LIVE from the Camino Invierno Apr/May 2023

[palmah]

Apr 30 Ponferrada to Borrenes. A little less than 13 miles today. We checked out of Hotel Temple around 7:30. This hotel was a bit of a walk from the city center so we had to backtrack out of the city. The hotel breakfast didn’t start until 8:00 so we left hoping to find something open on our way out of Ponferrada. Across the street from the Castle, bar Liebana was open. Beautiful place! Once we were out of the city it was a beautiful walk on our day 1 on the Invierno. There was a bike race going on in the area so we shared the way with many bikers, but no pilgrims. We crossed the river Oza on a small narrow stone bridge and entered the Plaza El Logaledo in Torel de Merayo and stopped at La Cantina del Sr Lobo. Afterward we were road walking on small secondary roads. Through Villalibre we were on the left side of the road where there were 6 or 7 aggressive dogs all secured behind strong fences. We passed bar Ruta 68 which was open. We wanted to go directly to Borrenes, so when we went through Santalla del Bierzo and arrived at the Hermita Virgen del Carmen we continued to the right, up a muddy trail, crossed the N-536 then walked up the slate covered trail which took us to the crossroads where we followed the road to Borrenes, 1.5 km from there. This was the hardest bit for me. We had reservations at Hotel Rural Cornatel Medulas where we met Marisol who was every bit the gracious hostess we had read about. Check in wasn’t until 4 so we relaxed in the patio of the restaurant/bar had some lunch and wine. 3 pilgrims came in for lunch. A couple of more French pilgrims arrived by car looking for accommodation but she had to turn them away for she was full. Those 5 were the only pilgrims we saw today.

 

[AnneMarie1]

Apr 30 Ponferrada to Borrenes. A little less than 13 miles today. We checked out of Hotel Temple around 7:30. This hotel was a bit of a walk from the city center so we had to backtrack out of the city. The hotel breakfast didn’t start until 8:00 so we left hoping to find something open on our way out of Ponferrada. Across the street from the Castle, bar Liebana was open. Beautiful place! Once we were out of the city it was a beautiful walk on our day 1 on the Invierno. There was a bike race going on in the area so we shared the way with many bikers, but no pilgrims. We crossed the river Oza on a small narrow stone bridge and entered the Plaza El Logaledo in Torel de Merayo and stopped at La Cantina del Sr Lobo. Afterward we were road walking on small secondary roads. Through Villalibre we were on the left side of the road where there were 6 or 7 aggressive dogs all secured behind strong fences. We passed bar Ruta 68 which was open. We wanted to go directly to Borrenes, so when we went through Santalla del Bierzo and arrived at the Hermita Virgen del Carmen we continued to the right, up a muddy trail, crossed the N-536 then walked up the slate covered trail which took us to the crossroads where we followed the road to Borrenes, 1.5 km from there. This was the hardest bit for me. We had reservations at Hotel Rural Cornatel Medulas where we met Marisol who was every bit the gracious hostess we had read about. Check in wasn’t until 4 so we relaxed in the patio of the restaurant/bar had some lunch and wine. 3 pilgrims came in for lunch. A couple of more French pilgrims arrived by car looking for accommodation but she had to turn them away for she was full. Those 5 were the only pilgrims we saw today.

I'm planning on doing this route, probably arriving in that area in late May sometime (depends on how it goes starting at Somport and joining the rat race on the main road -- I might give up and head up to Oviedo to start the Primitivo if things are too crazy for my tastes on the main drag or just head to Ponferrada to start the Invierno earlier than planned). How far ahead did you book? What is your sense of the lodging situation on the Invierno?

 

[peregrina2000]

Those 5 were the only pilgrims we saw today.

That’s about 5 more than any day I’ve had on my three times on the Invierno. Things are changing!

 

[VNwalking]

she was full.

Signs of things to come as this route gets more popular? I hope not.

Those 5 were the only pilgrims we saw today.

I saw 5 that day in 2019 too, but to be fair they were a family group from Madrid, zooming through Borrenes to Las Medulas.

