Category Archives: Camino

Again it rained all night, and was still raining when we awoke. Most of our clothes were still damp from the day before (not much will dry when humidty remains at 100%).  After breakfast a lucky break, the clouds parted and the rain stopped. So we took the opportunity and headed out of town.

As usual we started with a hike up a mountain (san roque) to get out of town.

  
 While it was not going to be a long walk today, 13km into Finisterra and then another 9km round trip to the Cape and back we had to hurry to dodge the weather. The skies looked threatening most of the day.

  
The path took us through some small seaside villages and the surrounding hills, and sometimes down onto the foreshore.

The walk into Finisterre reminded us of places like Apollo Bay.

This coast is also known as the Costa da Morte, The coast of death after all  the shipwreck deaths. 

  
A lighthouse has been built on the Cape Finisterre.  
  
Here is the Zero km mark, the end of this Camino.

  
Stayed tuned we have more planned in the coming years.

Rain, Rain, go away – the rain came down with gusto. It started raining some time during the night and did not stop. Our day consisted of howling gales, deep puddles, overflowing creeks and wet feet.

There was little we could do but start walking. after being dropped back here we had been picked up the night before we put on our ponchos. It wasn’t long before water started leaking into our gear.

After about 5km we stopped at a cafe and had a coffee, emptied our shoes of water and changed our socks but everything was getting wet.  Other pilgrims were starting to arrive and everyone was wet through.

We decided to push on, the rain was not easing and we still had along way to go. 

After Olveira we had go cross a flooded river that had flooded the pathway. This filled our boots with water. We climbed over the hills at got as far as Logoso where we packed it in and called a taxi to take us to Cee.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

The day started rather dismally, it was raining, and we had an early start with a long day ahead of us. So after the standard Spanish breakfast we put on our rain jackets and headed out. 

  
On leaving Negreira we took a wrong turn and ended up on the wrong path. It was a nice little path following a stream, but it was in the wrong direction, a few other pilgrims ahead of us had been turned around by a local and given the correct directions so we followed them for a while.

Most of the day seemed up hill after hill after hill. Alto de Cruz, was the first at 400+metres, the big one, Monte Aro at 500+metres was towards the end of the day.  The views looking back towards Negreira reminded us of the Pyrenees.

  
It rained on us once, heavily, and we donned the ponchos. Fortunately it did not last long.

There were not many opportunities to stop for a coffee today, generally 9-10km’s apart. Following a guide book, we took a wrong turn searching for a cafe at Portocamino to take a break. Probably added 1-2km’s to an already long day.  We couldn’t find it and a local helped us with directions back onto the correct path. Not sure about following guide books, some of the information conflicts with what we can see, and common sense. The best advice is just follow the signs and stay on the path.

   
 
  
Most of the country side was cow pasture and corn fields.  Most of the path was rocky and muddy, either going up hill or down dale. 

Both of us felt it today, and were glad to make our accommodation.  Our accommodation is about 3km of the path and they came and picked us up and will drop us back to the same spot in the morning.

After 5 hours on the train from Leon we arrived into Santiago de Compostela. Well there could not be more of a contrast between the Meseta we left behind and Santiago de Compostela. We left a brown, dry, sunny landscape, to arrive in cloud covered, green, lush, humid environment. We woke to find it was raining, bucketing down.  We made sure we had all our rain gear, and prepared for the worst. After breakfast the rain eased so we took the opportunity to head off. 

Starting at the steps of the Cathedral we quickly left Santiago de Compostela behnd. Walking through green pathways, over rolling hills, did I say hills, I mean MOUNTAINS.  Having walked the Meseta, for a week over relatively flat ground we forgot about the Spanish Mountains.

We stopped for a quick cafe about 6km out of Santiago de Compostela, after crossing our first mountain (Monte da Costa) and then set off through narrow village roads, and tracks through green hills. Until we hit Alto Mar do Ovelias. It felt like it was almost straight up and took over 2 hours to cross. No photos here as we were too exhuasted to take any.

We stopped at Ponte Maceira for lunch, on the banks of the rio Tambre. 
   
 Fortunately we were under cover as it Bucketed down again for about 15 minutes. We put on our ponchos and soldiered on. Did I say it was humid, wearing a poncho made me feel like steamed dim sim, I think I started to go white and wrinkly.

Walking out of Ponte Maceira we left the side of the road and walked under a hidden arch in the forest.

