On the tenth day of the Portuguese Camino de Santiago, I had to walk from Redondela to the town of Pontevedra, covering a distance of 21 km.
That day, the weather had a surprise in store — it rained in the morning, even though no rain was forecast. I left my guesthouse around eight o’clock in the morning. At that time, it was just starting to get light.
At first, the path led through narrow streets, and then through the forest. Walking through the forest in the rain is actually better — you don’t get as wet, but on the other hand, it’s slippery. The road gradually went uphill.
Another pilgrim wall covered with messages.
There were many pilgrims on the path, so I often had to overtake people. I came across a large group of Chinese pilgrims with a guide.
Only 81 km remain until Santiago de Compostela.
The bay appears in the distance.
I’ve already walked 5.5 km from Redondela, and there are only 500 meters left to reach the town of Arcade. The closer I get to Santiago, the more various signs and markers for pilgrims I see.
Here’s the town of Arcade. In the town, the Camino de Santiago winds through small streets, but you can simply walk straight along the main road. Many people chose to do just that.
The photo shows that there are plenty of pilgrims.
Even though it’s cloudy, it’s still beautiful.
The beautiful ancient bridge Ponte Medieval de Pontesampaio (the Pontesampaio Medieval Bridge) over the Verdugo River.
After that, the path led through the forest again. In the forest, there were souvenir stalls where you could have some tea, buy fruit, and get a stamp. I got my first two stamps at such stalls.
Sometimes the path looked like this. Walking here, I hoped that the ladies with the stroller had chosen to go along the highway instead.
And then, once again, the path turned into a beautiful wide road.
Vineyards along the Camino de Santiago.
Approaching the city of Pontevedra, the last few kilometers of the route followed a scenic hiking trail through the forest along a small river, although it was also possible to walk along the highway. The highway is straight, while this forest path kept winding and zigzagging.
As I neared Pontevedra, the sun broke through, and the weather turned warm and hot.
Narrow underpass beneath the bridge.
Only 67 km remain until Santiago.
The train station greets pilgrims as they enter the city of Pontevedra.
In Pontevedra, I stayed at Hotel Don Pepe, which is located across the Lérez River in Poio. So I still had to walk a bit further to reach the hotel. I arrived there around one o’clock in the afternoon, and they let me check in early.
After a short rest at the hotel, I went out to explore the city center and have lunch. Since the kitchens in all the restaurants close before 4 PM, I ended up having lunch at Burger King.
All in all, despite the morning rain, it was a good day — I didn’t get too tired on the road, felt no pain, managed to see the city, and stayed overnight in a lovely hotel.
Stats for today
Spain
Hotels
- Hotel Atlántico Vigo
- Hotel Bruselas in A Guarda
- Hotel Scala, Padrón
- Hotel Holiday, Nigrán
- Martínez Rooms Pilgrims — apartments in Caldas de Reis
- A Boa Estrela Pension in Redondela
- Hotel Don Pepe, Poio
- Alojamiento Camino Portugues Oia, Villadesuso
- Rey Fernando Guesthouse in Santiago de Compostela
Cities
Camino
- How to walk the Way of Saint James
- Camino Portuguese – Day Five – Vila Praia de Âncora – A Guarda 14 km
- Camino Portuguese — Day Six — A Guarda — Villadesuso 18.8 km
- Camino Portuguese — Day Seven — Villadesuso to Nigrán, 19.5 km
- Camino Portuguese – Day Eight – Nigrán to Vigo, 22 km
- Camino Portuguese — Day Nine — Vigo — Redondela 15.7 km
- Camino Portuguese – Day Ten – Redondela – Pontevedra 21 km
- Camino Portuguese — Day Eleven — Pontevedra — Caldas de Reis 20 km
- Camino Portuguese – Day Twelve – Caldas de Reis to Padrón, 19.7 km
- Camino Portuguese – Day Thirteen – Padrón – Santiago de Compostela 22.5 km
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