Day 1 on Camino Sanabrés
Weather: 13 - 22 degrees. Light cloud. No rain.
Clothes: short sleeve merino shirt, light wind fleece, trekking pants, pressure socks which work well.
Started just before 7 am with a fellow Pilgrim and passed through the lightly forested area in the dark. I could see the trees in either side with my head lamp. I was glad to have an amigo ahead of me giving me a sense of confidence and safety.
It’s tricky walking with just that small pool of light. It’s hard to tell up hill or down hill, except by the effort required going up, and a sense of instability going down. About an hour in I came to a steep down hill. In the dark it looked like the road just disappeared. I started down with what I thought was care. I couldn’t see how long the down hill section was - and lo and behold - I slipped and landed ‘softly’ on my left knee. Instead of chiding myself I congratulated myself on a great save - no injuries, not even a scratch or graze. I progressed with even more care.
One of the major things about walking with others is to not hurry to their pace - a real discipline - but to let them move ahead if they are faster than you. One of the reasons I slipped was that the mind was slightly ahead of my feet and I was hurrying a little to keep up with my fellow pilgrim.
The highlight of the day came soon after - a bridge spanning a beautiful lake, and then a tricky and interesting walk along the other side of the lake. I got there at first light and saw the headlamps of the two guys ahead of me on the other side of the lake. Without that encouragement I would have been very wary about that left turn off the sealed road and into what looked like a very precarious or non existent track. Thank goodness for the yellow arrows that kept me going over seemingly impassable rocky outcrops. It was a most beautiful walk, tracking along the side of the lake . There were many areas of up turned soil which I think was from wild pigs; but mainly trees, rocks and tiny meadows.
After a steep climb to the top of the hill/ mountain there was a bit of a meadow walk and then on to the next plain/meseta - this time with crops of corn and lucerne.
Right now it is 12.30 pm and I am sitting in the first bar since we left, drinking a Vino Tinto with sparkling mineral water and eating a tapas of mussels. Yum! Then on to the last 7.1 km to Tábara.
Later
Oh, that was a hard 7 km. But slow and steady with a few breaks got me to Tábara and the albergue on the far side of town. They offer dinner at 8 pm and breakfast at 7 am.
The afternoon is warm and breezy so I took advantage and washed some clothes after my lovely hot shower. I must say the facilities in the albergues have been excellent - and either €5 or €6 or by donation.
Now I am back down at the bar having an ensalata mixta (iceberg lettuce, sardines this time, eggs and lots of roasted capsicum) and a vino so I can last till dinner. The Bar was really nice to do food at 4.00 pm when the cook was just about to finish. 🙏🙏🙏
Today was an extraordinarily interesting day with a bit of a slog at the end. I will try and plan a shorter day for tomorrow.
Buen CaminoRead more
Traveler Gefühlt bist du erst seit einer Woche dort aber es ist einfach schon ein Monat! 🫨
Traveler Hier in Deutschland musst du auch kein Wasser mitnehmen, kannst einfach beim Laufen mit Mund auf nach oben schauen ☔️ (wie man in den vielen Footprints der Trihiker lesen kann)
Traveler Tolles Foto. 👍
Schönwetterwanderer Wieder richtig tolle Fotos die Laune machen, so mit blauem Himmel und Sonne 🤠