Mougas to Nigran; 20kms

Had such a good sleep! This room very dark thankfully without outside lights and everything. I even got up packed and was ready before 7.30am! The Albergue owner had given us each a bag with two apples, 2 tiny cupcakes, a coffee sachet and mini milk carton. So I ate the two mini cupcakes so they wouldn’t get squished in my backpack. Unlike Mr D, he had carried a tiny cupcake the day before and it had become a pancake cupcake and was promptly thrown in the bin. Karen was ready to go but was late! She complained of someone farting in a nearby room overnight. 😆

It was pretty dark as we walked off, the only pilgrims out so early. Found an open cafe 1.5kms onwards and there was only a few pilgrims in there. The man behind the counter said it was pretty quiet today, normally lots of pilgrims first thing in the morning. We enjoyed a light breakfast watching the sunrise.

The early morning walk was lovely besides the ocean again before veering up a steep long hill on a rocky woodland path. Wildfires that had occurred recently before our arrival were noted very close to homes here. Many pilgrims appeared and were almost running up the steep hill. No one we recognised. Stopped at a little pilgrim rest stop and had fresh squeezed orange juice. And an apple from my breakfast bag.

There became a maze of cobblestone lanes, walk ways up, down and around gradually descending into the town of Baiona. The Senda Litoral route has a twin alternative route to confuse matters as the official coastal route left us at Caminha. We got caught out on this route and used google maps to correct ourselves onto the correct one. Definitely as on the Camino Frances, there is litter everywhere! Rubbish, used toilet paper, discarded underwear. It is absolutely disgraceful. Pilgrims that leave their shit on the ground no respect for the environment.

So Karen had to urgently go pee pee in someone’s yard and we continued down to the marina and waited for her there. Mondays in Spain is like Tuesdays in Portugal. It was 12.30 & we were looking for a lunch spot. Restaurants were either closed or not opening until 1pm. Cafes were looking like our only option, the only two that is that were open. So feeling agitated we continued down the Camino route sourcing a restaurant out and luckily found one. We were the only ones dining there it seemed. We sat outside watching the people go pass, other pilgrims. Mr D had another lobster while Karen and I had grilled sea bass. We have been recommended to order fish / seafood by the sea and inland – meats. So I was eating lots of fish. And we were well behaved, having one glass of vino for lunch and Mr D had a beer.

Mr D keeps trying to catch a taxi. So after lunch he had suggested again to catch a taxi to our accommodation as he didn’t want to continue walking kilometres after lunch. I feel like it wasn’t far, like 6kms odd. I was like well I’ll walk and you catch a taxi! So we all set off alongside the bay as we have left the ocean behind now and following a long bay in towards Vigo. It was hot actually, felt very warm in the afternoon especially as very little shade. Karen and I are surprised by the lack of people on the sand, sun bathing and going swimming. We could imagine in August that the beaches would be full of people and now, a small handful. Mr D lagged behind at this point. He actually been walking with us most of the way today. We all were tired, but that is everyday to be honest.

Didn’t take too long to reach Ramallosa where we had hoped to stay. Again Mr D wanted to catch a taxi. It was less than 3kms. We settled on bypassing the Camino routes ( both ) & headed directly up to Nigran alongside a busy noisy and smelly road. And it was hot. The alternative Camino route winds its way onto this road and pass our pension accommodation for the last kilometre. We were hot, sweaty and completely stuffed! The reception man spoke very little English and hard to understand. He was also very slow with doing the check ins. Mr D was getting ants in his pants. He did spy a fridge that was ageing steak and beef so that really got his full attention and he started salivating at the prospect of eating aged steak tonight. I grabbed our keys and headed for the room with Karen. Mr D came up moments later completely destroyed. He carried a bottle of red vino and two glasses. He had asked a worker if he could book a table for dinner tonight. The worker laughed at him and said No! We close in half an hour. We not open Monday nights! Gutted. Truly gutted. Our little hotel room is comfortable enough. But we had been spoilt so far with generous apartments and rooms with fridge, coffee machine, full kitchen, washing machine. Here none of that.

After rest in our room, freshening up and a couple of glasses of vino we set out looking for a restaurant. Well it was Monday. And as we quickly discovered, restaurants were either closed or didn’t open until 8pm. And there wasn’t much about close to our accommodation. So we found a small bar that served tapas food but only after 8pm. So we started with drinks, no cocktails could only get beer, wine or baileys as was what Mr D ended up drinking as the red wine was horrible. Tapas was delicious and we couldn’t finish it. In Spain, people allowed to still smoke in outdoor seating areas of restaurants and cafes so we had to put up with the cigarette smoke. It is what you are used to. Poor Karen today started having a problem with her calf muscles, spasms and pain. So she still managed to walk the distance, just went slower. Rested her legs vertically for 2 hours and they seem better so hopefully she has no major problems on tomorrow’s walk into Vigo. There we will have a rest day that we are really looking forward to!