  
The walk continued through Eucylptus rain forest all the way into Negreira and yes we had to walk up another hill to get to the village. 

We made it to our hotel without too many dramas, and have settled in to our usual routine of showering, rinsing out sweaty clothes, and then to the bar for a refreshing bevy. 

  
Tomorrow needs to be an early start as we have a long day’s walk ahead of us, over another mountain range.

We had  fairly straight run into Leon. We took our time and stopped about avery 5km.  Most of the walk was parallel to roads, and the traffic got heavier as we got closer to Leon.

The scenery started to become more green as we left the Meseta behind.  

 And for good measure we had a few hills to climb on the way, before a steady 5km decline into Leon.

  
We stopped near the Leon Cathedral for lunch, before heading to our accommodation. 

Lunch in Leon

Entrance to Parador de Leon

   
 The weather remains beautiful and sunny, it maxed at 24C but we were off the road by then.

A couple of days R&R in Leon before we jump ahead to Santiago de Compostela to walk to Finisterre (The end of the world).

I hate to say it, but another great day for walking. Cool and clear in the morning, with light cloud cover by the afternoon. A couple of long stretches without a break today. 

  
We are making our way towards Leon, and should get there tomorrow. We started the day at first light, hoping to catch breakfast at the first stop. 
Which we did, a small cafe that was a little alternative, offering wishes with the coffees and burning incence in the cafe. 

Again long distances over fairly flat featurless farmland, with a few rolling hills. 

At one of the stops later in the day we came across a couple of donkeys, it appears a couple were walking the Camino with everything loaded onto the donkeys.

  
We arrived at our destination, which had a very nice terrace garden out back, where we had a couple of refreshments and cooled down.

  
The day had started to heat up, and the humidity is increasing. It tried to rain a couple of times, and dark  clouds are on the horizon. 

We are pleased every morning to find its a clear, cloudless day. We started a little slower than we normally would, beginning at around 8:30am. It had already started to warm up.  Fortunately the first couple of villages were at the 3km and 6km marks and presented an opportunity to make any adjustments to our gear and have a coffee stop.

We found a town where Hobbits come from. Even though the sign says they don’t. 

  
Some families have underground Bodega’s and use these for storage of wine, food, etc. The resulting entrances to the undergound storage rooms look like a scene from The Shire.
After that it was 7.5km push into Sahagun, a largish town ringed by light industry.  Before entering the town we stopped at a very small church where we were served a small drink of very sweet wine and a sweet biscuit. Just a little sugar hit to keep us going.

We wandered around Sahagun looking for some were to eat, the Pilgrims route skirted around the Plaza Mayor down little side streets. Eventually we found our way back the Plaza Mayor and a good selection of Cafes and Bars.  

Savaging is also the official half way point of the Camino France. 

  An hour break and we were ready for the 10km push into Bercianos del Real Camino (which is actually the middle of nowhere). We are staying at a little Hostal with a bar downstairs and now sitting in the bar with the locals preparing this post. Might be having a Vino or two as well!

Today promised to be a long hot day, so we started early, just after sun rise. It was a cool clear morning with light cloud cover. The cloud cover hung around all moring which was a blessing. The first stretch was to be 17km, without any opportunity for a break (toilet or otherwise). We had stocked up the night before with water and fruit, and we stopped in at a little bakery to buy pan.

As we left Carrion de los Condos we walked past the San Zoilo monastery, where we had stayed for a night last time as we exited to Leon.

   
It was a fairly flat and straight walk, without any shade for the first 3-4 hours. 

At times the scenery was a lot like parts of the Australia, near Ouyen and Mildura. Hot and dry.  

We are spending the night at an Albergue, just outside Teradillos los Templarios, about 80km from Leon. 

Albergue’s are interesting places, often run by the local municipal, and can have 20-100 beds in one room. Often with communal meals. Or they can be run by family’s with rooms of 2 -10 beds, sometimes communal meals. They supply a whole range of services,food/drinks, self service laundry, gardens, pools, etc. Usually quite cheaply. Anything from Euro’s 5/person/night upto 18/person/night. BUT you must have a pilgrims credential to stay at these establishments. Keeps out the general public!!

Everywhere we go on the Camino there are signs we need to follow, or we get lost. Just like in life.

The trick is in identifying the signs and working out which way you need to go.

Admittedly this sign was from our previous camino, but it illustrates my point.

