Distance: 26.4km (291.6km / 1020.3km).
Weather: Quite good.
This I have written about several times probably, but the last day on a Camino tend to be an anti-climax. Both by the fact that you now are finished with the walk, usually at the time when you have gotten used to be on the way, and that the last stage usually are the least interesting of them all. However, since I have already arrived in Santiago de Compostela on my walk this time, as I walked the Camino Portugués prior to this Camino, I hope that will take the edge of that anti-climax (and that I have still more Caminos to walk afterwards). On the other side, I am curious about how the walk into Santiago will be on this Camino.
Looking back towards Ponte Ulla and the large railroad bridge in the morning.
Out of Ponte Ulla, the Camino gives you the idea that you will escape the road, but it soon throws you right onto it. At least the morning is nice. There is however a way to escape the walk next to the road, and that is to take the Camino for the pilgrims on horses, the junction where the two routes separate are marked. I did not take the horse route and so had to walk on the hard surface. It might be a little bit longer on the horse route though. Eventually, I got off the road and onto a more quiet and softer path.
Forest path after Ponte Ulla.
Pico Sacro.
When the Camino leaves the road, it leaves it almost for good too, passing through a small village before heading up into the hills above Ponte Ulla. That does not mean that the walk is quiet, it is in a pleasant enough forest, but if you were to take away the trees, you would see the huge quarry on the other side of the hill. There is a lot of noises coming from it. If I took away the trees, I would also be able to see the sunrise.
Capela do Mosteiro de San Sebastián do Pico Sacro.
Santiago de Compostela seen from Pico Sacro.
According to my guidebook it is 17km from Ponte Ulla to Santiago, but I cannot get that to add up. When I arrive at the Albergue de Peregrinos San Pedro de Vilanova, and comparing the time I have used from Ponte Ulla, I believe it to be 17km from the albergue to Santiago. It is a nice looking albergue actually, but you have to carry with you what to eat and drink when staying here.
View from Pico Sacro.
This is also where I have to take a major decision for the day, but at the back of my mind I know the outcome. A board with a map announce the route to get up to the top of Pico Sacro. From here it is about 2.4km up to the Sacred Peak, but if I take some of the other routes that goes to the top on the way down, I can get back to the Camino further ahead. I do not need to go back here after the climb. Decision made, I set off in the direction of the peak, leaving the Camino for a moment.
Calle de la Reina Lupa (the Street of Queen Lupa).
Pico Sacro (Sacred Peak) is tied to the legend of the boat trip the disciples used when carrying the body of St. James to Santiago de Compostela, known as the Translatio route (if doing the spiritual variant of the Camino Portugués, you can take a boat following this route). There are various myths and legends about Pico Sacro and the Apostle. The most famous is the one about the mythical Queen Lupa that when asked for help to carry the body of St. James, sent the disciples to the peak to get a cart. Her hope was that the dragon living on the peak would devour them, as she saw St. James as a threat to her power. The disciples however defeated the dragon and then tamed two wild oxen (by the power of the Apostle) to drive the cart to Santiago.
One of the entrances to the Sacred Peak caves.
Nestled just beneath the summit is the Capela do Mosteiro de San Sebastián do Pico Sacro. This is a small chapel with nice views. The summit of Pico Sacro is interesting in itself too, not just because of the views and that you can see Santiago de Compostela from the top, but that there is a gash in the cliff at the top. This trench bears the name of Calle de la Reina Lupa, or the Street of Queen Lupa, and is 2 metres wide and 6 metres high. There is also a legend tied to this trench, and that it is the entrance to the hall of her palace, another one is that it was made by a giant with the hack of an ax. Also found around the summit are several holes, or entrances to the caves in the peak, the Sacred Peak Caves, which leads to some large quartz caves (according to a signpost). I do not take my chance going down into them however.
A light on the face on a cruceiro.
From the top the view is great. As mentioned, I can see Santiago de Compostela with the cathedral clearly in the distance. Around me the landscape are covered in floating wisps of thin clouds, it is beautiful. Given all the legends about the peak and the ties to the Translatio route, I find it strange that the Camino does not go up to the peak. At least the Invierno, more on that later. I was so glad that I took the walk up. In the end, I take the same route down again, returning to the albergue.
Iglesia Santa Maria de Lestedo.
