LIVE from the Camino My Caminho da Geira e dos Arrieiros Nov 2024

[David Tallan]

Tuesday 19 November 2024, Braga - Caldelas.

This is a continuation of my account of life as a hospitalero in Salamanca and my Camino Torres

Today was a relatively short walk, so I got a later start, having breakfast at the youth hostel at 8. It was cloudy and misty, a bit like the first days of the Camino Torres.

Again, for the most part, the walk this first day was not especially memorable or special. I expect that will change soon, as I leave the environs of Braga behind. Unfortunately, some of the more interesting buildings I passed were closed. The Visigothic chapel of St. Fructuosus, just outside of Braga had been closed yesterday and wasn't due to open today until 2, and I wasn't ready to start the day's walk that late. The monastery in Rendufe is only open to the public on weekends. So I ended up basically walking straight to Caldelas.

Initially, the signage on the route didn't refer to the Geiras at all. It was signed as the Caminho Minhoto Ribeiro and the São Bento. Only later in the walk did I start to see it marked as the Geira or Geira e dos Arrieiros. But towards the end of today's walk, it was the Geira signage the was predominant.

I arrived in Caldelas at about 12:30 and signed in to the albergue. The albergue is located behind the post office, which itself is located in the old schoolhouse. You sign in to the albergue in the post office, pay your €5 and collect the stamp in your credencial, and then are taken to the albergue and given the tour. There's a nice little kitchen, but there are places to eat in the village, including a restaurant and the cheaper cafe, which has come recommended. As soon as I dropped off my stuff, I went to the cafe for a nice lunch. Then I went to see what there is in Caldelas. According to my Cultural Guide to the Geira, the principal attractions are the thermal bath complex and park and the Church of Santiago, so I went to see both of those (from the outside). I also found a nice little Church of Our Lady of Health, which was open so I could see the inside, too.

All that being done, I went back to the albergue for a restful afternoon. I will head back to Cafe Avenida for supper and have been told it can expect a visitor (I'm guessing José Manuel) at about 7. (Edited to add that the kitchen and dining room at the Cafe seemed closed at 6, so I guess it is more of a lunch place, or maybe I went too early but I wanted to be back by 7, so I just went to the supermarket and got some things to eat.)

It turned out that José Manuel was kept late at work, so he dropped by at about 8:30 and we had a good chat about what to expect. According to JM, the real Geira starts tomorrow.

Photos: leaving Braga, some typical scenes from the early part of the walk, the monastery at Rendufe, the final climb towards Caldelas, the church of Santiago in Caldelas, the smaller (but open) chapel of Our Lady of Health

 

[gracethepilgrim]

Oooh David, I’m so excited for you. Your photos are bringing back memories.
I’m certainly hoping you don’t get much rain.
It’s a spectacular Camino.

 

[Peter Brandon]

David l loved reading your account of the first day on your Facebook page. As l noted there we finished the Camino GDA about 10 days ago. If people are interested I can include my posts on the Camino Forum.
Cheers Peter

 

[David Tallan]

Wednesday 20 November 2024, Caldelas - Campo do Gerês.

I got a little bit of a later start than intended today, partly because it just took me longer to get ready and partly because as soon as I was out the door I realized it was lightly raining and rearranged things to walk in the rain. I stopped at the Cafe for some breakfast and had them make me up a couple of sandwiches to go for lunch, as is recommended practice pretty much every day on this Camino.

It was a long walk today, 31km according to my GPX tracks. It was definitely a very different walk than the previous few days. While there was a bit of road walking towards the beginning and end, the bulk of the day was spent walking on dirt paths through forests on the sides of mountains.

