Talking to someone else who stayed in our albergue last night she said that she thought a fire alarm must have sounded because as soon as it was 6:30 everyone in the room was up and packing! We just all seemed to be in a rush at exactly the same time and this sense of speed made us really quick packing so that we were out of the albergue by 6:55! It was still really dark so we decided that seeing as the bar stated it was open at 7 we would go and get a drink so we used our torches to follow the path and arrived at the bar at 7:08 to find that it was firmly closed. For a second or so we stood there as if staring at the large wooden gate would force it open but nothing happened so we decided we would just take it slow and steady in the dark and check very carefully with our torches on every turn. Plus Bar Julia was just before the big hill so we would stop there for a drink.
We seemed to be the first people walking this part of the path for quite a while - how do I know this? Because Dad had me walk in front and I kept getting small strands of spider's web in my face! Not a completely pleasant experience.
WE came to bar Julia a lot earlier than we expected only to find it closed. The Spanish family from last night were also hoping to get a drink there and the Father did ring up a number from his guidebook but got no answer so that was that, there was no other bar today anywhere so no Cola Cau and, more importantly, no Cola Cau before climbing the 'Big One'!
It did not start off too badly and a brief look at our guidebook had told us that there was a picnic area in the village straight after the hill so we could stop there to have a bit of a rest and eat our Mars and Snickers copies from Tescos back home a thought that buoyed us on. This first part followed a road (quiet as all roads on the Ingles seem to be - even on the motorways we passed over we never saw more than five cars at a time). We passed an old Church with a modern extension to it, something which I did not remember seeing before in Spain, and then through a few farm buildings (and here the path was flatish but soon went up again) and then we were on a little country path, still ascending and waiting fro the really steep bit that was sure to come soon.
We came out on a tarmac road, a tumbledown building in front of us (which, we both agreed, would have been a bar on the Frances) and continued along this road - it was not quite a village we thought; there were houses but they seemed to be very spread out and then we found a picnic area. Now, as I have said, we were expecting picnic area but after a steep climb and we had not found a steep climb ergo this could not be the picnic area we were looking for so we carried on going, we both felt fine and wanted to tackle the big hill before we rested only we had already walked up the steep hill - we had been expecting something like the path on the way up to la Faba on the way to O'Cebreiro where the path seems to go on and on for ever while what we had found was a path that was a bit steep in places but was, for the most part, a smooth climb, not gentle up but not the harsh climb that we had been expecting.
Thus we arrived at the albergue in Bruma by 11 (and this being a Xunta the albergue did not open until one). The day was clear and bright but with a nice breeze, a perfect day for walking so Dad commented that it was such a nice day and that he felt good today so perhaps we could carry on to the next place? I told him that he was welcome to if he wanted to but seeing as it was 24km away I would be staying right here! He agreed with me so we read a bit and Dad had a doze.
Just after the albergue had opened at one a small van came around with food for sale - no fruit juice but they did sell tinned tuna and some fruit and biscuits so we bought these to supplement our rice for the meal that night (we still had bread and cheese left for lunch - a year or two ago we spoke to a lady in Santiago who told us that she had walked the Ingles the year before and she had found no where to eat. This way is not as well provisioned as the Frances but there are supermarkets in Ferrol, Pontedeume, , Betanzos and Siguiero - today and yesterday there were no shops but the new bar at Presedo yesterday served food so these two days were awkward but a little planning meant that we had enough to eat both days). Also there is bar that will deliver Pilgrim menus to the albergue here if you ring up to book - I think there was a menu being passed around but we never saw it.
The kitchen half of the albergue in Bruma is what remains of a mediaeval Pilgrim Hospital and the bed part is more modern. Bruma is the place where the two arms of the Ingles (that from Ferrol and the other from A Coruna) meet 0plus there were Pilgrims walking from Betanzos today so the albergue was soon full meaning people had to walk on five or so kilometers to hotels (or to the next village where I think there is some provision to stay in the sports Centre if it is available).
The albergues toilets are not labelled either male or female and no one could ever seem to quite decide which should be used but the female hospitelero used the one on the left so so did I although I did find once or twice that there were men in both sets. Under these circumstances I decided not to use the shower that night - they were only big enough to stand in and not to change in.
The Spanish family told us it would be a good idea to book our accommodation for the next night in Siguiero as there were only two private albergues with only about twenty beds between them (and a couple of hotels as well I thinbk) so we managed, with our very bad Spanish, to reserve two beds for the next night.
There was a small stream outside the albergue so we sat there to write our postcards and then walked up through the village to see if we could spot where the route from A Coruna came in but we could see no sign. We did though find the only other Pilgrim we saw from England (or Britain) on the Ingles - I recognized Al the Optimist's face from his 'photo on the Camino forum and we had a quick chat (during which he warned us to make sure that we carried a lot of water for the next day as there were no taps and the weather was predicted to be hot) before he went off to his hotel.