 

[palmah]

I'm planning on doing this route, probably arriving in that area in late May sometime (depends on how it goes starting at Somport and joining the rat race on the main road -- I might give up and head up to Oviedo to start the Primitivo if things are too crazy for my tastes on the main drag or just head to Ponferrada to start the Invierno earlier than planned). How far ahead did you book? What is your sense of the lodging situation on the Invierno?

Well after just one day it seems a lot less busy than the CF! We’re walking a total of 14 days on the Invierno, trying to keep a days walking to around 20 km. We booked ahead in most places.

 

[AnneMarie1]

We’ll after just one day it seems a lot less busy than the CF! We’re walking a total of 14 days on the Invierno, trying to keep a days walking to around 20 km. We booked ahead in most places.

Buen camino! I think 20k is a good pace, not too exhausting and yet you make progress. Are you able to book a day or two ahead, or do you need to book further ahead?

 

[palmah]

Buen camino! I think 20k is a good pace, not too exhausting and yet you make progress. Are you able to book a day or two ahead, or do you need to book further ahead?

I don’t think we needed to book the entire 14 days but we chose to.

 

[palmah]

May 1 Borrenes to Los Medulas to Puente de Domingo Florez (PDF). Just to wrap up last night’s stay, we had paella for dinner which was pretty good. Cullen and I were the only people in the dining room. However there were 5 older Spanish gentleman sitting near the fireplace who sang several Spanish songs with a lot of emotion. It was a magical Camino moment. After dinner we had our first orujos on this Camino, housemade - delicious! Since breakfast wasn’t until 9:00 we slept in a little and we were on the road by 9:30. Walked to Las Medulas and stopped in Restaurant/cafeteria Marife for a beer. We took the .5 km detour to the Mirador De Pedrices then continued on to PDF. I think it is very important to stop and rest every hour for about 10 minutes. We aren’t very good about doing it but we really need to. It was about 7 km to Medulas with no stops in between and another 8 or so to PDF with no stops in between. We’re staying in Casa Rosa tonight. It is 4:30 and so far we’re the only pilgrims here. Very clean, sheets on the beds. There are 4 sets of bunks in the room with one bath. We went around the corner to the Los Arcos cafe hoping to get a menu del dia but they only offer burgers, bocadillos and some raciones (patatas, croquettes). There are a couple of other places to eat on the other side of town but we just didn’t feel like doing any more walking today. Casa Rosa will wash and dry laundry for 7 euros.

 

[mla1]

I’m following with interest! I’ll reach Ponferrada on Thursday and start the Invierno on Friday!

 

[kiwi-couple]

Thanks for sharing your pilgrimage @palmah, your postings are very interesting. I will enjoy following along with you. Walk well

 

[Galuh]

Buen Camino

 

[jirit]

We head out from Ponferrada next Wednesday, so I look forward to reading your updates too

 

[palmah]

2 May Puente de Domingo Florez to O Barco de Valdeorra. 20.96 km per AllTrails. Day three is in the books. 13 miles too many for us! To wrap up our night in Casa Rosa. I had my doubts, the pilgrim sleeping room (dorm) is at street level and we couldn’t get the shades to go all the way down. But when we woke up this morning Cullen asked, “how did you sleep?”, and I replied “Better than expected”, he agreed. Breakfast at 7:30 - a beautiful spread! A lot of love has gone into this albergue. Perhaps if all the beds had been occupied it would have been a different story? Who knows? We were the only two in the dorm. We left around 8:00 and there were many places we could have gone to last night we just didn’t feel like walking last night. The Brierly guide provides a good description of the route so I will just make some comments. The rest areas/ picnic stops were being weed whacked when we walked by. We appreciate the work they’re doing to help us pilgrims! The Virgin Statue just passed Nogueiras is lovely! Definitely worth a rest stop and reflection. We heard/saw a lot of slate mining going on. Most of the towns we passed through most bars were closed. This is definitely a trail to carry provisions. Leaving Sobradelo and walking on the road we missed a sign to turn-off towards Entoma. Since we were relying on the wikiloc app it was disappointing. In a number of places it did not follow the marked trail or the Brierly suggested route. We didn’t miss it by much but you know how it is. In our defense the sign was facing the opposite direction. If wikilocs hadn’t beeped at us we wouldn’t have known we missed it. We back tracked and went into Entoma and stopped at a little bar on a side street. It looked like the only bar in town. We were planning to get off the road walking at this point but a beautiful old Spanish lady insisted we take the carrretera as it would be much easier and faster than the trail. So we took her advice. Not sure if she was correct but it was hot as hades today (86F)! We arrived in O Barco around 2:30. By the time we checked in to Gran Tortuga, showered, and washed clothes it was 4:00. Too late for a nice menu del dia so we went to Bar Lisboa, drank some wine and ate delicious little bocadillos. But we need a good dinner tonight. Cullen found a place that opens for dinner at 7:00 - Restaurant Piquino. We saw 3 pilgrims wandering around town today. We saw none on the road/trail.

