A day where I connect back to the coastal route. And where I cross the border to Spain. Will walking in Spain be a different experience than walking in Portugal?

I treated myself with a private room yesterday. I thought I had deserved that after enduring so much rain in one day and it was nice to be able to spend part of the day in a warm bed relaxing a bit after all of the kilometres which I have already walked. All of my things were spread out through the room and bathroom to get them sort of dry. Luckily the hostel also had a washing machine and accompanying dryer of which I took advantage to get some of my clothes clean. And the large bed was nice and comfortable so i was able to get a good night’s sleep in to be prepared for the next day for which I planned quite a long walk to a nice hostel I had spotted on the coast. But before I went to sleep I receive a message that the hostel is closed during the winter season. This means a change of plans but that’s somethin I would worry about the next day.

Sleep was comfortable and because of the change in plans it was not necessary to do such a long walk anymore. So I could take it easy today and enjoy the included hostel breakfast at ease. Breakfast was served relatively late anyway so I would never have been able to get an early start. And I would also have an hour less today as I would be crossing the border to Spain where it’s one hour later than in Portugal. So all in all the change of plan wasn’t all that bad. I would just make sure to get to the Spanish coast today.

It’s around 10 o’clock when I leave the hostel and start walking. I won’t be needing my raincoat today which is somewhat of a liberating feeling. I am in good spirits as I cross the bridge across the Minho River and walk into Spain. Maybe this new beginning wil also mark a new phase of this journey, I think to myself. The walk feels a little bit like a repetition of my first walking day, six days ago. That day I started walking alongside a river towards the coast. Today I am doing the same thing, this time along a different river and in a different country. And it will take me a bit longer to reach the coast this time. But it’s nice to already have come this far and I am still walking without too much troubles.

The Spanish side of the Minho river feels like a bit of a public park. It’s all quite well prepared for leisure activities and does not really have that Camino feel of the past few days. And a different signing system is used here consisting of a white and yellow stripes. Later I discover that these actually belong to a local walking route and don’t really have anything to do with the Camino although this route is listed in my guidebook as a possible part of the coastal route.

The sight of the Minho river with blue skies is a nice one but still feels a bit fragile. I hope I can enjoy this weather all day today. When I have done me first six kilometres of the day I sit down at what looks to be and old boat ramp. It’s a nice place to have a short break and enjoy the view for a bit. Today I am well stocked on food and drinks for the day as I assumed it was going to be a long day. I drink a yoghurt and eat some dried fruits to lighten the load a bit.

After shooting a view pictures I am on my way again. The walking route continues being somewhat of a walk in the park. Sometimes I pass what seem to be really small fishing ports but which are not showing any real a activity. In summer this must be a lively area where people escape from the heat in summer, but now it’s very quiet and peaceful. After a while I pass by a local roller skating circuit. An old man has parked his car alongside it and is walking his rounds around the circuit. I am a bit surprised that he opts for walking on the asphalt in stead of using the walking route i am on. Maybe he does not want to get his feet wet as the route is still full of water puddles from yesterday’s rain.

After about 12 kilometers the walking route ends besides a river in a picknick area. From here on I have to depend on my own navigation skills again. So my phone comes out again to figure out what the nicest route to A Guarda, my endpoint for the day, is. The only option is a relatively big road. I am not really keen on taking that as I have a light headache setting in and I am not really in the mood for walking alongside traffic speeding by. After a lunch break at a playing ground I set off anyway. Luckily I encounter some small detours along the way which avoid me from having to walk along the big road all of the way.

About an hour later I walk into the center of A Guarda. There I see my first official Camino sign again indicating that I am now really on the coastal route again. Like a good pilgrim I follow all of the signs causing me to make a small detour through the town’s historical centre before I arrive at the municipal hostel where I check in. The 18km walk has been long enough. My headache has somewhat worsened which is bothering me a bit considering the fact that I was able to relax quite a bit yesterday. Maybe my body thinks that it can release the pressure and the headache is it’s way of doing so.

The rest of the day I spend with more resting, walking around town for a bit and heating up a frozen spinach pizza decorated with some slices of tomatoes in the somewhat desolate hostel kitchen. I watch some videos on my mobile to entertain myself. I finish of the day with a protein chocolate mousse dessert and go to bed with a filled stomach.