As we walk the Camino we follow small signs, and you need to be aware of them or you will end up on the wrong path.
The scallop shell is the official sign of the Camino, pilgrims wear them, and pilgrims follow them. They show us the way.

  
Some look like this, but which way is it pointing?

Never follow

Sometimes life can be a little rocky.   
    
   

Another day with clear blue skies, 24C, light breeze at our backs. A good walking day.

The walk is over very flat ground today, mainly along side a road. A fairly straight walk between towns. A few pilgrims in front of us and a few behind us. 

We expect the next few days to be like this.

Breakfast was a fairly spartan affair, black coffee and tostadas and butter/jam. But enough to get us started. 

The stopped for a piece of fruit and drink at Poblacion de Campos after about 4km. Then walked onto Revenga de Campos where we stopped in at the local church (it is Sunday afterall), no where to stop in this village for a coffee, so onto  Villarmentero de Campos where we stopped at an Albergue for a coffee. A little alternative place that offered accommodation in teepees and tents, or if the weather is warm, hammocks hung between trees.
A lot of flat farmland, alot like our wheat belts.

   
 Stopped for lunch at Villacazar de Sirga, in the footsteps of the local church, where Sunday mass has just completed and people are pouring out of the church. Locals and pilgrims alike.

   
   
Once the breeze died down, it became quit warm. There is no shade on the Camino today. We finished the day at Carrion de Los Condos, hot and tired. A shower at our Hostal and a refreshing drink, and we are ready to go again.

Today started as a beautiful clear crisp morning, blue skies and light breeze. Another great day for walking.

During the night and all morning we can hear shotguns going off, its the start of a hunting season. We see a number of hunters, carrying shotguns over the their shoulders during the day using their dogs to flush game out into the open.

We headed out of Castrojeriz, knowing what was about to come. 

A 1.5km climb at 13 Degrees up Alto de Mostelares at the top is a rest stop, which is well used. Then down the other side at 18 Degrees. A  bit of a shock to the leg muscles.  Then over many kilometrres of rolling hills through dry farmland, fields of sunflowers, corn and what once was wheat or oats, all now harvested.

We stopped for a break at Itero de le Vega, at the Cafe Tachu. If this is a pilgrimage route, well this is very alternative, into heavy metal etc. A couple of “Cafe Cortados” here and we were on our way again.

Lunch was at Boadilla el Camino, at the same Albergue where we stopped last time and progressed by car and train to Leon. So every step from here to Leon is over new ground for us. This Albergue is a little oasis in the middle of a very dry countryside.
  
Another 5km and we arrived at Fromista. A triathlon was underway.  Which we sat and watched with a couple of Aqua Minerale. 

Sorry no Map today, the battery in my iphone died.

Again started the day with a cool and cloudy day. The wind is bit cold, and we needed to put on some warmer clothes. Our host from the night before drove us into town, back to the Camino.

Breakfast was not the usual spartan affair, and for once included scrambled eggs on toast. 

As it seems all Spanish villages are built on the side of a hill, we had to walk up a hill to get out of the village and onto the high plains of the Mesita again.

  
  We stopped at a small Albergue, San Bol, where the waters from the spring are said to have healing properties for the feet. Last time we skipped this stop and I paid the price. This time I bathed my feet in the waters.

    
Half way along today we stopped at Hontanas, we stopped over night at this village last time. 

   Further on we passed by the remains of a Monastery at San Bol. 

   
  We finished the day at Castrojeriz.   

We started the day after sunrise, it was cool and cloudy. A nice day for walking.  Along the Camino, up past the back of the Cathedral and out of town over the rio Arlanzon and past the university. It took about an hour before we reached the outskirts of Burgos.

Burgos Cathedral

River crossing

We stopped at Tardajos for a couple of coffees and the obligatory toilet stop. The usual – Socks off, thongs on, air the feet and when ready to go – fresh socks. We stopped at this bar last time, and its frequented mainly by locals, most of the pilgrims stop at the first place they come to. This one (Bar Ruiz) is a little further into the village. The coffee is good, and the food authentic. 

   
    
 The day consisted of a walk over flat ground for an hour or so then as this is Spain – UPHILL. A steady 2-3 hour climb up to the top of the meseta, and then down into the village.
Our accommodation is at a Casa Rural, basically someone’s house in the country side that has been setup with a number of bedrooms for guests. It also has a bar, so as we write this we are having our first basso de vino for the day. Our accommodation is about 3km out of Hornillos in a hamlet called Isar. It is described in some guidebooks as an abandoned village, far from it. It has a small but noisy local population (about 6 of them) that are all in the bar. We couldn’t find any directions to it, so I called the owner and he came and picked us up from Hornillos.
  

