Those of you who follow me on Instagram will know that this summer (2022) I finally finished walking the last 115km along the Camino de Santiago, from Sarría to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.. This is the fifth 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). In theory, was supposed to complete a leg each summer until 2020. This is Day 36 (other posts from other stages are linked at the end of this post).
Ok, so this was a tough day. Longest day of the stage but I figured that after a 22km first day, this wouldn’t be much longer/ harder. In fact, it was on a bunch of different levels: one of us had sore feet from shoes that worked breaking them in walking in Toronto but which weren’t as comfortable up (and especially down) hills; it RAINED (and some of us didn’t bring raingear, based on previous years whilst others DID but didn’t pack it in their daypacks…). Also, those extra 3 km? KILLER after a long first day (and after having come down from the initial “high” of the first day “back on the road” the previous day).
Breakfast that morning didn’t exactly set us up for the long day – whilst delicious, it was really just bread and jam with (great) coffee and (excellent) orange juice. But, we made a discovery…
Not what it looks like – actually it’s crushed TOMATOES, spread on toasted baguette drizzled with olive oil. Scrumptious and a fixture of most breakfasts from then on!
The day started with a choice. We turned right for the “peaceful woodland path” (if in doubt and you’re walking the Camino in the summer, ALWAYS opt for the shady route, even if it’s a tad longer).
The countryside really was lush and green…
(said “peaceful woodland path” – it really was!)
Did the Camino know something we didn’t?
The first stop on this stage where there is a café is in Gonzar, nearly 8km out of Portomarín. That’s a long walk before your second breakfast!
(the ubiquitous “AquArius” rehydration drink and ham and cheese sandwich)
It looked like a glorious day…
Soon enough, though, the clouds started to roll in…
And for the rest of the day, we were literally walking in the rain. Not heavy rain but constant and enough to make for a bit of an uncomfortable day. Of course, we managed a few more pit stops…
We saw (more) cows…
and, um…
(this was just across the road from the picture above it!)
But we persevered, following the waymarkers and counting down the kilometres…
And, perhaps BECAUSE OF the rain, the countryside was very lush…
(honestly, you can’t tell from this but it was SO wet!)
Very pretty countryside though, which is what we tried to focus on…
And a grassed area leading into town!
And finally, we were there! (and not a minute too soon!)
That was a LONG day.
(yah, ok, definitely felt this!)
Though we were shattered, Neil and I showered and changed and went for a stroll – looking for snacks and a place for dinner – with 5 people we were aware that it’s not as easy to just wander in and get a table so we started scouting online and went to check out a couple of places…
We decided to treat ourselves to a “non Pilgrim” meal (so, ordering à la carte instead of a set menu) and splurge on some nice wine and it was exactly the pickup we needed. We can HIGHLY recommend the Albergue Castro restaurant for excellent food (even a vegetable dish with JUST grilled vegetables – anyone who has travelled in Spain will know how exciting this is!), wine, and service.
What. A. Feast. Including wine in a decanter and two desserts so good we didn’t get photos of them before we devoured them. This meal read like a “best of Spain” – padrón peppers, sheep cheese, jamón, shrimp in butter with loads of garlic, grilled vegetables, pulpo, paella… All the hits!
Verdict: A tough day, made longer by rain and shoe issues for some. But with a most excellent, well-deserved reward at the end of it. We went to be with happy tummies and happy feet anticipating a MUCH shorter (15km) day the following day!
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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, we are all thinking about walking a DIFFERENT Camino in 2023!
Read more about the Camino de Santiago
Click here to read all my posts about the Camino de Santiago!
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Well done Mardi…. you’re nothing if not persistent. A very notable achievement given the pandemic.