We had planned a slow start today…to give time for the rain to clear. But shortly before we were due to leave, the heavens opened once again! Alas…no T-Rain option today!
So it was close to 10…or 11 just across the border…before we set off! The roads were wet…but thankfully the rain held off….all day!!
The second bike has had a slow puncture for almost the whole of the trip…so the day started with the usual ritual! (I have had to pump up my tyres just twice…over 4,500kms!)
Interesting bridge one minute down the road. Crossing the Minho River, which defines the border here…with train line on the top deck….and John riding down the middle of the road…on the bottom deck!
Half the journey on empty roads and trails today..and the other half on too-busy highways!
Big wide shoulders though…so no issues…and of course those delightful Spanish drivers…who give such wide berths to cyclists.
For part of our route…we were on the Camino trail…
…..and I say ‘the’ when I should say ‘a’ for there are so many formalised camino trails now…all heading for Santiago!
After my rant about prancing deer signs yesterday…it is ironic to see the ‘pilgrims’ also being protected by road signs!! ‘Pilgrims’ my arse: apparently around 90% of the hundreds of thousands of folk ‘doing the Camino’ do not do it for religious reasons (to come and pray to the bones of apostle Saint James…apparently buried in the cathedral).
So it was funny…when we were cycling down a muddy trail…and politely asking walkers to step aside..to be greeted by a degree of hostility…like…’but we are doing the camino’ as if they had some god-given right to occupy the whole of the trail…and what right had we to be disturbing their walk!! Somewhat petulantly …I did want to say…that I bet they hadn’t come from Marrakech!! ‘Camino’ really just means path…or journey. And we were on one too!!
Nice parts to the ride….
And we came across lots of these…stone ‘granaries’..
And stone is everywhere. Extraordinary to see vineyard posts being carved out of solid stone!!
And so to Cambados…a seaside town with a villagey heart….away from the water (Been here before…!)
Nice spot for beers…and generous pinchos!
And Euchre? 5-5!! Coming down to the wire!!
Nearly there…on this leg…and bottoms surviving well…!!
Tense Euchre indeed !!!