Springtime on the Camino de Santiago

Tuesday, 15 May 2024
Xunqueira de Ambia to Ourense
24.5 kilometers

Today was another day of intermittent rain and cool temperatures. The views as we walked to the large town of Ourense were as beautiful as all of Galicia has been. I’m basically going to let the pictures speak for themselves and keep the narrative minimal. There was some walking on natural paths, and fortunately very little mud today even though it rained hard at times last night. Much of the walk today on the Camino de Santiago into Ourense was on secondary paved roads.

From the map, we are now going northwest, and maybe a little more north today. The profile graph shows that much of the day was downhill. There were plenty of small uphill sections that kept us alert.

Near today’s start after leaving Xunqueira de Ambia I saw a Camino waymarker indicating 127.7 kilometers to go to Santiago de Compostela. Shortly after leaving Ourense tomorrow, we will be under 100 kilometers away from the end of our pilgrimage walk.

After leaving Xunqueira de Ambia, we were back on natural paths, and soon we had to climb a short but steep rocky section. We were hoping that there would be little of this today, and those hopes proved true. Despite the rocky uphill section, the natural paths through forest or farmland are beautiful.

And of course, natural paths after heavy rains can be muddy. There was only a small section of deep mud today, and we were able to get through it without getting our feet wet.

Then came a long stretch of more sandy natural path that drained well after the rain, and allowed for good footing and a strong pace. The view of a forest and flowers is always good.

A good part of the morning was on secondary, paved roads. Very little traffic, but also a minimal shoulder, so we were always looking out for cars. At one point, we went over a non-electric (also not high-speed) railroad. This is clearly still in use. The ballast is clean and well-maintained, the ties are concrete, and the rails are shiny indicating recent use.

For several days, the purple and yellow flowers along the Camino route reminded us of the University of Washington school colors. And Ron, my brother-in-law, who graduated from the University of Washington reminded Dan and me of this several times. Today, we saw no purple flowers and much less of the yellow flowers. Dan and I graduated from Washington State University whose colors are crimson and gray. Today we saw several of what we would call crimson (or red) flowers, and with the cloudy gray sky, we would say that Washington State University was well-represented today.

Then we went under the same railroad line we had gone over earlier. This is a first, going under railroad tracks. We have thought a few times that it would have been nice to have used the railroad tunnels instead of climbing up, over, and down some mountains. Not a safe idea, but it was a thought while we were far above and could see the railroad tunnel below. Today we got to go under a railroad line…the tunnel is very short, but we did get to go under.

At noon we were getting hungry. We stopped at a bar and were told they had no kitchen, so no food. The bartender told us there was a restaurant a few minutes down the road (it turned out to be 20 minutes). Leaving the bar, we saw this bit of folk art, a metal depiction of a pilgrim, maybe the Camino tin man. Interesting.

The interesting shell and gourd arrows carved in rocks are still with us. Here are two examples, one with the gourd and one without. I like these a lot – they might also fall into the category of folk art. Each is unique and different, but all similar in theme.

We arrived in the suburbs of Ourense and walked through a long very uninspiring stretch of industrial buildings and companies. Large truck repair/maintenance buildings, other manufacturing, many large trucks, an industrial area. The Camino path took us off the busy main road onto the last of the natural paths for a short section. Dan and Ron were ahead of me, and I got a photo of them with their bright backpack covers and Ourense in the distance.

After getting down a short but steep downhill, we walked through some homes and saw this cactus in bloom in a garden right by the Camino path.

We made it into Ourense, a very busy town with cars, traffic lights, and many pedestrians, all things that are common in a larger city. We navigated to the cathedral and opted not to take a tour. We were getting very tired and still had several kilometers to go to reach our accommodation. Instead, we just got a stamp in our pilgrim’s credential. Here is the front of the Ourense cathedral.

In some towns, they mark the Camino path through town with shells in the sidewalks. In Ourense, I saw two different types, first a colored tile set into the sidewalk, and second a brass round brass shell depiction set into the sidewalk. Where these are close enough and frequent enough, you can follow them in the sidewalk to know where to go.

Our accommodation is across the river near the Ourense train station. My phone had just enough charge left to take a photo of the Roman bridge we crossed. This bridge is for pedestrians only now.

After crossing the Roman bridge, and finding the correct cross street, we found our accommodation for the evening a block from the Ourense train station. I used the laundromat nearby to clean my sweaty clothes, and then saw a barber and got my hair cut. Tomorrow is going to be another very cool day of intermittent rain during our mostly uphill walk from Ourense to Cea.