 

[palmah]

Day 4, O Barco to A Rua. 16.31 km

Wrap up of our night in O Barco. Dinner last night didn’t happen until 8:30. We ate at Restaurant Piquino and I cannot recommend it. Food was overcooked and salty, service was poor by Spain standards and the atmosphere was just not relaxing. On the other hand the woman running the pension La Gran Tortuga was very kind. The accommodation was clean - no complaints. A very nice breakfast was provided and she encouraged us to take some fruit for the road. The pandemic was hard on them and they had to close their bar/restaurant. But they are hoping to reopen this summer. So help them out if you can.

We started walking around 8:20. Things didn’t go as expected. We took Brierly’s “option B” out of O Barco. Across the river and through the park. But after a few km we were on a service road which was fine but noisy traffic. We did not go through one town between O Barco and A Rua. I thought we would go through Villamartin, but no. I don’t know if we messed up somewhere. There were a couple of places where maps were posted with options. We took the easier, less “dangerous” options and perhaps that was our problem. We arrived in A Rua around 11:45, first bar we passed was San Roque which wasn’t open. A little further up we stopped at O Novo Cafe where we stopped for a radler. 1 Pilgrim passed as we sipped our Radlers. We are staying at Casa Rural Pacino do Sil. Lovely place (dbl room with a beautiful bath with a tub) 68 euros. But it is far from any food establishments. It was 1 ½ km to the nearest restaurant and we needed a good meal so we walked up to town and had an okay menu del dia at Meso del Poldo. In our opinion it was not as good as others have raved about it. Breakfast is offered at the CR for 10 euros. I’m sure it will be substantial . We saw another pilgrim while we were in the restaurant and there were half a dozen backpacks/suitcases lined up at the CR waiting for their owners to arrive.

 

[VNwalking]

there were half a dozen backpacks/suitcases lined up at the CR waiting for their owners to arrive.

Uh-oh.
Change is coming to the Invierno, for sure.
I wonder if it's a group.

 

[palmah]

Uh-oh.
Change is coming to the Invierno, for sure.
I wonder if it's a group.

Yes, I think it is a group. When we were heading out for lunch 4 men were being dropped off.

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, @palmah.
Not sure what your plan is tomorrow, but if you have time when you get to Montefurado, look for Casimiro. He has put a lot of joy into many pilgrims’ hearts. It would be great to hear an update. His house is before you enter the village, on the left. You can see a picture of him and his house here. I am hoping he is well and enjoying his 97th year, or is it 98th?

 

[crhutch]

Hi, @palmah.
Not sure what your plan is tomorrow, but if you have time when you get to Montefurado, look for Casimiro. He has put a lot of joy into many pilgrims’ hearts. It would be great to hear an update. His house is before you enter the village, on the left. You can see a picture of him and his house here. I am hoping he is well and enjoying his 97th year, or is it 98th?

Unfortunately we missed him.

 

[crhutch]

There was a thunderstorm where we stayed last night. Lots of wind and thunder and rain. We left early this morning after a very nice breakfast. Today’s walk was very good, but long and hard. Highlight for us was going over a medieval bridge in the middle of nowhere and the only sounds were the birds and the river running under the bridge. We arrived at our Quiroga, our destination pretty early so we went to the Aroza restaurant that got pretty good reviews. They didn’t open for lunch until 1:00 but they said we could sit and wait until then. Well worth the wait! Finally got a good meal!! Afterwards we checked into the Hostal Quiper. This is a nice hostal. We have a “Suite” with a bedroom and sitting room for about 48 euros.

