El Camino (Levante) Silleda to beyond Dornellas (+/- 18.7km) - Friday 4th October, 2019.  

Well, today ended up long and exhausting with me doing extra and unexpected km... and yet, as it turned out, that was probably a blessing in disguise!  In the end it meant I could take a few km off Friday's walk, for which I was most grateful when at the end of the day, going into a restaurant, I crunched my ankle and ended up unable to bear weight on it..  I could not believe it and was seriously stressed.  What if I couldn't walk the last two days into Santiago?

Old trough/water catchment area

For those reading at this point - the reason for the extra km's is an extended detour, we think, probably due to the new railway that has dogged the Camino along most of its length.  The advantage of this is that I will end up with 2 x approximately 10km days, both short and sweet which allow me reduced walking on my foot, to rest it longer and in an elevated position in the afternoons and to arrive in Santiago early enough for the Pilgrim's Mass at 12.00... although this was not to be either (!) but more on that later.  The change of plan also allowed me to walk directly to the albergue rather than trek back and forth to my end and start points and we will be able to leave the car at the albergue so that M and I can walk "together" into Santiago - as he has accompanied me and acted as support vehicle, catering vehicle and cafe con leche provider for the whole trip.  This was particularly important when I was walking with the dogs - carrying extra first aid, dog food and water for them, alongside proving them with a place to bed down for the night by camping out with them.

Trade sign on the door lintel of one of the medieval homes
so those that could not read would know the tradesman
or trade practiced within

It stared out in drizzle with M accompanying me through the darkened streets, shining a torch onto posts and fences, trees and rocks in the hope of catching the glimpse of an arrow.  We both wanted to see the medieval village of O Foxo where the guidebook promised the medieval road was still the main street and the houses still exhibited the original trade signs over the doors.  We did not find many but the example here was just fabulous and so exciting to see.   I have never come across anything like this before.

The old road is still in tact and goes right through most of the village and it is amazing to think that for most of the way to Santiago, we follow the original pilgrim route, when there are so many modern roads that could easily have destroyed them.

Underpass before Bandeira - adorned
with Santiago symbols inside

I arrived at Bandeira and the fabulous cafe - Victorino, which is also a new albergue not listed in my book.  They are such friendly people and there were many pilgrim bags waiting for transfer as their owners walked on with day packs to their next location.  This transportation of "mochillas" is more and more common and the Correos (postal service) offer it for €4.00 per stage.  We sat down for the most delicious revueltos y chorizo for breakfast and a great coffee.  I would certainly stay here if I was walking this way next time.

Check out the Hotel Victorino Lera Xesbran S L
Calle Bandeira, 35
36540
Bandeira

The symbols in the
underpass

I stayed at the Conde Rey which was find, friendly and in the guidebook.  Not expensive and a perfect pilgrim stop over and location, also in the main high street, but the bathroom was minuscule and the bath was really just a deep version of a shower tray!

Advertising the Victoriano 

In Victorino, which we had breakfast, a few American and other pilgrims came in for breakfast too, or to collect bocadillos and some were just later leaving for the day.  After this I was set for the next leg of the journey, along a LOT of tar road and which would take me all the way to Dornelas.  Wow, another GREAT albergue here.  Brand new and beautifully built.  More on that to come.  As I headed out a marching, speedy pilgrim overtook me - carrying the most enormous staff I have ever seen!  He asked me where I was going and he pointed that he would be past Ponte Ulla, staking at the albergue of O Oteiro, wow, these guys cover some huge km each day.  It was only when I passed it myself the next day that I realised how far he had gone and also how he would have had to do the steep decent and ascent into and out of Ponte Ulla in order to get there!

Bread delivery box

I was glad he passed me though as he had been rattling away at full volume on his mobile, all the way down the hill behind me from Bandeira.  I thought one was supposed to pay attention to the Camino?  He must have been chatting full on for over 30 mins and not quite catching me up.  I am not even sure he needed the phone given how loudly he was talking!  Anyway, once past me he was soon out of sight.  I had stopped to take a photo thus allowing him a bit more catch up time,  of a "bread post box" - specially to message to my mother.  This would be perfect for her - bread delivery right to your door.  We are always joking that she can live on bread and potatoes alone - this kind of service seems made for her.

A little further on from the bread box was a sign to what had reviewed as the most amazing restaurant (Porto do Sol de Lamela) with galician delicacies.  We had been looking forward to visiting this but were more than a tad annoyed when they had not changed or updated opening times and we had driven out from Bandeira on the N525 and found it closed.  It is not a cheap place either and to be honest, if you post a sign from the Camino to encourage pilgrims to walk out of their way, you better be open!  If I had walked there, tired and hungry only to find it shut, I think I would have been tempted to throw a brick through the window!

Anyway, next stop was the wonderful and beautiful new albergue (another I could have had a stop at rather than walk so far... if only I had known about these and I must remember in the future to look more closely at Google Maps along the route when planning each stage as often they are marked) called Albergue - Cafetería "Casa Leiras".   It is beautifully built with a wood fire to heat the rooms between the shower rooms which were spotlessly clean.  What looks like and old vine press for grapes, is part of the interior design and the guy running it looked like he ws someone who had walked the Camino many times and was now setting up to run an albergue.  He had built it up himself next to the path and was growing veggies to provide for the cuisine.  There is more to build and finish and I really recommend staying here if you can add it into your Camino.  It comes complete with Hórreo and cats!

