Day 23 - Molinaseca to Villafranca del Bierzo

Choosing to stay in a private room last night was pure genius on my part as it allowed me to be well-rested for the 30km day ahead of me. I strode out into the chilly four-degree morning, my fingers numb and unable to hold my pole properly. Stop sniggering. The mercury quickly rose however and by the time I got through the city of Ponferrada, I was keen to remove a layer. Around lunchtime, I arrived at the town of Cacabelos and found myself smack bang in the middle of a fiesta that could only be described as the Mardi Gras crossed with a tractor pull. The Main Street was lined with vintage and new tractors adorned with flowers, crucifixes, statues of their patron saint, and, on one, a revolving diorama of a tractor and a farmer. Unfortunately, I couldn’t hang around to see who was crowned Miss John Deere 2018 and climbed the hill out of town to either the booming sound of backfiring farm equipment or fireworks. From the looks of some of the antiques in the main plaza, I couldn’t be too sure. The rest of the afternoon was spent walking through vineyards under clear blue skies and I arrived at my final destination, Villafranca del Bierzo. Fingers crossed that history repeats and I sleep soundly tonight as tomorrow I face (Dun Dun DUUUNNN!!!) the perilous ascent of O’Cebreiro. This is going to hurt. 

Distance - 30.6km

Difficulty - ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Camin-Oh no! - Litter. Just carry it with you and put it in the first bin you come across!

Camin-Oh hell yeah! - Being one of the first to arrive at your albergue as you are guaranteed a hot shower.

@caminoagogo

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