Yesterday’s walk was quite a bit longer than we anticipated in both time and disatsnce. We didn’t walk into Portomarin until almost 6:00 pm. I had calculated that even with a slower pace it would be no more than 6 hours on the trail to cover the 22.7 kilometers. So, we slept in, had a leisurely breakfast and walked at a slower pace, more like 2.5 rather than 3 miles an hour. It wasn’t until late in the afternoon when we had already walked over 12.5 miles and were told it was still another 5 kilometers (3 more miles) to Portomarin that I realized what had gone wrong. At first I blamed Brierly because his book clearly says 12.7 miles but it also shows an adjustment for elevation which I failed to include. With the adjustment for elevation he was spot on at a little under 16 miles for the day.
It really was a beautiful walk mostly on natural path through oak and pine forests but it was alternatively quite humid and then cold. We were taking our jackets on and off every half hour or so all day long.
Portomarin is a small town with only about 200 permanent residents but it welcomes many hundreds of people on the Camino every day during the season. Historic Portomarin was originally located at the bottom of what is now an enormous reservoir that was created when in 1960 when the Spanish government damned the River Mino. They moved the entire town up the hill including an enormous 12th Century Church that was literally dismantled stone by stone and rebuilt in a prominent location in the new town. They numbered each stone as it was dismantled and the numbers are still visible on some of them.
Last October when I was here it hadn’t rained in months and the water level was so low we could see the foundations of the old Portomarin sticking up out of the shallow water. Not so this year, the water level is high and overflowing.
I kept thinking about how much easier it was to arrive here on horseback last October than it was on foot this year but Picaro likely has his own opinions in that regard.
The Camino has a different character from Sarria to Santiago. Sarria is the largest built up space more than 100 kilometers from Santiago so lots of people start their Camino in Sarria because it’s only required that you walk the last 100 km in order to receive your Compostela. First thing you notice is there a lot more people on the Camino and rather than solitary walkers as is typically the case up until the last 100 km there are lots of organized groups of various sizes. They have matching shirts and neck tags and buses drop them off and pick them up along the way and also lots of groups on bicycles.
Last night we watched part of the World Cup soccer game between Portugal and Spain in one of the bars but I don’t know who won because we we were back at the hotel with lights out before 10:00.
Today we walk from here to Palas de Reí it’s 24.8 kilometers but adding the adjustment for elevation of 2.2 kms its 27 total or about 16.2 miles a bit longer than yesterday. You ascend 500 meters from an elevation of 250 meters at the base of the River Mino to 720 meters at the top of Sierra Ligonde but it’s over a distance of more than 12 kms so although challenging its nothing like what we faced on the ascent to O’cebreiro.
It’s only 40 something degrees now and not expected to get about 70 so we’ve got a cool day hopefully with some cloud cover.
Tomorrow it’s 26.5 kms (16 miles) from Palas de Rei to Arzua including the adjustment for elevation.
So we are starting out early today and intend to maintain a steady pace hoping to get to Palas de Rei by mid afternoon cause tomorrow’s another solid day and an earlier arrival will allow for needed down time.
We are both doing fine, no real blisters just a few irritated spots between the toes but moleskins take care of them. Whoever invented moleskins is a genius.
Buen Camino
