Melide to Salceda

Okay, did I want to walk 25km over 6 hours in constant rain? I suppose that it's a rhetorical question, but I know that it meant more to me to get to Salceda, which puts me in striking distance to Santiago with only one day of walking.

So I will set out early tomorrow with the view of making it to Santiago by 2pm. The walking conditions are looking reasonable up to then, with possible thunderstorms in the mid to late afternoon.

Leaving the albergue in Melide at 7am today, this meant two hours walking in darkness, uphill for the first 4km, and in constant rain. To say that these were undesirable conditions is an understatement. However, I had to remind myself that it could have been worse. Passing a rubbish bin, I noticed that someone had painted on it 'Buen f#*king Camino' - at this time I could empathise with the poor soul who felt compelled to leave his/her thoughts behind for the benefit of others.

Making it to Arzúa by 10am meant that we'd walked 14km in the first 3 hours of the day, and provided the opportunity to stop for breakfast. It felt good to take off my poncho and rain jacket, but only to find that my other clothes had also soaked up some of the rain, though it wasn't too bad.

Arzúa had been a possible overnight stop in the event that the weather outlook precluded walking another 11km to Salceda. Figuring that I was already wet, and that it was too early to stop for the day, it was decided to continue through to Salceda. It surprised me how easily the time passed, even in continuing rain, as despite this the scenery was still pretty amazing.

Arriving at Salceda shortly after 1pm seemed like paradise, with a hot shower, and a quiet afternoon to relax. Even though I'm staying at a relatively new albergue, with good communal facilities, it surprises me that people mostly stay in their bunks. I've enjoyed sitting in the common area of albergues, as this allows me to meet other pilgrims and hear their stories. It may simply be a case of people having a lot on their minds as they near Santiago.

Steps: 38,400
Distance: 25.1km
Distance walked from St-Jean: 372.5kmEn savoir plus