A fountain of dry leaves, but no water.
Down again, a short, but nice walk through woods leads me to a small village with a huge church. The Iglesia Santa Maria de Lestedo also features a nice clock tower, with high and narrow openings revealing the staircase within. With the Pico Sacro watching over me from behind, I continue my journey through the Galician farmland towards Santiago. I arrive at a small place where I find a bar, believing it to be A Susana, which was the first place I was told I would find a place to eat. I do find something to eat here, but it is not in A Susana that I am. I arrive there a little bit later afterwards.
The Camino going through a vines walkway.
Santiago de Compostela gets closer by each step and it is a pleasant walk too. In the distance I can see the hill the Camino Portugués crosses over on its way to Santiago, the Ways are truly converging. Cruceiros, small chapels, old fountains without water filled with autumn leaves, old walkways and pathways underneath vines. And then we arrive at the outskirts of the pilgrim city, once again I have caught up with Kevin and Kari. To them, this entrance to Santiago is well known. To me, this is a new way of arriving. This one is better than the Camino Frances, which I only find nice when you arrive in the old town.
At the entrance to Santiago de Compostela with the spires of the cathedral in plain sight.
Of course, the places I go through in Santiago is familiar, as I have been here before, but the route leading to the Praza do Obradoiro I have not followed as a pilgrim. For the second time I walk into the famous square and it feels great, it feels like home. It is time for the mandatory contemplative moment in front of the cathedral. Looking at the other pilgrims having arrived or arriving. Someone is lying lazily down, a bottle of champagne at her side. Then we go get our Compostelas, my second of this trip. The clerk giving me the Compostela tells me that he has never met anyone before who has done the Camino Real de Invierno. Then we go for a beer before finding our accommodations.
At the Praza do Obradoiro after getting the Compostela for the Camino Real de Invierno.
Actually, I had not planned to stay in Santiago, but taking the bus directly to Muxia after arriving. However, Kevin and Kari has been a great company on the walk and I would like to have one last evening with them. So I will instead take the morning bus to Muxia and start walking right off it. This is also a change of plan, as I had in my early planning thought to go the normal direction of the Camino de Finisterre. Then, since I have done that twice now, one time to Finisterre and onward to Muxia and one time directly to Muxia, I feel going the other direction would be nice. It would make that Camino feel slightly different than before. We agree to meet for dinner later.
An unusual view of the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
What I want to do that I never have gotten to do before is to visit the rooftop of the cathedral. There is however only available places for the tours with a Spanish guide, I still sign up. This makes me able to wander more freely around though, not to the liking of the guide, as I cannot understand what she is talking about anyway. It is great seeing the city from this angle, from the centre of Santiago itself. You get to see the details of the spires and towers much closer. Looking down at the squares below is great too. Highly recommended. Later, I watch the sunset next to the Parador.
The Monastery of San Martiño Pinario seen from the roof of the cathedral.
I meet Kevin and Kari for dinner at place where it takes too long to get ordered unfortunately, but the food is quite good. We then talk about the Winter Way and our upcoming plans. The Camino Real de Invierno was a great Camino, and in some ways I find it better than the rest of the Camino Frances from Ponferrada. I found the best part of the Camino to be the first days between Ponferrada and Monforte de Lemos, those were truly wonderful. On the other hand we all agree that we find the route to be a quite modern construction, and do not believe the route we went to be the route the pilgrims would have taken in the old days. It involves a lot more climbing than we thought they would do, especially since we believe there will be snow on the higher passages of the Invierno too, making it probably just as strenous.
Praza das Praterias from the cathedral roof.
We also talk about our upcoming plans. I will go to Muxia tomorrow for the Camino de Finistere. Kevin and Kari are unsure of what they will do. They had planned to travel to Ferrol and then do the Camino Inglés, but the weather report for the upcoming days is abysmal. Plenty of rain seems to come in our direction, heavy showers too by the reports. After so many days in the sun, the storms have finally arrived. I will face some of the rain too, but thankfully not as much as they will if they choose to do the English Way. They consider going to Lisboa instead. At the end we look for a beer and a veterano to celebrate the day.
At the roof of the cathedral.
Catedral de Santiago de Compostela.
I am so excited, tomorrow I start another Camino (my third in a row).
Rua do Campo das Hortas.
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