Distance: 28.8km (28.8km / 757.5km).
Weather: Foggy, then clear blue sky.
Stars shone brightly above me when I woke up. Shone down upon me with the expectation of the unknown Camino in front of me. Winter is coming, the Camino version at least. Camino Real de Invierno, the winter way, by myth the route pilgrims took in the old days to avoid the cumbersome walk over O Cebreiro in the winter. Other pilgrims waited out the cold winter months in Ponferrada, until warmer times made the walk over the mountain passable. The stars shone down upon me with the expectation of meeting few other pilgrims on the way.
Plaza del Ayuntamiento in Ponferrada, the morning mist inducing a Charles Dickens atmosphere.
A starry sky when walking out of the albergue, but when walking out of the nearby café after breakfast, the stars are gone. Replaced by a heavy mist, dimming down the darkness of the morning. Walking into the centre of Ponferrada to find an atm, is like walking in a novel by Charles Dickens. The street lights glows thick in the mist, can just about see the other end of Plaza del Ayuntamiento.
The start of the Camino Real de Invierno.
Winter is coming, and it begins just outside the albergue. At the junction where the Frances goes into the city, the Invierno however much quicker leaves the city. A milestone divides the ways. In front of me contours of pilgrims meanders away into the thick of the fog, it feels strange to take the other route, alone. The Charles Dickens' version of Ponfererada was cool, but I do hope that the fog will lift.
Camino Real de Invierno milestone.
One of the things that I had worried about the Invierno, was the waymarking. How well was this less known route marked? I had no clue, worried that it would just be infrequently marked, leaving me to guess the way at times. I have my hike of the GR1 Sendero Historio well in memory, a great hike, but at times frustratingly bad waymarked. From Ponferrada I had no reason to worry at all, it was well marked out of the templar city and beyond.
Looking back towards Ponferrada after starting on the winter way in the fog.
This route goes on the south side of the Río Sil. Ponferrada and its knights templar castle is barely visible on the other side of the river. Hills disappear in the fog on my other side, trying to lure me up and away into them. The views may not be what I have been looking for or want, but they are still wonderful. Mysterious and mythical. I walk through fields, paths and woods draped in the mysterious clouds. Sounds are dimmed or muted. Trees stands like grotesque shapes in the fog. With fog, you never know if its doing you a favor or not, in regard of views and scenery, if you walk in a place you have not walked before. I enjoy walking i the fog, but I do not know what it would be like in clear weather.
Misty winter Camino.
Entwined in the low clouds, I arrive at the first village, Toral de Merayo. All quiet, but the café is open. Time for a coffee. As I previous has mentioned, I had not expected to meet many or anyone at all on this Camino. I know there are pilgrims walking it, but did not believe it to be frequent. Then to my suprise, I see two others emerge out of the fog and walk past the café. I am a little taken back actually, my thoughts put to shame, although in a positive way of course. It is not a bad surprise. Later, I meet the two others. They are Fernando and Andres, both from Argentina and eager Camino walkers.
Here, the Camino goes through a narrow earth tunnel.
The mysterious path, going through fields and acres surrounded by the fog.
On the Frances, when the numbers of pilgrims walking the way, it was great. It made the small communities survive. Providing enough profit from all the wanderers to make it viable for bars and other services. Here, we see the other side, and it is beautiful. The more authentic countryside. The hamlets, or tiny villages, I walk through are wonderful and scenic, but all looks to be part of the same statistic. They are slowly, losing their people. The houses are all askew, worn, and abandoned looking, in need of maintenance. Where time has a different interpretation. Even flows in a different way than the outside world.
Fernando and Andres walking through Priaranza del Bierzo.
Views are definitely lost to me today, and I fear that they would be great if I could see them, but I fret not. I walk with a newly ignited excitement. It is when some huge cliffs, or something like it, emerges out of the fog that I mostly feels disappointed about the current weather. Here it is obvious that I would be able to see out in the horizon. Only some cliffs that quickly dissolves are discernible.
