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It is snowing in O Cebreiro! It is still winter...The weather is cloudy and there has been rain overnight
Temp forecast is nice in the 50sF. Great walking weather. For the past week temps have been a high of 60. The Invierno should be very nice for you this week. Mornings a nice crisp 30’s and high of 60. Buen Camino.The ongoing adventures of Barrie and Donna...
We have just finished our stint on the Levante in Zamora and because we only have limited time we bussed up to Ponferrada. ALSA have a 1620h direct route (Salamanca-Ponferrada) daily. Book via the website or app because there is no open office and the ticketing machine wasn't working and Zamora bus info isn't exactly the most enthusiastic. Very impressed with their punctuality. Minimum turnaround at each station. For a route with potentially 22 stops they only called into the places with bookings.
Grey day in Ponferrada and we decided to go for the Hotel Templar. 56€. Great firm bed.
Dinner was a performance. The items on the menu del día, well some were not available. I had learnt the hard way the meaning of "tengo resaca" in Zamora after a fantastic night so wasn't going to argue but to me a cocida maragato has meat and chickpeas. We got a soup with noodles. There was a slightly Fawlty Towers aspect to it.
Good sleep though. The weather is cloudy and there has been rain overnight but the forecast for today is clear.
Seems like the safest option when staying at the albergue in Villavieja is to just bring food for dinner from Ponferrada. Thanks for the details.Really enjoyed our first day on the Invierno. As usual it takes us ages to get out of a town as Barrie, who is a photographer by trade, keeps spotting doors, knockers, bridges. Let alone castles, street art, statues etc.
The waymarking to get out of town (and all along today's route) is excellent.
Ponferrada to Toral de Merayo has a slight incline but plenty of blokes in lycra kept popping up.
Stopped at Bar Nogal for something to eat. There is another bar Bar El Puente before this before the bridge. This bar was shut but it has a shop attached. This is probably your last chance at getting supplies for food if you plan to stay the night at the Albergue at Villavieja.
CR Miralmonte is on the camino route in Toral de Merayo.
I was using Wikiloc and the 2 tracks I used went a completely different way than the camino markers. So my track does follow the camino and it was a really pleasant route. Just a lovely rural area, a paddock that had 12 gorgeous fluffy puppies running around, and some great views
Villalibre has a water fountain, a bar that was shut and is only open at weekends.
El Sitio in Priaranza was shut. Mon-Fri it closes at 1302h and on Sat/Sun at 1236h.
The houses in Santalla were interesting.
After Santalla is an Ermita with the path going left up the hill. It is a bit of a slog that goes up to Villavieja but the views of the Castillo de Cornatel are spectacular. There is a brand new albergue in Villavieja as well as a Casa Rural. The CR only takes bookings for 2 days at a time. No bar there.
Then up to the castle. At the moment it is shut Tue-Thu. The route basically circles the castle. From there it is downhill to Borrenes which is where we have stopped for the night.
I had to laugh at Barrie when he saw the road sign that said 13 km by road to Ponferrada. His phone said he had walked 24.2 km from the hotel this morning.
For accommodation in Borrenes you go to the Casa Bar Mariscol. 40€ for a doble which is across the Plaza at the Hotel Las Medulas. Lovely place, radiators, wifi. Dinner at Bar Mariscol was a racion of jamon and cheese. Nice little family bar where the grandkids were playing.
If anyone wants to check ot our photos, feel free to FB friend me or check out my instagram account "missywombat". We have thousands of photos between us. My photos also back up to flickr at Geowombats but at the moment these are all under a private setting. Quite a few photos show up on my Wikiloc tracks too as it is easy to take photos there so they are location tagged. Went a bit crazy there yesterday and unfortunately my battery died unexpectedly (lesson: video calls from family chew up the battery) so it doesn't show the Cornatel half.I am already getting lots of notes for the 2019 revisions to the guide! Thanks for the details, Donna, as well as all the lovely commentary. Hope that when you are back home you will share some of these photos with us, it sounds like you two are quite the pros! Buen camino, Laurie
There is a hotel Torre next door. Don't know if it makes a difference.I have Hostal La Torre II booked. That photo makes me reconsider that choice. That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen in a room.