It was a wet day. Not much rain. A few periods of very light rain or drizzle, but mostly just misty or foggy and water all around. And I am serious about water all around. There is a part of the Spiritual Variant of the Camino Portugues they call The Way if Stone and Water. Today's walk could have been The Way of Stepping Stones and Water. Countless streams passed across the path, to be crossed by stepping stones. And if the streams did not cross the path, they went alongside it, or they were the path. But there was generally a way to avoid stepping in the water, if you considered the situation carefully enough. Each one (and there were many) was its own unique puzzle to be solved. It wasn't the streams or the rain that soaked my shoes and socks (and sometimes pants). It was all of the undergrowth that was covered in condensation.

The road I was following, the Geira, was the old Roman road from the Roman town now called Braga to the Roman town now called Astorga. I was a bit trepidatious when I learned I would be following a Roman road. My previous experience on Roman roads on Caminos, while historically interesting, had been terrible on my feet - even worse than cobblestones or setts. But this Roman road wasn't those uncovered stones. It was still covered and basically a dirt road. What made it obviously a Roman road was the cylindrical granite milestones every mile, often several together.

Something I forgot to mention yesterday was the support network for this route, which is fabulous. They even have a WhatsApp group devoted to support for pilgrims walking it, which José Manuel added me to yesterday. And Leonel Pereira is still providing support, too.

One of the pieces of advice I got was, at a certain juncture where the GPS track says to go left, instead go right and stay on the Geira. This way you avoid descending and losing all the altitude you've claimed so far and having to climb it all over again. By following this advice, although it was a long day, after the first hour and a bit, all of it was fairly even. But it meant that I didnt have my GPS tracks to fall back on if the signage was ever unclear to me. The first time that happened I was at a fork with no signage. Left went down and right went even. I massaged folk asking which way to go and then headed right, thinking if it was a mistake it would be easier to recover from than if I made a mistake and went down. Sure enough, I got a reply 5 minutes later. At the same time, that was when I saw a sign I was on the right route. From then on, whenever I was in doubt, I just picked the route I thought was right, figuring I would reassess if I didn't see a sign I was on the right route within 20 minutes. I always picked correctly and always found a sign long begore then, either a painted marking, or one of the Geira sign pillars, or Roman milestones.

As I said, it was a long day. It was after 2:30 when I pulled into Covide, the first place with food. I was glad that I had got those sandwiches, which I had eaten earlier.The cafe didn't have much at this time of day, though. So I had a coffee, a small sandwich, and an apple and moved on.

For some reason on the Geira e dos Arrieiros my Wikiloc is not audibly letting me know when I go off trail, as I accidentally did following the Geira signs and arrows after Covide. Once again, the GPS tracks and the Geira were diverging and I accidentally followed the Geira (as evidenced, not only by the Geira signage, but by another Roman milestone), adding a bit to the length of my day. I finally pulled in to the youth hostel at about 4:15, only to discover that reception is closed from 4:00 - 5:00. While I was waiting for check in, I worked on booking my accommodation for the rest of the Camino. I rested in the albergue until about 6:45, then walked the km into the village to get some supper and the km back. Shower and shave, drying of shoes, insoles, and socks accomplished (or as close as I can get to that) and I am writing this before bed.

Photos: a misty, misty, morning; Roman milestones, views from the trail, walking through the woods, the trail is a stream, Geira silhouette (there were many of these).

 

[Pilgrim9]

Wow! Stunning scenery and yes "a bit moist".

Thank you, David.

 

[jerbear]

Thanks

 

[Peter Brandon]

Fabulous photos David. I loved this day but it was long and tiring. We made the mistake of going down and not following the green path. Meant a slog back up to join the GDA. BOM Camino

 

[caminka]

David l loved reading your account of the first day on your Facebook page. As l noted there we finished the Camino GDA about 10 days ago. If people are interested I can include my posts on the Camino Forum.
Cheers Peter

yes, please, peter. can you start a new thread?

 

[David Tallan]

Thursday 21 November, Campo do Gerês to Lobios.

Today wasn't an extra short day, nor an extra long one. At just over 25.5 km, it took just over 7 hours duration (about 6.5 hours walking). Add an extra hour to the finish time because I am back in Spain.

