to our coffee stop in Vilar de  Pomereite, which was on minor roads. Then we make the 5.5km along flat farm track to Bobadela. This section was flat and very hot. After a delicious half hour in the shade, sitting by the side of a street in the village, we moved on to complete the last 5.5km to Xunqueira. Thankfully this last section was mostly along beautifully shaded woodland and green lanes. The village of Cima de Vila infused us to depart from the Camino path to drink at its fountain, which I did. 

Arriving in Xunqueira de Ambía at lunchtime was a little deflating. Anywhere that advertised lunch had already stopped serving. However, we found a bar, near our rented apartment, to eat tapas and drink beer. All of this in the shade, but with the unmistakable aroma of pine trees. 

So, a shorter day and looking forward to finishing this section in Ourense tomorrow!

Day 39: As Eiras to Vilar de Barrio

Waking up in a place of comfort and peace in a village in a remote place is a great start to the day. The sun was already shining on the hills outside my room when I woke up. Getting out for some quiet time for the Divine Office and prayer was made easy by the environment. After breakfast, we got our things together once again, and, with the promise of a hot and sunny day ahead, we stocked up on water and applied plenty of suncream before heading out. 

The first bit of today's walk was the 6km downhill, mainly by road, to Laza. The wooded embankments by the side of the road provided cover and shade from the already hot sun. Arriving in Laza, I had a lovely conversation with a local man who was out for a constitutional with his wife. We exchanged pleasantries and he told me of a priest who came from those parts who had lived in England but who had vineyards in the nearby Ribeira Sacra. I'd heard this story before but couldn't place exactly where. But it was a pleasant exchange and wished me a Buen Camino. The bar in Laza, the Pilgrim's Rest, was a real magnet for local people coming for their mid-morning coffee so it was quite busy as we took our second coffee of the day.

From Laza we took the road which led to Soutelo Verde, a small village in the valley. It has a great example of a lavadoiro, a Galician washing place fed with spring water. After a rest in this village we continued along a country track to Tamicelas, roughly half way on today's journey. The day was so warm that by this stage my water in my backpack was already warm, and yet I drank it and topped up the suncream as we were about to make a very steep ascent - 400 metres over 3km, with a very steep section shortly after the start. It was a real trial to my resolve to take on this hill in the heat of the middle of the day, but, using my tried and trusted method of counting steps, I managed the steep section as well as the later relentless climb to the top. As the climb ensued, the mountain became more wooded and shade became greater. Eventually I saw the top of the treeline and emerged onto the road into the village of Alberguería.

The albergue bar in Alberguería, the Rincón del Pelegrino, was a welcome place to rehydrate and take on some sustenance. Over the course of many years the owner of the bar has invited pilgrims to write their names on a St James shell. These shells were then Steven to the walls of the bar, making a fascinating wall covering. It was great to feel part of the bigger picture: so many people and lives touched by the experience of pilgrimage on this beautiful pilgrimage route. Fed and watered, we moved on to make the final push of 7km to our day's destination, Vilar de Barrio. From Alberguería, we had a bit of a climb through heathland to a summit, leaving a drop of 200 metres down to the road leading into Vilar de Barrio. I had arranged accommodation in a beautifully renovated Casa Rural, the Casa do Adelino near the entrance to the town. 

Venturing out in the evening, we found a wonderful thing: the restaurant named the Casa Carmiña. What a find! It was an old business, 90 years old. It certainly felt like stepping back into the early twentieth century! We were greeted by the lady of the house, in her housecoat, like a universal grandmother, offering home cooked food. No menu and not much choice, for 12 euros we ate homemade chorizo and salchichón with Galician cheese, a huge mixed salad, and top quality steak, egg and chips. We also had a bottomless supply of local unlabeled white wine up wash it all down. The food was great but it was the experience of stepping back into a Spain now lately lost, but which I remember from when I was at seminary - an old world Spain with simple people serving with love and without desire for profit. It may sound like rose tinted spectacles, but what we have gained in sophistication we have lost in these traditional qualities.

So today we have competed 113km in five days, but with three consecutive tough days including mountain climbs. The scenery has been exceptional and the views breathtaking. But now we are emerging out of the mountains, with two days and just over 35km to get to Ourense. A short day tomorrow means the ability to rest a little...

Day 38: A Gudiña to As Eiras

Today was a long but beautiful day. I think that this stage on the Camino Sanabrés had the reputation for being the most beautiful of all. Overall it was lengthy, over 28km, but the scenery was breathtaking throughout with views over rolling mountains and hills as far as the eye can see.

Before talking about today's walk I must mention last night's dinner. It was really good though a bit more expensive because of the choices we made. We tried a Ribeira Sacra red, which was interesting. It was marketed as a fine wine but seemed quite young on the tongue. Local chorizo and typical Galician creamy cheese formed part of a shared plate. We also had a small serving of freshly grilled langousines. They were delicious, as was the revuelto (scrambled eggs) with garlic shoots and prawns. For the main course I went simple with a pinch moruno (barbecued spiced pork) and salad, but the other two both opted for a beautifully cooked roast salt cod with sauté potatoes and a lovely mixture of onion, green pepper and olive oil. I don't usually go for puddings but there was local requesón (similar up ricotta) with local really dark honey - could have been from the beehives we passed near Lubián!