Next: Ourense to Cea, 24 kilometers

Tuesday, 14 May 2024
Vilar de Barrio to Xunqueira de Ambia
14.5 kilometers

When we woke this morning, we had concerns that it might be a challenging walking day on the Camino route towards Ourense and Santiago de Compostela. There was heavy rain overnight amounting to almost half an inch. Rain means mud on natural trails, so we were hoping that today’s route would be partly over paved secondary roads. And much of the route was on good surfaces, paved or good-draining sandy dirt. Sometimes we were in the forest and we had to again negotiate stretches of mud.

Much of the day’s walk was fairly flat, then we ascended a fairly steep, but manageable hill followed by a steep, and treacherous downhill. One of the guidebooks said, “Caution is advised on the final descent to Xunqueira de Ambia which can be slippery when wet.” Given the rain, we were on the lookout. From the map, we are headed west-north-west towards Ourense tomorrow and then on to Santiago de Compostela.

We left our accommodation in Vilar de Barrio in the rain, a nice stone house slightly off the Camino path. Our breakfast was to be in a bar in town, and we discovered that it was the same place where we had a late lunch yesterday. After breakfast, we hit the road at 9:00 AM in very light rain, hoping it would not get worse.

We like to see different types of Camino signs pointing the way. There are many standard types, and we see some that were possibly placed by people in the local area. Here Ron points the way with a sign we have not seen before agreeing with which way to go.

Soon we were out of the town and into the fields, lush and green after recent rains.

We are starting to see a number of “hórreo.” These are Galician granaries, used historically to store grain raised by pillars to prevent access by rodents. Ventilation is by slits in the sides. We saw many today – here are two, one of which is right by a Camino waymarker. Some of these re large, like that in the left photo. The scale can be seen in comparison to Dan standing to the left marveling at the size.

We continued along through farm fields, a lush green part of Galicia.

Then we saw the first today of the Camino waymarkers with the shell and gourd insignia near the arrow we saw yesterday.

The rain increased, so we stopped to put on our backpack covers. We like that they are bright in color; with the dark, gray day, we want motorists to see us well.

We passed a newly plowed field. The dirt is a rich, dark color and has a look of being very fertile.

We passed through several very small villages today. In one, a sign was erected wishing pilgrims a “good way” in several languages. The typical greeting to pilgrims by locals and between pilgrims is “Buen Camino.”

Right after this sign, we went into the forest on a natural, very damp path, foreshadowing mud to come. While we are not excited about negotiating muddy stretches of the path, it is very beautiful in the lush green forest.

And the mud did come. We all got wet feet, but less mud in our shoes than a few days ago. In the photo, the ground looks solid, but when you put your foot down, it sinks down several inches or more. The best plan is to step on the weeds or use the edges if they are more firm – sometimes they are, sometimes not. It is almost a game to see how much mud can be avoided.

Occasionally, as I mentioned yesterday, granite slabs have been placed in the ruts of the road to give farm vehicles traction. We use these for walking since they are solid.

We came out of the forest into a large clearing and thankfully much less mud.

Ron took a photo of me at one of the shell & gourd Camino waymarkers. The view in the distance is strikingly beautiful.

And then Dan for a photo of Ron and me.

After rounding a couple of bends, we looked down and saw some boxes in part of a field. We speculated that they might be beehives. Ron sent a photo to a friend who is a beekeeper, and it was confirmed. We are seeing almost no bee activity today. On sunny days, the bees do like the wildflowers that are along the Camino path.

A little further on we were at the peak for the day and could see far in the distance our destination – at least we were pretty sure it was our destination.

Then we started down the hill, a difficult and slow descent, made more slippery in the recent rain. It was no longer raining, but still slippery. Ron shared a photo of the most difficult part of the descent, over large, uneven rocks.

I got a photo of Dan and Ron finishing the steepest section after the large rocks.

Then just to keep us on our toes, there was one last forest & muddy section left for today. There was not as much mud in this section.

We finally came to the last turn on a paved road that would lead us into Xunqueira de Ambia. I posed for Ron pointing the way like the two markers on either side of me.

We walked into Xunqueira de Ambia and found a bar/restaurant for lunch. After lunch, we coordinated our transport to our accommodation in Allariz, a larger town about 25 kilometers from Xunqueira de Ambia. While we waited for the taxi, I got a photo of the church in Xunqueira de Ambia.

