Day 42, October 21, O’Cebreiro to Triacastela (21.3 km)

Day 42, October 21, O’Cebreiro to Triacastela (21.3 km)

We could have stayed in the fairy tale town of O’Cebreiro and lived like hobbits, but we had kilometers to go before we sleep. So it was toast and cafe con leche at our favourite little funky restaurant in O’Cebreiro followed by a view of the “almost sunrise” before saying “adios” to the little village. We were fortunate again today to have clear skies and a comfortable temperature for walking, so it wasn’t long before we were peeling off several layers of clothing.

O'Cebreiro

The trail wound around the forested hill where O’Cebreiro is perched before dropping down into Linares, 3.1 km away. Soon afterwards we arrived at Alto de San Roque where an imposing statue of a medieval pilgrim looks out over the vast expanse of Galicia and its deep valleys.

O'Cebreiro to Triacastela
Alto de San Roque
O'Cebreiro to Triacastela
View from Alto de San Roque

Almost all of today’s walking was on natural paths on the flanks of the mountains, leading us through several small villages as well as busy farm yards. Farmers bring their cattle to pasture via the Camino trail, so we had to carefully avoid cow pies and bear the smell of manure as best we could.

O'Cebreiro to Triacastela
O’Cebreiro to Triacastela
O'Cebreiro to Triacastela

It was easy walking except for one short uphill grind before Alto do Polo. Thank goodness there was ice cream for sale at the cafe at the top of the hill. How perfect is that!? The toughest part of the walk was the 6.6 km downhill stretch from Biduedo to Triacastela, our destination for the day.

Triacastela is named for three castles, none of which survived. The town was an important stop for medieval pilgrims coming down off the mountain with several hospices and an extensive monastery. It is an attractive place to stop today with a wide selection of bars, restaurants and hostels serving the increasing number of pilgrims, including us, who are passing through.

Since crossing over into Galicia, we’ve noticed concrete posts every half kilometer showing the distance to Santiago. They remind us that we are on track and making progress. According to the concrete marker here in Triacastela we are 130 km from Santiago and according to our calculations we’ve walked 684 km.

5 thoughts on “Day 42, October 21, O’Cebreiro to Triacastela (21.3 km)

  1. Hi Judy:
    I hardly know how to tell you how much I’m enjoying your journey and how much I don’t want it to end. Your descriptions are so personal, informative and eloquent and your pictures so beautiful that I can almost feel that I’m there too!
    Did you ever imagine that you would be taking all of us with you?
    Sandy

    1. Hi Sandy,
      I’m so glad you are enjoying our journey, too! There is a kind of sadness to think it will soon be coming to and end. Now I know what people meant on the Camino forum about how to transition back to every day life. 🙁 At the same time I am so glad we were able to have this experience. 🙂

  2. Hi Judy and Dave. We are not too far away from you in comparison to Sidney. Just arrived in Tarascon France. Tomorrow heading for Nice for a week.Two weeks on a river cruise makes me feel pretty guilty as a comparison. Love the pictures and commentary.

    1. Enjoy your stay in France and your river cruise, Shelley! There were a couple of days when I wished we were cruising instead of walking!

  3. Hi Judy and Dave
    I’m really enjoying your blog. Your pictures are great, especially the bridges and todays picture of the ‘almost sunrise’.

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