The days are starting to merge and recalling the names and places becomes more difficult.
As we headed towards Astorga from León we came over this amazing bridge which we discovered, due to the amount of effluent on the bridge, is still used to move livestock across the river.
We arrived in Astorga after covering the 50km from León in four hours
We then headed up to the Cruz de Ferro which is at a height of 1490 metres
The 15km down to Ponferrada was interspersed with beautiful villages
Ponferrada is dominated by the Knights Templar Castle which overlooks the river at the entrance to the town.
The next day looked a bit threatening weather wise so we started the day with a big breakfast
It wasn’t long before the weather packed up and it really bucketed down. It was a long wet cold ride up Alto de Poio which is at 1335 metres
The ride from Sarria to Portomarin was only 24km. We have chosen the Camino cycling road route since Sarria to keep off the muddy track and the heels of lots of pilgrims. It’s a bit longer but it’s on quieter roads.
In the 1960s the Minõ River was dammed to create the Bekesar reservoir, putting the old village of Portomarín under water. The most historic buildings of the town were moved brick by brick and reconstructed in the new town, including its castle-style church of San Juan of Portomarin.
We chose to have a shorter day today and enjoyed wandering around Portomarin looking in shops and having long mid-afternoon lunches chatting with other pilgrims
Smith's Journeys 