Am i mad??

[lyndsay smith]

Hi fellow pilgrims,

I'm after some honest advice. I'm a 36 year old woman who has walked a camino from Astorga to Santiago in 2013 solo. It is right up there with one of the most awe inspiring wonderful times i've ever experienced and that feeling of wanting to return never goes away.

Fast forward 3 years and I am contemplating going back to cycle the route with my 13 year old son. The plan is a flight from Gatwick to Madrid, catch a bus to Burgos, purchase a cheap mountain bike for us both at Decathlon and cycle from there to Santiago.

First of all, am I mad? I'm not an experienced cyclist although my son is, he's a bmxer racer so used to biking much more than me. Saying that I am fit, healthy and strong and would listen to my body if it needed to stop. We would have 11 days to make the trip and catch a return flight from Santiago to Madrid then on to Gatwick. In everyone's honest opinion, is this doable?

I'm realising the trip won't be cheap due to all the connections, but I really want to experience something magical with my teenage son before he gets too old to want to do this sort of thing with me and I think if it goes to plan, it will be something he remembers forever.

Do you think this is a good plan, to buy a cheap bike rather than rent one (they do seem expensive to hire), is there anything glaringly obvious I've failed to think through? Baring in mind, i'm only in the early stages of planning but hope to go in August this year.

I'm in 2 minds whether to just bite the bullet, book the flights and let whatever happens happen, which is what I did for my solo pilgrimage 3 years ago.

Advice greatly received.

Cheers all
Lynds

 

[jirit]

I am not sure if you can buy a "cheap" bike one that you can be happy with or depend on.

I would compare the cost of bringing your own bike vs renting one in Spain

 

[VNwalking]

That sounds great to me, Lindsay!
If all you did was 50 kms per day you'd be in Santiago in about 8 days, plus or minus. Which gives you a day to settle the bike question in Burgos and a day on the other end in Santiago. Or just time to dawdle and go with the flow. 50kms per day isn't all that far to ride on the flats--so at first you'd be making more headway pretty easily...which would allow for shorter days when the terrain gets more wrinkly.

As for renting or buying...I have no idea, but other people here certainly will. I do know I've met pilgrims wanting to sell bikes, so there may be very good second-hand touring bikes out there looking for homes...somewhere. A bike is like shoes. So you don't want a 'clunker'.
Buen Camino!

 

[jirit]

There is another thread on the same subject that be helpful

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/buy-or-rent-a-bike.16729/

 

[james walter purdum iv]

the bikers i talked to said the rented for 400 and they were some serious bikes

 

[newfydog]

Would you walk it again with really cheap shoes socks clothes and packs? I would buy borrow or rent the best bike you can arrange.

 

[Saint Mike II]

Hola Lyndsay if you follow the above thread on rent v bring own you will probably find my rave. Yes you could/can buy a moderately priced mountain or hybrid bike (with carry rack) for around E200/250 but if you are only looking at a 10-13 day hire period then I recommend a serious look at the rental companies - bikeiberia is one that springs to mind. The really good rental companies will provide bikes less than two years old, some will be last seasons or even this years series. The will provide some on road support, carry racks, puncture kit, extra tube and usually the better "off-road" tyres. The section you have chosen is probably the easiest for cycling. You will be able to follow the walking pilgrims camino from Burgos to Rabanal. From there to (say) Ponferrada I would suggest you follow the road. How many days - 40km each day is certainly doable from Burgos to Astorga; from there it really depends on your fitness, weather and traffic but Rabanal to Santiago in 5 days is not an overstretch. One other section of Camino not suitable for bikes is that from just west of Herrerias (between Villafranca del Bierzo to O'Cebereiro), you will see a sign (I think about 3 km west) indicating that cyclist should take the right fork in the road (walkers go left). It means you miss La Faba but the road is tar sealed and very steep in places so you might be walking (again depending on road / weather / traffic / bike loads. The private albergue at Laguna de Castilla is fairly new, good showers and mostly single bunks and an under cover place for you bike.
One last issue - bring your own very sturdy cycle lock the one the rental companies may provide is not all that strong. Hope this helps. Cheers

 

[bunnymac]

I'm walking the camino with my two daughters (12 & 14) in August/September this year. However we're biking from Logrono to Leon due to time constraints. I'm using navarent.es. They supply bikes, helmets, panniers & repair kits for €150 per person for five days. You'll do well to get all your kit in Decathlon for under €300. You also have the hassle of getting to an out of town store to purchase equipment and then get it back into Burgos central.
I think it's a great idea for you and your son to make this trip. I'm doing it for exactly the same reasons as you are.

