The albergue stirred around 6am, so I joined in and geared up for the day. 30mins later I was back on the way.
Yesterday was hills and forest, today was rivers and sea. For 13km the route follows the Rego da Armenteira and the Rio Umia. It was pitch black resulting in the use of my head torch.
The first 2km was tricky as the path was uneven with boulders and tree roots. But that subsided to easy dirt paths. It was very peaceful and fun to see bats darting after their pray in the torch light.
As dawn broke I stopped for breakfast at a restaurant then joined the Rio Umia. Ducks and herons were enjoying the early morning waters; no sound but the running water and the birds.
At Ponte Arnelas I left the river to climb over a small hill to descend to the coast, then it was a stroll into Vilanova along the water front.
I called into the information centre to find out what I have to do about booking the boat for tomorrow; the Maritime Camino ‘Via Crucis’. This is the supposed route that brought St. James’ remains into Spain.
The route is marked with 17 stone crosses and is the only one in the world. There is an option to walk from Vilanova to Padrón, but the chance to do the Via Crucis is one I don’t want to miss.
Oh! And I managed to find a place to stay, so no sports hall or sleeping under the stars. The Camino provides!
Stu's Camino 