Day 8 on our Camino Primitivo was a wet one. The rain was heavy and persistent all morning and only eased up in the last couple of hours of daylight, just so Mommy could hang some wet laundry outside our albergue. As a result, it was a quick one because we didn’t stop much and didn’t really take many photos either.
On day 9 we walked from O Cádavo to Lugo, it was our longest walk on the Camino so far at 31.5 km, but it was mostly flat and with significantly more road walking. Goodbye beautiful Asturian landscape, hello urban Camino road walking.
Day 8: A Fonsagrada to O Cadavo
The highlight of today’s walk was the abandoned pilgrim hospital in Montouto, meeting another pup on the Camino, although Luca really didn’t enjoy the rain, unlike me! And feasting on Mommy’s left over pork ribs.
Route overview and statistics
| Distance 25.5 km | Average speed 4.8 kph |
| Maximum altitude 1028 m | Ascent 716 m |
| Minimum altitude 679 m | Descent 855 m |
Complejo O Piñeiral
Leaving A Fonsagrada, the Camino entered yet another forest trail and after 3 km, there was a well indicated sign to take a footpath to the left for about 50 m to a nice private albergue. This was where we initially had planned to stay the night before but they had to do some repair works and was closed. As the rain kept getting heavier and heavier, Mommy decided to have 2nd breakfast here.
Unfortunately we were now in Galicia and sitting out for the rain did not work, so we pushed on. The croissant was very buttery though!
Montouto
The first 9 km out of A Fonsagrada was a gentle uphill, gaining an altitude of 117 m until we crest the Alto do Hospital mountain range. At the top of the hill, we found this small chapel adjacent to the abandoned pilgrim’s hospital. History books mentioned that King Pedro I the Cruel founded the Royal Hospital of Santiago de Montouto in 1357 which was located above the village of Montouto. The hospital was later relocated under the reign of King Carlos II El Hechizado in 1698 to its current location, which consisted of 4 buildings with roofs of straw and slate, now called the New Hospital of Santiago de Montouto and remained in operation until mid 20th century.
The Feast of St James is still celebrated every 25th July at the chapel next to the New Hospital.
Behind the hospital complex, you can encounter neolithic dolmens As Pedras Dereitas, it was a shame the rain was very heavy at this point with some fog so Mommy missed it, I tried to show her!
Paradavella
From the top of Alto do Hospital, we began our steep descent into the village Paradavella (324 m drop over 4 km), which in Spanish means “Parada Vieja” (Old Stop), and thankfully we found the conveniently located Casa Mesón which served various hot beverages, slices of cakes, and pastries. We think everyone stopped here because we were all fed up with the rain.
It was here that I caught up with my new friend Luca, he’s a little yappie terrier. Luca’s family stayed at the same albergue in Grandas de Salime but I missed him yesterday. He wasn’t having a very good time in the rain, so his daddy had to carry him under his raincoat.
O Cádavo
After Paradavella, the Camino zigzagged its way alternating between alternative trail and the highway LU-530. We preferred the trail for obvious reasons, despite the rain the ground wasn’t “muddy” or perhaps our definition of muddy is skewed. But there were more and more pilgrims who preferred walking on the highway. Whichever way you choose, just make sure you stay safe and visible when walking on the highway – most of them will not have any pedestrian sidewalk and in heavy rain it is more difficult to stay visible to cars! To be honest, Mommy felt that if she were driving along this windy mountain roads in heavy rain, she would be quite annoyed to have to watch out for walking pilgrims who chose to walk on the highway when there was a parallel footpath, sometimes even a shortcut!
We could see highway safety improvement works being done by the Galician municipal, as when we HAD to walk on the highway, the local council has built a boardwalk, this looked fairly new and we saw more under construction!
After walking for another 5 km, we entered a small hamlet of A Lastra where there was a bar (Bar Xestoso). Further on at A Fontaneira there was supposed to be another bar (Casa Bortelon) but it was closed.
The final approach towards O Cádavo was along a dirt trail coming off the LU-530. This small clearing is also known as Campo da Matanza (Killing Field). According to legend, King Alfonso II the Chaste who led the first pilgrimage to Santiago defeated the Moors at this site in 813 (chronologically this seemed to be before he made his pilgrimage).
The rain stopped just as we were approaching O Cádavo and the sun even came out very shortly in the late afternoon!
Accommodation and cost
We stayed at the private Albergue Pensión Porta Santa. Confused by the name? So did we! It turned out they had 2 buildings within about 2 minutes walk to each other, one was the albergue and the other the pensión. Both were run by the same hospitalera, she was a wonderful and very efficient lady! The private rooms at the pensión was very similar to the one in Grandas de Salime: modest, simple, and yet had everything we needed, perfect!
