Today, I’d like to take you with us on the fourth day of the Camino Ingles. Not because it’s the longest or most difficult day – it isn’t! That’s probably day five (just over 30km and 90% on tarred roads). Nor is it the most varied or beautiful – that would be day three.
Stephanie’s son, Sam, who lives in Madrid walked Day 3, Pontedeume to Miño, with us. He had joined us at the end of Day 2 so that he could take us to Vinoteca O Gaiteiro near Cabañas for a gastro dinner. What a treat – though we did all feel slightly the worse for our indulgence the next day!
Day 3
The walk out of Pontedeume, a charming holiday town, was a straight up climb through the town, leaving behind the calm water in the bay, heading up the estuary into peaceful countryside – rolling hills, a gentle blend of eucalyptus groves, grazing land, and small stone chapels, numerous hórreos (iconic Galician grain stores on stone stilts), and public lavaderos (outdoor washing areas with running spring water).
The day (and the 17+km) went by quickly while we chatted on about different ways of life in England and Spain while in work and retirement. That night was the only one we prepared dinner ourselves – with delicious ingredients from the local supermarket: prawns fried in garlic butter, olives, local Raf tomatoes which are to die for (and which I’ll be looking for seeds of to plant in my garden), anchovies, goat cheese and bread. Wonderful.
Day 4
Our starting point today, the town of Miño, sits beside the Ría de Betanzos. It has a small beach that is very popular with locals in summer. We have a traditional breakfast in Barbazul, a café that looks over the calm water, and then set off. It’s over 26km today, so we need to get going promptly.
Today the terrain is varied, with gentle ascents as we move inland away from the coastal influence. It’s increasingly rural Galicia here – small farms, roaming livestock, and modest stone homes define the landscape. Galician religious life is deeply intertwined with nature. Many chapels and shrines are tucked into hillsides or beside springs where offerings to saints and requests for healing were part of the old Camino tradition. We find many of the waymarks piled with stones as offerings by peregrinos (pilgrims).
So, let’s get on with our journey
At first, we follow the river and soon cross the medieval Ponte do Porco (Pig Bridge) over the Lambre River. Legend says the name comes from the dramatic death of Roxin Roxal and his lover Tareixa, while hunting a wild boar.
Soon, we pass through Castro, a quiet village with ancient roots. The area is associated with the Andrade family, anoble house that was a dominant power in the region during the middle ages and renaissance period. They were known for building roads, bridges, churches and the like, and we pass a monument to the family.
The asphalt road winds upwards. We have to be sure to walk on the left facing the traffic for safety. The section is patrolled by the guardia civil (civil guard) and they’ll be on us if they see us on the wrong side.
Our walk winds slowly upwards between tall eucalyptus and oaks for some time, accompanied by lively birdsong. As we approach a small village, the sounds change to barking dogs, and cockerels calling one another. The trees are now laden with lemons, oranges and young figs, and all about us are sweet smelling philadelphus bushes. Looking down into the valley we can see the river winding deep below us. Then we take a break, have a drink and get our Camino passports stamped at the cafe.
Now, it’s back into the trees, winding upwards again, between the hedgerows with wild strawberries and dandelions. At last, we reach the top, where a welcoming refreshment stand run by volunteers offers some water, mementos and another stamp for the passports. We meet today’s friendly volunteer, Carlos. He has a wealth of knowledge about the area, and especially the Andrade family. He tells us about the fiesta and market in Betanzos. This is a chance to have a chat to some of the other peregrinos stopped here.
And so on into Betanzos
A beautiful old town, known for its tortilla de patata (Spanish omelette), Betanzos has five gates and three old churches. We have our lunch on the steps of Igrexa de San Domingos, one of the churches overlooking the square where the market is set up. No one minds sharing the shade with a few pigeons and goldfinches.
There’s time for a quick look around the market but we can’t linger here too long. We’ve still got a way to go. Little lizards run across our path as we trudge slowly up and up into the cool of the trees, up and up. There’s no worry about getting lost – you can’t miss the regular milestones with the symbol of the scallop shell and yellow arrow pointing us to the path and showing the number of kilometres to Santiago de Compostela.
We pass lines of cultivated palm trees with their bunches of yellow flowers hanging near the top. Apparently, they are grown to prevent soil erosion and provide nutritional feed for livestock, habitat for wildlife, and fencing material.
Still a bit further
We keep going up beyond the tree line and into the sun, upwards to the top. But we’re not there yet! We need to cross that railway bridge and go over the motorway. The waypoint says we’re 62.1km from Santiago – almost halfway to the end (59km).
This is our highest point so far! A quick rest in the shade before we push on to Limiñon, where we have a forest chalet for the night. Time for some nuts and dried fruit to give us some energy, and a drink of water, while enjoying the lovely earthy smells of the forest gums, pines, and ferns.
The camino takes us between orchards of apples, peaches, figs, avocados, lemons, grapes, then more forest – gums to the right, oaks to the left – and ferns. Shade at least!
It’s 4 o’clock and there’s the sign for halfway!! We’re on the last stretch now; we’re almost in Limiñon. We just need to find number 50.
We made it
What a relief to arrive – time to relax in our forest haven surrounded by peace, calm, gentle evening light. Are those deck chairs?
Those 26 kilometres were a hard slog at times, but what a great achievement! We’re lucky we have Kathryn who offers to go to the village to get a few beers and a bottle of wine to end a perfect day.