 

[obinjatoo@yahoo.com]

I don't think you're mad or "nuts" as we wouldmsay here. However, I do think there are much better bike routes out there. I've both cycled AND walked the full length of the French route from SJPP to Santiago and beyond.
I'd never cycle it again. As a pilgrimage, it was better as a walk.
There are just too many pedestrians. Leave it for them. I don't know where you are coming from but there are much better bike rides.
And buying bikes is not a terrible idea but I wouldn't do it. You get what you pay for. Whichever bike route you decide on, if it's popular enough will have similar infrastructure for rentals and accomodations.
Good luck


"]Hi fellow pilgrims,

I'm after some honest advice. I'm a 36 year old woman who has walked a camino from Astorga to Santiago in 2013 solo. It is right up there with one of the most awe inspiring wonderful times i've ever experienced and that feeling of wanting to return never goes away.

Fast forward 3 years and I am contemplating going back to cycle the route with my 13 year old son. The plan is a flight from Gatwick to Madrid, catch a bus to Burgos, purchase a cheap mountain bike for us both at Decathlon and cycle from there to Santiago.

First of all, am I mad? I'm not an experienced cyclist although my son is, he's a bmxer racer so used to biking much more than me. Saying that I am fit, healthy and strong and would listen to my body if it needed to stop. We would have 11 days to make the trip and catch a return flight from Santiago to Madrid then on to Gatwick. In everyone's honest opinion, is this doable?

I'm realising the trip won't be cheap due to all the connections, but I really want to experience something magical with my teenage son before he gets too old to want to do this sort of thing with me and I think if it goes to plan, it will be something he remembers forever.

Do you think this is a good plan, to buy a cheap bike rather than rent one (they do seem expensive to hire), is there anything glaringly obvious I've failed to think through? Baring in mind, i'm only in the early stages of planning but hope to go in August this year.

I'm in 2 minds whether to just bite the bullet, book the flights and let whatever happens happen, which is what I did for my solo pilgrimage 3 years ago.

Advice greatly received.

Cheers all
Lynds[/QUOTE]

 

[MichaelB10398]

Hello Lynds,
Just a few thoughts:

• A Camino is a singular event. It is not something that can be repeated for the exact same experience. It will be different; it may be just as good or not.
• Biking and walking are not the same thing. They each bring different pros and cons. Think of what make your first Camino so good - if you were walking then you will not find a similar experience while biking IF what you liked occurred while walking. Contemplate what it is you liked and what it is you are trying to experience with your son.
• A Camino experienced while a single individual is different than a Camino with another individual. It changes the dynamic. Both can be great, but they are different.
• Make sure you and your son understand what your agenda is, what it is that you want to experience. Is it a different country, culture, architecture, language or something else. Talk about it honestly with each other. Also, talk about sleeping arrangements - hotel or albergue?
• Families experience the Camino all the time. You are not alone, but joining an entire subset of pilgrims, vacationers, and those who have enjoyed the Camino. Don't think or concern yourself again on this. Enjoy it.
• Rental or buying? For such a short period I would rent every time without a second thought. It will provide better equipment and more convenience. I prefer to keep it as simple as possible on Camino.

Easily doable, wonderful memory builder, keep it simple.

Buen Camino,

 

[lyndsay smith]

Hi all,

I really appreciate all the input from you guys and would probably lean more towards renting now so will look into the options mentioned.

I fully undertsnad this will be a much different experience than my first camino. The truth is, my son just loves riding his bike, he's an adventurer like me and it's something we can easily do together. I have been a single mum now for almost 7 years and the bond we have is strong. For us, it will be possibly a time to enjoy each others company, relax, sight see, explore, meet the occasional new face and but most of all to have quality time doing what HE wants.

I would much rather walked the camino for all the points mentioned, this will be a different ball game altogether but he's keen, i'm keen and as long as I can make the trip as cost effective as possible, it'll be something I'm sure we won't regret doing.

