Day 24 - Camponaraya to Vega de Valverde

Lovely room yesterday evening, what a delight to have sheets as opposed to a sleeping bag and to get your laundry done rather than mashing up your stinky socks in the bathroom sink. Mind you, I guess I’m easily pleased now I’m well into my fourth week on the Camino.

I wandered down to the dining room and found my Irish banker friend sitting with a couple of guys I hadn’t met before. An American ex-military type and a Dutchman. After the usual pleasantries, I explained that I had just retired. “Me too” replied the Dutchman. “What did you do” I asked him. “I was a drug dealer” came the response. He’d owned a string of ‘coffee shops’ in the Netherlands that started to do a little too well, so much so, ‘the mob’ decided he needed to hand them over. As you might imagine, he wasn’t frightfully keen on the idea, but after several arson attacks and kidnappings he eventually saw the light. “What finally persuaded you” I asked. My new friend held up his left hand, his little finger was missing!


Another early start and just outside Camponaraya was the first Camino milestone showing less than 200km to Santiago. With only 7 days to go I must average about 30km per day now, and at 29Km, today’s destination was Vega de Valcarce. As we are still very much in the mountains, the standard route takes you along valleys, next to the main road. There is a far more interesting and rarely used alternative which is longer and goes straight over a couple of peaks. As it was a nice day, I thought I’d give it a try. It got seriously steep but ended up being seriously lovely, with the Ancares mountains spread out as far as the eye could see. 

It was also refreshing to have the path to myself for a change; all I encountered was an American father and son who had evidently taken this route by mistake and were in the middle of a heated argument about whether to go on or turn back.

 

I arrived in Vega de Valcarce about two, found my room but as it’s a Sunday, I’ll have to wait until five for my beer, can you imagine!


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