A Gudiña to Verin - (electric wheelchair style)

Starting the day early with an overcast grey sky and occasional light showers. My fears of heavy deluges were thankfully unfounded. Historic wildfires have left some of this area devastated a barren.    

Verin is an alternative Camino route option, avoiding higher mountain passes. It adds 30km to the overall journey but is a gentler option on my wheels. Saying that it is also less picturesque and not generally a favoured option by most pilgrims. 

The path runs generally downhill losing altitude. This is easy on my batteries and I finish the 36km stage with 6 of 8 bars showing on the charge indicator. The Portuguese border is about 10km away and one of the Portuguese Caminos joins at this point.

Verin is a bit shabby. There are many nice features, old buildings, art and even sculpture but no continuity, a patchwork of periods and styles. Many of the shops look like charity shops but aren’t.

What I do like is the hardware shops. These are generally gone in many places. If you need a new spade handle, you would easily find one in Verin. 

The municipal albergue is once again lovely. The coat of arms above the door is monumental.

I think because all the Caminos conclude in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia takes the whole Camino thing very seriously. There is obvious investment, certainly in the accommodation, but also in the routing and signage. 2025 saw over half a million people receive their compostela’s. These are not day-tripping tourists but people slowly making their way to the area spending as they go. Admittedly they are generally on a budget but collectively it must be a tremendous income for Galicia and has recognised as a resource and invested in it. 

Lubián to A Gudiña - (electric wheelchair style)

Today I left Castile Y León crossing into the autonomous community of Galicia, province of A Coruña. My journey has taken me from the very south in Andalusia through Extremadura, Castile Y León and now Galicia.

It’s been downhill most of the way loosing altitude and snaking through steep valleys. The scenery completely changed immediately after the regional border to grey granite with thin soils. There is extensive evidence of wild fires from previous summers. Fences have become dry stone walls built with large upright slabs. 

I’m in the small town of A Gudiña in a big clean municipal albergue for €10. I have an accessible room with 2 beds but so far it’s just me there.

There is a swimming pool created by a dam on the river (above) but I didn’t swim. It is one of those places where you are immediately surrounded by 100 annoying flies trying to get up your nose.

The town is old and pretty but busy with traffic on the road that divides the town in two. It has a tiny church and an ancient perfumery that has seen better days.  

Rain is on the cards and the forecast looks dubious. A cloud full of rain has just arrived completely obscuring the valley below but it will pass. 

I will see what tomorrow brings. From here I could bus it to Verin my next planned stop. Other options are the direct like to Madrid or Santiago de Compostela. For such a tiny place it is well connected. 

By the guidebook I’m 9 stages to Santiago de Compostela. Linking bits together that is more like 5 or 6 for me.

The issue is the weather. I’m not willing to travel in heavy or even moderate rain. In a wheelchair your waterproofs drain to your backside. You soon find yourself sitting in a puddle that takes days to dry out.

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.