Palma’s feet and knees held up ok so tomorrow we will do what is considered the one of hardest stages of the invierno.

 

[GailGwyn]

That’s about 5 more than any day I’ve had on my three times on the Invierno. Things are changing!

We saw 5 pilgrims in total over the days before reaching A Laxe, then there were about a dozen of us in the municipal albergue there.

 

[peregrina2000]

We arrived at Quiroga, our destination pretty early so we went to the Aroza restaurant that got pretty good reviews. They didn’t open for lunch until 1:00

lHi, @crhutch and @palmah, I am wondering where you stayed last night. Since you say you arrived early in Quiroga, I’m assuming you did not walk from A Rua. Did you by chance stay in Soldón in the apartments? If so, how were they?

So glad that your bodies are cooperating and that you are enjoying the camino.

 

[crhutch]

lHi, @crhutch and @palmah, I am wondering where you stayed last night. Since you say you arrived early in Quiroga, I’m assuming you did not walk from A Rua. Did you by chance stay in Soldón in the apartments? If so, how were they?

So glad that your bodies are cooperating and that you are enjoying the camino.

lHi, @crhutch and @palmah, I am wondering where you stayed last night. Since you say you arrived early in Quiroga, I’m assuming you did not walk from A Rua. Did you by chance stay in Soldón in the apartments? If so, how were they?

So glad that your bodies are cooperating and that you are enjoying the camino.

No we stayed in A Rua at the Casa Rural Pacio do Sil. Our bodies are barely cooperating but we are slugging through it as best we can. When we were leaving in the morning we were offered a ride to Soldón which gladly accepted.

 

[palmah]

lHi, @crhutch and @palmah, I am wondering where you stayed last night. Since you say you arrived early in Quiroga, I’m assuming you did not walk from A Rua. Did you by chance stay in Soldón in the apartments? If so, how were they?

So glad that your bodies are cooperating and that you are enjoying the camino.

There are 3 Peregrinas we met tonight at Casa Pacita. They stayed at the apartments in Soldon and highly recommend them. Very clean, access to a well stocked kitchen, and hot showers.

 

[crhutch]

5 May 23. Today we walked from Quiroga to Barca de Lor, about 19 KMs. First we saw 10 pilgrims getting ready to leave this morning. According to all we read this was going to be a very hard day. It was hard but not like we thought. The walk out Quiroga was rather uneventful, flat and all on asphalt. We missed a couple recommended deviations. After a couple of kilometers the climb began. Much of the beautiful scenery has been destroyed by two large forest firesin recent years. Entire mountains have been stripped clean to allow for new plantings. Once we were near the top we did encounter some forest. This was by far the best part of today’s walk. We can only imagine how beautiful it used to be. A little after noon we arrived at our destination Pensión Pacita in Barca de Lor. What a great stop. The father (Jose) and son (Jose Luis) who run the pension are super kind and are wonderful hosts. Jose lost his wife last year and it is apparent it’s devastated him. Nevertheless he and his son go all out to make sure of the pilgrims’ comfort. After showing us to our room we were told we could have lunch of freshly caught trout. It was great, along with a bottle of homemade white wine. I’ll go out on a limb and say it is some of the best white wine we’ve had this trip. After lunch we came back to our room for a much deserved nap. Dinner was at 2000. We had ternera and their homemade red wine, equally as good as the white. Palma’s feet took a bit of a beating and her knees are hurting. My knees are also hurting some. We may take a day off from walking tomorrow to get some relief.

 

[crhutch]

6 May 23 - Pension Pacita, Barxa de Lor to Monforte. Great meal last night and great sleep! Woke up to rain. The Sr Jose graciously offered to drive us (and the other pilgrims)to O Proba. He left us at the Cafeteria/Bar Avenida which opened at 9:00 so we waited outside for about 10 minutes. The rain is supposed to taper off at 10:00 and we will walk, regardless. First real rain we’ve had since we started our Camino in Burgos on April 16. This day was my favorite despite the rain. The way is described very well in “A Guide to the Camino de Invierno (January, 2019)”, page 26-27. We did not run into a uncrossable mud/water. Not sure if the path was rerouted since the guide was written but we had no trouble. We’re staying in the Parador tonight. It was a long climb to reach it so we may not be going out at all tonight.