Our hotel in Allariz is very nice, and the lady who checked us in even did our laundry for us. Tomorrow morning, we will transported back to Xunqueira de Ambia to start the 22-kilometer walk into Ourense, another large town. We are happy to see that most of the walk tomorrow is gradually downhill.

Next: Xunqueira de Ambia to Ourense, 22 kilometers

Sunday, 12 May 2024
Campobecerros to Laza
14.4 kilometers

Today’s walk on the Camino de Santiago was characterized by stunningly beautiful vistas as we descended along the side of a mountain into the valley and the town of Laza. We are now in Galicia and everything is a little greener than central Spain. Here is an example of the scene looking across the valley as we descended the mountain.

The walk today was another day of walking from east to west. The elevation graph clearly shows how we climbed up a little twice early in the day and then proceeded to descend for most of the rest of the walk today.

We started with a taxi ride from our accommodation in A Guidiña to our ending point yesterday in Campobecerros so we could start the walk where we left off yesterday. So we started walking at 9:00 AM in Campobecerros. The first part of the walk this morning was gradually uphill, a little more than I had hoped for to start the day, but not too bad, and the beautiful views were upon is from the start.

After about 3 kilometers, we passed through the hamlet of Porto Camba. I took a photo of Dan and Ron at the old Porto Camba sign still looking very fresh and energetic in the morning.

We use two apps that show the Camino route and provide information about the towns, the services in those towns, and a map to see where exactly the Camino route goes. Both of the apps said something like, “Take your time here and enjoy the views.” We do take our time every day, and we do enjoy the views. The views today were the best.

I saw an arrow in a style I had not seen before, carved into a rock and painted. Definitely worth a photo. Nice!

The beautiful views kept coming. Farmland, forest, and sometimes clear-cut forest on the hills across the valley all made for stunning views.

Rounding a corner, and still high on the mountain, we could see a dramatic railroad bridge and the tunnel portals (one for each direction). This is the high-speed line from Madrid to Santiago de Compostela. I’ll be on a train on that line on my way home after we reach Santiago.

Walking downhill can sometimes feel as difficult as walking uphill, just different muscles are in use. Downhill is also harder on the knees, so we kept the pace slow. Soon we were in a slightly more dense forest and the distant views were seen through the trees. A beautiful day walking down the mountain.

I saw a Camino waymarker indicating just under 170 kilometers (105 miles) to go to Santiago de Compostela, so it seemed worthy of a photo. We will look out for the 160-kilometer marker tomorrow which is 100 miles, a nice round number for those of us who mostly measure in miles.

A little further on I got a photo of Ron and Dan in the forest continuing downward.

Then we came to a sharp right turn and a steep, rocky downhill section for 30 or 40 meters to get down to another road into Laza. As we made our way towards Laza and out of the forest, we crossed a creek before leaving the forest for the farmland around Laza.

And right before entering Laza, I saw some cattle munching away at the tall green grass. Their horns were long and even from a distance looked sharp. We have not seen many cattle in the past 11 days of walking. Last year in more southern-central Spain we saw cattle almost every day for much of the walk from Seville to Salamanca and even closer to Zamora.

Then we entered Laza signifying the end of the 14.4 kilometer mostly downhill walk for the day. There is an older and a newer sign indicating the town, so I captured both.

We found our accommodation, checked in, took off our backpacks, and went in search of lunch. We were headed to a restaurant recommended by our taxi driver but stopped at a different place. This bar/restaurant was crowded and lively – people talking loudly and passionately sharing stories and drinks. A very energetic group of people, and it lifted my spirits. There was no menu, only one choice: beef stew with french fries. Everyone who was ordering food was getting the same. The beef was so tender it fell apart, and tasted so, so good. Of course, I also had my after-walk Coca-Cola, too.

Tomorrow is a little longer day at under 20 kilometers with a long uphill climb early in the walk. The weather is expected to be a bit cooler with a chance of rain in the afternoon. Hopefully, we will be done for the day when the rain comes.

Next: Laza to Vilar de Barrio, 20 kilometers

Saturday, 11 May 2024
A Gudiña to Campobecerros
23.1 kilometers

Today’s walk from A Gudiña to Campobecerros was a difficult 21 kilometers characterized by going up and over a mountain, steep, rocky, and unstable at times. The views of the scenery around us were striking and beautiful. One of the best views was of a large reservoir or man-made lake behind a dam that we never could see.

