Santa Marina (bike day 1 / 45km)

We switched from the feet to the e-bikes and thought we’d have a few easy going days. Well!! Let’s just say our batteries were very low when we ended and we were reintroduced to some muscles that had not been used for a long time. Definitely going to be stiff tomorrow. There is absolutely no way we could have done that without e-bikes. Some long and steep hills. So a good day of cycling and as always, with the hills we get great views.
There was rain about so we hid under a bridge and ate our picnic lunch during a heavy shower. This made some of the paths a bit muddy. We were mostly on roads / paved surfaces and firm gravel but sometimes on stony paths up or down the hills. We could have stuck to the road but tried to follow the official bicycle Camino path.
Our Albergue is set in a lovely country village with bordering farmlands and hills in the distance. The dark clouds added to the effect. We had a late start out of Santiago as we had to go and fetch our bikes, learn how pack them and then get to the start - the cathedral. Nothing happens early in Spain! As a result we got in quite late at 5pm but were happy we negotiated the bikes with no real issues. We ended with a nice home cooked meal and met a few lovely people, a Swedish lady who has walked so many Caminos now walking with her grandson, a very friendly german couple and a Portuguese group who were happy to chat and then went off to bed, but …
The room was a mess and we didn’t know where anything was. Our walking backpack routine was so slick but now we have bicycle bags. Everything is in a new place I don’t know when we will get to bed!Read more