We stayed at the Hotel Casa Teodora, a 2-star hotel that justified its rating – located in the very centre of town and close to the bars and restaurants.
The view from my room was over an alleyway, that ran parallel to the main street, and a bar that thankfully closed down before 10pm. The room itself was comfortable, the aircon worked and the shutters ensured a nice dark room for sleeping. Weirdly, each time a heavy lorry came past the hotel the whole building shook. It was nice and cool as we left town, speeding up a little, as we passed an old church, to get in front of a mass of people coming from our left, and started out on the first descent of the day. Normally its a post-breakfast climb, so the descent was appreciated.
Today’s walk was similar to yesterday in that we traversed wooded paths offering dappled shade and dirt / stoney paths through crop and / or re-wilded fields. The clear skies meant we had a wider view than the mist of a couple of days ago.
We continued on the wooded paths for quite a while before we started encountering the crowds again at the top of the first climb of the day. There are plenty of places to get a sealing wax stamp in the credential and, thankfully, lots of people stop for the stamp which makes passing a whole easier than on the narrow paths. We passed an obligatory bagpiper before walking back out into open farmlands again.
We crossed a few streams and walked through small villages where the traditional Galician storage “sheds” were on display – some very basic and some nicely decorated. Our last downhill of the day was through a Eucalyptus forest – they are not a native tree, having been imported from Australia in the 19th century. They cover 28% of Galicia’s forests, despite being considered invasive due to their ability to spread / regenerate rapidly and the impact they have on fauna diversification and soil erosion. We finally arrived at our hotel, too early to check in due to the short walk, so headed into town tor a drink and some lunch.
Tomorrow is the final day of yet another epic adventure.