 

[peregrina2000]

There are 3 Peregrinas we met tonight at Casa Pacita. They stayed at the apartments in Soldon and highly recommend them. Very clean, access to a well stocked kitchen, and hot showers.

I think this is a good alternative for people who want shorter stages. When we were still crowd-sourcing the forum Invierno guide (now safely housed in the WisePilgrim app), I remember that the owners told us they would actually do grocery shopping for any peregrinos staying there if they got the requests with some reasonable lead time.

The only negative I’ve heard about the place really has nothing to do with the place itself. Soldón may have a resident or two, but there’s not much going on. If you’re alone it might be a bit of a bummer. In summer, the chiringuito brings in a crowd for drinking beer and eating right there next to the river.

 

[peregrina2000]

Jose lost his wife last year and it is apparent it’s devastated him. Nevertheless he and his son go all out to make sure of the pilgrims’ comfort

Many of us remember her as a very energetic, caring person — who seemed to do most of the work. It sounds like the pensión has given them some comfort, too, as they give comfort to pilgrims and carry on their wife/mother´s tradition.

I have been in a similar place on the route to Finisterre/Muxia. In Vilaserio there is a lovely old house now transformed into an abergue. The Casa Vella. When I was there, the daughter and son-in-law were visiting and helping out, and the daughter told me that starting the albergue has changed her mother from someone just waiting to follow her husband to heaven to a woman with a purpose who is able to experience happiness again. Don’t mean to romanticize this grueling albergue/pensión work, but it does seem to be just what the doctor ordered for some people.

Loving your posts, @crhutch and @palmah. Enjoy the luxury of the parador — oh those thick towels and silken sheets…. Definitely worth the splurge if it’s in your budget!

 

[DeansFamily]

Don't miss staying at the Xunta albergue at Diomondi. It is in the rectory section of the 11th century church that is there and the fitout that has been achieved is brilliant. You need to carry food in but there is only a microwave and commercial toaster there to cook with. It really is worth the effort and ask if they can open the church for you to view as it is amazing. One of our favourite albergues on all our Caminos.

 

[Shona]

So enjoying your posts,crhutch, and your comments and advice, peregrina2000. Thank you very much. It is great reading and picturing in my head and looking forward to seeing it all for real…
Two of us are dreaming, hoping, planning to walk the Invierno in September so there is huge added interest in following your footprints.
¡Ultreia!

 

[crhutch]

7 May we started in Monforte de Lemos to Chantada. The Parador was a nice break but disappointing. The dinner was very ordinary and the service below par to other paradors we stayed at. Breakfast was very good in the parador - as always. We had an issue checking out as they charged us 100€ to wash 2 pairs of pants, 2 pairs of socks, 3 undershirts, 2 handkerchiefs, 2 pieces of underwear and one shirt. I’ve filed a complaint so let’s see where that takes us. Due to Palmas’s knee we decided to take a day off from walking and took a taxi from the parador at 10:30. It was about a 30 min ride, cost 40. Chantada is a nice town - much more lively than some of the other towns we’ve been in. We are staying at the Hotel Mogay 70€ for a double room. Very nice folks. They let us drop off our backpacks so we could go to mass and they let us check in a couple hours early. We went to mass at Igrexa Nova and got our passport stamped. Tomorrow we have a short day, about 4 miles, and then we get back on track to walk normal amounts each day to get to Santiago on Sunday. We went to 3 nice bars here in Chantada and would recommend all; Cafe Capitol, Bar Mar y Bellota, and Bar Parada. Bar Mar and Cafe Capitol were closing at 3, Bar Parada’s kitchen is open until 11:00.