Thanks again
Lyndsay

 

[cherrys]

Hi Lyndsay - I walked, not biked the camino so I know nothing of bikes. The thing that came through in your first post and then especially in your second is that this is not an attempt to recreate your camino with your son, but rather to spend time with him in a way he would enjoy, and so therefore, would you. In other words, a mother's love is above all else. I hope you both have the best time doing this. I walked solo last time, but finally my husband will join me this September, and fingers crossed, our daughter too, for at least part of it. So as a mother I understand the importance of this to you. Something that means so much to you - you'd like to be able to give him a similar experience, but more on his terms. You will be passing on to him something very meaningful to you, and I think he will "get" it, he will learn from his time on the camino and all it has to offer, and it will become more memorable to him as he grows older.
Buen camino - Cherry

 

[jaws101]

We had a serious biker staying near us this winter and he bought a runabout bike from Decathlon to leave in the town when he went shopping. He paid around 130 euros and he was so impressed with it he was reluctant to leave it!

I've biked the Camino Frances and the terrain is not too difficult except if it's wet and muddy. The bike he bought would do the job well.

If you can travel with a light rucksack each you wouldn't need to buy panniers which would increase your initial spend, although I much prefer to carry the weight on the bike instead of the body.

Keep looking into your options and have a good trip.

 

[lyndsay smith]

Thanks so much for your input all of you... I'm in two minds still but may weigh my options up when we get to Burgos. Ideally I'd like to cycle for about a week then walk the last couple of days into SdC so that limits things if renting as I'm sure you can't drop off in the smaller towns. If we bought bikes then we'd have the added hassle of either having to sell them somewhere or we could donate them so wouldn't be looking to spend a great deal. We could maybe purchase the 1 pannier bag between two of us and take 1 rucksack which we could swap over with each other. The main problem when I think about it is the transfer from Madrid to Burgos as it would get us into the town at 3am :/ not ideal when you don't have accomodation booked and have a child in tow. The alternative would be to stay in Madrid airport for a few hours and catch the early morning bus instead.

So much to think about but hopefully it'll all starts coming together

 

[Saint Mike II]

Thanks so much for your input all of you... I'm in two minds still but may weigh my options up when we get to Burgos. Ideally I'd like to cycle for about a week then walk the last couple of days into SdC so that limits things if renting as I'm sure you can't drop off in the smaller towns. ... We could maybe purchase the 1 pannier bag between two of us and take 1 rucksack which we could swap over with each other. The main problem when I think about it is the transfer from Madrid to Burgos as it would get us into the town at 3am :/ not ideal when you don't have accomodation booked and have a child in tow. The alternative would be to stay in Madrid airport for a few hours and catch the early morning bus instead.So much to think about but hopefully it'll all starts coming together

Hi Lyndsay - if you rent from one of the better rental companies you "should" be able to have the bikes picked up (in say Arzua) and have them transported to an agreed drop-off point in Santiago (probably at your cost!). This would then give you a two day walk into SDC. As for panniers/backpacks. Maybe bring two backpacks (say one 25 ltr and one 35 ltr) these would carry any gear that did not fit into the pannier(s) - here again I would hire them (as part of the bike package). The larger pack you could tie onto the packrack (bring a couple of stretch straps). If you have your own you could forward them to Ivar to pick-up on arrival in SDC.
Your response really do reveal that you are a great mum and you love your son dearly - he is lucky to have such a great mum. Cheers

 

[Jeff Crawley]

One thing to take into consideration is breakdowns. If your boots break down you can always hail a cab but a bike? If your son is into BMX he can probably keep a bike going (assuming you have the tools) but is he used to derrailer gears? What happens if you break a spoke? I don't recall seeing too many small bike shops outside of the cities but presumably the hire companies include a breakdown service?
Either way have a great time and take a bike bell with you to warn us poor, plodding pedestrians

 

[Simon Buck]

Hi fellow pilgrims,

I'm after some honest advice. I'm a 36 year old woman who has walked a camino from Astorga to Santiago in 2013 solo. It is right up there with one of the most awe inspiring wonderful times i've ever experienced and that feeling of wanting to return never goes away.

Fast forward 3 years and I am contemplating going back to cycle the route with my 13 year old son. The plan is a flight from Gatwick to Madrid, catch a bus to Burgos, purchase a cheap mountain bike for us both at Decathlon and cycle from there to Santiago.

First of all, am I mad? I'm not an experienced cyclist although my son is, he's a bmxer racer so used to biking much more than me. Saying that I am fit, healthy and strong and would listen to my body if it needed to stop. We would have 11 days to make the trip and catch a return flight from Santiago to Madrid then on to Gatwick. In everyone's honest opinion, is this doable?

