Puente to Puebla de Sanabria to Lubián - (electric wheelchair style)

A late start today. I have been on-trail before 8:00 every morning by habit but also in-line with most other pilgrims. Many start earlier, as early as 3:30 I’ve heard.

I guess this gives plenty of time and would offer cooler temperatures in summer. I have found the mornings cold so with today’s destination room already booked in Lubiá, I afford the luxury of a 9:30 start.

This graph shows the altitude profile for today’s section. I started 10km before Requejo on the profile which was also an incline. Climbing 400m is not insignificant and I’m cautious of the impact on my batteries. As well as the uphill bits there was also fantastic downhill that I cruised. My wheels do regenerative braking but I can’t imagine it is significant. There are poles marking road edges to guide the snowploughs. 

I am well into the hills now. Most of it seems natural or semi-natural deciduous but there are sections of planted conifers. I am still in sight of the main motorway and the high speed railway although both disappear into tunnels on occasion. 

My hotel is in a the tiny mountain village of Lubiá. I’m the room with the garden out front. There are 2 bars, a church and a tiny usupermarket in the village. Everything was closed today by 14:00 as I think there is fiesta. Will see what I can find later. 

Many of the buildings are ramshackled with chickens and cats everywhere. 

Lubiá is the last village within the Zamora province, tomorrow Galicia. Lubiá sits at about 1000m which would make it covered in snow for lots of the winter.

There are many windmills. 

Puebla de Sanabria - Medieval town pictures 1

Rionegro del Puente to Puebla de Sanabria - (electric wheelchair style)

A early and cold start today accompanied by a glorious full moon.

The countryside has changed with more hills and trees. I have seen chestnut today for the first time but it seems to be mainly a variety of deciduous oak that is grown as woodland pastures. 

I am once again on an amount of roads and as the hills get bigger, I am likely to continue as such. The high speed train is never more the 500m from my route and I hear it often. 

The more distant hills start to look like mountains. The town in the distance is 

Puebla de Sanabria, my destination for today. The town sits between regular stops so I’m in a hotel at €55 so am making the most of it. I will set off later tomorrow to avoid the cold early dawn - big sleeps and I will be extremely clean. I think the breakfast is only €4 so I will be fed as well. I have also booked my next stop so no need to rush.

Puebla de Sanabria is a medieval town on a hill with rivers on two sides. It has been a defensive position on several occasions and retains many old buildings in its steep cobbled streets.

There is an interesting looking ethnographic museum with festival costumes and masks I will visit later. 

The views get bigger and the countryside less agricultural although many small vegetable gardens are abundant.

I am yet to explore the old town but what I’ve seen looks interesting. Tapas in the Plaza Major later.

Tábara to Rionegro del Puente - (electric wheelchair style)

My Camino has turned into a road trip. Progress today has been 90% road and only 10% farm tracks. 

Once again I stitched 2 day stages together, the first running north to Santa Marta de Tera, the second east to Rionegro del Puente. I cut the corner diagonally saving 16 km and avoiding impassable rocky sections. Is this cheating, am I missing out on my Camino experience? - well maybe.

My views are often of ramshackled roadside dwelling time has forgotten.  I guess every country has this phenomena as agriculture intensifies and the young leave for the exciting cities. They are shabby and a bit sad. I miss experiencing all the glorious remote countryside and it’s wildlife.

I was stopped by the Guardia Civil police today, the ones in green uniforms with white and green vehicles. Two officers checked me out in a helpful and polite way. I think they were concerned for my safety as there wasn’t much of a hard shoulder and I am a wheelchair miles from anywhere. They asked me all the usual questions about range, speed and what I was doing. They waved me off wishing me well and suggesting I get a hi-visibility vest at the earliest opportunity which I will do. They also pointed out the Guardia Civil telephone number and suggested I call if there is any need which was both helpful and reassuring.

I’m now in Rionegro del Puente in a big old municipal albergue. The town has a population of 260. How they fund a municipal albergue is uncertain, guess it keeps them on the map and brings in money. It is only staffed 7-8 in the evening and has a good bar next door. There is probably less than 10 pilgrims here. 

There is a great website by the ‘Oficina de Acogida al Pergreno’ giving current statistics of Compostela’s issued. This year so far, the number from the Vía de la Plata is 1,471 of the 447,000 overall total. Today alone 4195 Compostela were issued. 
 Statistics: https://oficinadelperegrino.com/en/statistics-2/

Zamora to Tábara - (electric wheelchair style)

My albergue in Zamora was fantastic. Siting on a hill and built right into the rock face this historic building is not suited to wheelchairs. Resigned to the idea of needing a hotel the volunteer staff managed to open a side entrance that was accessible for me and gave me an otherwise empty room with my own bathroom. What luxury. Lovely volunteer staff selflessly donate time to facilitate the Camino. It makes me think I would like to do this service if my Spanish was ever up to it. 

Big day for me today. Avoiding otherwise impassable sections I have cut the corner onto the Camino Sanabrés. The usual path leaves Zamora heading north, stopping in both Montamarta and Granja de Moreruela where you chose to either continue north to Astorga picking up the Camino Francés, or take the Camino Sanabrés, a more direct route heading northwest. I managed to string what would normally be three, one day sections together and am in Tàbara on the Camino Sanabrés. 