 

[crhutch]

8 May 23 - Chantada to Hotel Vilaseca in Penasillás - 8.61 Kms. We started from Chantada. Since yesterday was Sunday and Mother’s Day in Spain, no stores were open so we will wait until they open today at 9:15 to get provisions for the next couple of days. There was a lot of street noise outside of hotel Mogay last night until around 11:00. Lots of kids out playing. This is not unusual in Spain. We slept well. Our walk was rather short, a little over 5 miles. There were 6 or 7 dogs barking when we passed through Centulle. All were secured behind fences. There were a couple of dogs unsecured but they paid us no attention. The way was well marked and it was a nice path with sun and shade. We arrived at Hotel Vilaseca at noon and had to wait to check in for a few minutes until the owners returned from a shopping trip. This is a really nice property. Very modern, very clean and the hosts are fantastic. We had a nice lunch (1st course Caldo, 2nd course fish). We were joined by a lady from Holland also walking the Camino. She had walked from Diomondi. She had stayed at the renovated Bishop’s Palace and had very nice things to say about it. After lunch the owner Manuelo offered to take the three of us up to the top -Monte Faro as tomorrow will be raining and we won’t be able to see anything - Spectacular views!

Tomorrow we’ll be back on track with the longer walks as we head into the final week of this Camino.

 

[mla1]

Oh good! I will be staying there in a few days (also after Diomondi). Hope you are having a good evening!

 

[crhutch]

Oh good! I will be staying there in a few days (also after Diomondi). Hope you are having a good evening!

The owner Manuelo is a wonderful host. You’ll enjoy it here.

 

[palmah]

9 May Hotel Vilaseca to Rodiero. So the 17 km on CF from Carrion to the first bar/cafe was an abnormally long distance to go without a stop. We matched it today going from the Hotel Vilaseca to the Bar Recanto and it seems quite normal on this Camino. We knew it, but it is hard. We arrived at the Bar and it took us about 5 hours to get here. When we left the bar I believe we could have turned left onto the road and arrived at the same place as we did by following the marker directing us down a very rocky cow path. We had breakfast at the hotel and though it wasn’t raining when we left it started shortly after. Not a heavy rain but enough to put our Altus ponchos on. We decided to do the alternative route since we wouldn’t be able to see anti if we walked up the mountain. We got to Penasillas- no problem. The alternative way is not marked very well to and through Mouricios. We asked one lady about the route and she suggested we not do it. She said it was terrible around Ferreiros. But we went ahead to Ferreiros. Came to a road and if we crossed and went straight we would have been in Mundin but we turned left onto the road toward Lalin. Our google maps app was working well at that point and Cullen’s opinion was if we didn’t have google maps ,”we would have been screwed”. Lots of dogs today, but mostly happy. Had a steep climb to get to Carpentieras.

 

[palmah]

10 May Rodiero to Lalin. Weather is good - dry at least. Nice stay in Carpinterias. There were 7 pilgrims here last night. About a dozen pilgrims and locals were in the bar watching the soccer game last night. Should be a 5 hour walk today - we’ll see

 

[palmah]

10 May continued. The first 7 or 8 km we walked today were beautiful! Palma had her first scary encounter with a couple of dogs in the hamlet of Penerbosa which is the first one after the forest walk. A couple of unleashed dogs (one was a German shepherd). We quickly crossed the dirt path, did not run but walked quickly away and Palma could feel that dog’s breath on her ankles. Next encounter was near the monument built by one of the farmers. Another German shepherd spotted us and he came moseying towards us so we just stood still. He walked around us and sniffed us and then he headed down the Camino in the same direction we were going. Then one of those long haired German shepherds appeared along with a beagle type dog. The two larger dogs seemed to be sizing each other up. We really had the feeling the one dog was leading us safely down the Camino. Running interference if you will. There wasn’t any trouble - the hairy dog sniffed us but seemed more concerned about the other dog so we just kept on walking. Cullen tracked our distance walked to be about 23 km with nowhere to stop or sit. We packed a bocadillo and lots of water so we were fine food wise but it was a long 6 hour walk to Lalin. We actually walked to a very nice restaurant (Cabanas highly recommended) and had a great meal and then took a taxi to our hotel (hotel Alda) which is on the outskirts of town. We are pooped!

