Into the last week!
Friday, September 30th
Weather: Fine and sunny day 16- 20C
Villafranca to Herrerias
Today we walked up the valley of the river Valcarce, mainly by the side of what was originally the main road but which is now virtually free of traffic and borders of the river most of the way.
We had coffee at a village called Trabadelo where we caught up with Greg from Australia with whom we walked yesterday.
The photographs show the huge bridges that carry the A-6 motorway across the valleys. They are enormous structures and dominate the skyline.
We passed through a number of very pretty villages on the way up the valley and as you might see in the photos the hotel that we are staying in is at the head of the valley overlooking pasture land and surrounded by hills.
I am now into my last week of this epic walk. Where has the time gone?! I’ve met so many people and been through so much countryside, towns and cities that at present a lot of the journey is merging into a blur. No doubt when I get home and go through all my photos and posts the whole experience will begin to make a little more sense
However there is still about 185km (120 miles) to do, starting with a climb tomorrow of nearly 700 m from Herrerias!
Saturday, October 1st
Herrerias to O’Cebreiro
Weather: Chilly start but warm by afternoon.
Today the walk was scheduled to be 8.9km but in the end I did an extra 6km so the final tally was 14.9lm, and I was still in O’ Cebreiro by 2.30pm!.
The walk has mainly been up hill and we’ve climbed around 700 metres through beautiful countryside and on hillside tracks. The videos and photos really do not do justice to the scenery that we have walked through today. It is truly mountain country but covered in greenery to the tops, despite being at a height of over 1500 m.
The extra 6lm today was to the next village from O’Cebreiro, because it’s the last day of walking with Ann, who has been with me since El Rabanal.
We had lunch together and then said our goodbyes, as she was walking further than me today and will be in front of me now until she finishes. This is what happens on the Camino as I’ve said before, and so I don’t know who I shall meet tomorrow but I’m sure that I shall meet someone. And if not I shall happily walk on my own!
The countryside that we are in at present isso different from the flatlands earlier, and the weather has just been amazing. I cannot quite believe that in four weeks of walking I’ve had only one day of rain.
Tonight I’m in the village of O’Cebreiro, a hill village which has been a significant gateway on the Camino since the first millennium. It’s now quite a tourist attraction but nevertheless when the tourists are gone it is a place of quietness. My book says that the resident population is 50 people! The church here dates from the ninth century and is the oldest extant church on this Camino.
Tomorrow is a new day but still in the hills so I am looking forward to a 12 mile trek surrounded by more beautiful countryside.
Sunday, October 2nd
O’Cebreiro to Triacastela
Weather: chilly to begin with but warm and sunny thereafter.
Last night I attended a Pilgrim’s Mass in the church at O’Cebreiro. To my astonishment and amazement the lady that I met in the first week of this journey, Amanda from Jersey, arrived in the church after me and we could not believe each other was there. We had texted each other over the weeks and were convinced that our journey would not coincide and so had said our goodbyes.
As I said yesterday you never know on this Camino what’s going to happen next, and sure enough I have today walked with Amanda and of course renewed the friendship that we formed some weeks ago.
I can’t really explain why the Camino is so different from all the other long distance walks that I’ve done. But different it certainly is, and each day from the next.
We’ve just had an absolutely beautiful day today, weather-wise and scenery-wise. I hope that my photos and videos go someway to giving you a glimpse of the countryside that we’ve walked through.
For about half the day we were at 1000-1200 metres, which gave us a view of not only the mountains but also the valley below and in the bright sunlight the countryside looked beautiful.
The countryside has also changed over the last two or three days now that we’re in Galicia and so has the agriculture. There’s a lot more dairy farming and grassland than we have seen previously, and we’ve walked through more farmyards today than on the whole trip.
The architecture of the buildings has also changed, particularly the churches that now have stunted towers with pitched roofs rather than tall belfries.
Tomorrow is a shortish day of 11.6 miles and takes us to Sarria. This town is the traditional start for those wanting to walk to the last 100km of the Camino so I expect there will be a lot of people joining us there. To give you some idea of numbers, the report from Santiago today said that 2059 pilgrims arrived just this morning!
Monday, October 3rd
Triacastela to Sarria
Another fabulous walk through wonderful countryside, I hope the videos and photos give you a taste of it. Generally an easy walk and having left Triacastela before 8am I arrived in Sarria by 11.30 and spent the rest of the morning exploring old Sarria which, like many of the old towns is at the top of a hill.
Had a lunch of pulpo (octopus) on the town square.
My accommodation is on the eastern outskirts of the town, the old town being 15 mins uphill, and tonight I have to eat out as my accommodation does not have a restaurant. So it’ll be up the hill again to my lunch restaurant, and same again in the morning as the toute is all the way to the top of the hill and then out into the countryside.
Another warm day is forecast and with many pilgrims starting from here an early start may be in order to miss the masses and finish before the heat of the day.