Both albergue and pensión had kitchen/dining area and terrace to dry our clothes and shoes. They also had washing machine and dryer, but as the sun was out, Mommy took her chances!
We arrived just before the restaurant closed for siesta as well, so Mommy had a hearty 3-course menu del día, a warm Caldo Gallego, and some juicy pork ribs for both of us, pawesome!
Reflection on day 8
We think nutrition and hydration are very important on this Camino. Bars/cafes/restaurants were not always available, or you may arrive in a village intending to stop for food only to find it’s closed. So you should always carry some snacks – fruits, energy bars, etc in your backpack. A good breakfast is also important as the next bar maybe over 10 km away! Mommy was happy she had made the omelette and later had croissant in O Piñeiral and marble cake in Paradavella.
The heavy rain meant everyone just wanted to get to O Cádavo as soon as, and after stopping at the old hospital at Montouto, there was no more interesting place to see on this day.
So far on this Camino and Camino San Salvador, Mommy has had NO blister at all on her feet. She wears Arc’teryx trailrunners with goretex lining and merino wool socks. They keep her feet dry from the rain and dry from internal perspiration. And the shoes were dry the next morning! I know everyone has their own method and people feel very strongly about their choices of goretex vs non-goretex shoes, sandals/trailrunners/boots etc. She’s just glad that this method worked for her really well.
Mommy was always very mindful of my paws, some of the trail today was quite gravelly and I love fetching sticks to pilgrims (because I think they need it :D). Apparently when I run, I also brake quite suddenly and the skidding motion (cool!) can damage my paws. I only wanted to entertain these pilgrims!
The area where I had tick bite was healing well, initially I had some inflammation and Mommy put some magic cream on it, now it has scabbed over. Mommy told me not to pick on it, I tried!
Day 9: O Cadavo to Lugo
Today we left before dawn, in the dark (!). It was fairly flat and involved quite a bit of road walking (boo…). However, despite being over 30 km long, today didn’t feel as strenous as previous days, because it was mostly flat. I suppose the highlight would be arriving in Lugo! Oh, and Mommy was ever so resourceful because she again got into some secret bars that was only open to her and whoever was in her company at the time, and closed to others!
Note: After Castroverde, there is very limited option for buying food/drinks on the way. So make sure you stock up!
Route overview and statistics
| Distance 31.5 km | Average speed 4.9 kph |
| Maximum altitude 869 m | Ascent 518 m |
| Minimum altitude 400 m | Descent 779 m |
There was a Spanish group who just arrived at our pensión the night before, they looked to be a hiking group as everyone was wearing the same jacket. They also looked to be doing a 100 km series of Camino because on their backpacks they had various patches displaying their achievements: Sarria to Santiago, Tui to Santiago, Ourense to Santiago, etc. We didn’t plan it but we left our pensión at almost the same time so we kept bumping into this group on and off until Lugo.
Vilalle or Vilabade
Less than 2 km after leaving O Cádavo, in the picturesque forest, the Camino split into 2 ways – this intersection is clearly marked with 2 mojones and a signboard. To the left, the track goes to Vilalle and it is 5 km long. To the right, the track goes to the village of Vilabade, Mommy read it is a “nicer” track and there are some chapel/church to visit, but it is 800 m longer. So Mommy chose the right.
The Chapel of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was situated at this clearing on a hill overlooking the village Vilabade. It was such a serene moment as we watched the moon set and the sun rise. There were picnic tables and barbecue pits in the area around the Chapel.
Vilabade was a small village bequeathed with a majestic looking Church of Santa María at its centre. The building previously housed a Franciscan monastery although at the moment only the church remains. Initially constructed in the mid 15th century, a Neoclassical façade was added in the 17th century. There seemed to be quite a lot of parochial activities in this church judging by the leaflets stuck on the information board, however we arrived quite early (before 9AM) and the village was quiet and sleepy and the church was not opened (yet).
The village also had many friendly dogs including one that escorted us, without barking, all the way until the village boundary.
Castroverde
We didn’t stay very long to explore the town. The municipal albergue here has a very stylish wooden exterior, and some of our friends stayed there. Our main objective here was to have a 2nd breakfast and stock up on whatever water and snacks needed until Lugo, still more than 20 km away! Luckily along the main street, there were a few cafes and supermarkets.
Leaving Castroverde, the Camino goes through a mix of trail and quiet country roads. After all the rain from the previous day, today we walked in glorious sunshine and as the day progressed the temperature soon was getting quite warm.
