Camino 2021

Having arrived in Santiago we were joined by the ladies, who flew in, for three days of  being just tourists (and getting the required PCR test to be allowed back home) but one more Camino experience remained. It is the tradition, both medieval and contemporary, that after arriving in Santiago de Compostela (and thereby completing your pilgrimage), to visit the Galacian coast at one, or both, of two sites. The first is Muxia where by legend the stone boat that brought St James to Spain landed. There is located the church of  Sanctuaria da Virxe da Barca (the Virgin of the Boat) and a coast with tremendous surf. For those who have seen the film “The Way” is is the location where Martin Sheen throws his son’s ashes into the surf in the penultimate scene. We did not walk (like the film) or cycle but hired a car having learned from my previous visits by bus! It is a strikingly beautiful and dramatic place. MUXIA From Muxia we drove the half hour or so to Cape Finesterre. The pilg...

Our last day into Santiago de Compostela and the route is very hilly and around 37 miles long. Although Santiago is 640 ft lower in elevation than Melide the route is blocked by a series of ridges (around 14 in number plus some small hills) which means despite the net descent there is 2,750 feet of climbing. The day was hot and the road wound its way in curves up the ridge sides. The countryside is a mix of Eucalypus forest and cornfields with more small towns than in the mountains. Now we were approaching Santiago there was a much greater density of foot pilgrims making their way towards the city. This is because you only have to walk 100km or more to receive a Compostela (certificate of pilgrimage) from the Cathedral  pilgrim office. As a result many start from the towns close to Santiago, but distant enough to meet the criterium,  especially school parties which had started to appear in greater numbers the day before.  A typical road winding up a ridge line. The trees...

 Probably the day with the least variety of scenery on the journey. A day of grinding up an endless series of hills in blazing sunshine. Mostly we saw the road a few feet in front of our wheels and the sum of all this was the biggest climbing total of the trip at 4,525 ft. One result of not looking up is that no photographs of these endless hills were taken.  These are the first pictures after we had dropped into a deep valley which contained a very spooky wood. The road out was so steep Derek had to dismount and walk after a missed gear at the bottom.  Our first town was Portomarín.  The most historic buildings of the town, including the church, were moved from the valley bottom, brick by brick, and reconstructed in the new town up the hill when the river was dammed and the valley flooded.  It much water in the lake at this time of year. Note the many pilgrims crossing the bridge.  We picked up our bikes and carried them up the steps that form the entranc...

A day with great weather and a lot of climbing. We started early with a picnic breakfast in our room. The climbing started immediately. After 5 km I discovered that I had left my bicycle bar-bag outside the hotel! I left Derek and flew down the hill. The bag contained my wallet, passport, iPad and our stamped pilgrim “Credencials “! Happily it was OK and I got the hotel to order a taxi, dismantled my bike, and was back with Derek having only lost about 40 minutes of our day.  The early morning was sunny with no wind, but cool. Notice Derek drinking coffee in full kit with the chair pulled into the road to get sun. It was a very quiet village. The road was uphill all morning with the motorway bridges always rising above us. At one point the road was blocked and we had to descend again to find a way round. it was depressing to lose height but it wasn’t too bad once done.  At 12:20 we left Castile and Leon and entered Galicia.  The road became steeper for the last 4 km up t...

An easy day and the sun shining and the wind quiet. Only 18 miles with three relatively easy hills. A short blog to match! First stop, early in the cycle, was in Ponferrada.  A pretty town on a hill above a river. Lots of statues and a wonderful castle dominating the river crossing that was originally constructed by the Knights Templar.  Given the short distance it was surprising how many refreshment stops were necessary on the way to the village (town) of  Cacabellos. This is a lovely place with nice bars, a lovely main Plaza, a lovely clean river with bathing, and fine churches. A more substantial rest was taken here and we admired the ladies pet goat.  Back into the mountains after Cacabellos with the ridges of tomorrow’s climb clearly visible. It’s the ones behind the first we have to cross! Arrived very early afternoon in Villafranca del Bierzo and checked into our luxury hotel (another Parador but a modern one). Spend some time in and by the pool. We had ...

A different start to the day today. We are leaving the plateau of the Meseta and entering the mountains of the Montes de Leon. My planning for this stage from Leon has been poor and it was scheduled to be 60 miles and well over 3,500 feet of climb. I felt this to be too much for a number of reasons. Derek’s knee, although much better, might prove problematic on such a day; the forecast was for very high winds; it is tough,  and, as a consequence, the day might not be fun and we would arrive in the beautiful village of Molineseca very late and too tired to enjoy it. I needed a Plan B. It turns out there is one train from Leon to Astorga, that will take cycles, at 07:05. Astorga is on our route and is where the real climbing starts.  Taking this option cuts out more than is ideal - reducing the day to 32 miles but still leaves a big climb (>10% in places and 22 miles long) up to the Cruz de Ferro.  This is what we agreed to do. Only the pretty bridge at Hospital de Orbig...