Old and new in Santalla del Bierzo.
Walking past obscured farmsteads in the mist.
I pass by the new looking albergue in Villavieja, but as this is not a Camino with a huge number of pilgrims, you have to call a number to get to stay there. Large oak trees stands like pillars next to the path, with the trunks vanishing into the mist. There are sounds appearing from everywhere, but the sources of them I cannot see.
Ermita de la Virgen del Carmen de Rioferreiro.
Then faint outline of castle walls appear in front of me. It is the Castillo de Cornatel and whoever ghost is keeping watch from the walls will have a hard time see me coming. You can shorten the walk today by taking the road from the small Ermita de la Virgen del Carmen de Rioferreiros instead of the path going through Villavieja. Fernando and Andres did that, but that would make you miss out on this hilltop castle.
Cliffs in the fog.
Dissolving cliffs with no views.
The origins of this castle is disputed, but the belief is that it was a place of a Roman military detachment, given the close proximity to the auriferous hills of Las Medulas. The castle is open to public, but when I walk up to the castle gate I found it locked. From an outcrop that is also a mirador, there are good views of the castle, even in the fog, but the surroundings are hidden. An eerie feeling surrounds the castle now.
The Camino after Villavieja.
Watching clouds or fog lift is almost always a wonderful thing to behold. It is like seeing something coming to life, as the surroundings around you becomes visible again, returning to life. The winter way follows the road down from the castle, and on the way I suddenly finds myself underneath the clouds. I can see the road ahead of me now. As it winds down towards the valley floor, with the castle still obscured. I am so overjoyed that instead of following the road and the Camino down, I keep on walking on a road keeping the altitude, wanting to see more of the landscape from above. It is nice, and it gets even better when the clouds disappear altogether, as in a rush to get away. The Castillo de Cornatel then stands visible in all its forgotten glory at the top of its hill. A tiny part of me even consider going back up to it, but i leave it be, happy to experience this part of the Camino good weather too.
Castle walls in fog.
Castillo de Cornatel.
The change is absolute when I walk into Borrenes, where I find a place for lunch. Eating a traditional galician dish, caldo gallego. This is a village that many of those that walk the Invierno stops at the first day. Borrenes looks like more traditional Camino stop than the other other villages or hamlets passed by so far. I let the owner of the café fix a place to stay for me in Las Medulas, mostly out of own generosity.
The fog is lifting, view down towards the valley underneath the clouds.
View of the surrounding landscape below Castillo de Cornatel, Borrenes in the centre of the picture.
From Borrenes there is still 7km to walk before I will arrive in Las Medulas, and with the change of weather, there is also a change of temperature. It suddenly became hot. There is a huge sight in Las Medulas that is a must-see, so I want to have good time there to look at it. I quicken my pace, but it is hard given the now warm weather. Also going upwards, a pleasant walk with the cliffs of Las Medulas coming closer and closer.
Looking back at the Castillo de Cornatel, now visible at the top of its hilltop location.
It is off-season in Las Medulas, so when I arrive at the otherwise busy place, I find it quiet. When I find my accomodation however, Casa Socorro, the host has not heard anything about my 'reservation' and ask for the name of who made the reservation. Of course, I forgot to ask the name of the host of the café in Borrenes, but he lets me get a room anyway. It is a clean and nice place, that looks more like a personal home than an accommodation.
In Borrenes.
Then I go visit the amazing site Las Medulas is known for, the remains of the hills after the gold mining operation the Romans did here. I will cover my visit in a separate blog post.
The church in Las Medulas.
In the evening, I eat a quite good dinner at the Hostal Rural Agoga. Feeling so satisfied with the day, even with the fog, I find it a perfect excuse to celebrate it with a liqueur de café. I get a glass that contains three times more than I usually have got. On the way back, I feel tipsy (I had quite a lot of wine too, included in the dinner). A great day, truly.
Cliffs of Las Medulas fiery red in the sunset.
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