Walking the Camino

Today was another big climb. We had to get up the Valcare valley from 600 metres to 1330 metres at O’Cebreiro. Another great 10 hour + sleep (in bed by 8pm) , left us refreshed in the morning. We got going in another cold but clear and sunny day. We found a pandaria (bakery) very early and bought some cakes, bread and brownies. We were passed by a Canadian family who were traveling on bikes with two little kids in a trailer, and one behind the mother on a trailer bike. It has something to see, and in the end they made it all the way up the hill.

We passed though  Vega de Valcarce, finding not one but two Supermercados (supermarket /convenience store). Getting closer to Santiago we find more and more Albergues and shops. It is very different from 300km back on the Mesata where we struggled to even get a baguette. We went 2 days once before we could buy bread.

We stopped in the sun for some Internet access, and then continued on upwards. We made it to La Faba for a rest. Later on about 1.5 km from La Faba I realised I had left my walking poles outside the shop where we had stopped at La Faba. I walked back, to find only one walking pole left. Some pilgrim is walking the Camino with one of my walking poles.

It was incredibly green. The hillsides are covered in green grass, grazed on by dairy cows.  We got to O’Cebreiro, leaving the Junta of Leon y Castillo, which we had been traveling through for weeks, and entering Galecia. The rest of the day was sunny, but as soon as the sun was covered in cloud, it was cold.

Judy buying books on eBay

leaving the A-6 highway, many metres above us

Cows in Herrerias, in the main street

Judy climbing towards La faba

The view from O'Cebreiro 1330 metres

monastery at O'Cebreiro where we stayed. Ours is the room with washing hanging out

We left at 9:30am having got a solid 10 hours sleep in a hostel. It was a nice sunny day, about 13C when we left Cacabelos. There was a lot of walking alongside the road for the first few kilometres out of town. Eventually some 2 kilometres out of Pieros we left the road and walked through grapevines, that were being harvested.

We walked downhill into Villafranca del Bierzo, passing the castle. We found our way to the Plaza Mayor (main square) and found a nice cafe, when we got lunch (although at the time we thought it was still mid-morning).

After lunch we headed out of town up the Valcare valley. We are gradually working our way up to crossing another mountain range, this time only 1,330 metres at the highest. This afternoon it was getting as close as we could to the start of the real climb. We followed the N-VI which was actually a very quiet road, as it passed under several times the A-6 Autovia (highway).  We stopped at Pereje for a medicinal icecream (icecreams are cheap in Spain). We had another rest in Trabadelo where Judy donated her half kilogram book to the local Albergue, for someone else to read.

Eventually after what seemed a long day, after about 5:30pm we made it to the Albergue at La Portela de Valcarce.

Green hills of grape vines outside Villafrabca del Bierzo

Houses by the river at Villafranca del Bierzo

Looking back at Villafranco del Bierzo

vegetable garden by the side of the road

A relatively flat day of walking, after the ups and downs of yesterday. We left Molinasaca at around 7.30, with barely enough light to see, although we did have street lights for a while, and we could see the city lights of Ponferrada in the distance. It seems amazing that there is still 5 weeks of daylight saving to go here. By the time it finishes in late October, the sun will be rising at around 8.30am.

We spent a bit of time in Ponferrada, finding important things like coffee, a pharmacy, an ATM and an open bakery. And even though it didn’t open until later in the morning, we had a look at the magnificent 12th Century Templar castle. It has recently been extensively renovated and opened to the public. Any kid who loves castles and knights (ours both did) would be in their element there.

This weekend seems to have marked the start of the grape harvest. After we left Ponferrada, we walked through several little towns with vineyards between them, and there was a steady stream of tractors towing trailers full of grapes to the local co-op. Lots of other harvesting going on too, although we’re a bit puzzled by the crops of corn that has been left to rot in many places.

We’re staying at Cacabelos tonight, a town of around 6000, with many bars and cafes, although it was a bit difficult finding anywhere that actually served meals earlier than the usual 9.30pm. There are always plenty of people sitting at tables outside the cafes and bars, but on closer inspection, they are all just having a drink, none are actually eating.

We passed the 600km mark of our Camino today – less than 200kms to go now.

Walking past the Molinaseca albergue (in the dark before dawn) we found a row of bunk beds outside the Albergue. It was only about 2C at the time, so anyone sleeping on them would have had a cold night!

Looking down to Ponferrada at dawn

Ponferrada Castle - 13th Century Templar Castle - straight from Disneyland!

Copper downpipes in Ponferrada!

Looking back to the mountains we crossed over in the past few days

Only 195km to go to Santiago!