16 September 2023
Vilaseco to Rodeiro - 24 kms
Today was a big day in many ways. Our very genial host at Vilaseco advised us not to take the route up to Monte Faro as we wouldn't have any views today - it wasn't raining this morning but cloud cover was low.
We had every intention of taking his advice but we were so busy chatting that we didn't immediately notice that we had taken that route, we didn't see signs for the alternative road route.
We set out from our accommodation wearing our ponchos as although it wasn't raining, we knew it could start at any time. Soon after we set off we were in the settlement of Vilaseco where we found an open bar and, needing 2 stamps a day, we went in and bought a couple of cans of Aquarius, a type of energy drink, and got our first stamp of the day.
It was after that that we inadvertently took the mountain route. By the time we realised we were on our way up we had already gone quite a way so we decided to keep going. We were walking in low cloud but the rain still held off. The 5 kilometre climb up was continuous, gaining nearly 600m in height to 1,150m.
Just as we neared the top it started to rain and it continued for the rest of the day with just a couple of breaks. The wind was strong at the top too.
We left the camino path to see the Ermita de Nosa Senora - a hermitage of Our Lady of Faro - built in 1632. We couldn't linger as we cooling down too quickly.
We weren't sure just where to rejoin the camino and found ourselves walking down a grassy path with crosses all the way down it - obviously Stations of the Cross. From there we set off in the wrong direction. Here we were, two septuagenarians, wandering around in the mists of the mountain. After studying our map app we worked it out in the end and we we were on our way down.
The route down took us past long lines of giant wind turbines. We could hear them cutting through air but, for the most part, they were lost in the mists of the clouds. It wasn't until we were quite a way down that we saw a couple of them.
At 3.15pm, after more than six hours of walking without a break, we found a small bar in the settlement of A Feira so in we went. It was very busy with men at the bar and filling most of the tables, talking very loudly, and eating what, to us hungry Kiwis, looked like fabulous food - anything would have looked good by that stage.
We managed, with quite a bit of language difficulties, to order some of the same. It was a most welcome break. Then it was packs and ponchos on again and off in the rain for the last two kilometres into Rodeiro, only to find that our hostel/albergue was way off route and took some finding.
Although it was a long day, and mostly in rain, we thoroughly enjoyed everything.
The photos have uploaded in reverse order - scroll up from the bottom.
A church and cemetery in the middle of nowhere.
Finally we could see that we were back in relative civilisation.
We eventually walked down the way of the crosses.
Ermita de Nosa Senora
A statue of Mary on our way up to the Ermita
In the clouds.
An old monument but we don't know it's story.
On the mountain path.
Another cross/shrine.
The bar in Vilaseco where we got our first stamp of the day.
A cross on the roadside.
