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!