Kiwi Pilgrims

8 September 2023

Sobradelo to A Rua de Valdeorras - 23 kms

Wanting to avoid walking in the afternoon heat as much as possible we set out at 7.15, over an hour before sunrise. Fortunately the path was along the road for a while and by the time the route took us onto a track it was reasonably light.

We had a steady climb up out of Sobradelo until we came O Barco de Valdeorras then it was more or less a flat walk until the end of today's walk.

Walking through O Barco seemed to go on forever, with one suburb or town joining into the next, mostly on paths next to the road. Fortunately, towards the end of our day's walk, we were able to go on a couple of alternative paths which gave us some break from the roads, and also gave us some shade.

At the end of each day's walk all we want to do is to get to our accommodation - some days we have no problem finding where we're staying but on other days we seem to go around in circles. Today was one of those days, it took us quite some time to find where we're staying tonight. The entrance is on another street to the address we had been given!

Leaving Sobradelo before light.

This route is well marked which makes it easy to follow.

Most of the way from Sobradelo to O Barco de Valdeorras was on a track above the roads and the river, the Rio Sil.

Looking back at the sunrise.

A view of the Rio Sil - it was quite wide at this point. Later we came to where it is dammed.

Entering O Barco.

Camino art in O Barco.

So much of today's walk was alongside roads.

On one of the alternative routes - so lovely to leave the roads behind, also to have some shade.

The Camino Invierno in brown and the yellow route is the Camino Francés.

The Rio Sil - very wide this side of the dam.

Another green stretch.

The dam

We took a alternative route a few kilometres before A Rua de Valdeorras. The signage had a warning on the original route for this section which was on very busy roads. Unfortunately the alternative had quite a steep climb and the day was very hot by then.

Looking down towards the dam from the alternative route.

We walked past vineyards - very small blocks compared to New Zealand vineyards.

These would be the biggest vineyards we saw today.

Finally arriving A Rua de Valdeorras

We got quite confused when trying to find our accommodation. This chap tried to point us in the right direction...

...we had to walk through so many little streets and lanes.

We eventually found where we're staying. This is our host leading us in from the gate.

We're sitting out in our host's garden - the air is almost too hot. It's just after 5pm and it's 35°C, but feels way hotter than that.

7 September 2023

Las Médulas to Sobradelo - 21 kms

What a hard day. We started off well from Las Médulas. The mornings are now cool, so much so that we set off wearing our light merino or fleece plus our warm jackets. Being so cool made for easy walking.

What made today hard was the afternoon heat - and it was hot. It was over 30°C with no shade, and we were in a valley most of this afternoon with heat radiating off the rock walls making it hotter still. And it was cloudless. By the time we arrived in Sobradelo, where we're staying tonight, I was a melting mess.

Leaving Las Médulas this morning we immediately started climbing for quite a way then we had a long descent to Puente de Domingo Flórez, the only town of the day.

We were in luck as we found an open supermarket - very important as we needed to stock up on food for tomorrow. Where we're staying tomorrow doesn't serve meals and, as its Sunday tomorrow, very little will be open. It did mean that we were carrying extra weight in the heat of this afternoon.

We found a great place in Puente de Domingo Flórez to sit and enjoy a picnic lunch from some of the food we had just bought at the supermarket.

Then it was a long hot walk in the valley, following along the Rio Sil. Four large slate works were on one side of the river, the railway line, then the track we were on, then steep hills. The whole way was undulating, with loose granite and/or quartz rock pieces most of the way.

It was wonderful to finally arrive in Sobradelo, shower, wash our clothes, and rehydrate. It's amazing how restorative that is.

Today we left Castello y León and entered Galicia. Puente de Domingo Flórez is in Castille y Leon but as soon as we walked over a bridge from the town we were in Galicia.

And as soon as we entered Galicia the mojones showed the distance to Santiago de Compostela. This was somewhat disconcerting as, after walking for what we felt was at least a kilometre or two, the mojones said we'd only walked a few hundred metres!

Leaving Las Médulas

Las Médulas

The camino path took us past many chestnut plantations.

Looking back to Las Médulas the the mountain ruins from the Roman gold works could be seen.

Many of the old chestnut trees had massive trunks.

Up in the hills after leaving Las Médulas.

Warm jackets are off but I'm still wearing my light merino.

We walked past areas covered in what appeared to be holm oaks or a closely related oak. The holm oaks in Spain, where they are natives, are so stunted compared to the holm oaks we have on our front lawn at home.

In the way we passed this this memorial to a 72 year old who died in the Camino several years ago.

Entering the town of Puente de Domingo Flórez

A small church in Puente de Domingo Flórez. It was locked.

Puente de Domingo Flórez.

A fabulous find - an open supermarket.

In Puente de Domingo Flórez - with a bag of groceries for lunch and the next few days.

When we left the supermarket and walked past the small church again and we noticed it's door was open. Two ladies standing in the doorway indicated to us to go inside. It was dedicated to St Roch.

Our lunch spot in Puente de Domingo Flórez

While we were having lunch this chap stopped to talk to us. I used Google Translate to tell him we couldn't understand, and that we were from New Zealand. After a while he carried on his way but he soon returned and talked to us nonstop - we only wished we knew what he was saying.

Walking over the bridge from Castello y León to Galicia.

...and immediately the mojon showed the distance to Santiago de Compostela.

The Rio Sil was dammed just out of Puente de Domingo Flórez forming a lake. Jeff really liked the slate table and seats.

The sun was blazing down on us and any shade the trees may have given in past is long gone. The trees were destroyed by a large forest fire a few years ago. Some are starting to regenerate but most were completely destroyed.