The Camino to Santiago de Compostela

There are two routes from here - the scenic high-level route and the easier road route. The signs on the house tend to lead you to the road route	The split yellow arrow on the pavement is the only indication of the route dividing - I missed it the first time
A steep climb out of the town	..and it goes on and on uphill
Looking back at Villafranca	A French pilgrim who had walked from Le Puy
The new motorway far below with the scars made constructing it	(New camera deciding to be artistic in black-and-white)
The top in sight at last
	A personal waymark
Descending through chestnut groves
	Yellow arrows on the post and on the road. The very minor road goes in long hairpins with the Camino taking a shorter route
First view of Trabadelo at the foot of the mountain	Very well signed at the road crossing
Entrance to village	Old roof
Meson as Callelas which gave me a very good meal even though it was a bit early	Old and new in the village
An old house with two balconies jettied out	A more elaborate stone roof with a dormer
The camino runs alongside the road for a bit.	All the traffic now goes on the motorway so it is very quiet
Waymark	One pair of boots which never got to Santiago!
A beer stall put out of business by the motorway	The river Valcerce accompanies the camino for much of the day
The old road through the village of La Portela	Saying goodbye to the N-VI, now just a country road anyway
One never escapes from politics - some people in Bierzo do not want to be part of Galicia, some people in Leon do not want to be part of Castile, etc, etc	An empty house for sale
The maker of staffs for pilgrims	Street scene with motorway bridge halfway up to the sky
Meson Las Rocas in Vego de Valcarce
Landscape with distant motorway bridge
	Herrerías: Spanish pilgrims at the fountain
Cyclists to the right, walkers to the left to start the long ascent up to O Cebreiro	More shade in the late afternoon
Shady walk uphill through the woods	Steep ascent
Traffic jam on the Camino - cows going back to pasture	The new refugio at La Faba, only opened 3 weeks before and very nice
Bunk beds in the refugio	A very early start (7.30 am)
The path gets a bit clearer	A nice dawn (7.50 am)
Other pilgrims in the dawn light	Beehive building
Fountain	More steep ascents
The first of a long helpful series of kilometre and half-kilometre stones which tell you exactly how slowly you are walking!	Vista
Vista with morning mist
Entering the province of Lugo in Galicia	O Cebreiro - The refugio

Camino Francés
from St Jean-Pied-du-Port
to Santiago de Compostela

Stage 25 - From Villafranca del Bierzo to O Cebreiro

Camino Francés from St Jean-Pied-du-Port to Santiago de Compostela

Stage 25 - From Villafranca del Bierzo to O Cebreiro

Camino Francés
from St Jean-Pied-du-Port
to Santiago de Compostela