To Chantada — 34 km and 900 m

It felt weird leaving this morning, knowing that I would not be meeting up with Clare, since she was heading to Madrid. Time to make a mental adjustment.

When I left Monforte this morning, I had pretty much made up my mind to stop after about 24 km in a new albergue that has been built inside the 14th century Bishops Palace adjacent to a beautiful 12th century Romanesque church. I’ve never been able to see the inside of the church, and I heard that the hospitalera had the key. On the way, I went to two lookout spots over the Minho River to see my other favorite horseshoe bend. The regional government has spent a lot of money, improving the lookout points, and the views were great, even though it was cloudy.

When I got to the albergue, had a rest, and visited the church and the albergue facilities, I just couldn’t bring myself to stop walking. It was not raining, there was no one else there, and everything all around was wet, I decided to do the last 8 km into Chantada . This meant descending on a beautiful but slightly wet and slippery trail, crossing the river and then ascending to the top on the other side.

The Minho Valley is supposedly its own microclimate, and when I crested the top for the last 5 km into Chantada, the gusts of cold wind and strong rain hit me in the face. Just as things were feeling grim, I came upon a group of very joyous Portuguese pilgrims. The time passed quickly, but I was so happy to arrive in my hotel. Hair dryer, heat, towel heating rack— all of those amenities were very much appreciated.Läs mer