Friday 6 September 2013

600km down the road..

I leave early again and walk fast. Our plan today is to do one and a half stages so that we can walk into Santiago tomorrow morning in time for the pilgrims mass. To do that, our destination for today is Teo.

Again today I see Donald as I am getting ready to go so we agree to meet at the first coffee place which is about an hour away. He leaves a bit before me so when I start I walk to catch him. It is 6:15am and it's fine when I am walking under streetlights, but I need to use my torch when I get beyond the town. It's hard to walk at full speed in the dark, and easy to miss the way marking. After 30 minutes I pass a really lovely French couple and ask if they have seen Donald. They haven't, so somehow one of us has taken a detour. I am pretty sure it wasn't me, and I hope he's not walking completely off the way. I have a coffee and keep walking. I arrive at Padron at 9:45am, having covered the 18km stage in time for breakfast.

I slow down a bit over the next 10km. I have a moment where I think I should be seeing the destination but nothing is making sense on the map. I decide to take a break and try to figure it out. My GPS only confuses me more as it says I am a long way west of the destination. I am contemplating either walking back to check, which I don't like, or keep going forward and risk entering Santiago, which is now only 18kms away. As I am thinking this through a scout group from Portugal walk by. I hail them and ask about the albergue at Teo. They are going there and it's still 4km ahead. Is there anyone more helpful than a Portuguese Scout?

I reach the albergue at 12:30pm. There is a group resting there but I am the first guest for the night. Donald makes it in just as the last beds are being taken. Carlos and Wade arrive just before the manager and are told they can't sleep on the floor. They go back down the road 2km and book in to another place with the others.

After a drink at the local I decide that I will go down the road and meet up with the others for dinner. It will be our last together. I have eaten with these people most days since Ponte de Lima. We have a lot of running jokes and have also had some significant discussions about many things over the past 10 days. After the funniest dinner I have ever had I march back up the hill to be back in the albergue by the 10pm curfew.

Oh yes, today I reached the 600km mark on my walk, but who's counting?
Is this day 26?

Today's photos:
1. Last nights dinner, all the regulars together.
2. A nice looking church in the dark.
3. Some beautiful forest walking in daylight.
4. Padron. In the guide it's the end of the days walk. Today it's a breakfast stop.
5. A beautiful Spanish lane.
6. A Spanish goat.
7. The sort of entrance I would love to have, if only it would fit in our front yard.
8. The Last Supper.


3 comments:

  1. Can't believe your nearly at the end seems (to me) it is only yesterday that you started. See you soon know how many days as my grandaughter is counting down to the 18th as it is her birthday. xx

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  2. When in doubt, ask a Scout!

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  3. Finally have internet again, enjoying the election results!!! while you are over the line by now. well done and congratulations, a little sad that this walk is over but what an experience.L&R

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