A note about sellos, the credential and the Compostela - I had read that one needs two per day in the last 100km but as noted earlier, if you are leaving before they can stamp you out or arrive after the stamps have been given, then it is impossible.  However, in researching my next Camino (the Ingles from Reading to Santiago) which will be done in two separate sections - England and Spain - one section is less than 100km if going from A Coruña.  I thought one had to do 100km all in one go for the Compostela, but it appears that if you are doing two stretches and the total comes to more than 100km (walking, 200km on a bicycle) then you don't have to do the 100km all in one go and you don't have to collet two stamps per day.  This rule apparently also came in in 2019.

The two stamps per day is essential if you are ONLY doing 100km and they do NOT have to be at your albergue.  One can be where you stay but the other can be at bars, ayuntamientos, police stations, petrol stations and so on... You do NOT get a compostela if you walk less than 100km.  I therefore think that his is finally the correct understanding of all the information I have gathered!  To be sure - check with your Confraternity of St James in regard to the Camino you will be walking and my advice - get two stamps each day anyway - they are lovely to collect!

Asleep with my beer at Casa Leiras - I was feeling VERY tired!  

The way out of Dornelas - the Church of San Martiño de Dornelas

Growing by the houses in Dornelas

San Martiño de Dornelas
where the local youth meet
to chat!

After the wonderfully welcome short break and a much on some delicious little pastries that M found in a bakery in Bandeiras, it was up yet another hill.  The guidebook seems to be very misleading in suggesting that it is all downhill to Ponte Ulla - which to be honest it should be as it is on a river at the bottom of a steep sided valley (hmmm??)... anyway, more up before the down... and before lone I realised that there was a BIG diversion!  This diversion comes after the 12th Century Romanesque church pictured here.  The route itself is actually a much more beautiful and peaceful route and followed by a lady who I initially thought was a peregrino.  She then stopped by a tree that was hollowed out by a fire and now a shrine.  It was odd but rather beautiful - I would have taken a photo but it seems rather disrespectful to do so with her there as she was praying or meditating.  I was then unsure if she perhaps cares for it - or maybe she had created it.  It was filed with buen camino messages and other religious pictures and cards with a real candle burning, a vase of red "fresh" flowers and many pinned camino mementos.

Originally we were going to meet at O Portiño, then
changed to nera Bascuas as there was supposed to be
a bar there... but neither worked out as the railway
works have taken over this whole area.  The black arrows
show the diversion. 

Helpful indication from
those who have gone this
way before

I walked on and later she followed but turned off the camino.  My feet were tired but I continued to near "A Estrada" ready to do the last km or so into Ponte Ulla.  There were amazing gardens with vines and flowers growing along teh boundaries and which shaded chickens beneath.  Some had cabbages as a border, one in particular with a pear and apple orchard within and a hydrangea hedge.

Hydrangea hedge

Ponte Ulla was not that far but I had been so tired at Dornelas that I had wanted to just stay asleep on my guidebook and couldn't finish my Estrella beer!  However, I still decided to finish before Ponte Ulla (and I'm glad I did as the steep decent proved the point about it being in the bottom of a steep sided valley) as I'm not sure my legs would have been up to it that afternoon!

Rewarding myself with a yummy local delicacy from the
Bandeira bakery!  

Overall it was a good day and I was chuffed that I was still in relatively fine fettle after almost 20km - much more than I had intended.  The whole stage as suggested by the guidebook, is Silleda to Ponte Ulla is 24km... so I guess I'm now only around 4km off this... based on where I ended up.. and further than the original estimated 18.7km.

Roadside "vending machine"
rest point - great idea

As I found my way to the meeting point that I had estimated based on where I thought the trail would take me and where it might come out by following logical options on Google Maps as I walked, M appeared ahead and our combined efforts, along with the "Find Friends" app which showed where he was in relation to me, meant we were in the right place.  He had parked a little along from a cute roadside "take away" stall - where pilgrims and help themselves to drinks and snacks from vending machines to take away or sit down for a break.

I wanted to make it a bit further, to the church at A Estrada, as a good point from which to commence the following day so he kind of curb crawled me the last km or so!  As we headed back to the albergue in Bandeira we passed quite a few peregrinos continuing on into the late afternoon, no doubt aiming to spend the night in Ponte Ulla.  The final "big" push before the trip into Santiago... it was getting closer!

And finally - the story of my ankle!  Of all the dumb things to happen, it crunched, not really twisted, as I got out of the car to go out to dinner, the boot kind of getting stuck onto the pavement outside the restaurant.  It bloody hurt!!!  I thought it was just one of those things that walk a few steps and it would improve, but no, I had really, really hurt it - and through the evening it became more swollen and very painful.  I grew more panicked that I wouldn't be able to walk the last two days, because despite being shorter, I could not see that I could limp slowly and still make either the distance or timing!

I took copious anti inflammatories and pain killers, elevated it and stayed really still, hoping for the best.  In the morning, although a tad improved it still hurt, so I did what I could - rubbed masses of ibuprofen gel onto it, wrapped it in vet wrap as tightly as possible without cutting off the circulation, took pain killers and stood on it.  Not great, but I could walk as long as I didn't bend it too much.  Steps were horrible, but going downhill not too bad and on the flat at times it did not seem as though it was too much of a problem, but of course I favoured it.  The only thing to do was to see what would happen and how it would go.

What I learnt from this later is that this is why higher sided boots are sensible and that with hiking shoes one is supposed to wear ankle supports.  I now have these and will use them in the future, or bandage with vet wrap as a precaution anyway... but for now, I had to do what I could.