It was a wet day again. At first it was like yesterday: fog, mist, maybe a little drizzle. Cooler, enough that I was quite comfortable in my rain jacket. Of course, the moment I crossed the border into Galicia it started to rain. That's Galicia for you.

But to start at the start, I got a relatively early start, with breakfast at 7 and on the road by 7:30. It was the usual paved road at the beginning but before too long it turned into a nice dirt road. In the morning, there was some stunning scenery, especially when walking by the Homem River. At first it was wide and placid, then narrowed a lot, becoming a series of cascades and rapids. There were amazing views of the river, of the mountains around it, and of the green and mossy forest that I was walking through.

At around the time that the river narrows, is also the time when the road narrows, from a road suitable for cars to a path suitable only for hikers, sometimes only in single file. As you approach the border, the path starts to climb, becoming very rocky in parts. This was another day where, for the most part, I had to be careful and watch every step where I was putting my foot.

At first I thought that, in following the GPS route, I had somehow lost the Geira, because a long time went by before I saw my first milestones at mile XXXI. But when I found them, I found them. There were a whole pile of them. 17, according to the Cultural Guide (although I didn't count). From then on, they started being more regular again. One thing I meant to say about the Cultural Guide. In the entries, they will often tell you to which emperors the various milestones are dedicated. That means they can not only see the writing, they can read it. I am in awe. It is rare I can even discern the writing, never mind decipher it.

After crossing the border, it was a long walk through mountains and scrub and wet, passing the occasional Roman relic (milestones or even the ruins of a mansio) before making a detour to Os Baños, home of the hot springs. I stopped in Bar Os Cazadores for a bocadillo, and dipped my hand in the public hot springs pool (in which a number of people were bathing). The water was quite warm, but not too hot. Maybe the rain had lowered the temperature a bit. You could see a bit of mist rising from it, although it doesn't really show up in the photo I took.

Then it was press on to Lobios. During this part of the day, I even had a brief glimpse of sunlight, although of course the rain was not done. There was one last hill to climb and descend, just to keep me on my toes, and then I made it in to Lobios and my hotel, where I've been resting until it is time to go out for cena.

Im going to head down and see if I can get some newspaper to stuff my shoes with tonight to help them dry. I also will need to figure out something to do about the smell that they have acquired with the humidity of the last couple of days.

Some photos from today:

 

[grayland]

Thank you, David.
A fantastic log and description of the route and adventure.

 

[Peter Nordberg]

Looks fantastic! Great pictures and text. Thanks for sharing.

 

[olj]

Wow! What a stunning trail. Love the mossy greens and cascades. I have put it on my ever growing list of Caminos I need to do!

 

[Charrito]

One of the great stages on any of the caminos. I love it.

 

[grayland]

David....We are in the initial planning of the Geira.
Can you share what guides and information you are using? There is a bit of data out there but some of it is not as current as that info you have used.

Thanks again for the amazing thread on your adventure in Salamanca. It brought back memories of several times walking into and out of Salamanca. One of our favorite Camino places.

 

[Charrito]

David....We are in the initial planning of the Geira.
Can you share what guides and information you are using? There is a bit of data out there but some of it is not as current as that info you have used.

Thanks again for the amazing thread on your adventure in Salamanca. It brought back memories of several times walking into and out of Salamanca. One of our favorite Camino places.

Loads of threads here with incredibly detailed information from those of us who’ve walked this marvellous camino.

 

[David Tallan]

David....We are in the initial planning of the Geira.
Can you share what guides and information you are using? There is a bit of data out there but some of it is not as current as that info you have used.

Thanks again for the amazing thread on your adventure in Salamanca. It brought back memories of several times walking into and out of Salamanca. One of our favorite Camino places.