Just finishing off the night. We have had an excellent meal at our Hotel. Fish and potato soup, veal and white asparagus with salad, and dessert. Along with some wine. It’s hard a life.

We arrived in Burgos today, a case of planes, trains and Automobiles (1 bus, 1 plane, 2 taxis, 2 trains and a tram) to get here from London. It took all day. We had a walk around town to stretch our legs and get our bearings.

Past the cathedral 

  
Then around Plaza Mayor (Town Square) to sit with the locals as they gathered for an evening out.

   
 
It’s one of those cool, clear evenings. The forecast for tomorrow is about 18C and a slight chance of rain. Here’s hoping it stays dry.

Hasta Manana.

We are going back.  This time to walk the Meseta again from Burgos to Leon. A challenging section of the high plateau region ranging from 400 to 1000 metres above sea level.

All being well we plan to start walking on September 3rd.

Well we made it. We arrived in Santiago de Compostela today after a hard days slog in the pouring rain. It had rained most of yesterday, all last night and today. This meant that the tracks had turned into creeks and rivers. It made for slow progress. Of the 21km’s today 16km were in the pouring rain.
We stopped at about the half way mark and took shelter in a cafe, where we opted for a hot coffee and a sock change. It’s surprising how good dry socks feel.

We waited for a break in the rain before setting off again.

About 5km out of Santiago de Compostela a large monument has been erected at Monte de Gozo to honour the pilgrims.

It was a bit of a slog from Monte de Gozo into Santiago de Compostela, through industrial areas and the suburbs.

We had to stop with about 1.5km to go for a vino and tapas.

When we arrived at the Cathedral we got a little lost in the narrow streets near the cathedral. But eventually found our way there.

The cathedral is undergoing major renovations.

After that we found the Pilgrims office, where obtained our Compostela’s.

We had a full day walking in the rain. Paths turned into creeks, dirt turned into mud. We had to watch our step or end up ankle deep in water and mud. Yes we got a little wet!

A drowned rat

It would have been a nice walk if it had been sunny, through tree covered laneway’s, farms, fields, villages, etc. It’s like walking through the Dandenong or Macedon ranges. The tracks are lined with ferns, gum trees and pine trees.

The pics are few and far between when it’s raining.

One of things we have noticed is that as we near a city, or as we we get closer to Santiago the graffiti and defacing of signage is increasing. Maybe some people really don’t want to be on the Camino.

O’Pedrousa is not a large town and seems to be built along the main road. Our accommodation is a little out of town, and we walked back into town for something to eat. It rained again so we had to wait for the rain to stop before heading back to our hostel.

Tomorrow onto Santiago.

Today was not going to be a long day, we have broken up 30km+ section into 2 days. Leaving town we followed the arrows as usual, however this town also had a statue pointing the way.

The walk was not too hard as we took it easy and had a couple of stops along the way. The first at Casanova,

Casanova

Even the cows were taking it easy.

There were a few Eucalyptus plantations along the way today.

We walked over rolling hills, down country lanes and over small creeks.

Tomorrow we will have been on the road a month and we will only have 3 days to go before reaching Santiago de Compostela.

Last night we stayed in a very nice hotel, it even had a gym and swimming pool. Slight problem, we didn’t feel like any more exercise and the pool was green. The must only have the filters turned on during summer.

All along the trip we see signs warning motorists of deer crossing the road, we actually saw 3 or 4 deer today, running through a clearing in the forest. They were moving too quick to get a photo.

We often see Hydrangeas in gardens or beside the road, Janice snapped a photo of these.(Janice is actually the photographer for this blog).

The path today took us through rolling hills, what would be day on the Camino without a hill or two, and through fields of corn as well as Eucalyptus tree plantations. It is Autumn here and the trees are starting to lose their leaves, we have been walking along paths lined with oak trees. The leaves have been falling, as have the acorns. The path’s are littered with fallen acorns.

Once again we managed our arrival timing well, just as we arrived into Palas del Rei it started to rain. After we settled and we went to the bar to get a drink and snack pilgrims were arriving after having to walk in the rain.