El Camino del Norte : Ribadeo to Sobrado dos Monxes

Kilometres this section : 131

Kilometres completed : 784

This path has been here a while.

So far the Camino del Norte has largely hugged the coast, but of course Santiago itself is inland, so the route heads southwest from Ribadeo.  It's another short day, I take it easy through forest, on various gravel tracks and minor roads, and as far as the weather goes, there are plenty of clouds today, but still no rain in Galicia.  I am sharing the way with many pilgrims now, and there are not many places to stop, it's not exactly wilderness but civilization is limited to small villages, I don't see so much as a cafe until after lunch.  Today's stop is Vilanova de Lourenzá, it is pretty small but has an impressive church and tower, and a rather classy albergue.  I eat so much food, a menu with spaghetti then grilled pork and chips, and bars give me chorizo, cheese, empanada...

Hórreo!

Another day, and it is easy again, although the last such I fear, after today things get more strenuous.  It is still not raining, it seems Galicia has better weather, and it's also nice to see skinny Galician horreos, although around here they are crazily high, Asturian style.  Nice walking too, more forest tracks and minor roads, to Mondoñedo, which must have been an important place once, judging by the big cathedral.  Then a lovely walk contouring along the side of a valley, a climb up to 500m, and then down to Abadín where I check in to another nice albergue.  It occurs to me that I should book something in Santiago, and wow there are hardly any beds to be had, I end up near the airport,  well not a bad thing given that I need to go there anyway.  As for tonight, yes it is yet another pilgrim menu, this one has 

cauliflower cheese with ham, merluza a la plancha, and a bottle of wine, yay.

Into the wild country.

Time to stop taking it easy and do some serious walking, for a couple of days anyway, 40km each day in fact.  Well, the weather is good, and it's flat, time to power on.  I can see this has been a popular route for a long time, as I walk over ancient bridges and paving, then a nice path through woods.  I make it to Vilalba by midday, time for lunch then, a nice place this, and it feels like proper Galicia, just as with many towns last year the route runs along a medieval street with decaying houses.  Back into the country, there are green fields, with interesting boundaries formed of thin, flat, standing stones.  Tonight I am stopping at Baamonde, the last place I don't have a reservation, but I've heard heard the albergue is big, and yes it has 70 beds, plenty of room for me.  No menu tonight, oh no, I will have to eat pizza again...

Monastry at Sobrado dos Monxes.

The second long day then, I make an early start at least, on a misty morning that turns into a nice day.  I walk on forest tracks, out  into proper wilderness, moorland and rocky outcrops, very pleasant it is, the only problem being that I go a long way with no food, I am not carrying lunch, and the occasional tiny villages have nothing in the way of shops or cafes, even when there's an albergue.  I climb up to 700m, and finally find a bar at 3pm, for a late lunch of empanada de atún.  It's really not too far now to today's stop at Sobrado dos Monxes, where there is a monastery of course, but not much else.  I do get another menu, macaroni to start, I pick out the pasta and leave the lamb, honestly it was way too much anyway, then the main is a really nice bit of fish.

Photos to go with this post can be found here.