Day 12: Redondelo to Pontevedra (19km)

June 2, 2019
211km completed - 64km to go

We had been staying in a private albergue which offered a €2 breakfast of coffee and toast, starting at 6:00am. There were more than a dozen people in the dining room at 6:00 but no sign of anyone to make the coffee and toast. He did turn up and we were on the road by 6:50. We walked through the town, past the municipal albergue that we had stayed in eight years earlier. It was full then and it was full again last night.

Out of town we were on paths and minor roads for some 3km until we came onto a main road which looked very familiar. It came back to me that eight years ago the route was very unclear at this point and we spent some time discussing options with a group of peregrinos from east Asia. We got it right then and there was no confusion with the arrows on this occasion.



We eventually came to the small town of Arcade. Eight years ago we hoped to get breakfast here but were out of luck. With the increase in peregrinos we now had number of options, but we had already eaten breakfast. We used Café Acuna as a pit stop however and had our credencials stamped there.

I remembered the next part very well. We crossed an old bridge, passed a picturesque horreo and then started climbing. Once away from the tarmac of the town much of the initial climb was over bare rocks. Further on up among the trees we came to a refreshment/souvenir stall. A number of people had stopped and we did too, for a cool fruit juice and a stamp on our credencials.
Pauline waits for me at the top of a rough climb
The climb continued and near the top Liz realised that she had left her hat somewhere along the route. She thought it might be at the stall and herself and Ann returned but they had no luck and were not prepared to go all the way back to the café in Arcade.

The remaining 7km was mostly downhill which made a pleasant change from yesterday. The question, “Why are we doing this?”, no longer arose. On the climb the occasional runner passed us. Now seated at a water tank enjoying a snack the runners started to stream past. They were on a charity run from Vigo to Pontevedra, raising money for a cancer charity.

It was an enjoyable day but we had walked about 19km and were tired when we reached Pontevedra. Unusually the pain in my feet didn’t disappear with a shower and the best I could do in the evening was walk to a restaurant. I had hoped to wander through the centre of Pontevedra where I recall having enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of traffic-free streets and squares, with people strolling in the sunshine or seated outside bars and restaurants among the many beautiful ancient stone buildings.

We spent the night in a private albergue (Aloxa Hostel). Age was again acknowledged as we were put in an alcove of the second dormitory, with two single beds on one side for Pauline and myself, and two bunkbed units on the other. Later a few others came into the dormitory including a young couple with a baby less than a year old. When they arrived, the mother had been carrying the baby in a sling and the father was carrying two backpacks, one at the front. 
A proliferation of scallop shells


A busy morning on the Camino - entering Arcade


Roman Bridge at Arcade

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 1: Matosinhos to Vila Cha (16.25km)

Image
May 22, 2019 16.25km completed - 245km  to go       Route Map We have completed our first day, covering 16.25km in perfec t walking conditions - hazy sunshine and a light sea breeze. En route we met many other pilgrims from various parts of the world, including a woman from Kilmacolm, about eight miles from where I was born. She left Scotland about the same time as I did and has spent her life on Vancouver Island. We are in a lovely albergue in Vila Cha but when we arrived there was only one lower bunk left. The hospitalero took pity on us and opened up a second dormitory and we are in here on our own - so far. We are planning an even shorter day tomorrow but then the pressure will increase as have to do 262km in 15 days. In 2011 we did it in 12 days over a slightly different route. Typical section of boardwalk The albergue at Vila Cha
Read more

Day 2: Vila Cha to Póvoa de Varzim (11.9km)

Image
May 23, 2019 28km completed - 234km to go    Route Map As stages go on the Camino, just under 12km is a leisurely stroll and we treated it like that, taking some five hours to reach the albergue in Póvoa de Varzim. We arrived at 12:45. We didn't see very much of the sun, which again made for pleasant walking conditions. I had no sooner posted yesterday's update before two German peregrinas joined us in our dormitory. By the time we were going to sleep, ten of the twelve bunks were taken and there were at least six people sleeping in the outer dormitory. We visited the nearby bar in the afternoon and paid €1:90 for a glass of wine and a coffee. Dinner for two, with drinks, later came to €24. Back to today - from the albergue in Vila Cha we had to make our way back down to the sea and then it was more boardwalk for about 5km. That took us into Vila de Conde where we spent a night in 2011 before heading inland to walk the traditional Camino Portugues. In 2011 we tried to g...
Read more

Day 3: Póvoa de Varzim - Fão (17.3km)

Image
May 24, 2019 40km completed, 221km to go        Route Map We expected to walk 19km today and so we were on the road by 7:00am. It was a bright sunny morning but we needed the fleeces, heading into a strong northerly breeze.  We didn't actually see much of the sun for at least two kilometres as we were walking along a promenade in the shadow of modern apartment blocks (holiday apartments?) up to ten storeys high. Back on the boardwalk After the prom we were back on boardwalk, over the sand dunes, for a number of kilometres. Later we moved inland a little and walked on narrow cobbled roads for a long period before reaching the final stretch, a dirt track through a forest into Fão. We realised some distance out that our guidebook must have a different starting point from our albergue and the saving of 1.7km was very welcome although, at a push, we could have managed a few extra km. We arrived here at 1:25pm and went to check into the local youth ho...
Read more