My morning mess – a plastic bag for everything and everything in its plastic bag!
The forecast today was for rain and it had rained through the night.
I dressed accordingly!
The bar down the road was a cosy place for breakfast .
I decided to walk with Antonio again today as the slower pace will be good and he has accurate data in his GPS.
As it turned out the route markings today were good although it will be confusing if anyone ever moves this bin !
It was raining lightly for the first hour or so of our day.
It wasn’t long before we passed again the abandoned partly built high speed railway line. The guy at the restaurant last night told us you can follow it for 27km directly to Tábara, saving a day in the walk to Santiago but I wanted to follow the traditional route.
Little showers of rain continued through the day and at times we had sunshine.
We passed the ruins of the town of Castrotorafe which reached its zenith in the 12th century and finally abandoned in the 18 th.
The lonely life of a shepherd – its not a very good photo but I wanted to include it as it gives an idea of the shepherd’s life.
It started raining heavily when we were a few kilometres from our destination and we sheltered under a culvert.
We arrived at the small village of Granja at around 2pm.
This is the point where the pilgrim must decided to either keep heading north along the Via de la Plata to Astorga where the route ends and intercepts the Camino Francés. This is the main pilgrimage route and the one that’s been popularised by film and books . I’m sure it’s very beautiful and culturally rich but I think it’s a bit of a victim of its own success . I heard that a few months ago over 200 pilgrims arrived in one day in a small village and there wasn’t enough food to feed them all.
I’ll be heading north west tomorrow slong the Via Sanabrés
Where the routes spit-
As I write this, there’s the sound of thunder, but the forecast for the next few days at least is cloudy but fine.
I was hoping to visit a nearby ruined monastery but it might be a bit too wet.
Paul's Walks Through Europe 
I’m vicariously enjoying your pilgrimage Paul. The countryside rewinds me of Australia in ways- a sometimes harsh beauty and similar light. What antiquity in the towns and the ruins- it must feel amazing to know you’re walking in the footsteps of others who were there so long before you. Hope your leg is getting better. How far have you walked? When do you expect to arrive?
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Hi Vicki it’s so good to get your comments ! I’ve got two weeks left and I’ve covered about 620km
My left leg is finally better but I did something to the other ankle yesterday 🙄
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Oh no Paul. You are a hardy trouper. Stay safe xxxx
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Hi Paul,
This blog has been fantastic. This is most likely the farthest part of the route that I will manage. I just want to thank you for bringing the trail to life with words and pictures. I spent six months in Oz as a much younger man and loved the place, and its nice that an aussie has provided me with the info to give me the confidence to take the plunge on this route. Five days and I am off with only my feet to guide me. Thanks mate.
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Hi I si glad the blog has been of use to you. One of the reasons I go to the trouble of writing a post while I walking, as I am now, is in tbe hope it will be of use to others. I wonder if much has changed in the 3 years since I was on tbe VdlP?
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