The first inclines and rain of the pilgrimage arrived today as we moved from the coast to an inland section.
It had lashed it down during the night giving the morning a refreshing air. I began walking with Anastasia from Russia until I caught up with my mum and brother.
We called into a cafe for breakfast and by the time we finished the rain returned. Poncho time! The route left the quiet villages into woodland as it descended to a river.
Over a stone footbridge and up the other side. Luckily the rain had stopped at this point, and it was the last we saw of it for the day.
The rise kept on going until we reached the church in Castelo do Neiva. Opposite a cafe, a perfect spot for a rest and views over the valley below.
The route passes through woodland for a bit, with the path flooded at one part. We had to balance over fallen stones from a wall to cross.
We rejoined a country road into Chafe, where we stopped for a much needed lunch. The sun had made a showing now, warming us up after the damp morning.
After one more little hill, we descended into Viana, crossing a large bridge spanning the estuary. My albergue was in an old convent, just on the other side.
That evening we started booking ahead for mum and Pete. Places were fully booked, even Vigo only had few vacancies.
This prompted me to look at the albergues; similar situation. I knew from Redondela, it would get busy, but I didn’t expect it as soon as I entered Spain.
We sorted accommodation up to Caldas de Reí, at which point my phone ran out of juice – hence the late blog post!
Pete opted for an Irish bar for food that had a selection of Belgium beers – heavy head for the morning.