The walk was to be 21.1 kilometers. We took a wrong route out of town, and after sensing that we were going in the wrong direction, we checked the Wise Pilgrim app and saw that we were far off the correct route to Campbecerros. We think the route we were on might be an alternative cycling route. Nevertheless, we backtracked, adding about 3 kilometers, got back on the correct route, and started the long uphill walk. You can see from the elevation graph that the first part of the walk was mostly uphill, then as we finally got to the top of the mountain, we made a steep and very unstable descent on a dicey path over shale, broken up and often looking like wood.

Here are the three of us as we set out for what was a beautiful, warm, and clear day.

After backtracking to find the correct route, I got a photo of one of the waymarkers indicating that we were indeed on the correct route.

The path on which we were walking was adjacent to the road. Being separate from the road is a little safer even though there are very few vehicles on this road.

At times in the morning, the path rose on a fairly steep hill, just in front of me in this photo. There would be more and much longer hills to climb as the morning wore on.

The scenery was beautiful all day. Words fail me. A beautiful day indeed!

We passed a few farm buildings and then came upon a small flock of sheep with two very young lambs.

We took a break and Ron got a photo of me sitting on a rock eating a granola bar.

Back walking, as we rounded a corner I saw this very elegant-looking tree and it definitely deserved a photo.

And as we got to a point where we could see the lake pretty well, far, far below us, Ron got a photo of me in front of that beautiful vista.

As we continued our walk, far below us were some older non-electric train tracks. I took a photo from a bridge over the tracks to what appears to be an old, now closed, station. I am pretty sure this is the very small village of Venda Da Capela, once vibrant enough to have a train station, now quiet and almost desolate.

Similar to yesterday, we often saw bushes with small white flowers, a beautiful effect.

And the colors of the University of Washington were well-represented today with purple and yellow flowers abundant. [Being an alumnus of Washington State University, I prefer crimson and grey. Flowers of those colors were not to be seen today.]

As we finally got to the top of the mountain and started down the unstable, slippery, and rocky path, we could see the town of Campobecerros far down in the valley below. We have a long, steep, careful descent ahead of us. Patience is important here, even though we are eager to arrive at our endpoint.

After a long day of walking in beautiful vistas, we arrived. They could use a new sign, or perhaps there is a better sign on the main road.

No time to look for a newer sign on another road into town … we are hungry, it is time for lunch. Wandering around the town trying to find the bar/restaurant, a lady saw that we were lost and directed us. The locals are very kind. We found the bar, and after a mixed salad, here is my meal of pork loin, fries (our experience in Spain is that almost every meal comes with fries), and my usual after-walk Coca-Cola.

After a very tasty lunch, we were transported back to A Gudiña for the evening. The driver used the same road that we either walked on or walked by. It took us more than 5 hours to get to Campobecerros, and less than 30 minutes to return in a van. Tomorrow the driver will pick us up at 8:30 and drive us back to Campobecerros to start our walk to Laza.

Next: Campobecerros to Laza, 15 kilometers

Wednesday, 8 May 2024
Asturianos to Puebla De Sanabria
15.6 kilometers

Today was an interesting day, full of ups and downs, both physically and emotionally. The day was really characterized by walking on natural (dirt or dirt/rocks) roads through a very wet forest at times. And the recent rains left some of the lower parts of the road ankle-deep or deeper in soft mud. When not negotiating the best way through the mud, the forest was beautiful, quiet, and peaceful. Many pictures today, so I’ll keep the text to a minimum.

After arriving in Mombuey yesterday, we were transported 30 kilometers further along the Camino route to Puebla De Sanabria where our hotel was located. The plan today was that the driver would drive us back to Mombuey and we would walk the 30 kilometers to Puebla De Sanabria. We decided instead to have the driver drop us off at about the middle of that 30-kilometer route, in a town called Asturianos. That left about 15.6 kilometers of walking today, generally west.

This morning, we had the best breakfast so far on this trip at the hotel, included in the package of accommodations we purchased. Mostly the breakfasts are toast, butter, and jam with café con leche. Today we had yogurt and granola, a fruit bowl, toast, butter, jam, orange juice, and café con leche. Unexpected and for this we are very grateful.

As we were moving our backpacks and hiking poles outside to wait for the driver. I realized that I had left my hat in the taxi yesterday. The driver yesterday told us that today would be a different driver and a different car, so I knew my hat would not be in the car. We decided that I could wear an extra hat of Dan’s, and we would have today’s driver call yesterday’s driver and coordinate retreiving my hat. The driver pulled up on time at 9:00, opened the back of the van, and waved my hat, asking does this belong to someone? Apparently, yesterday’s driver found the hat, knew it was mine, and gave it to today’s driver. What a nice thing to do – I am so, so grateful! A good omen to start the day … I get to wear my own hat!

