Day 9 - Villafranca del Bierzo to Las Herrerias

Post Title

Distance: 14.5 miles / 24 kms

Goal for the Day

Prepare for the 2100 foot climb to O Cebreiro, Galicia

Meaningful Moment

A picnic

Random Thought of the Day

Much prefer country trails over those that run alongside roads.

On the Road

There were three choices for hiking to our destination.
Option 1: the direct route which was along the national highway the entire way. It was the shortest but also the least interesting and least spiritual.

Option 2: the dragon is a brutal trail and only for those in really physically fit condition. Not up for that.

Option 3: the intermediate route ( Padela route ) which combined a first half 500 meter ascent  and descent, followed by the second half along the direct route.

We opted for choice 3 and began the day. It was hard but rewarding, especially for me as I had some doubts about the 700 meter climb the following day.

Half way thru the hike, we found a small area along the trail where we had a picnic of pasta and fruit in the shade. We thought to lie down but we both knew that we would quickly fall asleep.


No pictures today.

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