Ahh, but tomorrow! Some road walking, but the views of the river are great. Thanks for your posts, Donna, they are making me more eager to get back!Sobradelo to A Rua:
My least liked day so far and one of those character building days. The scenery was not spectacular but wasn't ugly. The towns were okay. The worst part was that it was road and footpath walking. One of the locals at Entoma advised us to take the road rather than go over the hill. The road is country road between towns so is not unpleasant. It saved at least 30 minutes time wise and probably my sanity over the rest of the day. Found the stretch from O Barco to A Rua to be a slog. A Rua has a very demoralising hideously long main street. All the hard surfaces have brought back my peregrina waddle. Feel absolutely knackered even though it was only 20 km. It is warm being 22 deg C. Hostal Niza is 30€ for both of us. No lift and reception is on the 2nd floor. Elderly couple who are sweet. Cheap, clean with a decent bathroom. There is a radiator. And they have wifi.
Excellent! I have reserved that pension. Glad to hear it was a good experience.Quiroga to Barxa de Lor (A Ponte)
I contemplated briefly a long day to Monforte a Lemos since it is over 30 km. Then I looked at the elevation maps on Wikiloc which showed 2 massive uphill sections. The guidebook also noted that these sections are difficult for cyclists. Aida is a master of understatement so if she is saying it is not easy, it's a very slow trudge to say the least. It's actually a milestone birthday for me and even the thought of a room at the Parador couldn't tempt me to face two climbs.
We skipped San Clodio and just walked along the N as the San Clodio route just remeets the motorway. The motorway has a decent shoulder so it is not unpleasant and there are good views. Yes, that does mean it goes uphill but uphill was the theme of most of the day.
Barrie would look wistfully at the road every time we crossed one but apart from missing San Clodio I don't think there is much you can skip.
After the initial sign for Noceda the mojon points down to the town proper but there is now a clear arrow on the powerpole beside it telling you to go right with a scrubbed out one underneath.
The old forestry road after you turn right off the road is a bit of a slog but great views. The pine forest is lovely and at the moment there are cocoons of processionary caterpillars waiting to drop. (Don't touch them as they will burn you.) Saw a few lizards and butterflies. I'm surprised at how few birds we see. A few gum trees and wattles along the way for the Aussies. Old chestnuts that are hundreds of years old. We saw one that had fallen over and you can't even see the rings for some years so these are not trees that grow a lot each year. Can get mighty cold on the shady side of the valleys.
Staying at Pension Pacita which is in a very pleasant spot near the river and under the big motorway bridge.
If you are looking at the town info board just after the Roman bridge there is a sign behind you saying the pension is 300m away. Ie take the path to the left of the bridge immediately after the Roman bridge. It's a quick walk along the river and is under the motorway bridge. The old road runs alongside too.
Nice rooms, friendly people, a bar, very good food. Normal prices are between 25-40€ for accommodation. Eg single is 25-30€ depending on whether you have your own bathroom, dobles are 40€ and include a bathroom, 30 if no attached bathroom. Bathroom has a bath (with plug) and bidet.
Got there in time for lunch and there were carne and pescado options ie T-bone steak and little trouts (got to love the way Spanish eat the fish that Aussies are not allowed to catch.)
Constant problem with mud on this stretch just before Monforte de Lemos although I was lucky as it was quite dry period when I was walking....
Very little mud today and the mud we did encounter you could easily get around until that last track just before Monforte that seems to have a number of wee streams draining into it so you need to pick your way carefully. There are some small stepping stones but I suspect if it rains you are doomed to have wet feet.
...
Monforte de Lemos to Escairón:
Since we didn't fancy a 30+ km day to Chantada we decided a stay in Escairón was in order.
We decided to take the LU617 as it was easy and direct. We had no idea of elevations as I couldn't find any Wikiloc tracks. From the Parador to A Maruxa where we are staying here is Escairón is 16.85 km. About 3 km of that is getting out of Monforte.
https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/monforte-de-lemos-escairon-34326412 is our Wikiloc track so you can compare elevations. The camino route seemed to be below us.