We got to Asturianos, and got started walking at 9:20 AM today. Ron took a photo of me at the first Camino marker sign we saw in Asturianos.

Walking out of Asturianos, I took a photo of the church.

Back walking on the Camino Sanabres, Ron took a photo of me by the waymarker indicating 264 kilometers to go to our destination of Santiago de Compostela. It is still cool out, I still have my jacket and gloves on, but not for long. It is a beautiful sunny day and it will be warm soon.

Onward along the N525 highway, exiting onto a secondary road, then off the pavement onto a natural road, down a gradual hill, and what we saw raised our awareness to high alert. Deep muddy ruts in the dirt road filled with water and soft, deep mud all around. Negotiating this will be a challenge. And this was only the first of many. Where there is a low point on the road, water from recent rains collects. Here is a photo of the first, and maybe the most challenging stretch of mud. The photo is not in good focus – I was not on firm ground and still shocked at what was ahead.

And traversing this muddy section, we all got our feet wet. Thankfully, no one fell into the mud. After each muddy section, the path would go up a little and we would have a short section of more firm ground on which to walk.

It seemed like a long walk through the muddy sections, but after 3.6 kilometers we reached Palacios De Sanabria where the Wise Pilgrim app indicated there was a bar. So we ordered a café con leche, went outside, took off our shoes and socks, and let everything dry a little in the sun. Gratefully it is a sunny and warm day today.

After what was a nice break, we put our socks and shoes back on. Just 20 minutes in the sun dried things noticeably. So we were soon back on the road, hoping the worst muddy sections were behind us. The photo below looks very much like the previous forest photo, but they are several kilometers apart. Despite the muddy sections, it was a very nice walk in the forest. We did, though, have to watch out for more mud.

I got a photo of Ron behind me on fairly firm ground with one of his pant legs still rolled up.

And another of Ron and Dan ahead of me in the forest, barely visible as they round a gradual curve to the left.

We paused briefly at the very small town of Remesal and I took a photo of the church there.

Sometimes the road was rocky. Today that is a good thing, because it also means dry and firm footing. Here is Ron taking a photo of a waymarker that has the kilometers to go on it.

There were more muddy sections, but not as bad as the first few kilometers before our break. Mostly, the path was solid, and the forest was all around us.

We came to the very small town of Otero De Sanabria. There was a monument commemorating an agreement between two kings that, as we interpreted the text, ended a war. Dan and Ron posed for me in front of the monument.

Opposite the monument was another monument and Ron took a photo me me there. No longer with a jacket or gloves – it is warm.

Walking through the town, I could not help but take a photo of the beautiful Iris flowers. We have seen quite a few Iris along the way. These are a very beautiful purple.

Since I stop frequently to take pictures, Dan and Ron get ahead of me sometimes. Here I got a photo of a very large Camino sign pointing the way as Ron and Dan almost disappeared around the next curve in the road.

As I recall, there was only one more muddy section to negotiate. Here is where we missed a turn at the muddy section as we negotiated around the mud and water.

We came to a clearing and Ron sensed we were not in the right place just after I took this photo.

So we went back to the muddy section, found a waymarker, and made the right turn back onto the correct path. Shortly after, we rounded a bend and saw a hillside of these rather prolific purple and gold flowers.

And after about another half hour of walking on paved road (finally, no mud), we could see Puebla De Sanabria in the distance with the castle at the top of the hill I did not have time to visit…maybe next time.

After walking some more, now tired and dragging a little, we got to a sign indicating that we were entering the town itself.

We walked into town, had to walk up a long gradual hill, and saw a restaurant serving roasted meats. We were all hungry, and a late lunch sounded so, so good, so we stopped with only about a kilometer to go to our hotel. Lunch was very good. Dan and Ron had a beer and I had my usual after-walk Coca-Cola. We had a large green salad to share, then Ron and Dan had Quail and I had pork loin made with a “secret” recipe. Then we could not resist and had ice cream for dessert. An excellent meal to end a very challenging and interesting walk.

Tomorrow we are looking forward to another good breakfast. We have a long, long day of 30 kilometers of which the first 20 kilometers is uphill to the highest point on the Camino Sanabrés. And it will be a warm day, so I’ll lose my jacket early on.

Next: Puebla De Sanabria to Lubián, 30 kilometers (a long day)