Boente to Salceda

21km of mostly beautiful rural paths and an hour of rain.

We planned for an early start to enable us to avoid possible rain patches with strategic coffee breaks. Down to the bar for 7:00am breakfast and found the place in darkness. We returned to our room to pack up and be on our way and found breakfast in full swing at 7:30 as we went down to leave.

So refuelled we walked in darkness with a headlamp for 40 minutes until first light. For 8km the Camino followed a country path below overhanging trees up and down across several small river valleys until our coffee and cake stop in Arzúa.

Arzúa also gave us access to an ATM to replenish cash and a farmacia for blister dressings and Vitamin I (ibuprofen). It would have been nice to check out the weekly street market but rain was predicted and we moved on.

Leaving Arzúa through unpaved country lanes we encountered more of the eucalyptus groves we had seen yesterday. There are 400k hectares of Aussie eucalyptus forests in Galicia. Saw some fine old Stringy Barks.

We stopped for a lunch of empanadas at Casa Do Hórreo in Ferreira just 3.5km short of our destination for the day. It started to rain and continued quite heavily for an hour so we stayed under cover for dessert and coffee. With no letup in the rain we donned our ponchos and walked on in the now easing rain and continued onto our accommodation.

Now after dinner we are drying wet gear for tomorrow’s predicted downpour.Read more