A wet morning in the hills, a cafe that had deliverance vibes and a night in a monastery, not to mention the highest point on the Norte done – quite an eventful day.
Just after 0800h I was out the door with the promise of breakfast in 2km. It was warm and dry at first but rain was on the way. I was hoping to get to the cafe before the deluge arrived, however it was closed.
The route goes over a rocky heath where I caught up with Judyta, just as the rain arrived. Ponchos on and umbrella up, but it wasn’t enough, my trainers were soon wet.
As misery enjoys company we walked together. It was mostly flat with the occasional incline. The terrain was kind with a good respite from road walking when needed.
We got 10km done and there had been nowhere to stop. We sheltered under a bus stop – the rain didn’t let up. We trudged on for another 6km to shelter under a dilapidated barn.
We checked Google maps to only find we were 50m from a cafe. Giggling at the absurdity, we made a dash for it. It’s basically a small farm with a seating area in the kitchen.
Chickens were running free, big German shepherds watched us, and a very strong smell of farmyard and wet dog hung in the air. We took a seat inside at the kitchen table. The owner cooked us up a fresh cheese omelette bocadillo – and I got an earl grey tea to warm up.
The rain had eased off. We continued on and with every step the sky brightened and eventually the Sun came out to play. The walking became easier, and without knowing we passed over the highest point on the Camino Norte. There was no sign indicating this, I only found out after looking at the map once we arrived at Meśon where we had another break.
5km on we arrived into Sobrado in high spirits. We passed a small lake on the way into town that caused us to pause for pictures.
Our albergue for the night is in a monastery, the monk originally from England, booked us in for the night. I took a look around the cloisters and the church with amazing stone masonry. Renovations have been taking place and has transformed the albergue into a modern establishment.
Andy and Michelle are staying here as well, I hadn’t expected to see them again, it was a nice bit of Camino magic.
For once there were a few restaurants open on a Monday and finding something to eat wasn’t a problem. Tomorrow we join the Camino Frances, on the run into Santiago. We will have to book ahead now as it gets busy – I had forgotten how busy the Frances is, it took me three attempts to find some beds!
Stu's Camino 