Villafranca del Bierzo – La Portela de Valcarce Today we are faced with two choices, the high road with a very steep descent at the end or the low road following the winding river. My left knee is still very painful and we decide to avoid paths involving declines for today. Whew. We have one…
Ponferrada – Villafranca del Bierz We wake early and pack ready for the day. There is a 23km walk ahead of us today and we still don’t know how to get out of town. We seek guidance from the desk clerk as we leave the Hotel Temple and she indicates we cross the bridge near…
Riego de Ambros – Ponferrada In terms of distance alone (guide book indicates thirteen kilometers) today will be a shorter walk. Pam and I no longer trust any indicators of distance (guide books or roadsigns) particularly on the entry to larger towns such as Ponferrada. The only thing I am sure of is we have…
Rabanal del Camino – Riego de Ambro Today we pass the highest point on the Camino (the La Cruz de Ferro lies 1504m above sea level) Pam at the very start of our journey deliberately lied to me stating the highest point was between St John Pied de Port and Roncesvalles (1455m above sea level)…
Astorga – Rabanal del Camino I wake in the middle of the night to the sound of rain falling on the small window. The room in El Stanko is small and confined and our body heat has warmed it to the point that I feel uncomfortable. We are sleeping inside our silk sleeping bag liners…
Hospital del Orbigo – Astorga Cacti can be prickly and painful to the touch. Distilling their essence down to firewater, whilst certainly potentially dangerous to one’s overall state of mind if consumed in excess, apparently renders the prickles supple and painless. I wake with a clear head. Once again stranger things have happened at sea.…
El Burgo Ranereo – Mansilla de las Mulas We rise early, Pam is feeling fine again and our bags are mostly packed from the night before. The sun is nowhere near rising by the time we leave the hotel and make our way through town. The streetlights in this town are movement sensitive and only…
Carrion de Los Condes – Calzadilla de la Cueza Mick woke with his knee feeling as bad as it has been, but he was determined to forge ahead. We had a later start than we wanted but still had a quick breakfast at the motel and made our way out of town by about 8am.…
Fromista to Carrion de los Condes I wake in the morning late, my left knee has no pain. Not until I stand up and the knives reinsert themselves and twist deep counterclockwise. I call a rest day, Pam, who is quite concerned by now, agrees and we call ahead to the hotel we had planned…
Castrojeriz to Fromista A decent nights sleep restores good humour like nothing else and Pam and I are feeling energised and happy with ourselves, each other and the world as we make our way through Castrojeriz in the cool early morning air. We are not late, we are not early, we are right on time…
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