Sigueiro to Santiago de Compostela

Sunday 28 July 2019

We had such a great night at Isabel's apartment in Sigueiro we all woke late but luckily we knew we only had 16.5k's to go to reach Santiago de Compostela. 

Small side note, walking the camino really strips things back to what is important, water is always  a priority, food.....even basics snacks just in case you need to walk 10k's before you find a bar open early serving coffee and tortilla, the weight you carry  on your back and your attitude and resilience when tired and walking with aches/pains.

When we walked into  Isabel's apartment we found a wee haven, lovely rooms ( so many) two bathrooms and a bath (hurrah), full kitchen and a washing machine (double hurrah), a courtyard and drying lines...perfecto! No wonder we slept so well.

For the first time we left in the mist. It was cool and beautiful and had a calming effect.  We all knew this was our last day walking into Santiago and we all walked our own pace for or a while in our own contempations.

 We walked through small rural villages, even the livestock look confused by the mist.

 By about 11am the sun had burnt the mist off and it was glorious walking through woodlands lit up with dappled light and shade.

We had had a picnic breakfast at Isabel's apartment, some fruit and yoghurt so it was a welcome sight to see a cafe advertised. It said only 500mtrs off the track, yeah right, that's the longest 500mtrs I've ever walked, and then walked again to rejoin the trail.....but after 10ks with no coffee..... coffee was the winner on the day😊

 It was very special walking into Santiago de Compostela this time, quite unplanned but it was three years exactly to the day we finished our Camino Portuguese and today we were were all walking together on the most beautiful clear blue sky day, just perfect. This was the first time we had come into the old town from the north west and it was so calm and peaceful, just lovely.

 It felt like we turned a corner and all of a sudden the little cobbled lanes were alive with tourists and pilgrims, hustle and bustle and everyone in awe of the incredible buildings and history at every turn.

 The cathedral is being renovated inside but the scale is still incredible, a very special place for one and all no matter what your beliefs are.

 It's always  tight competition between tapas in Santiago and San Sebastian but we tried our best to taste Santiago's finest as reward for the long, hard miles walked.

Even a cat can complete the Camino😊

Bruma to Seguiro

We left in steady rain, pack covers on and wearing our glamorous rain ponchos. Our first real day of rain so mustn't grumble.

Lovely woodlands and tiny villages.

Just two stops for coffee and refueling and every pilgrim on the trail made for the same place..... shelter for a brief time and a reviving coffee and loo stop.

The rain cleared by lunch time so it wasn't too bad. Great  to see the way markers ticking down.

An inspiring bus stop on the middle of nowhere. Check out the poem on the wall.

An interesting plaque as we walked into Sigueiro.

One more day of walking to reach Santiago de Compostela.

Betanzos to Bruma

Thankful  for cloudy skies today as we set out for what is said to be the hardest day on the Camino Ingles. Rain showers and 24° forecast, no complaints from us as we have all the kit to cope with a bit of rainfall.

Lots of small villages and rural scenes today and each village has an old church, mostly all locked up now.

Slow gradual incline up and up and up through forest tracks and farmland. Just a small spit of rain but great cloud cover most of the way.  It would have been a lot harder in the blazing sun.

Some road walking today.

Pretty village scenes and lovely roses which of course I stopped to smell.

Refreshment stops are few and far between so you have to stop for food whenever you can. This one had great advertising, miss this one and it's 10k's to your next food and water opportunity. 

Great spot to sit outside, take your shoes off  and rest a while.

Back on the track with this areas signature blue hydrangers lining many of the paths and gardens, the flower heads are enormous....they have good rural fertilizer 😊

Long, hard day and we did stop at Bar Evangelina's which was 10k on. We were welcomed by the mother and daughter team and made to put our feet up on foot stools and generally made a fuss of. Wonderful caring senoritas.  I left my empty sunglasss case behind and they dispatched an old chap on a motorcycle to catch us up and give it to me, what an amazing experience.

Pontedeueme to Betanzos

A day of hills today and cloudy skies as we set off. I love seeing the little traditional old grain stores dotted about, many are no longer used but they are so in sympatico with the villages, love them.

 All the pilgrims on this road have a bit of encouragement, zoom in😊

 Lovely walking through forests and very old settlements.

 Most villages have a little water bath where ancient pilgrims would bath their tired feet and wash. This one was from the 1800's, so fantastic.

 Always like to see healthy grapevines.

 Wonderful old churches, all locked up.

 We arrived into Betanzos, hot and tired and ready for the washing, showering, food routine only to discover it's Galicia's annual holiday today, hence all the fireworks we heard as we were walking into town. Supermarkets all shut but managed to get water for tomorrow  from a petrol station. Restaurants open for dinner at 8.30 here, I'll be ready to eat the table leg by then 😊

Ferrol to Pontedeueme

We left the Grand Hotel de Ferrol early morning.  Ferrol is a gritty naval town. The harbour has a tiny entrance and as such makes a perfect place for building the naval fleet over the last couple of hundred years.

 Once out of the town the harbour views are pretty.

 We had a coffee stop in Pene after a small diversion from Casanova. Then on to the old  old town of Fene which was so old and traditional, I loved it. A lady was sitting in her doorway and I asked her if I could take her photo and she took her apron off and tidied her hair, a special photo.

 Lots of rural scences today, village life and farm animals.

 Always good to see the way markers ticking down. Many local villages embrace the Camino pilgrims with shells and yellow arrows showing the way.

 After a particularly stetp hill climb in the middle of nowhere there was a chair, an honesty box and two chilly bins with water, juice and beer, never has a beer tasted so good. This kind soul, or group of kind souls, had placed  these refreshments along the trail after the steep inclines and where it was miles from any services. Fantastico.

 After a long hot day of walking we made it to Pontedeueme, crossed the river and then a last hill climb to our hotel for the night. Ironically this was the steepest hill ratio of the day 😊. Washing, showers and food in that order and an early night.

Footnote: our hotel was cheap and cheerful, above a bar and quite basic. We had dinner for €9.00 which was wine, bread, salad, dessert and the best pan fried fish we have ever had.....thick fresh fillets, pan fried....delicious. All the bar, hotel and cooking done by one guy... wonderful and he even put on a breakfast for us for €5.00 before we hit the trail.