Those of you who follow me on Instagram will know that this summer (2019) I’m walking 200km along the Camino de Santiago, from Léon to Sarría in Spain. This is the fourth leg of the Camino which I started in 2016 (if you’re interested, I wrote a Q&A post in response to some of the questions people had asked me along the way that year), I’m completing a leg each summer until 2020. This is Day 35 (other posts linked at the end of this post).
Today, the last day on the Camino for me this year, I had a choice. As you can see, above, in Triacastela, there were two different routes to take – in fact those distances are way off – via Samos was 25km and via San Xil was 18km. Whilst the longer path was tempting in some ways (the Benedictine monastery in Samos is the oldest in Spain), I opted for the shorter path because ultimately I needed to make sure I was in Sarría for a 3pm bus to Lugo where I’d get the bus to Madrid for my flight the following day. The timing wouldn’t have allowed for much time in Samos anyway so I felt justified in my choice…
It was a quiet morning walking in a lush green setting…
Lovely, cool temperatures as well…
There weren’t any big towns along the way today, but around “morning coffee” time, I happened upon this…
A fabulous “café” where you pay what you can.
With tons of options…
Great coffee with a piece of banana bread…
Though it was tempting to stay here a few hours, I pressed on…
Sarría wasn’t far and with the excellent coffee I had all the energy to walk without another stop (roughly 7km)..
Of course, once I arrived in the town proper, there was one more hurdle to reach the main part of town..
Yes, I arrived in Sarría well in time for my bus and even had time for a little bit of lunch. Still glad I wasn’t rushing 25km today though…
Verdict: A quiet, contemplative day’s walking after a few hard, longer days was just what was needed. I was sad to not be continuing on to Santiago this year but I’ve always only wanted to walk a maximum of 10 days at a time and knew that 6 more days might just be too much! In any case, I’m SO close (115km!!).
Stay tuned for next summer – when I will finally arrive in Santiago!
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Disclosure: I researched Camino trips independently and chose the Camino Travel Center based on a number of features such as flexibility to accommodate a couple of “splits” in some of the longer days, price and customer service. They were, in fact the first company I came across in my very first Google search and the one I ended up booking with. From the initial inquiry to the actual trips, they have been a pleasure to deal with and we have been very impressed with the service provided (bag transportation) and the accommodation choices. I was not compensated to write about this trip in any way but I love sharing companies and products I believe in with my readers. I couldn’t recommend the Camino Travel Center more and, in fact, am booking my last Camino walk with them for next summer (the summer I will finally reach Santiago!).
Read more about the Camino de Santiago
Click here to read all my posts about the Camino de Santiago!
Lovely pics, Mardi. Obviously, a very nice part of the country.
It really is!
I’ve enjoyed following your adventures over the years. I’ll be sad and elated when you reach your goal next year – sad because the journey will be over, and elated for your success.