Xinzo de Limia to O Pereiro - 50 miles

Two hours into my day I find myself standing in bar covered in scallop shells in the tiny hilltop village of A Alburgue. Two years ago I arrived here from the town of Laza in the valley some eight miles away after a hard climb through the hills. Today I am going the other way, and on road rather than track. It seems today my cycle route is following in reverse the broad direction of the Camino I walked in 2023, passing through many of the same villages. I had not intentionally planned it that way but the fact resonates with me.

Getting to A Alburgue entailed my first climb of the day - there would be more to come. On leaving Xinza de Limia I followed a track along the small river before taking narrow lanes through a patchwork of agricultural fields. It was all beautifully flat. Then came the climb. A wet and slippery track took me through woodland as I rose to meet the low cloud. The state of that track meant I pushed the bike as much as I rode it but that did not detract from my enjoyment. Unlike two days ago I had no sense of frustration or of being confined by my surroundings: it was early in the day, there was no rain and there was an absorbing character to the surrounding woodland - it reeked of age with moss and lichen but sparkled with the sound of a spirited stream somewhere in its depths. It was a lovely setting and an enjoyable climb. Also enjoyable was the subsequent ride on reaching the top, along flat roads through the mist covered pine forest and pastures to A Alburgue and to much needed coffee and sandwiches.

River Limia

The First Climb

From A Alburgue it was a long and sweeping descent to Laza, eight miles on a small road and with distant views when the clouds allowed. Two years ago I spent a night in Laza and sheltered in a bar from thunder and flooding streets. Today I passed straight through but had to look carefully to recognise it despite its small size: approaching by road offers a very different perspective to an approach by footpath.

Another road climb followed, long and winding but with good views back down the valley, one side of which I was slowly ascending. I expected a nice downward section for my efforts: it was not to be. Now I joined the Camino itself, a peaceful section along woodland track and then a longer climb on gravel, slow and hard for me but a nice descent for the walkers I greeted as they headed to Laza. 

On the Camino

Again I had hoped for another long descent after my hour of climbing. Instead I got a long undulating route across Galician hills familiar from two years ago. I felt as if I were in the heart of the region as I cycled - mostly ascending or so it felt - along narrow roads clinging to the sides of valleys, rounding spurs and crossing passes. The climbs may not have been overly steep but they were long and they slowly ground me down; any occasional flat or descent - which filled me with hope for more to come - was short lived. I began to accept that around each corner I would see, through thin mists, another gentle climb clinging to the valley and not the beginning of the descent I felt I had earned.

Galician Hills

Galician Hills 

I passed through villages and small towns the names of which were familiar from two years ago: Eiras, Portocamba, Campobecerros, A Gudiña. I spent subsequent nights at the latter two so, despite my tiredness, I was obviously making quicker progress on my bicycle. But it was four o’clock before I left those hills and reached A Gudiña and I still had four miles on a main road to reach my accommodation in O Pereiro. It was a road that could have been a delight, cutting through granite bouldered upland covered in purple heather. It could have been but it wasn’t: pylons and telegraph poles marched across the moor alongside the road and it was never far from a newer motorway that followed the same route. But it was an easy cycle and the motorway seemed to have sucked the road dry of most other traffic so I reached my isolated roadside hotel quickly and with little interference from other vehicles. It seems the hotel restaurant does not open until nine, a time at which I was hoping to be relaxing in my room, but there is no question that I need to eat so the alarm is set, just in case.