Before we went to bed we chatted to a Pilgrim from France (whose name, in the way of the Camino, we never did find out) who had brought his tent and was camping just outside the albergue. A final Pilgrim arrived as we spoke and decided to call a taxi to alternative accommodation.
Image from http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/llevatela-al-camino/completa/?camino=camino-ingles
We seemed to be the first people walking this part of the path for quite a while - how do I know this? Because Dad had me walk in front and I kept getting small strands of spider's web in my face! Not a completely pleasant experience.
WE came to bar Julia a lot earlier than we expected only to find it closed. The Spanish family from last night were also hoping to get a drink there and the Father did ring up a number from his guidebook but got no answer so that was that, there was no other bar today anywhere so no Cola Cau and, more importantly, no Cola Cau before climbing the 'Big One'!
It did not start off too badly and a brief look at our guidebook had told us that there was a picnic area in the village straight after the hill so we could stop there to have a bit of a rest and eat our Mars and Snickers copies from Tescos back home a thought that buoyed us on. This first part followed a road (quiet as all roads on the Ingles seem to be - even on the motorways we passed over we never saw more than five cars at a time). We passed an old Church with a modern extension to it, something which I did not remember seeing before in Spain, and then through a few farm buildings (and here the path was flatish but soon went up again) and then we were on a little country path, still ascending and waiting fro the really steep bit that was sure to come soon.
We came out on a tarmac road, a tumbledown building in front of us (which, we both agreed, would have been a bar on the Frances) and continued along this road - it was not quite a village we thought; there were houses but they seemed to be very spread out and then we found a picnic area. Now, as I have said, we were expecting picnic area but after a steep climb and we had not found a steep climb ergo this could not be the picnic area we were looking for so we carried on going, we both felt fine and wanted to tackle the big hill before we rested only we had already walked up the steep hill - we had been expecting something like the path on the way up to la Faba on the way to O'Cebreiro where the path seems to go on and on for ever while what we had found was a path that was a bit steep in places but was, for the most part, a smooth climb, not gentle up but not the harsh climb that we had been expecting.
Thus we arrived at the albergue in Bruma by 11 (and this being a Xunta the albergue did not open until one). The day was clear and bright but with a nice breeze, a perfect day for walking so Dad commented that it was such a nice day and that he felt good today so perhaps we could carry on to the next place? I told him that he was welcome to if he wanted to but seeing as it was 24km away I would be staying right here! He agreed with me so we read a bit and Dad had a doze.
Just after the albergue had opened at one a small van came around with food for sale - no fruit juice but they did sell tinned tuna and some fruit and biscuits so we bought these to supplement our rice for the meal that night (we still had bread and cheese left for lunch - a year or two ago we spoke to a lady in Santiago who told us that she had walked the Ingles the year before and she had found no where to eat. This way is not as well provisioned as the Frances but there are supermarkets in Ferrol, Pontedeume, , Betanzos and Siguiero - today and yesterday there were no shops but the new bar at Presedo yesterday served food so these two days were awkward but a little planning meant that we had enough to eat both days). Also there is bar that will deliver Pilgrim menus to the albergue here if you ring up to book - I think there was a menu being passed around but we never saw it.
The kitchen half of the albergue in Bruma is what remains of a mediaeval Pilgrim Hospital and the bed part is more modern. Bruma is the place where the two arms of the Ingles (that from Ferrol and the other from A Coruna) meet 0plus there were Pilgrims walking from Betanzos today so the albergue was soon full meaning people had to walk on five or so kilometers to hotels (or to the next village where I think there is some provision to stay in the sports Centre if it is available).
The albergues toilets are not labelled either male or female and no one could ever seem to quite decide which should be used but the female hospitelero used the one on the left so so did I although I did find once or twice that there were men in both sets. Under these circumstances I decided not to use the shower that night - they were only big enough to stand in and not to change in.
The Spanish family told us it would be a good idea to book our accommodation for the next night in Siguiero as there were only two private albergues with only about twenty beds between them (and a couple of hotels as well I thinbk) so we managed, with our very bad Spanish, to reserve two beds for the next night.
There was a small stream outside the albergue so we sat there to write our postcards and then walked up through the village to see if we could spot where the route from A Coruna came in but we could see no sign. We did though find the only other Pilgrim we saw from England (or Britain) on the Ingles - I recognized Al the Optimist's face from his 'photo on the Camino forum and we had a quick chat (during which he warned us to make sure that we carried a lot of water for the next day as there were no taps and the weather was predicted to be hot) before he went off to his hotel.
Before we went to bed we chatted to a Pilgrim from France (whose name, in the way of the Camino, we never did find out) who had brought his tent and was camping just outside the albergue. A final Pilgrim arrived as we spoke and decided to call a taxi to alternative accommodation.
Image from http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/llevatela-al-camino/completa/?camino=camino-ingles
A little short on sellos today so I might have dated one from the bar yesterday as being from today ..... well we did try and stop for a drink there!
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