Pontevedra

22km with two tough climbs away from and back to sea level, in cooler shadier conditions.

We were up early today to leave Redondela at sunrise which was about 7:40am.

We deferred breakfast to the town of Arcade at about the 7km mark to get a jump on the longish walk.

The walk to Arcade took us on mostly dirt tracks up over a hill of about 150m. At times the track was very steep. Lots of the route was through beautiful shady eucalyptus forest.

We had a most welcome breakfast at the first place we saw in Arcade: juice, cafe con leche, avocado, egg and almonds on toast.

Resuming the walk we did a similar climb again to about 150m, followed by a much more gentle descent into greater Pontevedra. We passed through some very picturesque farms on the hillsides on the way down.

Then it was 6km or so along a lovely shaded path following the River Gafo well into the city of Pontevedra.

We stopped at a bar for a late lunch of bocadillos and Cokes Zero before covering the final 2km to our room at Acolá Rooms in the city center. It’s a big city of 80,000 people. Lots going on as we walked through on a work day.

After a rest and a shower, bodies remain functional and have found their way to a neighbourhood square with amber muscle relaxant.Read more