I'm realising the trip won't be cheap due to all the connections, but I really want to experience something magical with my teenage son before he gets too old to want to do this sort of thing with me and I think if it goes to plan, it will be something he remembers forever.

Do you think this is a good plan, to buy a cheap bike rather than rent one (they do seem expensive to hire), is there anything glaringly obvious I've failed to think through? Baring in mind, i'm only in the early stages of planning but hope to go in August this year.

I'm in 2 minds whether to just bite the bullet, book the flights and let whatever happens happen, which is what I did for my solo pilgrimage 3 years ago.

Advice greatly received.

Cheers all
Lynds

Hi fellow pilgrims,

I'm after some honest advice. I'm a 36 year old woman who has walked a camino from Astorga to Santiago in 2013 solo. It is right up there with one of the most awe inspiring wonderful times i've ever experienced and that feeling of wanting to return never goes away.

Fast forward 3 years and I am contemplating going back to cycle the route with my 13 year old son. The plan is a flight from Gatwick to Madrid, catch a bus to Burgos, purchase a cheap mountain bike for us both at Decathlon and cycle from there to Santiago.

First of all, am I mad? I'm not an experienced cyclist although my son is, he's a bmxer racer so used to biking much more than me. Saying that I am fit, healthy and strong and would listen to my body if it needed to stop. We would have 11 days to make the trip and catch a return flight from Santiago to Madrid then on to Gatwick. In everyone's honest opinion, is this doable?

I'm realising the trip won't be cheap due to all the connections, but I really want to experience something magical with my teenage son before he gets too old to want to do this sort of thing with me and I think if it goes to plan, it will be something he remembers forever.

Do you think this is a good plan, to buy a cheap bike rather than rent one (they do seem expensive to hire), is there anything glaringly obvious I've failed to think through? Baring in mind, i'm only in the early stages of planning but hope to go in August this year.

I'm in 2 minds whether to just bite the bullet, book the flights and let whatever happens happen, which is what I did for my solo pilgrimage 3 years ago.

Advice greatly received.

Cheers all
Lynds

Hi fellow pilgrims,

I'm after some honest advice. I'm a 36 year old woman who has walked a camino from Astorga to Santiago in 2013 solo. It is right up there with one of the most awe inspiring wonderful times i've ever experienced and that feeling of wanting to return never goes away.

Fast forward 3 years and I am contemplating going back to cycle the route with my 13 year old son. The plan is a flight from Gatwick to Madrid, catch a bus to Burgos, purchase a cheap mountain bike for us both at Decathlon and cycle from there to Santiago.

First of all, am I mad? I'm not an experienced cyclist although my son is, he's a bmxer racer so used to biking much more than me. Saying that I am fit, healthy and strong and would listen to my body if it needed to stop. We would have 11 days to make the trip and catch a return flight from Santiago to Madrid then on to Gatwick. In everyone's honest opinion, is this doable?

I'm realising the trip won't be cheap due to all the connections, but I really want to experience something magical with my teenage son before he gets too old to want to do this sort of thing with me and I think if it goes to plan, it will be something he remembers forever.

Do you think this is a good plan, to buy a cheap bike rather than rent one (they do seem expensive to hire), is there anything glaringly obvious I've failed to think through? Baring in mind, i'm only in the early stages of planning but hope to go in August this year.

I'm in 2 minds whether to just bite the bullet, book the flights and let whatever happens happen, which is what I did for my solo pilgrimage 3 years ago.

Advice greatly received.

Cheers all
Lynds

 

[Simon Buck]

Hi Lynds,

First of all you are certainly not mad. Having looked at the distances you will have to average about 28 miles a day to do the trip in 11 days. That is quite doable even though some days will be quite challenging because of the hills. Your main problem will be trying to keep up with your son by the sound of it and you need to establish some ground rules about that!

My wife and I are in our 65th year and cycled the northern route from Bilbao to SdC back in 2007. On that trip we realised that we had underestimated the distance and had to take a train for some of the way to ensure we arrived at SdC on time to catch our flight home. So you should not worry as there seems to be the possibility of trains on your route. Obviously it will be preferable to cycle the whole way but this is a possible fall-back position which will take the stress out of the situation.

