Day 29 - Sarria to Portomarin

Thank you Antonio, the hotel was great and the restaurant below was fab, and I only got woken twice by the wild boar snoring in the bed next to me.

As predicted, there were a whole load of freshers starting the Camino today. They all had brand new clean gear and were sprinting on, not a care for their feet or legs that have probably never been conditioned for this. We all learn the hard way.

The atmosphere was different again, previously everyone when passing wishes each other Buoen Camino, I have said it a thousand times. Now the old timers seemed to stick together and the new guys march on and with no acknowledgement to anyone else. But that's OK.

The Camino takes us back into the woods through the ancient oaks and chestnuts. The hedgerows are bursting with wild flowers and ferns that enjoy the humid atmosphere that prevails in the woods. Foxgloves and Broom, bright yellow, are everywhere.

We have never seen so many pilgrims, of all shapes, sizes and ages.

We meet up with our Irish mates that we constantly bump into in the towns along the way.

A real mile stone (excuse the pun), now 690km behind us and only 100km to Santiago, we all shake hands and congratulate each other.

We pass through many small villages, Barbadelo, Morgade, Ferrerios, Mercadoiro & Vilcha.

The mass of early morning pilgrims has now spread out and we are back to the peace and quiet we have grown accustomed to.

Portomarin is now in the distance and a steep drop into the town.

Among the treasures of Portomarin is the church and fortress of San Juan and San Nicolas, built by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem in the 12th century. The temple was moved one stone at a time before they flooded the former town for the construction of the reservoir.

In the seasons when the water level is low, the remains of the some of the ancient buildings, the water front and the old bridge are still visible.

The original bridge was of Roman origin and joined the southern district of San Nicolas (headquarters of the Knights of St John ).

The river formed a major strategic boundary and consequently the area had a turbulent past.

The steep staircase in front is part of the original medieval bridge across the Rio Mino (now replaced with a longer modern bridge). These lead up to the arch and “Capella de Santa Maria de las Nieves” which, along with many other historical monuments, were removed and repositioned on the high ground around Portomarin when the dam was built to create the Belesar reservoir in 1962.

Our hostel tonight is Hostel Portomino, at the back of the town with a bar and small restaurant.

The steep descent into the town today was assisted by our walking poles. I would never have tumbled the first couple of days if I had started out with them. They are a VERY useful tool and I would never go on a long walk with out them again.

Tomorrow we are bound for Palas de Rei 25km, starting out by skirting the reservoir.