Sunday 17th April

22km (442 km)

The best day

Today has been my favourite day on this Camino. If someone wants to do this Camino just do the last 5 days as this has been a perfect day. There were many people en route, most happy to chat. I met a cyclist for San Francisco who during covid can work from anywhere. She is working in the evenings on the Camino. I suppose she must be carrying her laptop?

Just being

The walk was beautiful, the usual forest trails but following rivers for the most part. There were many steep ascents and descents but as the route was scenic this was manageable. I quite enjoyed passing fellow walkers on the ascent. They were surprised to be overtaken by an oldie. By way of an explanation, I say that I’m Scottish. As if I live in the mountains and spend my days chasing haggis…

The beautiful city of Pontevedra

I arrived early in Pontevedra. I’m staying at a lovely little pension right in the heart of the old town. Menu del día was the only option before everything shut at 3:30. After which I then spent a couple of hours being a tourist. I only managed half of the tourist route due to blisters. The feet needed resting so I rethought. The parts that I did visit made me think that once again this is somewhere worth a revisit. The old town has an abundance of ancient churches and huge, open squares with bustling, lively tapas bars.

Edinburgh Festival Vibes

I suspect visiting Pontevedra on Easter Sunday might be like visiting Edinburgh during the festival. It might not always be so lively. A perfect stop and I am so glad I didn’t take a taxi all the way here. I thought I might do this on Friday in a bid to make the Monday plane back to Edinburgh. Another 20km tomorrow, these short days make everything a lot more manageable and enjoyable. I think on future walks this should be the average instead of the 28km average in the past.