As others have suggested that no two Camino experiences are the same and you might want to consider a different route. We are just about to relive our first Camino experience using the Portuguese route starting in Porto on the 11th June. I cannot wait!

I know your plan is to buy bikes in Decathlon. Other contributors have advised hiring and I tend to agree. I think you will get a better quality deal with one of the companies suggested by others, with a bit more back-up. Also what have you planned to do with your Decathlon bikes when you reach Santiago?

Here is another idea: We fly our own bikes out in boxes, which we get from the local bike shop. It is not that difficult to pack your bikes – you need to remove the pedals (special spanner needed for that), remove the front wheel, and take off the handle bars which drop down in the box, also the saddle. You don’t need to detach any cables or gears. Oh yes, let out a bit of air from the tyres for the flight. You’ll need a pump, a couple of spanners, puncture repair kit, and I suggest 2 spare inner tubes. Our small sleeping bags for the auberges also fit in the bike boxes. So you will pay a premium on the flights to carry the bikes but it works out considerably cheaper than either hiring bikes or buying from Decathlon, and you can relive memories every time you get on the bike back home! We fit our 2 paniers in one soft bag each to avoid paying for 2 bags each on the plane. I agree with one contributor: it is much better to carry your stuff in paniers than in a rucksack on your back. I reckon your son sounds like that sort of lad who would love the challenge of helping you packing the bikes into boxes! This will be our 7th long bike ride and we have never had a problem flying the bikes out with us.

Drawbacks: Getting to the airport with bikes in boxes can be awkward: we live a fairly short train ride from Stansted airport so that is easy for us. Also I’ll admit it’s a hassle finding boxes for the return trip but not too big a problem: I have emailed a bike shop in Santiago who will provide us with boxes for the return flight. (info@elvelocipedo.com)

If it all seems too tricky to fly your own bikes out then I think renting is the way forward rather that Decathlon. However, if you like the sound of taking your own bikes then I would be very happy to go into it in greater detail.

Finally, why are you planning to go back to Madrid after your adventure? Why not fly back to UK direct rom Santiago? RyanAir and Easyjet both fly to Gatwick. That would save you time, and money.

Anyway the point is what you are planning is quite possible and it will be an amazing experience for you and your son. I hope this helps.

Buen Camino

Simon

 

[lyndsay smith]

Hello everyone,

I've got to say, thank you once again for all your advice and well wishes. So the update is that I've booked the flights for my son and I from Gatwick to Madrid on 13th August and return from Santiago to Stansted on 26th August. Simon your message was really helpful, the reason why I hadn't originally planned to fly from Santiago direct to London was there were no flights on the day I wanted. I've bumped it forwards a day and gone direct now, although didn't save very much on the price, only £25 in total but a saving is a saving and it means less travel.

However, my son is racing in the British BMX Championships that weekend in Derby so we will need to get straight there from the airport. So our itinerary looks like this:

13th August Bus from Poole - Gatwick Airport
13th August Flight from Gatwick to Madrid (Booked)
13th August Hotel stay in Madrid due to late landing time of 11.35pm
14th August Bus from Madrid to Burgos
14th August collect bikes from Alburgue to be confirmed in Burgos
15th August start cycling
21st Finish cycling
22nd August start walking
26th August Flight from Santiago to Stansted (Booked)
26th August Train from Stansted to Derby

3 days at British BMX championships in Derby then home to Dorset!

So the next stage is booking the bike hire for a week, i've already had some quotes for that. Working out where to stay in Burgos for our first night as we need to give the bike hire people a delivery address that will accept a bike for us. Then thinking about how far we can get in 7 days to give the bike people a collection town/alburgue which also leaves us enough days to get to Santiago for the 24th or 25th August as I want at least a day there.

I don't want to go mad and rush our time so if we have to bus some of it then that's fine, it's just working out logistics now.

Anyone cycled for a week from Burgos who can give an estimate on how far they comfortably got to in a week? I'm thinking maybe Portamarin or Palas de Rei?

Cheers y'all

 

[Simon Buck]

Hello everyone,

I've got to say, thank you once again for all your advice and well wishes. So the update is that I've booked the flights for my son and I from Gatwick to Madrid on 13th August and return from Santiago to Stansted on 26th August. Simon your message was really helpful, the reason why I hadn't originally planned to fly from Santiago direct to London was there were no flights on the day I wanted. I've bumped it forwards a day and gone direct now, although didn't save very much on the price, only £25 in total but a saving is a saving and it means less travel.