This morning our host, who was pleased to serve us dinner the night before sent us off in the way with complimentary bocadillos of Iberic ham. Very generous of him! Leaving A Gudiña we had to make sure we took the correct Camino route. In A Gudiña there is a bifurcation allowing pilgrims to choose a lower end longer way through Verin, or the shorter but more challenging route through Laza. The latter saves about 30km, so we took the shorter route. Now that we are in Galicia, the way-marking pillars indicate the number of metres to the shrine of St James. It was great to see the number now well below 200km!

As we ascended out of A Gudiña we immediately climbed to about 1000 metres, around which height we walked most of the day. As soon as we reached this height, as well as looking back for a final time on the Canda pass through which we walked yesterday, we also had around us views over to the north of the largest peaks of Southern Galicia and to the south the hills and mountains that cross the border into Portugal. For 20km of today's route there were no sizeable villages but only Vendas, or hamlets. They were, successively, Venda do Espino where I spoke to a lady about the weather, from which we got the first view of the reservoir, the Embalse das Portas; Venda da Teresa, where a little yappy dog followed us to the village limit; Venda da Capella, whose high speed train station seemed to have given little status or facilities; Venda de Bonaño, where we stopped to eat our ham sandwiches while taking in the extensive view.

From Bonaño we took first the roadside, then a path which took us uphill by a gravel path, and finally a steep shale path which brought us down from height to the village of Campobecerros. From above this looks very quaint and almost Alpine. Here we stepped back in time, getting a drink at the bar, but where the lady running the bar was very helpful and kind. We didn't venture to the bar which serves food having already had the bocadillo. The reviews suggest this was a wise move. So after a couple of drinks we left the village, walking uphill to regain some of the height lost before. 

In no time we were in another village called Portocamba, after the river which flows nearby, the River Camba. This village has the most extensive range of abandoned buildings and houses. After a good sit down in the part of the village that is still living, we set out along the final part of today's walk. The wonderful scenery continued but the features were not entirely ancient and aesthetic. The new high speed rail line has created its own engineering wonders.

Finally we arrived at As Eiras, a hamlet where some of the houses had been transformed, with great investment, into a beautiful casa rural. It is such a peaceful place and the food that Natalia prepared for us was delicious. After such a long day of walking tiredness overtakes, so I'll leave you with some photos from the day.

Day 37: Lubián to A Gudiño

Today was a hard day on the Camino. Although the distance was 23km - a fairly normal Camino day's walk - the terrain and weather in the early stage made it quite a slog.

Waking up this morning in Lubián I was surprised by the fact that it was raining. It hadn't been forecast and I hadn't expected it. It was fairly gentle rain, accompanied by the must you get from low lying cloud. On setting out descending to the Camino from our lodging, the rain got suddenly rather heavier. So rainwear become necessary as we walked the two kilometres to the shrine Church of Our Lady of Tuiza. The present church dates from the eighteenth century, in the sober Spanish baroque style. It was, of course, locked. The effort had been made to open a chapel to the side of the church to make the image of Our Lady visible, but the lack of light meant we could not see anything really.

The next 4km are some of the toughest on this Camino. Over the course of the 4km we ascended 300 metres. It was made more pleasant by being beautiful woodland surrounded by mountains, though the rain made it less comfortable. This was a better route than the roadside walking yesterday. The pathway on today's route was difficult in parts as pathways had turned into streams and were covered in part by leaf mulch and mud. The last part of the ascent was the hardest and I had to employ my high intensity intervals of 100 steps followed by a rest to get to the top.

At the top, the Portela da Canda, we passed from the region of Castilla-León into Galicia; from the province of Zamora into the province of Ourense. From the mountain pass, the descent was immediately easier and such a relief. We soon reached the village of A Canda and, after a further few kilometres, the village of Vilavella where we found the Bar ON where we managed to get some croquettes and empanadillas and beer. It was a welcome respite, especially as the ascent to the pass had been more arduous and time consuming than had been planned.

The rest of the day consisted of three walks between the villages which separated Vilavella and A Gudiña. Firstly from Vilavella to O Pereiro along green lanes. Then a longer section between O Pereiro and O Canizo, which took us on a climb through an area which resembled (according to Andy) the northern Peak District. From here we could look back and see the pass we had come through. Finally to A Gudiña following the approach roads to the town through its industrial area. On arrival in the town of A Gudiña we found a bar - the Bar del Peregrino (Pilgrims' Bar) - where we had very necessary drinks. The only other customers were two Guardia Civil police officers having a break from work. The day had been so taxing, even though interesting and beautiful, that we had to get a lift the last kilometer to our hotel for the night.