Primarily, I've been relying on:
- a couple of physical print guides (one to the route, one to the things you see on it) which i scanned into PDF. To be honest, I don't use the former much while on the Camino
- the website https://www.debragaasantiago.com/geira-arrieiros/
- various threads on this forum of people's Caminos (peregrina2000, jungleboy, Charrito)
- most recently, the resource caminka just provided
- the advice of individuals like José Manuel and Leonel Pereira

 

[grayland]

Loads of threads here with incredibly detailed information from those of us who’ve walked this marvellous camino.

Yes....but from David's great thread (here) it is obvious that he has it it well in hand without much drama.
After about 15 years of Camino planning I am not adverse to learning from the research, planning and experience of others.
I have become lazy.

 

[grayland]

I do see that Michael (Wise Pilgrim) now has a guide.

 

[David Tallan]

I do see that Michael (Wise Pilgrim) now has a guide.

I was just looking at that. @wisepilgrim something seems to be off with your distances for my next stage, Lobios to Castro Laboreiro. I have it as around 20-21 km. If you add up your distances between those two places it comes to over 45 km.

 

[Freewalker]

Once again thanks a million for taking the time to review your day in words to all of us. Such a treat ! Unfortunately, I won't have enough time for the GdA after completing the Torres in the spring. Another time. Aproveite cada segundo!

 

[Dani7]

Absolutely stunning photos of your day. You made my heart skip a beat with longing. Thank you

 

[chinacat]

A lovely stage!
Lots of it reminds me of my local area. The wider river (4th photograph) looks very similar to a few spots on one of our local rivers.
We have lots of mossy greens too (understatement )
It’s not surprising, as we have a similar climate.
And, as I’ve said before on here, the main difference is in the temperatures.

But that path with the lumps of granite
Did you walk that one, David???

 

[David Tallan]

A lovely stage!
Lots of it reminds me of my local area. The wider river (4th photograph) looks very similar to a few spots on one of our local rivers.
We have lots of mossy greens too (understatement )
It’s not surprising, as we have a similar climate.
And, as I’ve said before on here, the main difference is in the temperatures.

But that path with the lumps of granite
Did you walk that one, David???

That was today.

 

[David Tallan]

Friday 22 November 2024, Lobios - Castro Laboreiro

I'm back in Portugal for my last night here. It wasn't an especially long day today, but there was a fair amount of climbing. 838m of vertical ascent, according to my tracking app. And that doesn't count the climb to the castle, but more on that later.

I tried to get an early start today, and what with Spanish time being what it is, I once again set off in the dark, like I often did at the beginning of my Camino Torres. The sky started to lighten fairly soon, though, so I wasn't walking in full dark for long. The sky was clear, but it was colder than it had been. I started in my puffy jacket, but took it off when it got too hot with the climbing I was doing. But then, just being in a tee shirt was a bit too cold (I could see my breath at times). Eventually, I settled on being in my rain jacket/windbreaker, which i wore for much of the day.

At first the scenery was pretty standard for what I had come to expect from this Camino: farms and villages, surrounded by mountains, as well as hiking trails through forests and scrub. Basically, the same as what you've been reading here from me the last couple of days. Certainly, very nice, but I was growing accustomed to it.

I stopped in Entrimo for second breakfast, to visit the supermarket, and hopefully get a stamp. I had heard there were several places to do so. But only one cafe/bar seemed to be open, and although there was a sticker outside the building saying they would stamp credentials, inside they told me that they had no stamp. They did provide a nice slice of tortilla (with chorizo and cheese as well as potatoes, it turned out) to go with my cafe con leche.

Then, shortly before the Portuguese border, things changed. The landscape was much more dramatic and remote. Lots of interesting rock formations and extra impressive mountains. Walking through this landscape gave the the same feeling as my favourite walking days on the San Salvador. It was magical.