However, my son is racing in the British BMX Championships that weekend in Derby so we will need to get straight there from the airport. So our itinerary looks like this:

13th August Bus from Poole - Gatwick Airport
13th August Flight from Gatwick to Madrid (Booked)
13th August Hotel stay in Madrid due to late landing time of 11.35pm
14th August Bus from Madrid to Burgos
14th August collect bikes from Alburgue to be confirmed in Burgos
15th August start cycling
21st Finish cycling
22nd August start walking
26th August Flight from Santiago to Stansted (Booked)
26th August Train from Stansted to Derby

3 days at British BMX championships in Derby then home to Dorset!

So the next stage is booking the bike hire for a week, i've already had some quotes for that. Working out where to stay in Burgos for our first night as we need to give the bike hire people a delivery address that will accept a bike for us. Then thinking about how far we can get in 7 days to give the bike people a collection town/alburgue which also leaves us enough days to get to Santiago for the 24th or 25th August as I want at least a day there.

I don't want to go mad and rush our time so if we have to bus some of it then that's fine, it's just working out logistics now.

Anyone cycled for a week from Burgos who can give an estimate on how far they comfortably got to in a week? I'm thinking maybe Portamarin or Palas de Rei?

Cheers y'all

Hello everyone,

I've got to say, thank you once again for all your advice and well wishes. So the update is that I've booked the flights for my son and I from Gatwick to Madrid on 13th August and return from Santiago to Stansted on 26th August. Simon your message was really helpful, the reason why I hadn't originally planned to fly from Santiago direct to London was there were no flights on the day I wanted. I've bumped it forwards a day and gone direct now, although didn't save very much on the price, only £25 in total but a saving is a saving and it means less travel.

However, my son is racing in the British BMX Championships that weekend in Derby so we will need to get straight there from the airport. So our itinerary looks like this:

13th August Bus from Poole - Gatwick Airport
13th August Flight from Gatwick to Madrid (Booked)
13th August Hotel stay in Madrid due to late landing time of 11.35pm
14th August Bus from Madrid to Burgos
14th August collect bikes from Alburgue to be confirmed in Burgos
15th August start cycling
21st Finish cycling
22nd August start walking
26th August Flight from Santiago to Stansted (Booked)
26th August Train from Stansted to Derby

3 days at British BMX championships in Derby then home to Dorset!

So the next stage is booking the bike hire for a week, i've already had some quotes for that. Working out where to stay in Burgos for our first night as we need to give the bike hire people a delivery address that will accept a bike for us. Then thinking about how far we can get in 7 days to give the bike people a collection town/alburgue which also leaves us enough days to get to Santiago for the 24th or 25th August as I want at least a day there.

I don't want to go mad and rush our time so if we have to bus some of it then that's fine, it's just working out logistics now.

Anyone cycled for a week from Burgos who can give an estimate on how far they comfortably got to in a week? I'm thinking maybe Portamarin or Palas de Rei?

Cheers y'all

 

[Simon Buck]

That sounds like a plan! Good training for the BMX championships!

Buen Camino

Simon

 

[lyndsay smith]

Thank you! Hopefully the training will benefit his bmx racing... Besides the great experience he will hopefully get.

Does anyone have any advice for where to stay at or near the airport at Madrid? We will be landing late in the evening so probably best to stay over somewhere close by then take the bus the next morning to Burgos.

 

[Saint Mike II]

Lyndsay - how far you will get depends upon how many KMs you want to ride each day - but lets say 50 km (your fitter than most) - so three/ three half days to Leon; half a day to explore - then a day to Astorga (but if you are into it you could reach Rabanal); from Rabanal you have the climb to the Cruz de Ferro - and then the descent (definitely on the road) down to Molinaseca and then on to Villafranca del Bierzo; the road from here to Herrerias is reasonably level, but the climb to Laguna de Castilla is particularly steep so you might want to tackle this section when you are fresh (so maybe overnight at Herrerias). So its then on to O' Cebereiro and Triacastela - here you can go via Samos or via A Balsa/Pintin to Sarria (me personally I went to Samos and then followed the valley via Veiga - so quiet and peaceful - I would also not stay in Sarria - again a personal preference); If you are now road fit you might reach Portomarin but it would be a long, long day (maybe finish anywhere past Sarria). Does this help??