- Distance Today 6.1 mi
- Distance Camino 2017 408.0 mi
The old saying “What goes up must come down” could never have been truer than today.
This morning at 8:00 we left Casa Lucas with clear blue skies and 49F with a little wind to add to the chill. Two days ago we climbed 2000 feet in altitude and then continued walking at or near the 4200 ft level yesterday. Today we walked back down over 2000 ft in elevation!
Fortunately for us, the weather was clear, dry and perfect for walking. The path was quite steep over half of the way but the walking surface provided good traction, well spaced level spaces to give our bodies a momentary break and there were very few sections that were rocky or covered with loose stones.
Though challenging, what made this another wonderful day on the Camino were the constantly changing, breathtaking views.
The first 1.5 miles we dropped only 300 feet in elevation, stopping for breakfast at Biduedo (pop.31) and upon leaving the village passed a small stone church that is reportedly the smallest on the entire Camino.
The next two miles we dropped 700 feet and took a breather at the hamlet of Fillobal and savored a nice glass of fresh squeezed OJ.
After another 2 miles, we had descended an additional 900 feet as we entered the hamlet of Ramil and were amazed at the large numbers of chestnut trees.
We continued on the final half mile or so into Triacastela dropping the final 100 feet, totaling a 2000 feet descent for the morning.
We stopped at a nearby bar and called Casa da Veiga (32€) to send a driver to pick us up and take us to our place for the day, some 2 miles off the Camino.
Our room is in a building that has about a dozen rooms, living areas and meeting rooms. It is a former rectory for the nearby church. It appears to be an ideal place for events or corporate meetings and is adjacent to a nice home of the absentee owner, who lives in Barcelona. The surrounding property is very isolated with a small, old, inactive church a cemetery and a farm with cows and horses, owned by our hostess and property caretaker, her mother and grandmother.
The facility provides only breakfast, so the caretaker shuttles guests into Triacastela for lunch and dinner as needed… which makes it a suitable housing option for pilgrims like us.
Jimandi 