Was aiming to finish at the100km to mark today but found a remote private albergue 3km from the marker. It has just 12 beds in an old water mill site converted into an artists home where she provides rooms. It is such a peaceful spot far from a village that I needed an afternoon in the sun.

Great walking today coming further down the mountains through country lanes between oak and pine forests mixed with the dairy farms and the occasional walking in muck. I thought it would be cold this morning so layered up but by 6:45 labouring up another hill in the mist was sweating buckets.

didnt spend any time is Sarria just passed through but this is where a lot of spainish pilgrims start their walk so it will getting busier from this point onwards.

Not sure where I will end tomorrow maybe in another remote spot.

This is the transport of a Belgium man with throat cancer doing the same walk as me. His wife picks him up and drops him off every day.

The road up into the mountains starts slow and easy through some very pretty countryside completely different from any thing from the earlier days (such distant memories). Mostly small. Picturesque Villages and plenty of trees but walking 20 or so on rural roads. Then the last part of 10km heads up into the steep part of the day. You get a great cardio workout.
I am more comfortable going up than down with my walking. This time I did take a picture of the rough road going up.
You worked up a sweat but if the wind came down the valley you froze.
The excitement of the day was trying to get out of the way of 8 or so horse galloping down the road on their way home on the steep part.
Decided to stay in a small village just short of the top of the mountain Laguna de Castilla for the night. It’s too bloody cold when the wind is up so the morning will be challenging with the final 2km to get to the top.

to be fair the photo isn’t representative of all albergues, and yes it is mixed.

still feeling the pain from yesterday with all that downhill rubble so today was longer at 32 km and just manageable. This is my upper limit, after this I start falling apart. The other photo shows we are in the mountains for one of the last big climbing days of the walk tomorrow.

now less than 200km to Santiago.

today from Rabanal to Molinaseca the Fitbit total stepped over the million mark. And it was a cow of a day.

the up part was ok but the long steep down for most of the day over loose rubble was hard going, I went to bed around 4 pm today stuffed. Now up at 10pm to catch up on the posts.

The highlight of the day La Cruz de Ferro at 1,505m the highest point of the whole trail. It’s where pilgrim place a stone or other memorabilia to remember what is important and some to mourn the loss of something or somebody that was personal. When I was there at least two people who hugged the pole and shed tears.

My pebbles from home have joined the pile.

Only a short walk today to Rabanal with a bed in the albergue run by the Gaucelmo society by 12:30. It’s the converted parish priests house and gardens built around 200 years ago. Are really special place to stay and rest for the day in the gardens and small village that survives on the pilgrims passing through. An extra photo today.

the walk up into the mountains before you start climbing over the mountains and down again.

photo of a typical bar in the villages where you take a breakfast stop. This is in Santa Catalina de Somoza.