Even afterwards, for the rest of the day, echoes of that experience and landscape remained. I was again walking on a narrow trail through scrubland beside a rushing river. Not long after passing a very nice bridge over the river, the final climb of the day to Castro Laboreiro commenced. I had seen Castro Laboreiro from quite a distance away, and I regretted every downhill after that, knowing it was just going to add to the final climb, which was grueling but doable.

The place I had booked to stay was the first place you pass by at the entrance to the town, with a beautiful view looking back to the valley I had just climbed out of. I went to check in but there was no one there, just an envelope with my name containing the room key (and another similar envelope for another guest). I've been in and out several times, but never seen anyone. I guess no stamp for me from here. The room was very nice l, though, with a nice view from the window.

After dropping off my backpack in the room, I headed into town to get some food. I went to Tasquina Castreja, which had been recommended and had a very nice and filling lunch. Then I stopped by the panaderia/mini-market to get the rest of the things I would need for tomorrow. After dropping these off in the room, I set off to visit the castle.

The path to the castle begins just across the road, more or less, from where I am staying. It is quite the climb, even without a backpack. Fortunately, they have installed metal railings at some of the scarier parts of the climb. But it is worth it. The views are incredible.

After visiting the castle, though, I am done for the day. I had a big lunch, so I will have a light supper. I have some sandwich fixings that I need to use up (you always want to be prepared with food on this Camino, I was warned, and I just bought the replacements). That will be my supper. I don't need to go out again. My shoes and insoles and socks are airing out on the windowsill outside.

I did just get a recommendation for supper. I'm told that the Mira Castro restaurant has the best cod imaginable. If I had known that at lunch, things may have gone differently (although I was certainly not unhappy with what I ate). I will have to use that recommendation next time, or offer it here to amyone who might follow in my footsteps.

I think it will be an early bedtime tonight. Tomorrow is a long stage, one of two really long ones remaining in this Camino. Two long stages and one steep one.

Photos from today (including one from my bedroom window):

 

[peregrina2000]

The views are incredible

That is an understatement! One of the most fun castles I’ve ever climbed around, even though it’s mostly ruins. So glad you had great weather!

 

[Pelegrin]

David. I visited Castro Laboreiro in September as a tourist. I think I was in the same room !!. Tomorrow you have the difficult descent Portelinha - Alcobaça. Bom Caminho.

 

[David Tallan]

Well, that was a real screw up. I was thinking "should I bring everything in from the windowsill overnight?" and then I thought "Nah. It is calm and clear. Let them have even more time to air out. There is a big overhang so dew will not fall on them." And then I woke up at 3 am to the sound of the wind howling outside. And it was raining. And everything was thoroughly soaked. And one of the socks had blown away.

Wet feet tomorrow and I will have to wait until I can find the next place to buy a pair of socks.

 

[AlanSykes]

Wet feet tomorrow

Not a pleasure. And no consolation that a main memory for me of quite a lot of the way from Castro Laboreiro to A Estrada is of wet feet, as sections of the camino go (or went, in 2021) along narrow paths that were running streams back then. sks, as they say.

 

[David Tallan]

Not a pleasure. And no consolation that a main memory for me of quite a lot of the way from Castro Laboreiro to A Estrada is of wet feet, as sections of the camino go (or went, in 2021) along narrow paths that were running streams back then. sks, as they say.

Oh, it was exactly the same today. The first 7 km took me 3 hours because of those streams.

 

[Pelegrin]

It is possible to avoid the streams following the road in Portelinha until the deviation to Alcobaça, where crossing a bridge ( the border) you can find again the marks. This must be three kms more.

 

[Pelegrin]

It is possible to avoid the streams following the road in Portelinha until the deviation to Alcobaça, where crossing a bridge ( the border) you can find again the marks. This must be three kms more.

I don' t know which option is better because the road has some traffic.

 

[jungleboy]

Our experience was the same that day!

 

[David Tallan]

I don' t know which option is better because the road has some traffic.

I would have taken the road and traffic (and 3 km more) over these streams!