The terrain has changed since Zamora. I think the altitude is less and the huge monotone Meseta like fields are smaller. The villages I pass are reminiscent of those tiny French villages that are fast becoming deserted.

I stopped for coffee in Montamarta and found a bikers cafe called “Ruta 66” playing terrible 70’s music. The boss gave me a “route 66” sticker for my wheels.

My new batteries are behaving well. My journey today was meant to be 46km but with detours a stops it was probably more. I finished with 3 bars out of 8 remaking on my battery indicator. At a push, with ideal conditions and without the extra weight of a bag, I could maybe get 70 km?

Tàbara is a small unremarkable town whose economy I imagine is mainly agricultural. Huge tractors rumble past on the roads doing what must be 80kmh. It has a small church, a plaza, a leafy park and 2 albergues. Either Im in the wrong one or I’m the only one on Camino today. My lodgings adjoin a hotel which has a popular local restaurant. I shared lunch with municipal workers in brightly coloured safety jackets. 

I plan to link sections together tomorrow. This part of the Vía de la Plata jumps across various hills and valleys approaching Galicia. To save on the hilly bits which eat batteries I am loosely following the route of the high speed railway line that was only finished in 2021. Trains traveling at over 300 km/h fly by as I trundle along at 12 Km/h

El Cubo de Tierra del Vino to Zamora - (electric wheelchair style)

Another day of mainly road based Camino. I chose this option as there was a watercourse that needed crossing. Unfortunately that could have meant anything so I thought it easier to stick to just stick to the road.

The fields are generally fallow this time of the year and the undulating terrain uneventful. Mid afternoon it’s 31'C but it’s cold in the mornings, colder than I was expecting so I wore fleece lined trousers, windproof jacket, wooly hat and gloves. Tomorrow I will add thick socks.

The approach to Zamora descends to the banks of the substantial river Douro, a major river running on to Porto in northern Portugal. 

The old city is reached by crossing the beautiful pedestrianised Romanesque bridge that is known as the new bridge having only been built in the 13th Century. 

The old town is small and charming and I read it is full of churches. What I have seen is lovely.

Time to do the chores and look for a tapas bar for the night. 

Tomorrow I plan a big day of 46km which covers 3 official stages and takes to onto the Camino Sanabrés starting the swing NW to Santiago de Compostela. 

Salamanca to El Cubo de Tierra del Vino - (electric wheelchair style)

This morning I waved goodbye to my sister after a fantastic weekend break eating, drinking and looking at art in Salamanca. I had halted the Camino mid June 2026 and was returning.

Salamanca was my end point for a number of reasons principally because there were small nagging battery issues with my wheels but I was also starting to feel homeless. Salamanca happened to be a great place to get a train to Madrid.

I am opting for the Camino Sanabrés route cutting NW across to Santiago de Compostela just north of the Portuguese border. 

It starts heading north either on or adjacent to small roads. These initial sections are fast for my wheels so leaving at 8:00 I was at El Cubo de Tierra del Vino before midday.

This is a small village in the middle of nowhere. It’s like a crossroad town in America’s mid-west only older without billboards.

Charming but very basic. There is a cafe/ restaurant and apparently a shop but you need to call to get it open. The name “El Cubo de Tierra del Vino” is the land of wine. 

Tomorrow - destination Zamora. 

Salamanca break

Venturing into Salamanca as a pilgrim required a big change of pace. On the Camino everything is simple, what to eat and where to sleep. You operate with acceptance. Taking away choice is somehow freeing. You aren’t in charge of what the world is doing to you, just how you chose to be with it.

For most pilgrims life seems to be about your feet. For me it’s the operational details of my wheels. Checking for loose hardware, tyre pressure unusual noises. Attention is on your planned path - are there steps, how deep are water crossings, stepping stones maybe styles, perilously steep thin inclines.

Distance is much less of a problem than walking as the magic is with lithium. My batteries may take me 60km in ideal conditions, certainly 40km is achievable which is a big ask of most pilgrims, day after day. 

Terrain is more critical though but I usually find a way. The last time I was defeated completely was trying to escape Madrid airport terminal 4 without using public transport or taxis. Google maps says it’s possible but without crossing road edge barriers or a motorway, I couldn’t find a way. Fortunately I was able to use the shuttle bus which was easy and fast. The lesson here was not attempt everything independently and take the bus if you need to. 

I interrupted my Camino in Salamanca taking a break for the summer. The supplementary battery was dying on my wheels, its the power behind the legs coming up and down and the lights There are other system monitoring stuff but for me it was about lowering and retracting legs which are also the brakes. I can manage my wheels without legs but if I’m on a train or airport shuttle, I can’t easily be without legs. Its like trying to stand on a bus in roller skates. I was also starting to feel homeless, waking up not knowing where I was. Just making do had become tiring. Another reason was that Salamanca was well connected, a great place to get a train to Madrid. 

There was also a decision to be made on which route I am to take onto Santiago de Compostela. The Vía de La Plata is the old Roman road running from Seville in the south, north to Astorga which is on the Camino Francés. There is however the option to cut the corner heading directly to Santiago de Compostela on the Camino Sanabrés, a quieter route but possibly more challenging on wheels getting into Galicia. 

Meanwhile stopping in Salamanca is lovely with beautiful buildings, art, history, food and comfort.