Hello
I completed the stage from Sarria to Santiago last June. It was the first stage of my Camino, as I am planning on completing the entire distance in instalments.
My training was fairly limited and definitely helped me to break in the shoes I had bought a few months before. I had recently turned 57 and not exactly in trim condition, though I would (and still do) play football for an hour a week.
I spent six days to complete my journey, with the stages ranges in length from 14.1 km to 25.4 km. I don’t care too much for hostels, so I stayed in budget hotels, and I would recommend the following schedule:
DAY ONE - SARRIA TO PORTOMARIN [22 km] - This was my first day on the Camino and I have to admit it was easier than expected, though I think that any fatigue was probably overtaken by adrenalin. By the way, I wouldn’t bother staying in Morgade, though the albergue there is worth stopping at for breakfast. Unless the weather is bad, make sure to follow the ‘difficult’ route down a rocky track as you approach Portomarin. If approached with care, it’s a good experience. Also, don’t forget to get a photo of yourself at the ‘100 km to Santiago’ marker. Portomarin is a really nice town (in retrospect, probably my favourite stop), and my hotel (Porto Santiago, Diputación 8, 27170 Portomarin €25) was pretty good.
DAY TWO – PORTOMARIN TO PALAS DE REI [24.6 km] – This was the most difficult stage for me, as it was a steady uphill climb that seemed to be never-ending, though having since walked from Logroño to Burgos, it was relatively mild compared to some of those stages). The first stopping point is a truck stop at Gonzar, make sure to call in, as it does a pretty mean breakfast. Otherwise, the highlight of this gruelling realisation of how tough the Camino can be was the Christian mission at Ligonde, where you can get free beverages and also plot your hometown on their map of the world.
Palas De Rei was a nice enough town and I stayed at Pension Plaza, Avenida Compostela 21, 27200 Palas de Rei €25.
DAY THREE - PALAS DE REI TO MELIDE [15.4 km] – A welcome, short stage was a relief after two stages exceeding 20 kilometres. If you eat fish, Melide is famous for its pulpe (octopus) restaurants. I stayed at O Todo do Lobo, Rua Luis Seoane 8, 15800 Melide €26.
DAY FOUR - MELIDE TO ARZUA [13.2 km] – Another short stretch, though quite an enjoyable stroll. Arzua is a decent stopover, with the hotel I stayed at (A Fonda do Norte Camiño do Norte 53, 1º, 15810 Arzúa) the best en route to Santiago though, at €40, also the most expensive. It was a slight walk from the town centre but worth the walk.
DAY FIVE – ARZUA TO O PEDROUZO [19.4 km] – Back to a relatively long stage, but good to get back into a bit of meaningful walking. O Pedrouzo was livelier than other stage finishes, perhaps because, for many pilgrims, it would be the last night out on the Camino before Santiago. I stayed at Pension Javier Pedrouzo, Avenida de Santiago, 7 1ºA, O Pedrouzo, 15821 +34 608 84 14 13 (€24)
DAY SIX – O PEDROUZO TO SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA [21.1 km] – Last day and time to spend a leisurely few hours getting to Santiago. I wasn’t rushing to make the midday mass in Santiago, as I was staying in the city for a few days, so was able to go the next day. The camp site café (you can’t really miss it) is worth a stop and has the cheapest T-shirts you’ll find (nine months on, still going strong!). Take a look at Monte De Gozo, but I’m glad I didn’t arrange to stay there overnight, as albergue looks like an army barracks. I broke my journey a few times and took a long time to get to Santiago, as I wanted to make the most of the last day on the Camino.
If you have time to take an excursion to Finisterre, I phoned a number on a flyer [see photo below] I got near the cathedral (+34 644 226 227) and paid €29 for a pretty good day out.
Hope this advice is useful and if you want to see more of my Camino tales, feel free to take a look at my blog by clicking on this link,
https://stevetaylorscamino.home.blog/
BUEN CAMINO
Steve