 

[Pilgrim9]

Are good quality rubber boots recommended for this route?

 

[David Tallan]

Saturday 23 November 2024, Castro Laboreiro - Cortegada

Today was a long, hard day. About 30 km.

I knew it was off to a rough start when I woke at 3 am to the sounds of a howling wind and realized my shoes and insoles on the windowsill outside were soaking and one of my socks had blown away. I had thought I probably should bring them in, but yesterday was clear and no rain was forecast for today. Give them a little more time to air, I thought. Big mistake. I didn't get too much sleep after that.

The walk today was very different in its different parts. The hardest part was the first almost 7km, which took me about 3 hours to navigate. Much of the path was effectively a rocky stream, treacherous and slippery. You had to be super careful every single step where to put your foot. It helped a bit that I started the day resigned to walking in wet shoes, but that didn't mean I wanted to stick them into a stream. Nor did I want to fall and crack my head on rocks if I lost my footing. Thank heavens for my hiking poles! This was all topped off by a small river by the border back into Spain with not quite enough stepping stones still sticking out of the water to get me across. I ended up taking off my shoes and socks, converting my pants into shorts, and using the stepping stones as beat as I could barefoot. And doing some, without the shoes, was the right decision. It would be interesting to do this Camino in dry season and see how different it is.

Eventually, this part of the day ended and the next part was on the road. I know many pilgrims hate road walking. "How much of the route is unpaved," they ask. I welcomed the road walking. Wide, even, flat, dry, it was paradise compared to what i had just been through. And the scenery was gorgeous, big vistas of layer after layer of green mountains dotted with villages. Just beautiful. I also liked the "road cows", grazing along the road. This was mostly downhill. In fact, the whole day was mostly downhill (including those streams I hated) . Long winding roads of descent.

The road section finally ended when the GPS track sent me off into the woods on my left. They yellow arrows were still telling me to follow the road and, as I mentioned before, I was really appreciating the road. And the path into the woods was going to be quite the climb, which would just add to the descent. I thought seriously about following the arrows instead of the track. But I had been advised to follow the GPS tracks, so I did. Fortunately, this unpaved road was dry. If it hadn't been, I may have decided differently, despite the advice.

So forest walking was the next section of the walk. Most of the rest of the walk was through forests. Sometimes I would emerge into a village, but then head back into the woods. One of the first villages I passed through in this part of the walk was San Amaro, where there was a bar that had been recommended for a stop. Unfortunately, it was closed and deserted. But I stopped anyways, and sat at a table on their terrace, drinking some of my water and eating some chocolate and an apple. During this section there were often really high winds. It practically felt like I was in danger of being blown off course. Fortunately, it was generally a tailwind instead of a headwind. Key at this time was my buff. The hat I bought in Salamanca sits very loosely on my head. A buffet underneath worked marvelously to keep the hat on my head.

The final bit was by the river Miño (or Minho). There were several options. There was staying on the road, which was shorter and less up and down. Or turning left where the GPS tracks tell you to and getting more forest walking. Or, as someone else suggested, turning left again, away from the GPS tracks, and walking right along the rivers edge. This takes you to a lookout point, and past the spa from 1937 (where I stopped for a coffee and a stamp) before eventually climbing back up into the town and to the place where I was staying. Unfortunately, the time for that coffee probably prevented me from seeing my hosts, who provided me with the entry code, left out the key and sellos for me, and laid out a wonderful breakfast. The radiator was on in my room and did a great job of drying my socks and insoles. Now I am sitting in the local bar, waiting for my plato combinado supper, before heading back for a well deserved rest. Tomorrow is a much shorter day, with much to see when I arrive, not least of which is a laundromat!

Photos from today:

 

[Pelegrin]

I would have taken the road and traffic (and 3 km more) over these streams!

Sorry David. I didn' t dare to recommend because the longer distance and the traffic. Cars go fast on that stretch.