Asturianos - Requejo de Sanabria 30 km

I got up wishing I had been in the other room with Meg, Kathleen, Anne and Mirjam. I was in a room with 6 other people, 5 of who were serious snorers, earplugs were no help.

The walk to Requejo was quite tedious, the weather was very changeable, sunshine and drizzle and a dampness in the air, and it has generally been cooler and damper the further north we have come. The camino path today was very varied, it went through a lot of damp, soggy, wooded farmland, and country roads and a fair bit on the tarmac as well. Part of the path just outside Asturianos was flooded and muddy but not enough to require a detour, there were a couple of steepish hills to go up as well and a quite steep one downhill on the way out of Asturianos.

Puebla de Sanabria looked like a nice historic town but I didn't have time to be a tourist, I had hoped to get a coffee but I couldn't find a café or bar that was open despite the fact that it was after 0900. I did find a supermarket that was open so I went in and treated myself to some sugary snacks, and then carried on. I made good time for the first 20 km, but I found the last 9 km more difficult, and a bit slower. Just outside Requejo I noted that the GPS trace of the camino path seemed to be quite a bit longer than going directly on the road, so I chose the road. Although I don't like walking on the tarmac it is quicker, and I could tell from the map that the camino route involved some hill climbing. It was a good choice, for when I messaged back to Meg and the others it seemed they were finding it hard going.

I eventually arrived in the town and looked for a café which I found easy enough and I got a coffee from a morose girl behind the counter, the coffee was a lot better than her demeanour. The guidebook described the municipal albergue as 'basic' which put us all off, so we planned go to a private albergue Casa Cerviño, so I headed there. I just arrived and stepped in the door when the heavens opened in a torrential and long lasting downpour of rain. As Musashi says, timing is everything.

I was the first to arrive, so I messaged the others to tell them that the albergue was really good. It was spacious, very clean, had good toilets and showers, and a washing machine and tumble dryer. The bar/restaurant was right next door as well (the food was very good). I hadn't been there long when I had the most wonderful surprise, for the next person to arrive in the albergue was Anita! Having gone all the way to Santiago de Compostela for some physio she was back on the camino. She is an inspiring woman, and as tough and resilient as her homeland.

All the others eventually arrived wet and tired, and glad for a shower and change of clothes.

When the rain went off Mirjam, Anne and I went out to look for provisions for the next day. Requejo de Sanabria is one of the least resourced towns we have stayed in thus far, we were not able to get any provisions other than a few Magdalena cakes from the bar with the morose barmaid. However, the evening was full of chat and the warmth of friendship shared, even with the rain, these are the days that you want to last forever.Read more