Cycling The Camino 

Spain and Portugal 

Autumn 2023

An Autumn cycle tour along the French and Portuguese Camino Routes to / from Santiago de Compostela

The French and Portuguese Camino
 

In the early autumn I find myself cycling the French (most of it) and the Portuguese Camino routes to Santiago de Compostela.  There is a variety of traditional Camino routes, reflecting the wide range of travellers and pilgrims who over the centuries have come from far and wide, heading towards Compostela, which is said to be the burial place of the Apostle James, son of Zebedee, whose remains somehow ended up in Santiago and were discovered by a shepherd guided by a star.  Allegedly.  Sound familiar ? Well, stranger things have happened, I guess, including Jesus going to the USA after his crucifixion to talk to a long lost tribe of Israelites who had ended up there and leading to the creation of the Mormon religion.  I suppose Apostle James ending up in Santiago doesn’t seem any more odd or unlikely ?!

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Birmingham - Santander - Palencia
 18/19/20 Sept 2023

God bless Ryanair, cheap and cheerful, but they got me to Santander. It’s a small airport and I was out of it fairly quickly and able to put my bike together and cut up the cardboard box which was deposited in various trash cans around the airport.  Then a quick ride to my hotel, which smelt of cigarette smoke because the two old brother owners seem to spend their time walking up and down smoking cigarettes. Smoking seems to be alive and kicking in Spain. I won’t be going back to that particular hotel, not because of the smell of cigarettes, but mainly because they charged me €15 to put my bike in the downstairs storeroom. Never had that happen before. Food was cheap and cheerful in some local bar with an enforced wine stop on the way home because of a storm. And so to bed. 

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Palencia - Leon
21 Sept 2023
120 km

I had a lovely whole squid for dinner last night in Palencia.  See the pictures.  That was about 10:30 pm, and people were still coming in to the restaurant at 11 pm sitting down to eat.  Spaniards don’t even think of starting dinner until at least 8:30 pm.  In the morning I was up very early and on the road shortly before 7 am, when it was still dark.  It doesn’t get light util 8 am here at the moment.  The weather was not great, rain showers and a stiff breeze out of the west right in to my face.  I had 115 km to do, so it was doing to be a challenge.  However, I made it, arriving in Leon for 7 pm, meeting up with Dean and Bev, and going for dinner.  It was a tough day of cycling, mostly across the flat plains of Leon, but made difficult by the weather and especially the wind.  There you are, I have mentioned the wind !

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 Leon - Astorga
22 Sept 2023
55 km

Ponferrado - O Cebreiro 
23 Sept 2023
55 km (mountians) !)

O Cebreiro - Palas de Rey
24 Sept 2023
110 km

 Palas de Rey - Compostela
25 Sept 2023
110 km

  Compostela - O Porrino
27 Sept 2023
110 km

I've seen Compostela a couple of times before, including the swinging massive thurible at the Pilgrims' Mass in the Cathedral.  So, I wasn't too bothered about doing all the usual end-of-Camino things on my rest day on Tuesday.  I was staying in an Airbnb apartment a little out of town, which was very a la mode, mezzanine  bed area, and comfortable.  There was a nice grocery store across the road and a lovely cafe and restaurant just down the street, where I had two dinners and my breakfasts !  I am a habit of creature, especially when I find somewhere that I like.  I was tired, so I slept a lot, and I took some time to catch up with personal admin. laundry and a bit of bike maintenance.  Also, catching up with this blog.  On Tuesday afternoon I walked up to the Cathedral and the square and looked at and watched the pilgrims / visitors, all types, shapes and differences.  Interesting time people watching..

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O Porrino - Pavoa de Varzin
28 Sept 2023
115 km

Pavoa de Varzin - Albergaria-a-Velha
29 Sept 2023
110 km

IToday was another day of up and down hills and pretty atrocious roads and drivers, which took me through Porto and on to the south.  Porto is a very hilly city, up and down to the River Douro, with an especially hard slog on the south side pulling myself out of the city.  I’ll be back once I’ve finished in Lisbon to spend a few days, so will explore the place then, before heading back to Lisbon again by car ! Albergaria is a Camino town on the Portuguese route, with a good choice of pilgrim / walker hostals and pensions.  Mine was very tidy and clean and pleasant, and very good value.  Food was pretty simple and basic in a local eatery, the girls serving me speaking with a bit of an Irish lilt, it turning out she had spend some years in Galway working before returning home.

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 Albergaria-a-Velha - Pombal
30 Sept 2023
100 km

 Pombal - Santarem
01 Oct 2023
100 km

 Santarem - Lisbon
02 Oct 2023
90 km

Food....

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