San Xulian do Camino to Arzúa

I had a v comfortable night, thankfully on a lower bunk. Those of my roommates who rose early were very quiet and so I slept a little later than I had intended. The albergue served breakfast and so I had a quick breakfast of yoghurt with honey for a change, and the usual coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice.

The Camino was busy by the time I set out, but again there were frequent pockets of solitude and quiet to be found. After walking for a couple of kilometres, I and most others stopped to remove layers and especially rainwear - the forecast had been for rain from the morning onwards and so I think we had all prepared for the worst.

For most of the morning, there were no more than a couple of short, token showers and the sun even showed its face. There was more wind but it didn’t feel at all cold. We were regularly climbing and descending as we passed through rolling hills.

After about 10-11 km, the Camino brought us into Melide, a town just over the border into the province of A Coruña, still in Galicia, but the final province visited by the Camino. Since its foundation in the 10th century, Melide’s story has been connected to not only the Camino Frances (which I’m following) but also the Camino Primitivo (aka the Original Way because it was the first route, starting in Oviedo near the northern coast), both of which meet in the town.

Hoping that, by doing so, I might miss the worst of the rain, I stopped for an early lunch in Melide, and had a delicious red cabbage salad, followed by arroz con leche (rice pudding). Just as I was finishing, a couple of Québécoise ladies asked if they could sit at my table - the restaurant was now full. We chatted briefly in French, before I set off once again.

It was drizzling but the gusty winds of Storm Aitor soon brought heavier and heavier showers and ultimately, torrential rain for the rest of the day! I understand this is heading towards the UK - enjoy!

It was a relief when the edge of Arzúa came into view, albeit this was almost immediately tempered by the steep climb of over 100m vertically in about 1 km, followed by an continuing gentler incline all the way into the town centre. The torrential rain was blowing at 45° as I located my albergue for the night. Yes, I had booked again.

Having done my ablutions, I decided my wet clothes would be much drier if I put them through the washing machine (which ended with a spin cycle). Fortunately there’s also a tumble dryer for the few items that will tolerate that.

I’m also delighted to report that the rain has finally eased enough to risk crossing the road to the cafe opposite without drowning.

The last couple of days have been hard work, especially with the rain, and about 28 and 26km respectively. But it’s really quite amazing to think that I’m now just under 40km from Santiago, or just 2 days’ walking, God willing!Leia mais