Day 29 – Negreira to Olveiroa- 20mi/33km – Observations and Photos
I didn’t mention in yesterday’s post that these 3 days are a grind. You’re knocking out 90kms for either Finisterre or Muxía. Each day you’re climbing at least 700 feet, usually more. After the first relatively short day to Negreira, you’re in for a 20-mile gauntlet to Olveiroa, and another 20-mile day after that. After all that you must endure on your “main” Camino to Santiago, this final “epilogue” isn’t a picnic. It’s a knee-basher, a foot-grinder, and, as David would say, a “dream-smasher.”
David recalled nearly perfectly the various sections of the day. It begins with pleasant forest walking out of Negreira and then beautiful views of the agricultural landscape: green or yellow corn and wheat fields, green swaths of trees, and windmills slowly churning just below the clouds. Much of the walking is on pavement or asphalt and eventually wears you down. I was struggling with some glute tendinitis all day long and it radiated pain all over my legs. I refuse to take painkillers and so I just soldiered on. David was in a bit better shape but was also feeling that hard ground in his knees and feet. 20 grueling miles and many stretch breaks later we arrived to Olveiroa’s “Casa Loncho,” an all-In-one albergue, hotel, restaurant, bar, and tienda which for some reason I kept recalling as having a dude ranch vibe. My memory is poor and it has no such vibe, but we agreed I can still call it the dude ranch.
For dinner, David and I had something we’d been craving ever since we crossed from Portugal into Spain: PLATOS COMBINADOS! Everything you need (and some things you don’t!) on one plate.
David’s Observations
My memory of today ended up being pretty accurate. It’s a long day that begins with a consistent ascent through forests before giving way to corn fields and dairy cows. Overall it’s a nice walk.
Throughout the day there were rolling hills which meant plenty of physical endurance was needed. Having this be the 29th day I think I handled it well.
The walk itself is very quiet and pretty. If this were a day on the Portuguese Camino it would probably be in the top three best days. Although there is a group of people walking, we really didn’t run into many of them.
What do you eat after a long day walking? A Plato Combinado! This is a full plate of a variety of food.. eggs, sausage, salad, french fries and bread. It’s exactly the type of food you need after a long walk.
Tomorrow will be the final day walking to the coast. After 30 days I think I’ll be ready to relax and take a break from it all.
