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 32 (other posts linked at the end of this post).
Camino Frances Day 32: Villafranca del Bierzo to Las Herrerías (approx 20 km)
I’d really been looking forward to this day of this year’s stage because I knew that the NEXT DAY was the one where we climb to O’Cebreiro (a “high point” literally and figuratively). I’d deliberately made today a bit of a longer day (20+ km) so that tomorrow I’d just have a little over 8km to walk (albeit UP, a huge elevation gain but still…) because it was fairly flat so it would be an “easy” day.
Left Villafranca del Bierzo nice and early – the towns are always so pretty first thing in the morning…
Not many people walking today but I did meet a bunch of people who I’d chatted with a few days before. The Camino is like that – you get in with a “cohort” of people walking similar distances but sometimes you lose track of them for a few days. It made for a nice “reunion” over morning coffee!
It certainly was lovely weather for walking – overcast – and the terrain was so pretty!
Though it’s not so picturesque, it’s definitely easier to walk on these paved paths…
Early on in the day we arrived in Pereje which was perfect for morning coffee…
And discovered there is bread delivery ! How cool!
The easy paths continued…
With some interesting sights too…
And some curious onlookers…
And, in a rogue move, I stopped for a SECOND coffee, this time in Ambasmetas…
Was joined by some pensive onlookers…
But with the promise of a long afternoon nap in quiet Las Herrerías on the agenda, I pressed on…
Finally…
Las Herrerías in the distance…
There’s not much to do here (which is the perfect excuse to nap!) – I enjoyed this view with my afternoon nap…
Got to go to dinner in my slippers (excellent granny slippers purchased in 2017 on the Camino!)
(feet looking much better, mozzie bites going away!)
And oh, what a dinner it was!
Excellent salad, spaghetti bolognese (actually a starter but I really wanted something different) and a dessert called natilla – basically crème anglaise topped with a plain biscuit. SO GOOD!
At 9.30pm, this was the scene…
I closed those shutters and had a blissful, peaceful sleep… preparing for the next day’s climb!
Verdict: A lovely day, though long, with beautiful scenery and easy terrain. A wonderful way to prep for the strenuous climb the following day!
Stay tuned for the next leg where we climb to O’Cebreiro…
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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!).
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