16km Not a long day,but it involved climbing a 450 metre high hill. When we woke up it had rained, and was cloudy. The Pensao we stayed at did not provide breakfast, so it was of to the Pastalaria across the square for some pastries from breakfast. When we emerged it had stopped raining. We crossed the medieval bridge across the Rio Lima, and then past the albergue, and along muddy tracks until past Quinta Arquino. While we were wlking there was music playing from a hilltop above Ponta de Lima. The music must have been pretty loud because we could still hear it for 4 or 5 km as we climbed the hill.
We climbed slowly, past some of what seemed to be abandoned farms. We crossed the bridge over the Rio Labruja, which had previously had a “falling down” bridge and which had been replaced with a new concrete bridge. Under the A-3 freeway, again with not many cars on it.Portugal must be one of the few places on the planet that built freeways before it had enough cars to fill them. We wnt through Revolta, but the cafe was closed. We passed Arcozelo and the hill got really steep. We certainly needed our walking poles to help us get up the hill. We got passed by a couple of camino cyclists pushing their mountain bikes up the hill.
We reached the cross near the summit, where there was a brass plaque commerating the death of a pilgrim who had died in a plane crash in Moree Australia. We reached the summit, which we recorded as 458 metres.
Then it was down, down, down towards Cabanas on dirt tracks, until we reach quiet roads, where we were passed by a Canadian pilgram who had also left from Lisbon (9 days after us). We reached the Residential at Sao Roque, where there were already pilgrims in residence. There was an Alberque up the road, but there were at least 8 pilgrims staying at the Residential. There was no Restaurant so at 7pm they ferried us up the road in several loads to a restaurant about 2km away, where we had a meal of …pork.
Medieval bridge at Ponte de Lima
Muddy paths out of Ponte de Lima
replacement bridge for the falling down bridge (right)
climbing the hill