 

[GailGwyn]

10 May continued. The first 7 or 8 km we walked today were beautiful! Palma had her first scary encounter with a couple of dogs in the hamlet of Penerbosa which is the first one after the forest walk. A couple of unleashed dogs (one was a German shepherd). We quickly crossed the dirt path, did not run but walked quickly away and Palma could feel that dog’s breath on her ankles. Next encounter was near the monument built by one of the farmers. Another German shepherd spotted us and he came moseying towards us so we just stood still. He walked around us and sniffed us and then he headed down the Camino in the same direction we were going. Then one of those long haired German shepherds appeared along with a beagle type dog. The two larger dogs seemed to be sizing each other up. We really had the feeling the one dog was leading us safely down the Camino. Running interference if you will. There wasn’t any trouble - the hairy dog sniffed us but seemed more concerned about the other dog so we just kept on walking. Cullen tracked our distance walked to be about 23 km with nowhere to stop or sit. We packed a bocadillo and lots of water so we were fine food wise but it was a long 6 hour walk to Lalin. We actually walked to a very nice restaurant (Cabanas highly recommended) and had a great meal and then took a taxi to our hotel (hotel Alda) which is on the outskirts of town. We are pooped!

We encountered more dogs on this Camino than any other we've walked. We felt scared a few times, but thankfully were never bitten.

You mention the German shepherd that guided you along part of the Camino. We saw him too. He seemed friendly and as though he was protecting us. This is a picture of him (not very good - sorry)

 

[crhutch]

11 May 2023 Lalin to Bandeira. What can I say? Walked about 21 km. Weather was a little cool starting out - just the way we like it. Left the hotel around 7:30, walked down the street to a bar and had coffee and toast. Walked to A Laxe and had another coffee. There were 3 of us pilgrims in the bar and then 6 more pilgrims came in. Left there and walked to Silleda, stopped at a bar for a Radler then walked the rest of the way. Little bit of road walking today, little bit of rocky cow paths, but quite a bit of quiet walking through the woods on dirt paths. Walked a little with a pilgrim from Belgium - haven’t done that in a while and saw 2 other pilgrims on the way today. No terrifying dog incidents but there were a couple of Mastiffs running around loose and barking - mostly for show I think. Checked into our hostal (Conde Rey), had an okay lunch at Cafe/Bar right next door. A great Camino day. Tomorrow to Lestedo.

 

[palmah]

12 May Bandeira to Lestedo 23 KMs. Nice stay at Hostal Conde Rey. One of the comments we read was about the strange contraption to heat the water. We did not experience that, but they did have a gadget that controlled something. We had an okay lunch at the bar right next door to the hostal. After lunch we rested and at 7:00 we went out to check the “bar scene”. First we stopped in the bar in our hostal. We were the only people there. Then we went to Bar Arume where they have a license plate from Virginia (our home state) hanging on the wall. It was a busy bar. Nice tapa with our glass of wine. Finally we went to Bar Plazoleta and had an orujo and we were the only people in there. We had a good sleep It was supposed to rain today and it did, but just a little. We saw 4 pilgrims on the way. We stopped in las Leiras at Dornelas. They appear to be doing well and their place is very beautiful. 3 pilgrims from Portugal were there when we stopped. We left and another pilgrim passed. He was walking very fast so we didn’t see him again! I have no complaints about the walk - a beautiful path most of the way. We stopped in Ponte Ulla at Pensión A Taberna de Gundián for a radler and then began the long assent to Lestedo. After 5 ½ hours of walking (23kms) we arrived at the beautiful casa rural Casa de Casal (72 € for a double room). I notice on their website if you call and skip booking they have rooms as low as 58€. Tomorrow- Santiago!

 

[crhutch]

We made it to Santiago!! Woohoo! Hard Camino for us but we did it. We are staying at the Hostal San Martin Pinario (79€ per night).

 

[mla1]

So happy for you both. It’s been great to follow your trip!

 

[Ellen Gotts]

Thank you . Been great following. Hope to do this Camino end September/August. It has been very helpful reading all this.

 

[Robo]

There are 3 Peregrinas we met tonight at Casa Pacita. They stayed at the apartments in Soldon and highly recommend them. Very clean, access to a well stocked kitchen, and hot showers.

Looks like I was a week behind you

I can report on the apartments at Soldón.
They are really good. A line of 5 or 6 above the river.
And beneath the highway bridge, but you don't hear the highway.......

I'm not sure about the well stocked kitchen though.
Food is provided by the owner (at a cost of course) if pre ordered a couple of days in advance.
I just ordered some bread and eggs and carried a few other items as a back up.

He also provided tea, coffee, milk, olive oil etc.

