Day 8 - Monday, 18th September, Picarana

Today was a short day at only 10km but we still got up at half six and heard two trains leave the station before we had left the hotel.

The walk was quiet as we started off along the side of the train tracks, our short cut back to the Camino. We could easily tell when we hit the Camino again as the arrows reappeared.

On the outskirts of town we found a small fruit shop open and nipped in for bananas which we ate for breakfast as we walked past more hotels.

Today was a misty day and a bit wet as well - a prolonged shower sort of rain rather than anything heavy.

We arrived at our hotel at about one so we went into the attached bar and ate - Platas Combinades, mine was bacon with egg and chips and salad whilst mum had eggs with chips and chorizo whilst the the Spanish news talked about what celebrities had been wearing to an awards ceremony.

The room was cold when we arrived so we put the radiator on straight away which warmed things up quickly.

Tomorrow we would be arriving in Santiago.

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Route Napoleon closures: November-March

For anyone thinking of setting off on the Camino anytime soon just a reminder that the Navarrese Govenmnet closes the Route Napoleon over the Pyrenees from November 1st - March 31st each year (and longer if need be). Roncenvalles in the snow The official notification for this (from last year) is below.

The Camino Primitivo

The Camino Primitivo (or the Original Way) is reportedly the very first Camino Way to Santiago in the 9 th century when most of Spain was under the control of the Moors and it runs from near the city of Ovideo in Asturias as it starts in Villavicosa (which also lies on the Camino Norte so many people follow this Way from Basque city of San Sebastian (Donosti in Basque) or in from the French border at Irun ( this route then hugs the Bay of Biscay passing through Guernica, Bilbao, Santander, Llanes before going under the Picos de Europa and then heads along the coast to Ovideo) before branching off onto the Primitivo which goes across the mountains and through the city of Lugo before joining the Frances at Melide. The route is 320km long. Image taken from https://viaalpina2013.wordpress.com/2013/04/14/camino-del-norte-camino-primitivo/

Albergue - Arca

126 beds in large rooms but sectioned off into 6s - two bunks and two single beds. Lights above each beds and lockers (but no locks on them). Large kitchen - the best equipped in Galicia as far as I know. Showers are hot but open and mixed. A little tired in appearance but I do stay here every time I'm in Arca!

On the Camino

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