Day 13 - A Fonsagrada to O Cádavo

Another day, another misty morning, and another 24.2 km on a stage referred to in my guidebook as ‘The Leg Wrecker’. With this ominous moniker in mind and the looming threat of the temperature being in the mid to high 20s, I set off after a quick breakfast and headed out into the fog. 

The click-clack of unseen pilgrims echoed through the quiet streets. Quiet that is until I reached a house blasting ominous-sounding classical music. Why? I have no idea, however, I managed to make my way past without crossing paths with a coven of witches or the devil himself. So far so good. 

As it turns out I needn’t have worried about anything today, as the path, whilst testing at times, didn’t wreck my legs completely and the temperature got nowhere near where predicted. In fact, the fog stuck around all day and the sun only made an appearance once I was finished for the day. There was one point during today’s walk that I was glad the fog stuck around, and that was at the site of the Neolithic Dolmen de Pedras Dereitas. The wind howled, the fog swirled, and there in the midst of it, was the dolmen. With nothing and nobody else in sight, I could have been back in Neolithic times for all I knew. It was an eerie and amazing experience. 

On top of that, other parts of today’s trail looked straight out of a Brothers Grimm story, with a narrow trail winding parallel to moss-covered stone walls and lines of trees, with the fog hemming everything in. I was expecting to bump into a troll at any moment, or find myself in the center of a fairy ring, neither of which eventuated, and within six hours I found myself entering the outskirts of the town of O Cádavo. 

Once I arrived at my Albergue I was informed that they were completely full and that my reservation had been transferred to their other property, which was back up the hill in the direction I just came. This was the last thing I needed or wanted after some tough ups and downs already today BUT I’m happy to report that it was worth the additional hundred meters as I was upgraded to a private room, which is perfect as I need a good night’s rest in preparation for tomorrow’s thirty-kilometer trek to the town of Lugo. 

Distance - 24.2Km 

Difficulty - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Camin-oh no! - Heartbreak Hills. Those hills where you go up, up, up, then just when you think you’re at the top it rounds a bend and then you see that there’s even more up, up, up to go. They are killers. 

Camin-oh hell yeah! - One word: UPGRADE.

@caminoagogo