No open bars along the way until we got to Escairón.
O Almacen has a decent sized church and lots of newish housing so it may be worth looking there but there certainly was nothing on the main road.
Panadería O'Castro was open but they are just a bakery. They are at the start of the hill that comes after the sign for A Estrada do Eivedos and before the Fonte da Rega which is on your right about 3/4 of the way up the slope when the road goes left up the hill about 8+km along the way.
There is a junction on the left where the LU-P3209 joins coming from Requengo and the road turns back to the right and you continue to go uphill. Great views of the valley.
After the 8 km marker of the LU-617 is the township of Tuiriz. Cafe Bar Sport is on the right as you first enter the township and there was another on the little street on the left soon after. Both were closed. It was about then I consulted Google re "food near me". One of the things that came up was "Truck stop, Parada de autobus". And yes, this was the local bus stop with no bar within coo-ee. Google lies.
The road flattens out until just before Escairon which is at the 13km mark of the LU-617. There is another road coming in from down the hill at the start of the town.
Quite a pretty walk and the uphill walking is not awful.
There are bars, ATMs, a hotel and plenty of services here. We are staying at A Maruxa which is costing us 35€ for a matrimonio. Quite modern with a good shower in the bathroom, decent bed and decent wifi (there are routers/extenders in the room). Bar downstairs opening at 8 for breakfast and open until late.
Hahaha, that's true. And this coming from former climber that got in love with Meseta, Tierra de Campos and flatlands in general...
After Diomondi it's down and up up up! Ask KinkyOne, as he always moans about having to climb back up after you've walked down!!!!!!!! And vice versa!
Buen camino!
Greetings, Kinky!Hahaha, that's true. And this coming from former climber that got in love with Meseta, Tierra de Campos and flatlands in general
But that climb on Calzada Romana after Belesar is a real killer. I just didn't want to have heart stroke and I decided to climb it on the road. A bit longer but much more manageable. It was very hot day though...
I took,the road and did not regret that. The Meson e Adega do Veiga was open and friendly also to people sticking to water and coffee.Greetings, Kinky!
I've done both routes up from Belesar. To be honest, the road is quite a bit longer, and it's still pretty steep. And it was - as always - baking hot! It was necessary to stop off in Meson e Adega do Veiga for a couple of ice-cold bottles of Estrella Galicia!
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Beautiful photo!Escairón to Chantada:
Lovely day today. Read the comments and didn't tell Barrie anything except that we had to visit the church at Diomondi and that it was 15-16km. Definitely was not mentioning the hill!
Nice walk out of town on the LU617. There is no mistaking the cheese factory as you can smell it coming. Turn left and wander through meandering country lanes which are really quite lovely. Saw the Cantina mentioned above but it was not open but it was still early.
Checked out the church at Diomondi which is 100m from the Camino route. The 100km mojón is there too. The steeper downhill stuff started from there with rocky path covered in lots of dead leaves. Must be challenging in wet weather and you have to be pretty careful anyway. The descent down to the river gives fantastic views of the terraced vineyards and of the river where there were boats, swans and ducks. Must be a fantastic place to stay in summer. There are a couple of fuentes in Belesar but...no open bar.
Bumped into a Spanish peregrino who told us we were the first pilgrims he had seen on the CI.
Of course what goes down, tends to go up and there was the trudge up the hill. It all ends up in the same place after the first wee bit so we mixed and matched it.
Got to the Vía Romana Adegas. Their hours are Mon-Fri 10am-1pm and 4-7pm. Weekends 11-2, 5-8. We were there at 1330h. Looked very nice. Shame about our timing.
Just up the road is the Mesón e Adega do Viega. They are open weekends and holidays and during the week "por encargo" but definitely closed on the 5th and 21st of each month. Guess what day it is today LOL!
Kept bumping into the local postie who speaks Spanish and French and who is a friendly woman. If there is a postie to bump into, we tend to find them!
Easy downhill run to Chantada after the Church of San Pedro.