Vilar de Cas
This is only a small hamlet but there is a new and highly rated private albergue called A Pociña de Muñiz, located right on the Camino, halfway between O Cádavo and Lugo. So this is a good place to stop for those who don’t want to walk 30+ km in one day. When we walked past, the gate was open and when we walked in, we saw the hospitalero. So we sat down in their nice veranda, I played with their friendly German Shepherd while Mommy had a cold bottle of lemonade (Casera, her new favourite drink) and she also got some empanadas wrapped up for snack/lunch. There was a quiet Spanish pilgrim that we met many days before in the albergue in La Espina and he followed us into this albergue for refreshments.
Funnily enough, when we left, the hospitalero closed the gate behind us! I think we got in as the pilgrims from the previous night were leaving, and therefore the gate was still open. But after we left, they would like to/have to do some cleaning before welcoming new pilgrims, hence they closed up.
Although not yet advertised as dog friendly, according to the hospitalero, pilgrims with dogs can stay in the private rooms. They also have more than 1 dog there and he likes to go hunting with his dogs!
After Vilar de Cas, the Camino offers another alternative path in Soutomerille. Take the right turn here to visit the 12th century Church of San Salvador de Soutomerille. This alternative path will add another 1.4 km to the day. It was originally built in pre-Romanesque style but later restored in Baroque times. The church is now abandoned and in a state of ruins. After taking the earlier complementary route to Vilabade, Mommy felt that we had walked enough diversions and we still had more than 15 km to Lugo so we stayed on the main path.
Gondar
We had only just left Vilar de Cas when less than 3 km later we entered the next village Gondar. On the right side of the road, there was a man with a food truck who offered fruits and drinks to pilgrims for donativo. He had set up a cozy rest area with parasols, crate tables, and benches. On this hot day, it was very refreshing to have a few slices of fresh juicy watermelon. What’s the name of this place? El Oasis Primitivo.
We weren’t planning to stop here as we had just had a break! But we saw some friends who waved at us and Mommy had heard about this place before from another pilgrim, so we stopped by.
Since there was no other place to stop before Lugo, I would suggest you check on his Facebook page to make sure he’s not on holiday. If he’s away, then you would really need to bring a lot of water and some snacks!
Leaving Gondar on the LU-P-2917, we continued walking on this country road for over 2 km towards Bascuas before it split into a nice shaded trail for 2 km, before rejoining the highway for 1.5 km until Carballido. From here, we continued on quiet country roads through the hamlet As Casas da Vina. We were monitoring the Camino markers and excited to read the numbers getting closer and closer to 100.000!
Lugo is the provincial capital so it was a pleasant surprise that the Camino weaved itself stealthily through small roads and suburban neighbourhoods and for the majority avoided large volume of traffic. We took plenty of mini breaks to rehydrate and Mommy shared her empanadas with me.
Lugo
After taking customary photos at various Lugo Km100 signs, we continued walking towards the Cathedral where Mommy had a very expensive (for pilgrim standard) but well deserved cold Hendrik’s gin and tonic.
Lugo is known for its well-preserved 3rd century Roman walls, which still encircle the historic city center with a perimeter of over 2 km. The Roman walls have been granted UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Cathedral Santa María de Lugo, was built in the 12th century and displayed Romanesque architecture.
We arrived in Lugo towards the end of San Froilán festival (4th-12th October), celebrating the patron saint of Lugo. The 12th October is also known nationally as Columbus Day or Hispanic Day/Día de la Hispanidad which marks the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the Americas in 1492, and it is a national holiday to celebrate Spanish culture and heritage. So we got a 2 for 1 deal! A large stadium had been set up in the square and there were free concerts in the evening. It was a typical Spanish festival with performances, parades, processions, food festival, etc…
The downside of festival day(s) is that many shops were closed! Mommy had been banking on going to the pet store when we arrived in Lugo, but now it would have to wait until Santiago.
Accommodation and cost
Mommy stayed with a friend tonight. Hostel Shiku is dog friendly although their site mentioned a size restriction – however, knowing Spaniards they might not enforce this rule very strictly? Not sure. Apart from that, other options would have been browsing through Booking and AirBnB. Also bear in mind that on festival days, advanced reservation is highly advisable! Given how frequent festivals are in Spain and pilgrims are essentially walking from one to another side of the country, I recommend checking if your Camino dates coincide with any of the festival in Spain.
Reflection on day 9
We really felt a big difference today compared to previous days. Gone are the hills, the frequent ups and downs, misty mornings, animals grazing in the fields… Today we walked a significant part of the day on paved road, even though some were quiet country roads, but Mommy’s feet and my paws could feel it. At lower elevation, it was also quite hot and water supply might be an issue.
We took a much needed rest day!