I made a video tour of the apartment here.

The video shows my day from A Rua de Valdeorras to Soldon.
The tour of the apartment and surrounds starts at: 12:21

Day 44 – Camino Invierno Blog & Video – A Rua de Valdeorras to Soldon Videos | In Search of Santiago

robscamino.com

 

[GailGwyn]

Looks like I was a week behind you

I can report on the apartments at Soldón.
They are really good. A line of 5 or 6 above the river.
And beneath the highway bridge, but you don't hear the highway.......

I'm not sure about the well stocked kitchen though.
Food is provided by the owner (at a cost of course) if pre ordered a couple of days in advance.
I just ordered some bread and eggs and carried a few other items as a back up.

He also provided tea, coffee, milk, olive oil etc.

I made a video tour of the apartment here.

The video shows my day from A Rua de Valdeorras to Soldon.
The tour of the apartment and surrounds starts at: 12:21

Day 44 – Camino Invierno Blog & Video – A Rua de Valdeorras to Soldon Videos | In Search of Santiago

robscamino.com

Thanks Rob. We loved this Camino, but it was a toughie! Didn't stay in Soldon, but it looks great. We stopped at the little donativo stall and played with a little kitten whilst we rested and ate some fruit.

 

[AnneMarie1]

Thanks Rob. We loved this Camino, but it was a toughie! Didn't stay in Soldon, but it looks great. We stopped at the little donativo stall and played with a little kitten whilst we rested and ate some fruit.

I’m in Silledo now, looking at arriving in Santiago on the 24th. Started in Somport. Yes, the Invierno has been tough!

9 May Hotel Vilaseca to Rodiero. So the 17 km on CF from Carrion to the first bar/cafe was an abnormally long distance to go without a stop. We matched it today going from the Hotel Vilaseca to the Bar Recanto and it seems quite normal on this Camino. We knew it, but it is hard. We arrived at the Bar and it took us about 5 hours to get here. When we left the bar I believe we could have turned left onto the road and arrived at the same place as we did by following the marker directing us down a very rocky cow path. We had breakfast at the hotel and though it wasn’t raining when we left it started shortly after. Not a heavy rain but enough to put our Altus ponchos on. We decided to do the alternative route since we wouldn’t be able to see anti if we walked up the mountain. We got to Penasillas- no problem. The alternative way is not marked very well to and through Mouricios. We asked one lady about the route and she suggested we not do it. She said it was terrible around Ferreiros. But we went ahead to Ferreiros. Came to a road and if we crossed and went straight we would have been in Mundin but we turned left onto the road toward Lalin. Our google maps app was working well at that point and Cullen’s opinion was if we didn’t have google maps ,”we would have been screwed”. Lots of dogs today, but mostly happy. Had a steep climb to get to Carpentieras.

I’m reading this a couple days after having problems at the same place, taking the variant route around that mountain. (So it’s not just me! ) Lots of arrows in a row when they’re not needed at all, but then at a fork in a cow/tractor path in the middle of nowhere, there’s nothing! I, too, was rescued by Google maps right around there. The paths themselves weren’t showing up on there, but at least Ferreiros did, so I could tell which of those overgrown path options was heading toward Ferreiros. All hail, Google Maps!

 

[mla1]

Mapy.cz has Camino tracks on their maps. They are not always exactly the same as the arrows but they are pretty good. They also have other local trails, which is often really helpful. Last spring on the Madrid/Olvidado/Invierno I mostly used Mapy. But I also downloaded the most recent Wikiloc track I could find for the day’s stage onto Pocket Earth.
There were definitely times when what might seem like overkill (2 map apps, 2 tracks) was very useful!

 

[VNwalking]

Looking for a source of good / reliable tracks to download.

The Dutch cofraternity site has all the maps you need. @Thomas1962 ... dankye wel!!!

Downloads - Santiago

Indeling – Per land vind je hier een overzicht van praktische downloads voor onderweg, ingedeeld in onderstaande drie categorieën. Handleiding – Wil je meer weten over hoe u deze bestanden samen met een geschikte app in je smartphone kunt installeren, lees dan deze handleiding in het Nederlands...

www.santiago.nl

I don't use the 've used these as an overlay on OSMand maps with complete success.