There was a chap flyfishing in the river as we entered. I'm hoping Thursday is the local market day as the street by the stream was covered in plastic rubbish. No bins and noone had picked it up. Stopped off at Bar Piolindo, the first bar you see, and had the best burgers we have had in years. Also very good coffee. We're now in Hotel Mogay. Matrimonio is costing 65 euros, no breakfast which is a bit more expensive than usual. Bathroom has a good shower, no bidet. Heating is via the aircon in bedroom and a heated towel rack in the bathroom. TV, good wifi.
Addit:
Casa Flora (Rua do Parque 8) was excellent. Good local food done beautifully. They have been open about 12 months and have excellent reviews of the sort that say good food, great value, I ate here two days in a row because it was so good. The lady speaks a little English, more French and does great charades. Was worth it just for the conversation we had. They also do takeaways.View attachment 53570
But people have told me that the owner is happy to open if you ring the doorbell of the house to the right, where the owner lives.What time did you get to Penasillas? I've found the Taberna do Peto closed if you get there too early.
It’s MY law.
No treasures, as I don’t know London. Just saying thanks very much for your posts, and delighted that you are on your way towards... you fill in the rest! Wishing you a buen camino on your coming journeys, you and Barrie.@Glory Be, very few peregrinos on the CI at the moment but I suspect it will change as Easter approaches. Most days we saw noone. The biggest group we saw were 5 travelling, mostly from Spain and Italy. That means we bumped into 3 pilgrims between Ponferrada and Lalín. And 5 after that. Now we do tend to start late and stay in hostals so you may meet more people at albergues. One of the advantages of travelling as a couple is that at least you bring your own company.
We didn't need our sleeping bags on the CI because we did not stay in any albergues.
We are taking the train to A Coruña now and flying out to London.
Rome2Rio says the train leaves roughly every 30 minutes but there seems to be a gap between 12 and 2 pm. Not sure if this means it was booked out. The train cost €15.20 for both of us and a taxi to the airport was €13.40.
Word of warning: weekend flights are expensive and the weekend starts on Thursday. If you can fly on Wednesday you will save quite a bit.
I can see myself becoming a repeat Camino offender. I have still got 3 months of leave up my sleeve so I suspect in a few years I will be back once I build up my spare cash and hopefully the exchange rate will be back in our favour.
The Camino Madrid or the Ingles may end up on the list followed by Muxia.
Mind you there is a house to build and a wedding to organise in the interim. Part of the Yes was that he had to survive a camino first. And we haven't killed each other in the process and have both had to learn to compromise a bit. But he passes
Now I haven't even thought about the UK (Left that one to Barrie!) and we are going to be in Poole for 4 days with family and around London for a week. Any little treasures that people recommend?
@Glory Be, very few peregrinos on the CI at the moment but I suspect it will change as Easter approaches. Most days we saw noone. The biggest group we saw were 5 travelling, mostly from Spain and Italy. That means we bumped into 3 pilgrims between Ponferrada and Lalín. And 5 after that. Now we do tend to start late and stay in hostals so you may meet more people at albergues. One of the advantages of travelling as a couple is that at least you bring your own company.
We didn't need our sleeping bags on the CI because we did not stay in any albergues.
We are taking the train to A Coruña now and flying out to London.
Rome2Rio says the train leaves roughly every 30 minutes but there seems to be a gap between 12 and 2 pm. Not sure if this means it was booked out. The train cost €15.20 for both of us and a taxi to the airport was €13.40.
Word of warning: weekend flights are expensive and the weekend starts on Thursday. If you can fly on Wednesday you will save quite a bit.
I can see myself becoming a repeat Camino offender. I have still got 3 months of leave up my sleeve so I suspect in a few years I will be back once I build up my spare cash and hopefully the exchange rate will be back in our favour.
The Camino Madrid or the Ingles may end up on the list followed by Muxia.
Mind you there is a house to build and a wedding to organise in the interim. Part of the Yes was that he had to survive a camino first. And we haven't killed each other in the process and have both had to learn to compromise a bit. But he passes
Now I haven't even thought about the UK (Left that one to Barrie!) and we are going to be in Poole for 4 days with family and around London for a week. Any little treasures that people recommend?
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