James Altham

Camino del Norte Day 21

Today we walked about 21km from Abadín to Villalba. It was mostly a flat walk as we’d climbed for most of yesterday. The issue was that it was wet for most of the walk.

A group of people standing on a wet sidewalk early in the morning, preparing to walk along a road. The buildings and cars are visible, with grey skies suggesting rainy weather. — Outside our hotel this morning

It had rained quite heavily during the night as we slept, and the rain was still lingering when we woke. As we walked out of the hotel, it was sodden underfoot, and the clouds were relatively low as we were at high altitudes.

A winding path through green farmland under a cloudy sky, with trees lining the sides and a misty atmosphere. — Bleak looking

A flat, misty country road lined with trees and fence posts, leading into the distance.

A group of three hikers walking along a wet, winding path surrounded by trees and farmland under a cloudy sky.

The wet weather gear came out pretty soon after we’d left the hotel as the rain set in again. My jacket, which is 15-plus years old, was beginning to show its age and wasn’t great at keeping all the moisture out. It does the job okay but not great. I should’ve packed my waterproof pants in my daypack as that would’ve kept the water out of my shoes which got sodden fairly quickly. I’ve stuffed the boots with paper towel for the night and will wear the pants as I leave tomorrow. The weather forecast isn’t looking great for tomorrow, either.

A view through a gate leading to lush green farmland and trees, with a cloudy sky overhead.

A narrow path lined with trees and grassy fields, under a cloudy sky, suggesting a wet and chilly environment.

Because the terrain was flat primarily today, the surroundings were farmland. The paths were tracks for farm machinery to get in and out of paddocks and crops—an easy walk.

A wooden bridge crossing a small stream, surrounded by lush greenery and trees in a forested area. — A few creek crossings today

A lone hiker walking along a muddy, leaf-covered path surrounded by dense trees on a rainy day. — Autumn is setting in

A person walking down a wet road lined with grass, with a misty backdrop of trees and two cows grazing in a field. — A pilgrim up ahead in the wet

As we’re approaching Santiago, we seem to be crossing paths with several other pilgrims. We keep running into a couple of guys from Sweden, a woman and man from Spain and another from Germany. I suspect we’ll all be arriving in Santiago at the same time.

A stone house surrounded by greenery and a winding road under a partly cloudy sky. — A farmhouse and the glimpse of blue sky

It wasn’t gloom and doom all day with rain. It stopped for a brief period during the day, and we occasionally got a glimpse of the blue sky. We did dry out from the morning showers, and I was hoping that we could make it into Villalba dry, but the rain started again as we headed into town.

A scenic view of a winding path leading through green farmland, with a low stone wall and trees lining the sides. The sky is partly cloudy, creating a tranquil atmosphere. — Another farmhouse with a smidge of blue sky

A peaceful dirt path lined with trees, showing autumn foliage, under a partly cloudy sky. — A few rays of sunshine

A forested area with leafless trees and a muddy path, showing puddles on the ground after recent rain. — Another creek crossing

A walking path diverges into two routes surrounded by lush green grass and trees, with a post indicating the way. — A crossroads with the arrow pointing the way

A person walking along a muddy path surrounded by trees, with fallen leaves on the ground, under a cloudy sky. — Vaughan powering on

A weathered stone building with a sloped roof and a large green tree beside it, set in a grassy field under a cloudy sky. — An old farmhouse and tree

A café and restaurant building named 'H.O. Cristo' with parked cars in front, under a cloudy sky. — Our pitstop

We stumbled upon a small town and stopped at a bar for coffee and beer. It was good to get out of the bad weather and into the warm for a while.

A road bordered by trees, with a cloudy sky and rain falling, indicating wet weather conditions. — The rain starts again

A wet street scene in a small town, featuring parked cars alongside buildings with a cloudy sky above, indicating rainy weather. — We enter Villalba, our home for tonight

So having dried out from the morning rain, we encounter more as we enter Villalba. It would have been good to arrive at the hotel relatively dry, but no, that would be too much to ask. Anyway, we arrived in the rain with wet jackets and shoes. As soon as we checked in, I went to the supermarket to buy some food to snack on and some paper towelling to stuff in the shoes so they dry out overnight.

Overall an okay walk today with a few rays of sunshine coming through the clouds. The forecast for tomorrow isn’t looking good with more rain. I think this will be how it is until we reach Santiago. We’ve had good weather thus far, so a bit of rain can’t hurt.

That’s it for today. For a map of today’s walk, you’ll find it below.

Thanks for reading, and Buen Camino! 😍

Camino del Norte Day 21

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