Distance: 28.3km (265.2km / 993.9km).
Weather: Nice.
There were strange sounds coming from the albergue during the night, I could not reckon what, but it sounded almost like someone trying to get in. The morning left no clues either, I think it was just my sleepy mind playing tricks with me. It is pitch black outside when I leave. Thankfully, the bar in Vilasoa where we had dinner at yesterday is open. You may not find much sustenance in the Spanish breakfasts, but I enjoy that little moment before I go with a café con letche.
Purple sky in the morning after leaving A Laxe.
After Vilasoa, the Camino leaves the road (N-525), but still continues relatively close to it. The light is beautiful in the morning, pale shades of purple are coloring the sky. In the distance there are some ridges rising, some of them dotted with wind turbines. Further behind those ridges will the Camino Portugués be coming up from Portugal, as that is the direction of Pontevedra, it is now some days since I came that same way. The light continues to be beautiful when I walk past acres, tiny farms, churches and briefly passing through Prado. When the sun rises on the sky, it paints the fields I walk next to in warm light. Morning has been wonderful.
Sunrise after Prado.
Río Deza below with a railroad bridge behind.
According to my little leaflet about the Invierno made by the Xunta de Galicia, which in fact is far more useful than the guidebook that I have, I will today come to the medieval bridge of Taboada. Expecting to see an old, but nice, bridge in familiar Galician surroundings, I get something entirely else. And the approach to the bridge gives it all away. Like the Río Miño, the Río Deza cuts through the landscape, although not as dramatic as the Miño. There are no terraced vineyards either, instead thick textures of trees lines up the riversides. Bridges too, large arched bridges, but neither of them is the Taboada bridge.
The path to Ponte Taboada.
Ponte Taboada.
A path leading away from bridge (for the cars) going over the Río Deza is taking me on another nice walk. It leads me towards and underneath the stone arched railroad bridge, eventually putting me on what looks like an old cart track. Walking on the uneven stones of the track I get to the medieval bridge, Ponte Taboada. This old Roman bridge was built in 912, and is almost hidden down in the ravine of the Deza river. It is a scenic spot indeed. To get a better view of the bridge from below, I find a track leading down to the riverside. The track goes past a derelict stone cabin, on the south side of the river. It is beautiful to see the arch of the bridge mirror itself in the river.
Ponte Taboada with reflection in the river.
The rest of the walk to Silleda is a pleasant walk first through the open fields in Taboada, then through a forest path, with the exception of the last part of the walk into the town. I do not find Silleda the most exciting town, but in its defense I cannot say that I spend much time here either. I do go to visit the Castro de Toiriz, just outside Silleda. This is an old Iron Age fort, with two walled enclosures, both grassy. At the top of the small hill there are big rocks scattered about. There is a view from the top, in the distance I can see Pico Sacro, behind it lies Santiago de Compostela, not visible from here of course.
The Camino Real de Invierno to Silleda.
Autumn sunlight.
I loose a little bit of my eagerness after Silleda, finding the Way here less interesting. Then it is more interesting leaving the path for the Muiño de Covian, and old mill lying secluded in some woods, now a small path leads the way to the mill built in 1810. Like Ponte Taboada, a scenic little spot in the woods. The rest of the walk to Bandeira is a more ordinary walk through farmland.
Castro de Toiriz in Silleda.
In Bandeira I eat lunch at Hotel Victorino Leira Xesbran. The lunch is quite good, but I am a little bit ambiguous regarding their advertisement. Before entering the village, I saw large posters advertising rooms for €10 for pilgrims, which is a good prize. The adverts, however, fails to mention that there is only one room that is available at that prize, but of course, you may be the lucky one. This does not affect me, as I am not staying here. The room was actually occupied when I arrived too.
Igrexa de Santa Eulalia de Silleda.
One other thing my info leaflet told me about was the ruins of the Mosteiro de San Lourenzo de Carboeiro. I want to go there and see it, the problem is that the leaflet makes you think it is right on the Camino, which it is not. Too far to go there on foot, given the time at hand, so I wonder if I should take a taxi to the ruins. I sorely want to. There is one taxi in the village, I find it in the main street. However, the taxi driver is gone. When giving up, I see the taxi driver coming, but he promptly gets into his car and then drives away. To the hotel, where he picks up three people. That was my chance, I shrug and then leaves Bandeira through the other end of the stret. The construction of Mosteiro de San Lourenzo de Carboeiro was completed in 939 and is interesting from a pilgrim perspective as it is influenced by the Compostela artistic movement, in particular by Mestre Mateo and the style he developed in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Read more about the monastery here.
Muiño de Covian.
The Camino continues its restless route through the Galician farmland. Interspersed are the usual hamlets, churches, farms, and some wooden paths through forest. In one forest, there is an old tree seemingly made into a shrine, with a plastic glass attached to its upper frame too. The trees around are reflected in the glass. It is kind of weird.
Bandeira.
I did not find the walk after Silleda that interesting, although it was charming enough. The Camino must have heard my needing and before the descent to Ponte Ulla it throws me a prize. At the top of the hill in front of me I can see a structure of a kind, and I know that I have to walk up to it. It is the Miradoiro do Alto do Castro, and the path up to it winds itself around the hill (Alto do Castro). The views are great, especially down towards Ponte Ulla and the huge railroad bridge below, Pico Sacro at the back. At the top there is a circular stone building with windows, allowing you to see in all directions from within. An almost mandatory detour.
Sunlight and reflected trees.
Ponte Ulla lies all the way down from the hill and the junction from where I left the Camino. The entrance to the village is over yet another historic bridge. Just across there is a bar, Kevin and Kari are sitting outside. They could not get a room at their usual place here, so they had taken a room at Pension Juanito. I saunter my way there too and thankfully, they have a room for me too.
A tree shrine.
Before dinner and everything else, I walk up to the Mirador de Gundián. Here the Río Ulla runs between two tall cliffs on each side and crossing the gap is a beautiful bridge, which the railroad runs on top of. There is also another huge railroadbridge here, having an even larger span than the other. The light is near perfect for the view, painting the old railroad bridge in warm colors. Up above on the other side I can look up at the Alto de Castro. There was a little walk on the road to get up here, but it was all worth it.
View from the Miradoiro do Alto do Castro. Ponte Ulla below, Pico Sacro in the distance.
Miradoiro do Alto do Castro.
It is also fun to think of that this is the same river that I walked next to on the spiritual variant of the Camino Portugués for about eleven days ago, and which also is the river the boat takes (the Translatio route).
Ponte Ulla.
Mirador de Gundián.
Back down in Ponte Ulla, I meet Felipe and Miguel at a bar and joins them for a beer before I go to have dinner together with Kevin and Kari. We share a huge plate of meat. Today has definitely been a walk of bridges. Tomorrow we will arrive in Santiago de Compostela.
The large railroad bridge above Ponte Ulla.
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