Camino do Mar - Stage 13

We awoke to blue skies this morning and got an early start on a longish day to Ferrol. There were several alternative paths we could take to shorten the route, but with beautiful weather and a rest day tomorrow, we went for the long route contouring the coast. And while I don’t regret that decision, the ratio of scenery to meh was not as high as the GPS route suggested. Still, a meh day walking in sunny weather is better than any day in the office!

We got right to business, dropping down to the beach for a 2k walk on Praia de San Xurxo. However, there was a creek crossing right at the start and despite our strongest desires, we soaked our shoes and socks. Not an awesome start. Of course, we were greeted with another stream crossing on the other side where we removed shoes and socks, walked up the stairs, and took a break to let things dry in the sun. 20 minutes later, we were ready to start again.

The path climbed steeply up and wound drunkenly through some neck tall gorse before reaching Poste SE de la Milla (elevation 99m) where we found a better trail that opened into views of the ocean across to A Coruña. Beautiful walking down to the boardwalk at Praia de Doniños (where locals made their position on Gaza very clear) and climbed back out at the other end of the beach only to drop again to round Lagoa de Doniños and then climb up again on small roads into eucalyptus forests.

The final section dropped back down near the port and wound its way back into Ferrol. We’d been looking for a bench to eat at when we heard bagpipes in the distance. As we got closer, we saw a man practicing at a picnic spot so we stopped, hoping for a lunch of cheese and crackers to the sound of bagpipes. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be. The man promptly packed up and left, and we both felt bad for blowing up his practice session (but not too bad because the next bench was almost 40 minutes further on).

Ferrol opened before us, with the forts of Castelo de San Filipe and Castle of La Palma standing guard below us. Alas, even with the city in sight we still had miles of walking. The trail circumnavigates the bay and port of Ferrol, winding the long, long way round before landing in town.

So after a long day I can say that I wouldn’t have wanted to miss today, but I wouldn’t walk it again. And we’re both extremely excited for a rest day!Read more