Camino Invierno - Day 1

5 October 2023

Ponferrada to Borrenes - 20 kms

Today we started the third of our three planned chemin/camino routes - the Camino Invierno - and it has been a great first day.

The Camino Invierno is around 270 kms long, depending on which route variations are walked. A wee piece about the Invierno borrowed from another website: "The Camino Invierno is the traditional way to Santiago de Compostela for pilgrims arriving in the late Autumn and winter. The Os Ancares mountains are the great divide between Castille-Leon and Galicia which can often become snowbound during the winter months.

So the Camino Invierno, the "Winter Way" was used - leading travellers around the snow-capped peaks of Cebreiro. It meets up with the last few miles of the Via de la Plata Sanabres to arrive by way of the most attractive approach to the great city (Santiago de Compostela), where you pass through the last remaining ancient pilgrim gate."

The Camino Invierno, now walked year round, is a very quiet camino route compared with the number of pilgrims who walk on the Camino Francés from Ponferrada. Understandably, due to the low number of pilgrims walking it, the Invierno doesn't have the pilgrim infrastructure of the Francés.

It felt good to step out on the Camino again after two full days in Ponferrada, good to be back walking. We were very much going against the flow of pilgrims as we walked towards the start of the Invierno this morning - so many were setting off from Ponferrada to continue on the Camino Francés. 

Today's route was a mix of paths and roadside walking and took us through several small villages - we found a café/bar open in two of them and enjoyed stopping for a drink as this was quite rare on our other two routes.

 The countryside is very different to the Basque country, and the houses and farm buildings are quite different too. We walked past many small vineyards and blocks of fruit trees. We saw apples, pears, quinces, pomegranates, figs, plums of some sort, grapes, kiwifruit, as well as walnuts and chestnuts.

Chestnuts were important to the Romans and are still important to the economy of the area today with chestnuts, and flour produced from them, being exported. 

As usual, the morning was cool and fresh and by midday it was hot, 31°C by the afternoon - fortunately much of the walk was in the shade. 

It was lovely to see hills all around us - I'm guessing I may not feel the same when we hit some steep ascents and descents. What we had today was very manageable.

Setting out this morning, the Templar Castle in the background. 

We went one way and those on the Francés went the other.

Our first of many mojones - there seems to be many on this camino, so far none have shown the distance to Santiago de Compostela. 

Just as when we were on the Camino Francés, we found the age and the way of pruning the grape vines quite unusual. 

Toral de Merayo

A bridge in Toral de Merayo

...where we had our first drink stop.

Our first sighting of a stork nest since arriving in Europe. 

Toral de Merayo

Another massive stork nest. 

We would have loved to have helped ourselves to the fruit we saw - but didn't. 

Priaranza del Bierzo 

Our first sighting of the remains of the ancient Roman gold works - we'll see a lot more tomorrow. 

Santella del Bierzo 

The Ermita de Virgen del Carmen 

Inside the Ermita 

We passed old slate works.

Coming down into Borrenes, where we're staying tonight. 

Borrenes.

Borrenes

The courtyard of where we're staying tonight. 

...and a view from our room. 

Our accommodation 

Some snaps from our wander around Borrenes - a peaceful little settlement.

A man just delivered two baskets of these fungi to our accommodation - he wouldn't let me take his photo but was proud of his findings. He called them boletus something - sadly I couldn't hear what the something was. 

Dinner is about to be served. 

Ponferrada - Rest day

4 September 2023

It was gorgeously cool this morning, almost bordering on too cool, but I'm not complaining as it was such a refreshing change. By late this afternoon it was back to being very hot.

We decided to make the most of the morning freshness and walked to see the Church of Santa Maria de Vizbayo - about two kilometres from our accommodation. Built at the end of the 10th century it is the oldest church Romanesque church in the Bierzo region. It has some Mozarabic art. 

We didn't expect the church to be open but hadn't considered that it would be behind locked grilles - we did think we would have at least been able to walk around it, but no. Just as we had started walking away from the church, however, a man was walking up the road towards us and indicated for us to turn back. It turns out that he had the keys to the gate. We still couldn't see inside but least we were able to see the exterior. 

The chap very proudly walked us around the church and was obviously explaining it's history and pointing out the various details on the church but of course we didn't understand most of what he was telling us. I was able to use Google Translate to let him know how much we appreciated him showing us his church, and that we understood it's age and significance. I also let him know that we were New Zealanders. He was most impressed that we had come from the other side of the world. 

We returned to our area of Pamplona in time to go to Mass in the Basilica de la Encina. Then it was off to the supermarket to get our supplies for the next few days and a few things for a late picnic lunch. 

Ponferrada is full of pilgrims. They start walking in, or through, Ponferrada from early morning to late afternoon. They look like well seasoned pilgrims - dusty boots or shoes, worn looking clothing, and arms and legs very tanned. This is very much in contrast to so many of the pilgrims we saw in Pamplona who looked squeaky clean and full of bounce as they made their way to the bus depot - obviously new pilgrims who were going to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port by bus to start their pilgrimage. 

A knarly of olive tree near our accommodation. 

On our way to the Church of Santa Maria de Vizbayo. 

Santa Maria de Vizbayo 

Our camino angel who proudly telling about his church. 

 

We think our friendly guide was telling us that iron was causing the colouration. 

This is a side entrance. There were many graves on this side of the church and the chap was saying something about the mort - perhaps this door is/was used for burials.

The detail on this wee window and just below it is significant - it's a shame we couldn't understand all we were being told.

Our friendly guide. 

Our friend took us over to the side grilles and indicated that we should take a photo looking over to Ponferrada. He spoke of the castle (on the left) and the Basilica de la Encina (on the right).

He also made it known that these olive trees in the Church grounds produce fantastic olives.

The leaves on.the grapevines are just starting to change colour.

A good crop of kiwifruit in a small front garden. 

Wandering through some of the Ponferrada streets. 

Detail on a building. 

Jeff at our window

A view from our window. 

Some more Ponferrada streets. 

I couldn't make out who this chap was but he looks quite pleased with himself.